When I heard Dior menswear was collaborating with Kenny Scharf for AW21 I tried to keep my expectations in check. You never know quite which way these things will go, but I’m happy to report the collection looks superb.
Scharf is a painter who achieved fame in the 80s alongside his NYC club kid cohorts Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. I didn’t get my first close-up look of his eye-popping work till the late 80s. (more…)
Great to hear that Gabriela Hearst is the new creative director at Chloe. She has proven sustainability credentials, a contemporary-classic point of view (which I prefer to her predecessor’s) and clearly knows how to design fantastic bags.
It will be interesting to see if she can retain her considered approach while working for a brand that thrives on constant consumption. Perhaps we’ll see her instil a slower pace of product release. (more…)
Welcome to the latest travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP)
As global travel slowly picks up, we look at the business and shopping trends of the travel retail world. Recent highlights include the launch of beauty retail ‘café’ destinations in Hamad Airport, Doha and a focus on exclusive duty-free products in Hainan, where Chinese consumers continue to ‘revenge spend’ their way out of the pandemic, while domestic travel is their only option.
1/ BEAUTY RETAIL-TECH ‘CAFÉ’ CONCEPTS. L’Oréal has launched two ‘phygital’ retail concepts at Hamad Airport, Doha. The new retail-tech destinations – from Lancôme and YSL Beauté – sit next door to each other as one beauty department within the Qatar Duty Free retail space.
The Lancôme concept features a French apartment-inspired décor and the addition of bar stool seating gives a luxury café atmosphere. The counters offer interactive touchpoints where customers can personalise their purchases. It’s the first store in the brand’s EMEAI (Europe, Middle East, Africa, India) division to launch Lancôme’s new Shade Finder tool – the skin tone measurement technology that can identify up to 22,500 shades for foundation matching. (more…)
“It’s as if my grandparents had given me their fabric house and I wanted it to be the best — I wanted them to be happy. I’m often asking myself, ‘Karl, what do you think? Is it okay?’”
A sweet quote from Chanel creative director Virginie Viard, from this great Vogue profile by Hamish Bowles. (P.S. Who knew she was a Margiela–Helmut–Galliano stan back in the day?) (more…)
