Sabato De Sarno’s First Ads, Tag Heuer’s Face, Spice Girls Stamps – WWD

FIRST EFFORT: A roster of marquee ambassadors and celebrities or a group of new faces? Gucci can rely on both. 

After unveiling campaigns for specific product categories with the likes of Billie Eilish, Paul Mescal, Xiao Zhan, Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny, and most recently, with Ni Ni and Chang Chen, the Florentine house unveiled the campaign for Gucci Ancora, the debut collection of creative director Sabato De Sarno.

For the occasion, the designer opted for some of the fresh faces who exclusively walked his first show for the brand last September during Milan Fashion Week. Rather than leverage talents’ popularity and social media influence to generate buzz, De Sarno decided to put product first and continued his mission to chart a new course with five new names, who combined have only about 21,000 followers on Instagram.

Ana Rossolovich, who opened De Sarno’s first show; Fadia Ghaab; Jiahui Zhang; Nyajuok Gatdet, and Violet Hume posed in front of the camera of David Sims in a group or alone, wearing key looks of the Gucci spring 2024 collection. The images evoke fashion campaigns from the ‘90s, a pivotal and formative decade for De Sarno, forging his fashion vision and influencing the current aesthetic he’s bringing to the brand.

“Sensuality conceived as an attitude of beauty, freedom and confidence becomes the overarching theme of a collection that extends a personal invitation to every woman — a call to live exactly in their own unique way, to revel in the distinct emotion that only fashion can inspire: ancora,” the company said in a statement.

The Italian term, which translates as “again” in English, has become a mantra for De Sarno over the past six months, appearing on billboards and extending to different projects of the house. 

“Ancora is a word that you use when your desire is not over yet, whether it’s a kiss or an embrace, or making love; it’s as if you own something and you want more of it,” De Sarno told WWD at the time of his debut. — SANDRA SALIBIAN

NEW FACE: Chinese actor Liu Haoran has joined the Tag Heuer family as an ambassador, joining the likes of Ryan Gosling and Patrick Dempsey.

The 26-year-old actor has become a familiar face in fashion circles. He walked in Balenciaga’s spring 2024 show during Paris Fashion Week and was an ambassador for Alexander McQueen in China in 2021.

He became the youngest actor to gross more than $2 billion at the Chinese box office in 2021 from the success of starring in the film franchise “Detective Chinatown.” — HIKMAT MOHAMMED

SPICE UP YOUR MAIL: British girl group Spice Girls are being celebrated on a 15-set collection of stamps from the Royal Mail, the British postal service, to commemorate the band’s 30th anniversary.

Each member of the group — Melanie Brown (Scary Spice); Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice); Emma Bunton (Baby Spice); Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), and Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) — will receive a stamp featuring their faces from different events.

The Royal Mail worked with the group to choose the images that include the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games; as well as Spice Girls performing at the Brit Awards in 1997 and on tour in 1998.

Spice Girls are the sixth group to be honored with their own stamps, joining the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Rolling Stones and Iron Maiden.

The girl group reunited for a world tour in 2007 that’s also featured on the stamps, and then again in 2019 for a second reunion tour across the U.K. and Ireland, which Beckham skipped due to her fashion business commitments. — H.M.

ROARING DRAGON: In honor of the Year of the Dragon, Louis Vuitton has unveiled five larger-than-life dragon installations at pop-ups and flagships in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.

The dragons, crafted by artisans in China, incorporate key design elements from Pharrell Williams’ first men’s collection for Louis Vuitton, such as pearls, gilded surfaces and the classic Damier check.

In Shanghai, Louis Vuitton took over a three-story building — which originally housed the local multibrand store Looknow — with a dedicated pop-up for the men’s spring 2024 collection and an illuminated dragon installation.

A second Shanghai dragon landed at Louis Vuitton’s Qiantan Taikoo Li store. This time, the green dragon, sporting bedazzled fangs, resembles the embroidered version seen on the back of Williams’ souvenir jacket that he had worn during his whirlwind China tour last month.

In Chengdu, Vuitton also installed two green dragons: one at the Louis Vuitton Maison at Chengdu Taikoo Li and another at the adjacent The Hall restaurant.

In Beijing, Louis Vuitton’s dragon comes drenched in gold and can be seen at a temporary space in Sanlitun‘s north district, adjacent to a soon-to-be-unveiled flagship.

The dragon installations and pop-ups reflect a distinctively localized activation plan for William’s first collection as well as a festive initiative to win over the hearts and wallets of Lunar New Year shoppers.

Vuitton unveiled dedicated store concepts simultaneously in more 50 locations worldwide, including a pop-up and 16 windows at Selfridges department store in London and a makeover of its permanent pop-up space in Seoul. The installations will remain in place for a period of one to three months, depending on the location.

In tandem, the brand plans in-store happenings, DJ residencies and food concepts, reflecting Vuitton’s self-described positioning as a “cultural” brand with broad reach across segments including sports, gaming, music and art. — DENNI HU

TEAMING AGAIN: German luxury fashion house MCM is again partnering with Japanese streetwear company A Bathing Ape (Bape) for a capsule for spring 2024. Building on their debut collaboration in 2019, the new capsule celebrates the Year of the Dragon for Lunar New Year for the first time.

The first collaboration in October 2019 was a broad range of ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories. This second collaboration consists of unisex items, including a Bape hoodie and accessories.

The latest MCM x Bape Lunar New York Edition capsule is characterized by a play on pattern and graphics and the fusion of Bape’s shark motif with MCM’s signature Visetos. The Bape STA logo is a focal point of the collection and is enveloped with a golden dragon, symbolizing confidence and irreverent style in the new year.

The Shark hoodie, which is offered in XS to XL and in two colorways, is designed in black and cognac Visetos and has the collaboration logo emblazoned over the monogram as well as the Bape shark motif, woven over the hood’s exterior.

MCM’s most popular silhouettes — the backpack, the belt bag, the crossbody, the Boston, the Weekender, the North-South tote and the handheld pouch, undergo a graphic transformation for the first time, featuring a transparent rendition of Bape’s camo pattern, debossed in gold over the Visetos in cognac and black.

Each piece has gunmetal hardware and oversized graphics.

“We are pleased to recombine MCM’s rich heritage of artisanship and mobility with the dynamic creativity of Bape for this next drop. Both brands complement one another as they achieved prominence through the natural proximity with the global streetwear movement — MCM finding a renaissance in the New York hip-hop community in the ’80s, and Bape coming of age during the explosion of Tokyo’s Harajuku scene in the ’90s. It is a true celebration of luxury streetwear that captures the essence of the zeitgeist,” said Sabine Brunner, president and brand and commercial officer of MCM.

Thomas Hui, chief operating officer of Bape, said the collaboration “merges the best of both worlds” and “will elevate the whole luxury streetwear vibe to the next level.”

The capsule launched Friday online and in-store in selected MCM flagships and Bape stores across the U.S.

Featuring seven pieces in total, the collection retails from $550 to $1,290. — LISA LOCKWOOD

BAHAMA BAGS: Tommy Bahama has signed a licensing deal with Concept One Accessories for a collection of handbags, small leather goods and luggage.The handbag collection will launch this summer and will feature modern, practical styles to complement the Tommy Bahama leisure lifestyle. That will include raffia shapes with modern hardware and detailing, as signature Tommy Bahama prints on canvas bags. Silhouettes in the launch collection will include a large shopper tote, double strap flap bag, medium tote, crossbody bucket, double entry crossbody bag and a North/South small tote.

Small leather goods and luggage will launch in the fall. 

Retail prices for the bags will run from $150 to $300 while luggage will sell for $129.99 for a carry-on and $399 for a three-piece set.

“We are proud to have partnered with Concept One Accessories on a line of Tommy Bahama branded handbags and luggage,” said Gina Wilcox, vice president of licensing at Tommy Bahama. “Concept One Accessories has created a collection of handbags and luggage that fit well into the relaxed, well-traveled Tommy Bahama lifestyle.”

The collection will be available at select Tommy Bahama stores nationwide and online as well as at select department and specialty stores and across the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“We are very proud and excited to work with such a venerable and respected brand as Tommy Bahama,” said Sam Hafif, chief executive officer of Concept One Accessories. “What began as the iconic island lifestyle brand has evolved into one of the most aspirational luxury collections of apparel, home and travel brands of our time. We will be developing a handbag collection for summer 2024 using natural materials and straw with vegan leather trims and launching luggage and travel collections for holiday. This is a brand that is timeless, and we plan to build the business with a long-term goal of establishing these as signature categories for the brand.” — JEAN E. PALMIERI

POKEMON POP-UP: Selfridges has a few new friends in town that go by the name of Dratini, Dragonair and Dragonit. Fendi has staged a pop-up at the luxury department store to celebrate its brand collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment, which also includes a special collection with Pokémon celebrating the Year of the Dragon in 2024 as part of the brand’s latest “Friends of Fendi” project unveiled in December.

At Selfridges, a large Dragonite stands on a mustard yellow podium with lit neon lights behind it until Jan. 28.

The pop-up sits next to Fendi’s ground-floor accessories concession.

Dedicated pop-ups for the Fendi x Frgmt x Pokémon collaboration have been unveiled in China’s Chengdu Taikoo Li, running until Jan. 27 and at Isetan in Tokyo, until Tuesday.

“I first met Hiroshi Fujiwara in London in 1999 — and what can I say? He’s one of my idols and I love him,” said Kim Jones, Fendi’s artistic director of couture and womenswear. 

“He’s an instigator of the Japanese club scene, its youth fashion scene and its streetwear scene. I have been in love with Japan for a long time; its influence on me and what I do is huge — Hiroshi is a major part of that,” he added.

The “FF Fragment” reinterprets Fujiwara’s Frgmt signature on Fendi’s signature FF jacquard logo in its institutional brown and tobacco shade, and in an unexpected bold yellow version.

“FF Fragment” is applied on the Peekaboo ISeeU Small and Baguette women’s bag, as well as mini icons Baguette Pouch and Mini Mon Trésor, together with a new foldable Baguette shopper and soft hobo bag.

“When Kim asks me to work on a project together, I have no reason to say no,” Fujiwara said. “I very much enjoyed working with Kim again, and this time also with Silvia. It was a true honor to work with the house of Fendi, a traditional brand with outstanding craftsmanship. Grateful for this opportunity.”

Fujiwara also worked with Jones in 2017 when the latter was men’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton, in a collaboration that was part of the French brand’s pre-fall men’s collection. — H.M.

TURNING RED: The Burberry checks have turned red for its Lunar New Year campaign featuring brand ambassadors Tang Wei and Chen Kun with He Cong, Wang Xiangguo and Alex Schlab.

The cast was shot in Chengdu, China, by American photographer Ryan McGinley wearing pieces from the Chinese New Year capsule collection that merges British houndstooth checks and rose prints with the color red, which represents good luck and prosperity for the Year of the Dragon.

The Knight bag, a new brand hero, is featured in red with gold hardware. The softly structured style comes with a bridled horse clip and showcases the charging horse from Burberry’s updated Equestrian Knight Design. It can be used either as a shoulder bag or a tote.

Other accessories in the campaign include new eyewear styles; gold-plated spear stud earrings, and a large blanket scarf using the equestrian knight logo.

Last November, Tang Wei, the internationally acclaimed Chinese actress with major works like “Late Autumn” and “Decision to Leave” under her belt, was named a global brand ambassador.

Considered one of the most celebrated Asian actresses of her generation, Tang has scored dozens of major awards since her silver screen debut in Ang Lee’s erotic period espionage film “Lust, Caution.” The movie scored the Golden Lion top honor at the Venice Film Festival in 2007.

Burberry has seen a mixed performance in mainland China, where comparable store sales rose 15 percent in the first half, with all the growth coming from the first three months. In the second quarter, sales in the region fell 8 percent as spending shifted offshore, according to Burberry.

As a whole, the Chinese shopper cluster grew by 25 percent in the three months to Sept. 30 driven by wealthy, traveling Chinese shoppers who have been splashing their cash in Japan (where the exchange rate is favorable) and in resorts such as Hong Kong and Macao.

Burberry chief financial officer Kate Ferry said during an earnings call that the slowdown in mainland China has “extended.” — H.M.