Harrods launches beauty loyalty programme

Image: Harrods Harrods has announced the launch of a new loyalty programme specifically curated for its beauty customers. MyBeauty, which comes as part of Harrods Rewards, will allow members to access a number of benefits, including earning points on beauty products, event invites and exclusive promotions throughout the year. The reward programme is tailored to the retailer’s H Beauty customers in all of its five H Beauty locations throughout the UK and online. To celebrate the launch, those who sign up will receive 20 pounds in rewards points with their first 25 pound spend. In a release, Annalise Fard, director of beauty at Harrods, said MyBeauty’s release intends to aid in further connecting with the retailer’s beauty community. Fard added: “We have worked extensively to create a beauty loyalty proposition that will support the long-term engagement of our customers across all Harrods beauty channels, while complementing our existing Harrods Rewards programme.” As part of the launch, Harrods will also be hosting a ‘H Beauty Carnival’ at each of its beauty stores over the course of October and November. The events will include live DJs, masterclasses, a champagne bar and beauty vending machines.
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Religion, decolonization and identity inspire the runway looks at Parsons MFA

Dan Lecca The MFA Fashion Design and Society runway show from Parsons School of Design took place on September 13 as part of the scheduled New York Fashion Week calendar. 15 students presented their thesis collections in the first show since the director and founder of the program, Shelley Fox, stepped down from her post last December. Under new director, Lucia Cuba, the subjects explored within the students’ work were gender, culture and identity, race and decolonization, sustainability and the innovative possibilities of reusing existing materials. Dan Lecca The opening collection by WeiRan featured sculptural metal tailoring, gauzy hand knitting and molten silver accessories, including shoes which seemed to foam around the ankles, merging the aesthetic of armor with the delicacy of organza. Marlene Haase reengineered original fast fashion cotton items to propose a collection which reflects her values but also, through her process of caged construction and distressing techniques, examines the labor abuses behind some of our most popular closet staples: denim jeans, trench coats and jersey sweaters. Dan Lecca The pleasant rippling movement of Meng Ling Chung’s collection evoked her objective, as stated in her artistic statement, of celebrating the “meaningless little details which happen to everyone, which makes me feel a subtle sense of connection with others.” Pleated structures built gently in color and fanned out around the shoulders and knees or erupted playfully from tailored torsos. Sarah Hawes, specializing in Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility, represented the reality of being dependent on our fellow humans, bonded together towards an uncertain future with her twinning blue collar exits. A marriage of Freud's and Nietzsche's philosophies, the Japanese religion called Nichiren-Shoshu, and lived experience contributed to the majestic finale by Asato Kitamura. In a palette of scarlet, purple and teal interspersed with ecru, he created decadent fabrications and human-like appendages which gave the illusion that models were accompanied by a presence or were carrying around on their backs the weight of faith, or lack thereof. Dan Lecca
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Ralph Lauren expects mid to high-single digits growth through fiscal 2025

Image: Ralph Lauren website The Ralph Lauren Corporation expects an acceleration in revenue growth to a compound annual growth rate of mid to high-single digits in constant currency over the next three years, through fiscal 2025. The company said in a statement that operating profit growth is expected to exceed the rate of top-line growth as a result of continued operating margin expansion. The company plans to present its strategic growth plan, 'Next Great Chapter: Accelerate', to deliver sustainable, long-term growth and value creation at the investor day in New York City. Ralph Lauren will also ring opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange in celebration of the company’s 25th anniversary since IPO. “This Company started over 50 years ago with a dream and a tie – and today, while it has expanded to become a leading luxury lifestyle brand, our vision for timelessness, authenticity and a life well-lived remains constant,” said Ralph Lauren, executive chairman and chief creative officer. The company added that operating margin is expected to expand to at least 15 percent by fiscal 2025 in constant currency, driven by a combination of modest gross margin expansion and operating expense leverage balanced with continued investments in the company’s long-term strategic priorities. In addition, capital expenditures are expected to represent approximately 4 percent to 5 percent of revenue annually. The company expects to continue returning excess free cash flow to shareholders over the next three years, with plans to return approximately 2 billion dollars on a cumulative basis through fiscal 2025. The company’s board of directors also increased the regular quarterly cash dividend on the company's common stock by 9 percent to 75 cents per share at the beginning of fiscal 2023, representing an annual dividend of 3 dollars per share. The company further said that its current share repurchase authorization enables it to repurchase up to 1.4 billion dollars in shares of Class A common stock, subject to overall business and market conditions. “Since our last investor day in 2018, we have transformed our business – building a strong foundation with multiple engines of growth that are already showing momentum. Our clear and choiceful strategies are expected to deliver sustainable long-term growth and value creation – fuelled by our strong balance sheet and operating discipline,” added Patrice Louvet, the company’s president and chief executive officer.
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LVMH reveals plans to cut energy consumption

Image: LVMH, Facebook. Luxury group LVMH has announced an energy efficiency plan that falls in line with the French government’s new measures to support collective and individual energy consumption. It comes as tensions surrounding the electricity market continue to increase as winter approaches, with LVMH stating that it will begin to reduce its electricity consumption from October. Starting in France and then to be implemented throughout the group globally, the company said it will be following two key measures to enable a 10 percent consumption reduction over the course of a year. Firstly, the group will turn off the lighting throughout the night in the group’s portfolio stores, including the likes of Dior, Louis Vuitton and Fendi, as well as its administrative sites. Additionally, the company will be modifying indoor temperatures at all of its industrial sites, administrative sites and stores, while also increasing its investments towards the completion of its renewable energy transition. Ultimately, the group hopes to achieve 15 percent reduction in energy consumption worldwide by 2023, in comparison to 2021. The group’s France-based employees will also be requested to adopt certain behaviours through an awareness campaign and are to be encouraged to use the EcoWatt app allowing them to manage their at-home energy consumption.
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Barneys New York reincarnates as a beauty brand

Image: Barneys New York Beauty Barneys New York has been reincarnated as a beauty brand. Parent company Authentic Brands Group (ABG) partnered with Korean-based lifestyle company Gloent Group to launch a line of skincare. Fragrance, hair and body care, cosmetics and wellness are expected to expand the range categories. The beauty range will launch in October at new website barneys-beauty.com, in addition to premium retailers and marketplaces globally including Saks.com in the fourth quarter of this year. When Barneys filed for its second bankruptcy in 2019, its assets were sold to ABG, a management company based in New York with holdings apparel, athletics, and entertainment brands. ABG licensed the Barneys brand to Saks in 2021, opening a special department within Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship Manhattan store. It later opened a standalone store, Barneys at Saks, in Greenwich, Connecticut. In a statement Justin Song, CEO of Gloent Group said: “We are excited to partner with Authentic Brands Group for the launch of Barneys New York Beauty. We look forward to continuing Barneys’ rich history of delivering luxury by launching premium beauty, wellness and water products for the next generation’s inner and external health.” “We are pleased to be partnering with Gloent Group to introduce Barneys New York Beauty,” added Jarrod Weber, Group President Lifestyle, Chief Brand Officer, at ABG. “Gloent Group brings expertise in beauty, and these products will expand Barneys New York’s unique luxury offerings through elevated, high-quality skincare products.”
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Calida Group CFO Sacha Gerber steps down

Image: Calida Group Sacha D. Gerber, chief financial officer (CFO) and member of the Calida Group executive management, has decided to take on a new professional challenge outside the group. Commenting on the development, Timo Schmidt-Eisenhart, CEO of the Calida Group, said: "With his high level of expertise and great commitment, Sacha D. Gerber has contributed to the successful strategic development of the group over the past four years and has been a substantial factor in the sustainable growth of the company. We thank him for his efforts and valuable contributions, with which he helped to shape the focus and most recently the internationalisation of the group." The company said in a release that Gerber has been responsible for the financial management of the group since July 2018. The process to determine his successor will be initiated immediately.
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