Dior's longest-running designer Marc Bohan dies at 97

Credits: Please add this photo and Fashion designer Marc Bohan, who was artistic director of Dior for an unprecedented three decades, has died, the luxury brand said Friday. Bohan, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 97, was one of the quieter members of the fashion fraternity, in stark contrast to successors like John Galliano. But he was a master of the trade who managed to keep the spirit of the label alive after its mid-twentieth century heyday. Born in Paris on August 22, 1926, Bohan was passionate about drawing and fashion from an early age, encouraged by his mother who was a milliner. He joined Christian Dior in 1957, responsible for creating collections in London. His first, "Slim Look", for spring-summer 1961, celebrated the uninhibited women of the era, with shorter skirts and more suits. In 1961, he took over as artistic director when Yves Saint Laurent was called up for military service. Bohan was close to icons of the period like writer Francoise Sagan, artist Niki de Saint Phalle and Empress Farah of Iran, whom he notably dressed for the coronation of the shah in 1967. Farah's style also seduced the American First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, who asked her official designer Oleg Cassini to copy Bohan's Dior look. He also opened up the label to new audiences with the launch of ready-to-wear lines for women ("Miss Dior"), children ("Baby Dior") and men ("Dior Monsieur"). When he quit Dior in 1989, Bohan became artistic director of London house Norman Hartnell, until 1992. Passionate about opera and theatre, he also created stage costumes, collaborating in particular with Luchino Visconti. He twice won the "De d'Or" ("Golden Thimble"), the supreme award for a designer, in 1983 and 1988.(AFP)
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Tod’s posts widening H1 profits as sales jump

Tod's storefront in Saint Tropez Credits: Tod's Italian luxury group Tod’s has reported a 21.7 percent jump in revenue and improved profitability in the first half of the year. Group sales increased to 569.1 million euros in the first six months of the year, while its net profit widened to 30.9 million euros from 0.8 million euros. Breaking it down by brand, sales at the group’s namesake label increased 21.3 percent to 283.3 million euros. At Roger Vivier, its second biggest label, sales jumped 28.4 percent to 152.5 million euros. Meanwhile, sales at Hogan increased 14.3 percent to 108.5 million euros, and at Fay they rose 19.8 percent to 23.5 million euros. The group experienced double-digit growth across all categories, with ‘leather goods and accessories’ the stand-out performer, up 32.9 percent year-on-year. The company also saw positive momentum for its bottom line, with its net profit widening to 30.9 million euros from 0.8 million euros the prior year. Group CEO and chair Diego Della Valle said in a statement: “I’m very satisfied with the results achieved by our group in the first half of 2023: the double-digit growth in revenues, for all brands, was accompanied by a strong improvement of profitability, with the operating result more than tripling compared to last year.” Tod's and Roger Vivier shine Valle hailed the results at Tod's and Roger Vivier as “particularly brilliant” across all their product categories. He continued: “Excellent results were recorded in the domestic market and in the rest of Europe, driven by local demand, as well as by tourist purchases; Asian markets also made a large contribution to revenue growth over the period.” Like many luxury companies, Tod’s benefited from strong sales growth in Greater China as the region continued to rebound from the pandemic. Sales in Greater China were up 43.2 percent on the prior year, while sales in Italy were up 12.2 percent, in Europe (excluding Italy) were up 14 percent, and in Rest of World were up 19.3 percent. The only region to report a contraction in the first half was the Americas, where sales fell 1.8 percent. Valle added: “Despite the uncertainties and volatility of the macroeconomic context at an international level, the solidity of the group's results, the good quality of the management team and the excellent feedback received from the next collections make me confident about our future results, in terms of growth in sales and profitability.”
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