Looks as if new creative head Olivier Rousteing was only the beginning of a series of big changes at the French fashion house.
Thanks to a new licensing deal with Italian company Ittierre, a more accessibly priced ready-to-wear range is in the works.
The new line will consist of both men’s and women’s clothes under the name of Pierre Balmain, and while it will be produced by a separate design team, the creations will have to be approved by Rousteing.
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French carmaker Renault marked its return to fast-growing India on Monday with the launch of a luxury sedan designed especially for the Asian market.
Renault India managing director Marc Nassif said the launch of the Fluence marked “the real first phase” of the carmaker’s entry into India.
Its earlier foray in the nation was the four-door Logan built with former local partner Mahindra and Mahindra, which was aimed at the mid-size segment.
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As the buying power of China’s masses continues to spiral upwards, more and more information is being gathered focusing not only on what they like to spend their money on but how they go about spending it.
This week it has been the turn of the international audit and advisory services firm KPMG to release its report into the spending habits of mainland Chinese.
It found that 70 percent of the country’s consumers of luxury brands search the internet each month before making their purchases. What’s more, 30 percent claimed they searched online for information on luxury items each week.
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Labelux, the European private luxury group that owns Bally, has acquired Jimmy Choo for over £500m from TowerBrook Capital.
Jimmy Choo was founded in 1996 in London by Mellon, a former Vogue editor, and shoemaker Jimmy Choo, who sold his interest in 2001.
TowerBrook Capital Partners bought Jimmy Choo in 2007 for £185m. It has developed the company into a global brand.
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Aston Martin has unveiled the new concept V12 Zagato supercar ahead of its first showing in Italy.
The V12 Zagato is an interpretation of Aston Martin’s V12 Vantage by Italian design house Zagato, the latest in a line of collaborations between the two brands.
The first Zagato premiered in 1960 and was based on the DB4 GT, beginning a series of models which included the V8 Zagato, the DB7 Zagato and the DB AR1.
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Cycling fans will soon be able to get on their bikes at hotels from luxury chain Morgans, the latest name to add bicycles as a hotel amenity.
Morgans, which runs several high-profile properties including London’s Sanderson Hotel and Mondrian properties in Miami and SoHo, announced a new bicycle program this week, which will be rolled out across its properties.
Guests will be able to use Public J7 bicycles, a Dutch-inspired design destined for city cycling that features high handlebars to aid sightseeing.
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Famous, luxury Parisian patisserie Maison Ladurée has announced plans to set up its first US outpost in New York this summer.
The opulent boutique — known for its pastel-colored, feather-light macarons and elegant tea houses across Paris — will open a boutique on Madison Avenue in July.
In a city where the cupcake continues to reign as the frosted, portable dessert snack of choice for New Yorkers and tourists alike, the French house is hoping to take a bite out of the market and start a new trend.
Oone that appeals to the well-heeled Manhattanite who dines on fine china, drinks tea with her pinky held aloft and swoons at dainty, fairytale pastries.
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In booming India, being rich is not enough. For the moneyed classes, it’s increasingly about flaunting their wealth in ways typical of the nouveaux riches in Russia, China or the Middle East.
India’s well-heeled used to be more shy about displaying their wealth in the decades after independence from Britain when a tightly-controlled economy and dominant socialist thinking limited the opportunities for showing off.
But many prosperous Indians are embracing conspicuous consumption, turning their backs on the mantra of frugality espoused by independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation who eschewed possessions.
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The flamboyant hat worn by Princess Beatrice at last month’s royal wedding has been sold for the princely sum of £81,100 on internet auction site eBay.
Proceeds from the sale of the hat, designed by Irish milliner Philip Treacy, will be split between two charities: the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and British charity Children in Crisis.
The princess, the oldest daughter of Prince Andrew and a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, provided one of the most memorable moments of a dramatic day when she stepped out in the eccentric headwear, likened to a giant pretzel.
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David Beckham has lent his face and body to Armani in the past, starring in the Italian label’s underwear ads to the joy of female fans worldwide, but it seems the star athlete has had enough of sharing revenues earned with his good looks.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, Armani‘s turnover almost doubled during the time Beckham was spokesmodel for the brand.
“It proved to me that there is a real market for good-looking, well-made men’s bodywear,” Beckham told the paper, adding that “the push to do something of my own really came as a result of my collaboration with Armani.”
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Stuart Hughes has designed the world’s most expensive liquor, with a content invented by Antica Distilleria Russo from Italy.
A national drink of Italy, Limoncello is made by infusion in alcohol of peels of lemons from the stunning famous Amalfi Coast.
The bottle itself houses at the neck 3 single cut flawless diamonds totalling 13 cts. The body contains one of the world’s rarest diamonds which is sized 18.5 cts.
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A new online artisanal food market helmed by former Gourmet magazine editor and prolific food writer Ruth Reichl has launched for the deep-pocketed foodie gourmet.
After much hype, Gilt Taste launched Wednesday with a welcome message from Reichl and a virtual store stocked with premium, artisanal seafood, meats and other specialty items normally only accessible to professional chefs and restaurateurs.
And like all top-of-the-line products, they also come with a premium price tag.
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The world’s richest individuals can now shop and swipe in style with the new release of the JP Morgan Palladium credit card.
The card is made of palladium—a rare silvery metal that resembles platinum—and 23 karats of gold. The JP Palladium credit card itself is worth a whopping $1,000.
The JP Morgan Palladium credit card offers benefits and features unlike any other credit cards currently on the market.
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French luxury brand Céline is cashing in on the popularity of the iPad with cases that cost more than the tablet itself.
Crafted in Italy from smooth, high quality leather, the case features two inner compartments – one designated for holding documents and cards and another padded space for housing your iPad.
This is also one of the most expensive iPad case currently on the market with a retail price of $24,000 HKD ($3,080).
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Harrods has teamed up with specialist London brokers Watkins Superyachts to offer their most expensive product ever – a £100-plus million motor yacht.
During the month of May three remarkable window displays will feature models, images and details of a unique and exclusive range of yachts.
There will also be specialist in store representation throughout the month, together with tailored direct marketing to the Harrods customer database.
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Eurocopter’s EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter made its world debut at the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva.
Conceived in a styling project led by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, the interior of the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style is inspired by the automaker’s range of high-end vehicles.
It features deluxe materials, elegant woods and ambient cabin lighting, along with multi-function boxes.
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Piper-Heidsieck collaborated with Jean Paul Gaultier to create a new design for its Champagne Cuvée Brut bottle.
Gaultier had already created a bottle in a red corset in 1999. The new one features Latex and fishnets, inspired by the can-can.
The unveiling took place at a VIP dinner on May 13 at the Cannes Film Festival. Celebrities in attendance included Inès de la Fressange and Rossy de Palma.
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A dazzling tiara featuring emeralds believed to have belonged to Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, sold for a record 11.28 million Swiss francs ($12.80 million) to an anonymous buyer at Sotheby’s.
The diamond and emerald tiara was commissioned by German prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck’s for his second wife Katharina.
It was top lot at a sale that netted 78.9 million Swiss francs, third highest for a jewellery sale, the auction house said.
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In the tradition of the company’s 30 years of creative collaborations, Absolut Vodka is touring 20 pieces of renowned artwork from the Absolut Art Collection in seven cities across the Asia Pacific region.
The twenty pieces have been touring cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, Sydney and Seoul, and are now showing at Beijing’s Today Art Museum until May 22.
The exhibition also features the results of Absolut’s collaboration with Chinese artists Chen Man and Gao Yu — the artwork on the Absolut 72变 bottle.
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Henry Tuke has launched their new Champagne sabre in the breathtaking gardens at the historic cellars of Champagne house Canard-Duchêne in Ludes, France.
Guests at the event witnessed the founder of Henry Tuke, Tom Tuke-Hastings smash the World Record, by sabering 35 bottles of Canard-Duchêne’s Cuvée Léonie in one minute.
The Henry Tuke Champagne Sabre is hand forged from stainless Damascus steel in England and has solid sterling silver fittings and a shagreen grip.
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The largest hotel in Scandinavia opened May 16 in Copenhagen, another new entrant into the Danish capital’s rapidly growing hotel market.
Bella Sky Comwell is housed in two spectacular skyscrapers, each 23 storeys high, and offers 814 designer rooms with superb views of the city.
The hotel is situated in Copenhagen’s green Ørestaden area, some 8km away from the city center, and is aimed at both business and leisure guests.
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