Matteo Marzotto in his Milan offices | Source: The Business of Fashion

MILAN, Italy — When Matteo Marzotto, stylish scion of the Italian fashion dynasty announced in February 2009 that he was acquiring the storied House of Vionnet, owned at the time by Arnaud de Lummen who had already had a go at reviving the sleeping beauty himself, the response from the fashion industry was simultaneously one of intrigue and distaste. On the one hand, a swarm of journalists and buyers packed into Marzotto’s Milan apartment for the initial press conference. On the other, many fashion observers could not fathom how a legendary French fashion house could be moved to Milan, run by an Italian, and designed by Rodolfo Paglialunga, an Italian designer who had worked for most of his career in Italy.

Berlin designer outlet, courtesy of McArthur Glen

Designer Outlets Come Into Fashion Across the Continent (WSJ)
“The Berlin Designer Outlet Center, built to resemble a German country village, is the latest outlet to open in Europe and further evidence that in a broader retail industry plagued by tenant insolvencies and declining consumer spending, the outlet segment is still expanding.”

Vionnet exhibition opens in Paris (Telegraph)
“Vionnet, dubbed the “couturier of couturiers”, is being honoured with an exhibition, opening today at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris, which spans her work from the setting up of her house in 1912 to the glory years of the Thirties.”

The Dying Art of The Sari (Time)
“Sales do pick up in the winter, Delhi’s high season for lavish parties and weddings, but fashionable young women are more interested in designer saris in sheer fabrics made on power looms, not the traditional hand-woven silks like the ones in their mothers’ cabinets.”

Italian designers dream of summer in the city for 2010 (AP)
“Returning to the urban styles which made them famous, Italian designers are putting men back into suits and ties after many a season of wardrobes for globe-trotting vacationers.”

Agnes b. to Double China Stores to Tap Retail’s ‘Bright Spot’ (Bloomberg)
“Agnes b. Group, the French fashion brand created by designer Agnes Trouble, will double its stores in mainland China to tap growing demand that’s made the country a “bright spot” in the retail industry.”

Matteo Marzotto, courtesy of The Sartorialist

LONDON, United Kingdom — The recent news that Matteo Marzotto and Gianni Castiglioni have bought the Vionnet brand reminded me of the old saying about second marriages: a triumph of hope over experience. Arnaud de Lummen has already had a hand at reviving Vionnet, the classic couture brand, over the past few years, but has now moved on to other projects. (You can read all about it in BoF’s exclusive interview with de Lummen.)

In announcing the purchase of Vionnet, Marzotto said “I am convinced there is always room for projects that have at their core originality, energy and passion. With Vionnet I would like to bring back to life an idea of fashion that is contemporary without forgetting its history.” And, Marzotto is not the only one who thinks so.

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In the 1920′s, a young French designer named Madeleine Vionnet created a virtual tornado in the in the fashion industry when she developed the bias cut. By cutting fabric against the grain, she enabled it to cling, drape and give in a way that was flattering to the body. Vionnet went on to build an enviable and innovative business, dressing clients such as Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, and Greta Garbo.

The house was shut down during the Second World War, but since then, Vionnet’s technique has been widely used by numerous acclaimed designers, including Azzedine Alaia and John Galliano, who has made the bias-cut dress one of his own signatures.

Now, almost 70 years after it faded into oblivion, the House of Vionnet may not be dead for much longer. Not if Vionnet CEO Arnaud de Lummen has something to say about it. Over the past few years, he has been quietly laying the foundation to resurrect this once-great house to its former glory. De Lummen’s father bought the rights to the Vionnet business 20 years ago and has waited until now to task his son, a Harvard-trained lawyer, to make this ambitious vision a reality.

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