The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
In the early 1990s and 2000s, fashion was reshaped by consolidation and the rise of cash flush conglomerates including LVMH, Kering and Richemont — which, alongside megabrands, began dominating the industry, and left little for smaller brands to grow. An effort to help independent labels compete, in collaboration with Saturday Group Stefano Martinetto and Giancarlo Simiri’s showroom Tomorrow added a brand accelerator to its model that would go on to guide brands including A-Cold-Wall, Coperni and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy through the early stages of business building.
On the latest BoF Live, Martinetto and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy-founder Charles Jeffrey join Lauren Sherman to unpack her latest case study “A New Model for Building Independent Fashion Brands,” and talk about their partnership.
“That old model of really doing London for a couple of seasons, really wrecking yourself and taking that risk until a French house or an Italian house wants to take you on board, I think is outdated — it shouldn’t have to be like that,” said Jeffrey.
The Rome-based couture house’s bet on Rome’s most bankable design talent could help it punch above its weight.
The duo behind Skims are taking a minority stake in the luxury cashmere label, with an eye on scaling the cult brand.
After headline pieces — sometimes formerly owned by celebrities or featured on TV — sell for blockbuster prices, they can end up pretty much anywhere, from museums to collectors’ closets.
Serre, who grew sales by 20 percent in 2023, has been named Pitti Uomo’s next guest designer. She’s using the opportunity to show her men’s collection for the first time.