Fashion Notebook

Breaking News: Commes Des Garcons' Rei Kawakubo To Design Next Guest Collection for H&M

Now this is one that actually has us a little hot under the collar.   

Lagerfeld, sure. Viktor & Rolf, cute. Cavalli, sexy. Stella McCartney, feh. Rei Kawakubo, what?!

That's right, empress of whimsical Japanese luxe label Comme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubo, has announced that she will be the featured artiste on H&M's next designer collaboration. The collection launches first in early November, to coincide with the opening of H&M's second Tokyo store. In the following days, it will roll out to doors in the rest of H&M's global markets.

The collection will include apparel for men, women and children, as well as accessories and a unisex fragrance. This certainly is a much more expanded program than the fast fashion retailer has done in the past, and it would seem that the growth of product offering owes everything to the freshness that Kawakubo can bring to the brand.

Much like the Japanese designers Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, with whom she formed the Japanese triumvirate that defined much of the new wave fashion of 1980s American culture, Kawakubo's designs are structurally intense, and often include popular cultural references in a rather Pop Art motif (such as a series of men's suits she rolled out a in spring 2006 back that featured the iconic Rolling Stone's lips n' tongue logo splayed across the fabric). She was also the mentor for another fashion avant-gartist whose star appears to be ascending these days, Junya Wantanabe. For a look at some of her work, check the photo above.

That said, we're so interested to see what she turns out when she's not using high-tech fabrics or restrained by price points that might tie in some of her more flights of fantasy designs. As we see it, this could be a love it or hate it collection, and we just hope that the quality matches up to the buzz that will no doubt follow this collection's launch. We remember hearing that there were some issues with the clothes that Cavalli put out on the racks, not to mention those of the McCartney collection (said one of our friends, at the time: "I walked out with a cute dress that turned into a pile of buttons and thread after two weeks.").

Anyways, as always, here's the mutual lovefest that always follows these kinds of announcements.

"I have always been interested in the balance between creation and business," said Kawakubo, in a statement. "It is a dilemma, although creation for me has always been the first priority. It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M since it is a chance to take the dilemma to its extreme and try to solve it."

See what we mean? Seems like old Kawakubo might be prepping us for the design vs. quality vs. price issue we outlined above. Less avant garde, but better quality, or more envelope pushing and delicate? Again, will be so interesting to see her "solution" as she calls it.

And now from H&M's creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch (great name, non?!):

"Rei Kawakubo has been at the top of our wish list for a long time and we are thrilled that she has chosen to collaborate with us," said van den Bosch, in a statement. "We have tremendous respect for Kawakubo's fashion philosophy of questioning fashion's ingrained patterns, and admire her artistic approach to design. We are particularly excited that the collection will be launched in Japan, Kawakubo's native country, at the same time as the launch of our new store there."

Ok, so we'll have to stay tuned, but we think this could be good news. It will drive some buzz—as these collections have done in past incarnations—for both the designer and the retailer, exposing the younger, less monied set to Kawakubo's work and perhaps building brand affinity there, while probably giving H&M a much fresher and more high-concept street reputation for the risk they're taking in bringing her in.

We'll be checking back in November to see what the product looks like!

Liz Claiborne Steals Isaac Mizrahi from Target!

Talk about a shake-up.

It appears that after a successful, five year marriage to Target, designer Isaac Mizrahi is setting sail for Liz Claiborne.

As the newly-tapped creative director for the Claiborne brand, Mizrahi, one of fashion's more ebullient and popular personalities, will oversee design and marketing for the brand's women's apparel, accessories and licensing businesses. His first collection under the Liz Claiborne label is slated to debut in spring 2009.

"[We] believe that [Mizrahi's] innovative design sense and widespread appeal will breathe new life into the Liz Claiborne brand," said Liz CEO William McComb, in a statement. "It is certainly no secret that the brand has been lacking a clear and cohesive vision and has languished as a result. With this appointment, we are taking a major step towards our goal of creating irresistible product that will provide today's discerning woman with a compelling reason to buy."

While no financials of the deal were disclosed, Mizrahi's own statement seems to betray, if not a fairly lucrative deal, then at least boosted branding opportunities for the designer who pioneered the high/low design ethos when he signed on to produce a women's collection for Target in 2003, paving the way for many others who followed in succession, including Karl Lagerfeld (in 2004, with a capsule collection for H&M), and most recently, Vera Wang (in 2007, with her Very Vera collection for Kohl's). For more on those partnerships, and their impact in the industry, please see my previous article, "Split Personality," here.

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to build on this fantastic legacy and excited to reestablish the label as a must have," Mizrahi said, in a statement. "And as excited as I am about developing Liz Claiborne, the collaboration also affords fantastic opportunities for growth in my own brand."

Aside from the forthcoming collection for Liz Claiborne, Mizrahi will also bow his new web-based series, "Watch Isaac," in February at WatchIsaac.com. His collections for Target will continue to be sold through the mass-retailer throughout 2008.

However, we have to say that the move seems a risky one, given several factors. First, Isaac had a pretty successful collection at Target, reportedly garnering annual sales of $300 million. Why shirk that to head over to Liz Claiborne, which posted 65% dip in third quarter net income on a 4% sales drop? And yet, it's not like things are all milk and honey over at Target, which posted a sales gain of only 0.1% (at $9.26 billion) for the month of December. Then again, it's important to remember that Mizrahi is no stranger to ups and downs himself, and that the deal he inked with Target back in 2003 can be credited, at least in large part, to revamping what was then an ailing name brand.

What the move means for Liz, and its impact on Target's business, remain to be seen.

"It can't hurt Liz Claiborne...but the issues there are more than one individual can conquer. Bringing the brand back to its heyday will require a lot more than just a new design concept or featuring a household name on the brand's marquee; it will have to be a major shift in management, merchandising, marketing and advertising and ," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y. "As for Target, they've shown that they understand the consumers' desire and the need to constantly revolve  their brands. Will they miss Isaac? Probably. But they'll find something to replace [him]."

Cohen also suggested that Mizrahi might have some growing pains to contend with in his new post.

"He was an island unto himself at Target; all of those other brands paled in comparison to his work, and he was treated as the prized jewel in that environment, " Cohen said. "In the mall environment [where Claiborne is], he'll be up against hundreds of other brands, where he's no longer the shining star by default."

 

The news of Mizrahi's switch comes following the appointment, earlier this week, of John Bartlett as Claiborne's new men's sportswear designer.

On a lighter note, if you're unfamiliar with Mizrahi or if you feel you need a refresher course on why this guy seems to be such a hot commodity for these mass merchants, check out "Unzipped," the 1995 documentary that took Isaac as its subject, with all his quirky humor and non sequitur dialog to go along the way.

One of our favorite lines: "All I want to do is fur pants, but I know, like if I do them, I will be stoned off of Seventh Avenue, like some wanton heretic or something. So there won't be any fur pants coming down my runway. It's about women not wanting to look like cows or something."