Issue 55375

WICHNER TO REVILLON/2 LOOKING FORWARD TO AGOA/12 Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • January 7, 2003 Vol. 185, No. 4 $1.75

WWDTUESDAY Ready-to-Wear/Textiles

White On PHOTO BY JOHN AQUINO; MODEL: LARYSSA/SUPREME; HAIR BY JAMES CULP; MAKEUP BY IRINA TRUPNIK; SHOES AND HAT BY DKNY; STYLED BY ANTONIA SARDONE

NEW YORK — White is traditionally synonymous with summer, and this season is no exception. The new looks mix sassiness with a touch of innocence — little strapless dresses, flirty suits or athletic-inspired tops.

Here, DKNY’s silk, nylon and spandex sweater and cotton and polyester skirt with a soupçon of Twenties influence.

Aronsson on the Go: Exits as Oscar’s CEO, On to Marc Jacobs?

By Eric Wilson and Joshua Greene

NEW YORK — LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has raided Oscar de la Renta Ltd. of its chief executive officer, who is believed to be headed to the helm of Marc Jacobs International.

Jeffry M. Aronsson, a former corporate attorney who led a turnaround of de la Renta’s business affairs during the past decade, announced his resignation on Monday, saying he had been recruited by LVMH. Although he would not comment on his specific See Aronsson, Page9

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

2

Ugly December Expected at Retail

By David Moin and Anamaria Wilson NEW YORK — The nation’s retailers continued to drag last week, a sign that this Thursday’s reports on December selling won’t be pretty.

But while sales will no doubt come up disappointing, inventories are said to be generally in line, which will help the overall financial picture.

U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray expects December same-store sales to rise 1.8 percent, with the specialty sector showing a modest 0.4 percent gain and mass merchants up 1.9 percent. That’s much lower than an earlier forecast from the National Retail Federation of a

3.5 to 4 percent gain.

Aside from a rush of shopping right after Thanksgiving and in the days just before and after Christmas, the season’s traffic was hindered by snow, layoff concerns, fears of war with Iraq and lackluster merchandise offerings. In the 12 days since Christmas, there’s been no relief.

“After Christmas was disappointing,” said Hal Kahn, chairman and chief executive of Macy’s East. “We lost about four days due to snow. Boston and Albany got snowed out this past weekend. But we’ll be OK. I’m not disappointed because I didn’t expect a great Christmas.”

Bloomingdale’s chairman and ceo Michael Gould con-

curred that since New Year’s, “it’s been a tougher week.” Still, “inventories are very liquid.”

Kahn added, “Macy’s inventories will be on plan or off less than 1 percent” when the store moves fully into spring.

“We’re doing our best to get the bulk of our receipts in by the middle of the month,” said Ed Burstell, vice president and general manager at Henri Bendel.

“We are actually much cleaner than we had projected. And some of those things that you would mark down already, like cold weather items, are still selling through quite well. All of this weather is obviously helping the sales of gloves, hats and scarves.”

Continued on page 16

Revillon Names Wichner Managing Director

By Lisa Lockwood NEW YORK — Georges Wichner has been named to the new post of managing director of Revillon, the French furrier.

Until last August, Wichner was president and chief executive officer of Valentino USA, a position he held since October 1999. Prior to that, he spent seven years as president of Thierry Mugler U.S. and before that, he was vice president of retail for Yves Saint Laurent.

Wichner, who has relocated from New York to Paris, said Revillon is close to naming an American designer as artistic director, but declined to divulge his name until the contract is signed later this month. With this new designer, Revillon will

launch sportswear, knitwear, and accessories collections for fall-winter 2003, he said.

“The excitement is to take a brand from scratch and build the whole thing. We plan to form a team and add new categories of products,” Wichner said.

Wichner, who began today at company headquarters at 44 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, said he will have an equity position in Revillon. He reports to Revillon’s board of directors.

Revillon, which was founded in 1823, is one of France’s oldest furriers. In 1996, Revillon severed its ties with Saks Fifth Avenue, where it had operated in-store boutiques, and set out to open its own freestanding stores.

In 1999, Revillon was struggling financially and was sold to

Switzerland’s Fibalko SA by its owner, France’s Cora hypermarket chain. While the sale was generally considered a positive move for the furrier, it impacted the company’s North American operations. After the sale, the company closed its Manhattan flagship on Fifth Avenue and 56th Street and currently has no North American distribution. It presently has distribution in Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium and Germany.

Wichner said the company’s priorities are to reopen a U.S. flagship on Madison Avenue or Fifth Avenue in New York and then to reestablish its distribution in the U.S. through a selective network of retailers.

Dusanka Milisevic continues as chairwoman of Revillon.

CKI: Makes Show Date, P.R. Moves

seasonless luxury from our exclusive selection of cashmeres, sarongs, bags and footwear in exotic colors by appointment

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Juniors Streetwear Intimate Apparel Childrenswear Swimwear Women’s

New York: (212) 382-1170 Los Angeles: (213) 623-5002

N E W YO R K — Calvin Klein Inc. has named a key addition to its public relations staff, while a spokesman also confirmed that the designer’s next women’s collection will be presented on Feb. 14, during the fall 2003 edition of MercedesBenz Fashion Week.

Malcolm Carfrae was named vice president of public relations, starting Monday and reporting to Kim Vernon, senior vice president of global advertising and communications. The position has been vacant since Virginia Smith left CKI in June, and then became fashion market director at Vogue.

Carfrae moved to New York this week from London, where he was fashion and company director at Bryan Morel Public Relations, where he has worked since 1995. At CKI, he

will be responsible for working with management and CKI’s business partners to oversee fashion public relations and special events.

Also at CKI, Ted Stafford was promoted from a manager level to director of men’s public relations.

Separately, the firm has decided to return to its traditional position as the last major fashion show during New York’s fashion week, slated from Feb. 7-14. The designer had shifted to earlier showings during the September edition, which was disrupted by scheduling around the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

For the fall shows, he had reserved a midweek slot, but has since changed back to his usual Friday date, which puts a major anchor back at the end of the New York season.

WWDTUESDAY Ready-to-Wear/Textiles

GENERAL

6 1 10 12 4

FASHION: Cargo pants showed up on many spring runways, and designers taking part in the Intermezzo show say the trend continues for summer.

LVMH has raided Oscar de la Renta of its ceo, Jeffry M. Aronsson, who is thought to be headed to the helm of Marc Jacobs International.

Sun Valley might not have the designer-shop roster like Prada, Chanel, Fendi and Gucci of Aspen, but the town isn’t hurting for high-end goods.

TEXTILES: A preview of next week’s Sub-Saharan Africa Trade & Economic Cooperation Forum, to be held in Mauritius.

EYE: What to Watch in 2003, from a new school of film heroes to novel exercises and haute fortune cookies.

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In Brief ●

SIGNING ON AT AOL: Watch retailer Tourneau and shoe merchant Stuart Weitzman plan to open in The Shops at Columbus Circle in the AOL Time Warner Center’s mixed-use complex under construction. Other retailers that have signed leases there include Hugo Boss, Joseph Abboud, A|X Armani Exchange, Cole Haan, J. Crew and Eileen Fisher. Tourneau will occupy 1,200 square feet and Stuart Weitzman, 1,800 square feet. Both will be on the ground level of the 2.1 million-square-foot structure, and will open when the complex bows in the fall. Designed by David M. Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the complex is being developed by The Related Companies L.P. and Apollo Real Estate Advisors L.P. ● FERRAGAMO TAPS GLAZER: Dana Glazer has been named vice president of marketing at Ferragamo, a new post. She will be responsible for overseeing communications for the U.S. subsidiary of Italian-based Ferragamo, managing its advertising, visual, public relations and production departments. She reports to Jean Marc Gallot, president and regional director of Ferragamo USA. One of Glazer’s initial priorities is the opening of the Ferragamo USA flagship store on Fifth Avenue in fall 2003. Most recently, Glazer was with Baccarat as vice president of marketing, and helped launch the jewelry line. ● APPAREL’S VIRTUAL HOLIDAY: Online sales of apparel to consumers during November and December surged 20.3 percent to $2.68 billion, making it the second-largest e-commerce category for holiday 2002, according to the eSpending Report released Monday by Goldman Sachs, Harris Interactive and Nielsen/NetRatings. The leading sector — books, music, videos and DVDs — registered a combined 40 percent increase to online volume of $3.11 billion. Overall ’Net holiday sales rose 22 percent to $15.7 billion, as shoppers surveyed said they allocated 16 percent of their holiday budgets to the Web, compared with 14 percent in 2001. Women represented 51 percent of holiday cybershoppers, up from 50 percent a year ago. People ages 18 to 24 were the only ones to gain share of the online shopping population, accounting for 17 percent of shoppers this holiday, from 10 percent a year ago. With free shipping widely seen as the key to the spurt in holiday e-tailing, analysts such as Ken Cassar at Jupiter Research are advising firms to maintain that policy, compensate by managing distribution more efficiently and perhaps gradually raise prices on goods to help make up the difference.

WWDStock Market Index for January 6 Apparel Mfg.: 171.91

Retailers: 247.40

Textiles: 9.98

1.82

0.91

0.11

Department Stores Off-Pricers Discounters Specialty Stores

171.40 336.53 331.83 107.73

0.29 2.79 1.21 0.66

Index base of 100 is keyed to closing prices of Dec. 31, 1993.

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

4 While 2002 delivered a glut of comfort food, The Strokes and their imitators, and turned the world into one giant yoga zone, 2003 promises pleasures of its own. Technology will embolden a new school of film heroes. Exercise fanatics will take heart rates as low as they can go. And Jean-Georges Vongerichten will turn the fortune cookie haute.

CHINA SYNDROME

Sondre Lerche

NORDIC TRACKS That buzz around the Hives ® was only the beginning.

As fans eagerly await the Swedish super group’s new release, promised for early this year, a whole pack of Nordic rockers have ventured forth in their icy wake. The Soundtrack of Our Lives, a Swedish garage rock group, will strut their stuff on “The Late Show with David Anja Øyen Vister Letterman” come midJanuary, and the rockers in neighboring Norway are just getting started. Moon-eyed crooner Sondre Lerche, a Norwegian prodigy barely out of his teens, made many critics’ bestof-the-year lists with the Sixties pop sound of his album “Faces Down,” while two Norwegian electronica groups are poised to break through in 2003: Röyksopp, a dreamy duo who just released “Melody A.M.” and Flunk, fronted by singer Anja Øyen Vister. While Flunk’s latest release is called “For Sleepyheads Only,” Vister’s punchy Björk-like vocals are a real wake-up call.

VONGERICHTEN BY ROBERT WRIGHT; BERACASA BY STEVE EICHNER; “THE MATRIX: RELOADED” COURTESY OF WARNER BROTHERS; FLUNK COURTESY OF GUIDANCE RECORDINGS; PIENE COURTESY OF KLEMENS GASSER & TANJA GRUNERT, INC.; LERCHE COURTESY OF ASTRALWERKS

eye

More New York than any French bistro are the city’s Chinese restaurants, which day in and day out provide an urbanite’s true comfort food. Recently, however, foodies have been taking a fresh look at Chinese cooking, making their way down to Chinatown’s low-key favorite Yeah Shanghi Deluxe or heading to Grand Sichuan International to sample traditional fare.

And the opening of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Chinese spot 66 at the end of January makes it official: Chinese cooking is all the rage.

Vongerichten will serve everything from dim sum to Peking duck to sesame noodles in the sleek TriBeCa restaurant, designed by Richard Meier with a glowing wall of saltwater aquariums and flapping red flags.

For Vongerichten, who has long championed fusion cuisine, eating Chinese food in New York is only natural, after all. “Once you have the palate, there’s no going back,” says Vongerichten. “You’re seduced and you want it every day.”

What to Watch

Jean-Georges Vongerichten at 66.

VA-VA-VOOM SOCIALITE

From Chloe Piene’s “YGBMW.”

VIDEO STARS HI-TECH HERO We can’t wait for “The Matrix” sequels either, but Neo and Trinity aren’t the only ones in slick leather this year — though they may be the only ones in black. Ben Affleck, for better or worse, dons an oxbloodcolored jumpsuit in “Daredevil” opposite Jennifer Garner, and the Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken) also goes for oxblood in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” opposite her “The Matrix: Reloaded” nemesis Claire Danes, who remains in plainclothes.

Expect more special-effects-wielding superheros in “X-Men 2,” “Hulk” plus highoctane car antics in “The Fast and the Furious 2.” But after “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” one question remains: can any of them top Smeagol?

2

W W

The next generation of video artists practically grew up with digital cameras in their hands. They know their film editing software inside out, and they’re much more subversive than their predecessors. Early 2003 will see shows by emerging video artists everywhere, including Chloe Piene’s edgy, fearsome video work at Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert in New York and an exhibition of Dutch artist Aernout Mik’s eerie hyper-real imagery at The Project in Los Angeles.

At the Studio Museum in Harlem, assistant curator Christine Kim will launch “Veni Vidi Video,” a video exhibition that will run 24-7 in the museum’s lobby and will include work by 11 artists, such as rising stars Iona Brown, Rico Gatson and Kevin Everson. “The next generation takes advantage of the familiarity a contemporary audience has with television and film and are able to integrate that with high art,” Kim says. “Appeal isn’t their objective, but their work does communicate so well.”

SLOW BURN

Farewell to the fair-haired yummy-mummies with the blown straight locks. This year’s “It” girls are younger, sexier and single to boot.

Curvy with cleavage to spare, and — gasp!

— brunette at that, they know how to have a good time.

Emerging from the pack are Fabiola Beracasa, the daughter of Veronica Hearst who burst onto the scene last fall after sowing her European oats, and Serra Kirdar, an exotic beauty who’s every bit as glamorous as her big sis, Rena Kirdar Sindi, who paved the way.

Call it the SaintTropez influence or a by-product of fashion’s S&M streak: The sexy socialite is back.

After all, girls just want to have fun, don’t they?

It’s not a miracle pill. But the Power-of-10 — a once-a-week, 20-minute resistance training workout that promises to get you into “the best shape of your life” — might be the closest thing to it. Who has time for daily 90-minute yoga classes, anyway?

According to Adam Zickerman’s new book, “Power-of-10” (Harper Collins), the weekly regimen is five to eight repetitions of six basic exercises. Each rep lasts 20 seconds: 10 seconds to lift the weight, and 10 to lower it. “It takes the muscle to a very deep level of fatigue,” explains Zickerman, between training sessions at InForm Fitness, his New York center. One follower claims he went from “buffalo to buff in just two weeks!” A former aerobics instructor reports, “My butt is higher.” Other devotees include time-starved execs like ceo’s and publishers. What are you waiting for?

Fabiola Beracasa in Versace with a Dior belt.

BONNE

A N N É E 2003 BONNE ANNÉE THE FRENCH WORDS FOR HAPPY NEW YEAR " La Mode de France ", representing french fashion, wishes you a 2003 full of inspiration, glamour and success.

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

6 Intermezzo Preview

ABS’ black rayon and spandex tank and olive cotton camouflage pants

by Allen Schwartz.

Pocket Change NEW YORK — Cargo pants showed up on many a runway for spring, and designers taking part in the Intermezzo show are signaling that the trend continues for summer. This time, however, these utility looks are being shown with feminine tops. Combinations include embroidered camouflage cargo pants paired with a sexy tank, a fitted blazer with cargo-inspired pockets and ankle-tied pants worn with a charmeuse camisole.

Here, and on page 8, a preview of Intermezzo, which runs January 12-14 at The Show Piers.

Derek Green’s maroon and pink silk chiffon top and khaki cotton and Lycra spandex cargo skirt.

7

Essendi’s white rayon and Lycra spandex top and Bella Dahl’s olive cotton cargo pants.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN AQUINO AT THE SOHO GRAND HOTEL; MODELS: RIA/MAJOR AND KELLY SAWYER/ELITE; HAIR BY YOAV AND MAKEUP BY IRINA, BOTH FOR WARREN TRICOMI; SHOES BY STUART WEITZMAN AND RICHARD TYLER; FASHION ASSISTANT: MICHELLE FENTON; STYLED BY ANTONIA SARDONE

Teenflo’s olive cotton and polyamide blazer and nude cotton and Lycra spandex tank.

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

YaYa’s pink charmeuse camisole and cotton pants and French Connection’s berry and cream cotton top and berry cotton pants.

Intermezzo Preview Milly’s white and red Swiss-dot cotton dress.

Shoshanna’s embroidered white cotton dress.

NEW YORK — One great way to beat the heat this summer is to slip into a simple little dress and sandals. And designers have brought plenty of feminine, flirty numbers to Intermezzo this season.

The frocks are full-skirted and often strapless, in charming floral patterns or with flounces and even Grecian-style draping.

Corporate Office 1360 E. 17TH ST. Los Angeles, CA 90021 toll free 888.BLDRESS. phone 213.748.6044 fax 213.748.5449

Peach silk georgette dress from Maxstudio.com.

www.barbaralesser.com Intermezzo Pier 94 Booth 1826

New York Anonymous 212.768.1060

Los Angeles Reichman Associates 213.617.3232

Atlanta/Florida Diane & Alan Frank 800.341.1876

Chicago Milgrims Chicago 800.929.0761

Dallas Darryl Duetsch 214.630.5789

Mid Atlantic Murray Markowitz 215.947.8965

New England Jill Ganci Company 800.696.6494

Helen Wang’s pink and white silk georgette dress.

Tibi’s yellow, red and green cotton and spandex dress.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN AQUINO AT THE SOHO GRAND HOTEL; MODELS: RIA/MAJOR AND KELLY SAWYER/ELITE; HAIR BY YOAV AND MAKEUP BY IRINA, BOTH FOR WARREN TRICOMI; SHOES BY STUART WEITZMAN; FASHION ASSISTANT: MICHELLE FENTON; STYLED BY ANTONIA SARDONE

Frock On

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

8

Jeffry Aronsson

Continued from page one specific plans, several sources said Aronsson would join Marc Jacobs, possibly replacing Scott Bowman, who joined the company as ceo almost a year ago.

Robert Duffy, the longtime president of Marc Jacobs who helped found the company, declined to comment on Monday, while Bowman, who had extensive retail experience before joining the firm, said he wasn’t aware of any changes in order. “I’m not looking to leave, but at this point, I cannot say anything,” Bowman said.

In announcing his resignation from Oscar de la Renta, Aronsson described the decision to leave as a melancholy one, made more difficult by the bonds he developed with the designer since de la Renta persuaded him to give up a career in corporate law to become his president and ceo in 1994.

While affable and consistently enthusiastic about the garment business, the 49-year-old Aronsson has also maintained the careful and measured approach of a lawyer during his tenure at the designer company, building a reputation in the industry for improving the image of its product through disciplined licensing, without damaging the brand. Speaking to that point, de la Renta has half as many licenses as when Aronsson joined the company, but triple the sales.

“This has been an incredible experience for me,” Aronsson said in a telephone interview Monday. “The mission I set out to accomplish has been achieved, and now I am going to undertake a brand new challenge on an expanded playing field.”

If Aronsson is headed to Marc Jacobs, it would mark the third top-level executive reorganization at an LVMH brand in recent months. In September, Fred Wilson, a close friend of Aronsson’s, moved from his role as ceo of LVMH Fashion Group, Americas, to become ceo of Donna Karan International, and, in December, Yves Carcelle, the head of LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division, took over the ceo reins from Marcello Bottoli at Louis Vuitton, where Jacobs is also the designer.

Jacobs and Duffy remain partial owners in the Marc Jacobs business.

An announcement about Aronsson’s next position could come this week.

“We will certainly miss Jeff and we wish him the best of luck,” de la Renta said on Monday. “At this point we are not planning on naming a successor. We have a great team and we ended the year on a financially strong foot — and as one of the top four resources at Bergdorf Goodman and as the best-selling American designer at Saks Fifth Avenue.”

Since de la Renta stepped down as Balmain’s couturier in July, the designer said he has more time to devote to his namesake company. This is a primary reason for not filling the position, de la Renta said.

At de la Renta, Aronsson has developed a track record for attracting key talent, as well as building the designer’s business in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America, which are both viewed as important areas of growth for Jacobs, a business with sales estimated at more that $50 million through its collection, Marc by Marc Jacobs and retail operations. Marc Jacobs

is continuing its retail expansion in Asia, with new collection stores at the Landmark in Hong Kong and the Regent in Taipei, a Marc by Marc Jacobs store in Hong Kong’s Pacific Place and explorations taking place in Beijing and Shanghai.

His legal background has also proven to be an asset to de la Renta, as Aronsson’s contractual skills have resulted in better control over existing licensed products, as well as the recent introduction of three categories: bridal, intimates and furniture. De la Renta has about 15 licenses now, down from 31 when Aronsson joined the firm nine years ago, as de la Renta’s former partner, Gerald Shaw, with whom he acquired the company from Shaw’s father, Ben, in 1965, was winding down his involvement. The company’s long-standing debts, which once weighed upon its future prospects, have since been eliminated, and sales of de la Renta’s collection business are now estimated at $50 million a year, plus an additional $600 million at retail with licensed goods.

All of this, as many of de la Renta’s colleagues have observed, appeared to be a preamble for de la Renta’s next big stage, either cleaning up the company’s financials to prepare for an initial public offering or making it a more lucrative target for acquisition by a luxury conglomerate, like LVMH or Gucci Group. But de la Renta himself has resisted ceding control of the firm, not just in terms of an acquisition, but of giving up any percentage of control, according to insiders. This might have grown into a frustrating circumstance for its chief executive. One source said Aronsson approached the designer in the past year with his own offer to buy out the company, but that he was refused.

“That is something that if it were or were not true, it isn’t the kind of thing I would talk about,” said Aronsson, who, despite the emotional difficulties of his announcement Monday, is said to remain on very good terms with de la Renta.

Aronsson also did not hesitate to champion de la Renta’s point of view regarding his financial options, even the rejection of capital that could have financed new expansions, considering the company has never been better positioned than it is now to avail itself of such opportunities, he said.

“It really depends at this point on Oscar’s objectives,” Aronsson said. “It doesn’t need to happen.

“Everything we’ve done, from paying off debt to launching new initiatives, has been self-financed,” he said. “I came into this business with a corporate law and securities law background. I used to write risk factors for a living and I was very aware of the rewards of going public, but also the pitfalls. I can tell you that the issue of an acquisition or an offering was not a source of frustration. In fact, it was the contrary.”

According to de la Renta, the company is poised for growth this year with the addition of the bridal license — it debuts officially at retail this month and is expected to bring in approximately $10 million in the first few years, according to industry estimates. The home furnishings collection with Century Furniture Industries debuted at the October furniture market in High Point, N.C. This past summer, the company also opened a showroom in Düsseldorf, Germany, to distribute shoes and accessories in Switzerland, Austria and Germany before expanding throughout the rest of Europe. As reported, de la Renta also plans to renovate and expand its 550 Seventh Avenue headquarters this year. The space will be updated to match the company’s retail concept — de la Renta is currently scouting real estate for his first freestanding store. De la Renta has said he is targeting the Upper Sixties and Seventies on Madison Avenue in New York, as well as a potential spot in Las Vegas.

De la Renta has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years, stocking the company with a cast of young and socially dexterous employees, such as the designer’s stepdaughter, Eliza Reed Bolen, vice president of licensing; Alexandra Hamilton, vice president of communications and public relations, and Adam Lippes, a vice president and creative director who, as reported, is reducing his role at the company to focus on the development of his own fashion collection. While the staff and de la Renta’s recent collections have offered a renewed air of vitality to one of the longest running success stories on Seventh Avenue, Aronsson has also made efforts to make management and operations tighter and more efficient at the company and to improve customer service, all of which has had an obvious affect on the bottom line: “Sales are the most profitable they’ve ever been, quality is consistently superlative, deliveries are timely and customers are happy,” said Aronsson, who has, during his residence in the garment district, developed a language that blends the idioms of Seventh Avenue with those of more contemporary corporate American boostering.

“It’s hard to summarize nine years of…I don’t even want to call it work, because it’s been such a fantastic experience,” Aronsson said. “What it really has been is that Oscar and I have been working over the past couple

Oscar de la Renta

of years to develop a team of winning people. The brand building and operational results speak volumes of these people who are proactive, self-motivated and passionately dedicated to the company’s mission.

“I think the most important leave-behind as far as I’m concerned is that the company has a winning team in every one of its departments, whose members are focused on supporting Oscar’s creative genius and on the company’s mission to continue the healthy growth of its business and its brand, while maintaining integrity, determination and hard work as core values,” he said.

Charles Jourdan Taps Cox as New Designer PARIS — He was a shoe-in after all.

Charles Jourdan, the French luxury footwear and accessories firm, confirmed Monday that Patrick Cox is its new designer. WWD first reported that Cox, 40, was the front-runner for the position Dec. 17.

Cox’s first collection for Jourdan will be for spring 2004, spanning women’s and men’s footwear and leather goods. He will be charged with revving up a brand whose zenith came during the disco era, with sexy shoes, memorable advertising by photographer Guy Bourdin and what Cox described as “epic” store windows.

Jourdan has struggled in recent years, letting go of a third of its workforce — about 295 employees — last month, as reported. It also plans to shutter 15 shops it had opened in the U.S. over the past two years.

But Cox said the brand has “amazing” potential, based on the manufacturing prowess of its factory in Romans, France, near Lyon, and its rich design heritage.

“Roland Jourdan [the last member of the founding family to run the business] was one of the best shoe designers ever,” he said. “It’s a very strong brand. They just lost their way design-wise.”

Jourdan plans to establish a design studio for Cox and his team in Paris. A new boutique concept and revamped advertising are also ingredients in the company’s rejuvenation plan.

Jourdan had sales of about $82 million last year and “significant” losses, as reported. The company expects to break even this year.

Meanwhile, Canadian-born, London-based Cox will continue to design for his eponymous brand, which generated sales of about $43 million last year.

Cox’s privately owned firm sells footwear to 500 doors worldwide. At present, there are five companyowned Patrick Cox stores in Europe, three franchised locations in Hong Kong and 15 stores in Japan operated by his partner, Isetan. Cox recently launched a licensed handbag collection in Europe, and watches, clothing, bags and jewelry also bear his name in Japan.

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

Aronsson Said Heading to Jacobs

9

STORE PHOTOS BY JOSHUA GREENE

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

10 Outerwear Report

Après Ski: Sun Valley’s New Frontier

By Joshua Greene SUN VALLEY, Idaho — Sun Valley doesn’t have the string of designer shops such as Prada, Chanel, Gucci and Fendi that line the streets of Aspen, but visitors and residents aren’t lacking for upscale merchandise.

Over the last few years, the 67-year-old mountain resort and the neighboring town of Ketchum, the main commerce district, has seen a growth in the number of high-end retail square footage, largely in part due to two new mixed-use retail, office and residential developments on Sun Valley Road here.

The Shops at the Colonnade and The Christiania are two separate projects built by Palo Alto-based developer Jack Bariteau in 1999 and 2001 respectively. They offer over 35,000-square-feet of retail space combined and only one small store remains unleased.

Bariteau said he originally approached Gap and Banana Republic to fill spots in the developments, but said a resort market was a tough sell since the projects were new concepts for Ketchum. Now, Bariteau said he thinks it could be a different story.

“Now that the [developments] are in place, we will probably end up with more chain interest expanding into these markets because they know the business is here,” Bariteau said. “I don’t think there is a resistance from the community because the families that survive on the nature of the market and the service business, they’re tired of driving to Boise to shop.”

Further, Bariteau said there are no zoning ordinances or city rules restricting their entry.

However, when Starbucks — the only national chain to date — opened on Main Street in 1999, slapping its name on the front of a historic building, it provoked a flurry of anticorporate sentiments. Possibly along the same lines, while former Gap Inc. chief executive Millard (Mickey) Drexler has a home here, there are no Gap Inc. stores — Aspen has Gap and Banana Republic shops.

Second home owners and tourists are mainly from Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco and New York, and come during the busy seasons: July through September and December through March. While there is a contrast between the local and visiting community, retailers said the two groups agree on one thing: They want the town to remain low-key, and chain retail might not fit in to that equation.

Visitor spending generated 26 percent of all jobs in Blaine County in 2000, according to the Ketchum/Sun Valley Chamber & Visitors Bureau, and the retail industry represents more than a quarter of all jobs. In the small towns of Ketchum and Sun Valley where tourists concentrate — and where the year-round population is only 3,003 and 1,427 persons, respectively — the ratios are more dramatic. It is estimated that the two towns see at least 95,000 visitors in the winter and 130,000 in the summer, according to a spokeswoman at the Chamber & Visitors Bureau.

Though ostentation is somewhat frowned upon here, the Valley’s inflated real estate market more clearly shows there is cash to throw around. The median household income in 2000 was $45,793, but the secondhome market begins at $1 million and megacabins can easily run up to $13 million, according to Sherry Daech, a high-end real estate broker who has worked in the area for 25 years.

Founded by former New York Gov. and Union Pacific Railroad president Averell Harriman in 1936, the resort of Sun Valley was modeled after the fashionable Swiss ski resorts of St. Moritz and Gstaad.

Ketchum, a deserted mining town with a population of less than 100 year-round residents at the time, is today a blend of outdoor apparel stores, jewelers, high-end furniture shops, galleries and various specialty stores.

Apparel ranges from the obvious ski and outdoor lines to the most in-demand luxury brands from Milan, Paris and London.

In an effort to bring a little bit of Via Montenapoleone out West, Elle Rose carries Loro Piana, Piazza Sempione, Céline, Bottega Veneta and Moschino. Elle Rose owner Rochelle Runge moved to a new 1,825square-foot location in The Christiania just over a year ago. Her former 500-square-foot space, which she had for nine-and-a-half years, is now Elle Rose Cashmere, the town’s only store devoted exclusively to the category.

Prices at Elle Rose range from a $45 Three Dots Tshirt to a $4,000 Piazza Sempione shearling.

Sister, which opened six years ago, is situated in a small house built in the Forties. Its white picket fence and handpainted sign evoke country charm from the outside, but inside, fashion-forward European brands and top-notch customer service are the main draw.

Martin Margiela, Vivienne Westwood and Jurgi

Sun Valley, Ketchum and Bald Mountain.

Deja Vu’s new spot.

Sister in a 1940s house.

Theodore’s bright and airy shop.

Persoons are paired with limited vintage pieces that owner Annette Frehling collects and uses for the store’s private label. Other designers found there include Los Angeles-based lines Magda Berliner, Rozae Nichols and Burning Torch. Katayone Adeli, Catherine Malandrino and Mayle are her New York-based resources.

“It’s the best place to shop in Sun Valley,” Jamie Lee Curtis told WWD as she shopped there with her daughter over the holidays.

Designer Magda Berliner said selling her collection in Ketchum is a roundabout way of exposing her brand in Los Angeles, since many celebrities and high-powered Hollywood types have second homes there.

“I really like that it’s a natural atmosphere because so much of my inspiration comes from nature,” Berliner said. “It’s nice that the collection sells in such a leisurely location.”

Frehling, a former New Yorker, said she opened her 2,500-square-foot store because of the lack of merchandise in town. She claimed it all “looked like Nordstrom.”

As a selling technique, Frehling organizes the store to be somewhat crowded, with merchandise to ignite one-on-one attention. In addition to the selling floor, there is an apartment she uses for private shopping.

That’s a big draw for celebrities, she said.

Customer service is a top priority for all local businesses, most of which are year-round, retailers said. But slack time — the local phrase for the quietest months of April through June — makes cash flow extremely difficult.

For Frehling, one way to improve it is to keep her top customers in mind during market week buys. After the

clothes are delivered to her, Frehling will separate the merchandise and send out personalized boxes to clients. What doesn’t suit a customer’s taste is sent back and the rest is charged to the recipient’s credit card.

“That’s what gets me through slack time,” Frehling said. “And I think it surprises them that I’m able to do that. A New York girl would have to run all over the city to get Mayle and that takes time and energy.”

Frehling even has one customer from Los Angeles who’s never been to the store. The customer read about Sister in a magazine and now receives customized shipments.

Since many vacationers come from big cities where fashion is readily available, retailers are forced to carry less-mainstream lines to spur purchases. For Tracy Fink, owner of Theodore, this helps create relationships because a customer will buy something, leave town and then call back and buy more when they realize they can’t find it in their hometown.

“During those dead times, you end up developing that type of business,” Fink said. “If you didn’t have that, it would be a challenge. We’re reliant on second-home owners and even though they’re not living here full time, they still buy from us and are really supportive. If they want a mountain bike, for example, they’ll buy it from one of the outdoor stores they know up here.”

Special lines carried at Theodore include designer apparel by People of the Labyrinths — which is made by artists in Holland — ski and sportswear from Jet Set, St. Moritz skiwear, Blumarine, Roberto Cavalli, TSE, Cuccinnelli and Richard Grand.

Continued on page 16

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BOLD IN THE COLD A DIVISION OF AMEREX GROUP INC.

Textile & Trade Report

Eyeing Africa’s Role in World Trade

By Scott Malone NEW YORK — The potential for African apparel producers to compete in the world market — and along the way generate the economic growth seen as critical to keeping its nations stable and peaceful — will be a key topic at next week’s Sub-Saharan Africa Trade & Economic Cooperation Forum, to be held in Port Louis, Mauritius.

A delegation of executives from major U.S. importers, including J.C. Penney Co., Target Corp., Limited Inc. and Sears, Roebuck & Co., is expected to attend the five-day summit at the island nation, located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa. They will join U.S. officials, including U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Congressmen Jim McDermott (D., Wash.), Edward Royce (R., Calif.) and Bill Thomas (R. Calif.), as well as top ministers from the 35 sub-Saharan African nations, including Mauritius, South Africa, Lesotho and Kenya.

Apparel and textiles manufactured in the region have enjoyed duty- and quota-free access to the U.S. since October 2000, when the Africa Growth & Opportunity Act — a companion law to the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act — took effect. Since then, African exports of textiles and apparel have risen significantly.

According to Commerce Department data, shipments of textiles and apparel from sub-Saharan nations to the U.S. were up 12.5 percent for the 12-month period ended in October to $1.09 billion worth of products.

That gives the region a 1.6 percent share of U.S. imports in that category. In all of 2001, the region’s exports in those categories rose 25.6 percent.

The AGOA law allows lesser-developed nations in the trade program to import fabric from third countries, like China, sew it into garments and export them dutyand quota-free. Given that many of the sub-Saharan African nations have underdeveloped textile industries, that has been a key part of the program so far.

Peter McGrath, president of J.C. Penney Purchasing

Co. and chairman of the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles & Apparel, said he was headed to Mauritius with a multipart agenda.

“There are two messages we’re trying to explain to the African government people and business people,” he said.

“One is what it is to do business with U.S. retailers.…We are going to articulate what our business requirements are from soup to nuts, from human rights compliance to quality — all the issues you would think of.”

Nancy Marino, senior vice president of worldwide sourcing and brand development at Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears and a member of the USA-ITA delegation, said her group’s agenda will be to help African

African Growth Exports of textiles and apparel from sub-Saharan Africa have grown significantly since the African Growth & Opportunity Act took effect, though not all 35 countries covered by the law have benefitted equally. In general, less-affluent countries — where employers can pay lower wages — have enjoyed higher growth rates. But instability can take the wind out of a nation’s economic sails, as seen in Madagascar, which went through a six-month period of near-anarchy early last year.

Imports Lesotho Mauritius South Africa Kenya Madagascar Swaziland Total Region

Jan.-Oct. 2002

Jan.-Oct 2002/2001 Change

Change 2001/2000

$275.3 million $221.3 million $164.9 million $102.5 million $82.0 million $73.6 million $952.0 million

+58.8 percent +5.9 percent -4.5 percent +92.9 percent -47.1 percent +86.9 percent +14.4 percent

+53.2 percent -2.7 percent +19.3 percent +46.9 percent +62.4 percent +50.4 percent +25.6 percent

SOURCE: U.S. COMMERCE DEPARTMENT

manufacturers understand how they need to adapt to do business with U.S. retailers.

“It’s not as easy as they think it is and the clock is ticking as we approach 2005,” she said. “We’ve not seen as much progress as we’d like to see in that part of the world. We hope we can help them better understand what it will take to be competitive in the future.”

She said key hurdles that African apparel manufacturers face include setting up local fabric production and cutting turn times.

Penney’s McGrath added: “The second part of our message is going to be to make the African countries aware of the implications of the current AGOA agreement, that the third-country fabric provision expires in 2004, as well as the implications of a quota-less manufacturing environment in 2005. Those are two enormous challenges, hurdles that they have to overcome. We are also going to look for enhancement to the current AGOA bill that would benefit U.S. retailers and African countries.”

McGrath and Marino, along with Limited Inc. vice president of strategic sourcing Ron Shulman and other USA-ITA members, will present their agenda in a Tuesday session. Representatives of the National Retail Federation, as well as several major manufacturers from the region, are also scheduled to speak.

President Bush had been scheduled to attend the summit, but late last month the White House released a statement saying he would delay his trip because of other current events on the national and world stage.

A growing concern in the U.S. government is how developing nations whose economies rely heavily on apparel and textile exports will fare in 2005, when the nations of the World Trade Organization drop quotas on those products. That event is expected to provoke a surge of exports from China, and many industry sources have wondered how well manufacturers in Africa and elsewhere will be able to handle that competition.

Speakers at several sessions are scheduled to discuss the post-2005 environment.

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J.C. Penney’s Peter McGrath is joining a delegation of U.S. retailers headed to next week’s AGOA Summit in Mauritius.

“There is a lot of concern, not without merit, that the AGOA benefits are really going to decrease once global quotas go off. There is a short window of opportunity for a lot of producers to get competitive in that time frame,” said Erik Autor, vice president and international trade counsel at the NRF. “The thing I’m going to be talking about specifically is going to be what changes producers can expect once the global quota system ends.”

The AGOA law has been a significant boost to Lesotho, Kenya and Swaziland, each of which has seen its exports to the U.S. surge by more than 50 percent in the 12 months ended in October. However, local stability plays a key role in developing an export business. (See chart, this page.)

One clear example of that is Madagascar, which was engulfed in turmoil for much of last year following a disputed presidential election. Supporters of both candidates declared a general strike that for seven months brought most business in the nation’s capital to a halt and resulted in the closing of the island’s major port. Major importers canceled orders, while some producers, including Novel Denim Holdings Ltd., decided to shut their Madagascan operations outright.

Overall, Madagascar’s shipments to the U.S. were off 47.1 percent for the first 10 months of 2002, erasing most of the 62.4 percent export growth in 2001.

Next week’s meeting, which runs from Jan. 13-17, is the second of its kind. The first AGOA forum was held in Washington in October 2001.

The region’s manufacturers, particularly the companies based in Mauritius, which in many cases also operate factories in Madagascar and on the mainland, have been major suppliers to European apparel companies for more than a decade.

U.S. executives said they expected the AGOA Forum to give them a chance to develop stronger connections with the region’s suppliers.

“The only way that AGOA is really going to continue to be a huge success is if we have dialogue between business people in Africa with the U.S. companies, so we can work together to build long-term relationships,” said Julia Hughes, the Washington vice president for the USA-ITA. “If you never see each other or know each other, it’s hard for you to get to know each other.”

SWATCHES

NEW SOURCE: A new trade show focusing on overseas apparel production called Source International is slated to be held in New York next week. It is to run at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan Jan. 1214. The show is to feature three sectors: Material Source, which will showcase raw materials such as leather, textiles, synthetics and trims; Technology Source for technologies for design, supply chain management, logistics, packaging and online payment and marketing, and Fashion Source, geared at private label businesses featuring footwear, leather goods, luggage, leather and nonleather apparel, upholstery and accessories suppliers.

Some trade groups that are expected to attend include the Taiwan Textile Federation, Taiwan Bag Association, American Apparel Producers Network and the American Textile Manufacturers Institute.

PRINT POWER: Next week’s round of print shows will be a little easier to navigate for buyers of textile artwork. The Printsource and Direction events are both to run at the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan Jan. 14-16.

Printsource is to be held at the Penn Top penthouse, while Direction is to run at the Penn Plaza Pavilion. Printsource had previously been held at the Parsons School of Design.

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U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is also scheduled to speak at the AGOA Summit.

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

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U.S., Five Central American Countries Dems Offer Stimulus Plan Begin Talks on Free-Trade Agreement

By Joanna Ramey

By Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON — The U.S. will kick off negotiations Wednesday with five Central American countries on a bilateral freetrade agreement, and apparel and textile trade groups are gearing up for the talks.

Foreign trade ministers from El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica will be in Washington for two days. One key stop will be on Capitol Hill, where they are set to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, lawmakers and corporate executives at a reception honoring the start of negotiations.

It is the first free-trade pact initiated by the Bush administration, which hopes to complete an agreement by the end of the year, and one that would expand the links the U.S. already has with the five Central American economies that are all significant apparel suppliers to the U.S. The region has become a key hemispheric apparel supplier because of a succession of trade breaks granted by Congress, the most recent allowing for dutyfree importation of apparel made from U.S. textiles through the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act of 2000. Central American countries will now strive to increase their 12.3 percent share of the U.S. apparel and textile imports under an FTA by using their own textiles without limits.

There is a lot at stake for Central America, which is fighting for a stronger foothold in the U.S. market, and there is an urgency to complete the negotiations before the elimination of apparel and textile quotas in 2005 among the 144 World Trade Organization member nations.

Most experts agree that China will dominate apparel and textile trade at that point by taking away market share from all other countries.

Alfredo Milian, executive secretary of the Central American & Caribbean Textiles & Apparel Council, based in El Salvador, said: “If strategic alliances are built between the U.S. and Central America, there is a chance for Central America to remain competitive, especially if they decide to improve on the full package concept.”

For the year ended Oct. 31, apparel and textile imports to the

U.S. from the five Central American nations was a combined 2.8 billion-square-meters equivalent, valued at $6.85 billion, according to the Commerce Department.

Honduras is the third-largest apparel supplier to the U.S., behind Mexico and China, while El Salvador is seventh, Guatemala is 15th, Costa Rica is 17th and Nicaragua is 31st.

Although most negotiators expect an agreement to be reached easily because of existing trade deals with the U.S., talks in the apparel and textile sector are expected to be difficult. The U.S. textile industry has a lot at stake and will pose a big challenge to the trade liberalization the countries seek. Many textile executives are calling for strict yarn-forward rules of origin, strict customs enforcement and no allowances for fabric or yarn from countries outside of the free-trade pact.

The domestic textile industry will fight to protect the benefits it has reaped from the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, said Charles Bremer, vice president of international trade at the American Textile Manufacturers Institute. The CBTPA was implemented in 2001 and has provided a boost for the U.S. textile industry, Bremer claimed, with the five Central American countries representing the bulk of the business.

For the year ended Oct. 31, U.S. exports of fabric to the five countries was $983 million, according to Bremer. For the same period in 2001, the first year of CBTPA, U.S. fabric exports to the same five countries was $646 million.

“We have an enormous amount of trade built up with these countries and there is no reason to give the benefits of an FTA with Central America to anyone in Asia through tariff preference levels or linkages,” Bremer said.

The American Textile Trade Action Coalition, a mill/labor lobby group, is angling for even stricter rules of origin.

“We believe there should be a NAFTA rule, which requires the use of the contracting parties’ components, such as yarn and fabrics, but it should be a direct arrangement with each country,” said Augustine Tantillo, Washington coordinator of ATTAC. “If apparel is made in the Honduras, for example, the yarn and fabric should come either from the U.S. or Honduras, not Guate-

mala or El Salvador [which will be signatories].”

Tantillo claimed the “interchangeability” between the countries that sign an FTA or any others that might benefit “presents a scenario almost certain to cut U.S. yarn and fabric out of the equation.”

U.S. importers and apparel and textile trade and lobbying groups in Central America oppose the strict rules of origin and plan to push for linkages in this FTA with other free-trade pacts and preferential programs. They want a trade deal that allows the five Central American countries to use fabrics and yarns from not only the signatories, but other countries with which the U.S. has trade deals, including Canada, Mexico or any of the four Andean countries, and still receive duty-free treatment. Importers will also fight for the use of Asian fabric through tariff preference levels.

Restrictive rules, importers and retailers claim, impose restraints and drive production and trade out of a free-trade region. Many factories in the region, particularly those owned

by Asian investors, import fabric from the Far East.

Marcio Cuevas, president of the Non-Traditional Product Exporters Association in Guatemala, which represents apparel and textile companies, plans to push for linkages with other U.S. trade agreements when he is in Washington this week.

He said the Guatemalan apparel industry is expected to grow by 5 to 8 percent in the first two years of the trade pact with the U.S. “We would like to have negotiations where we think we are going to benefit like Mexico or Canada or even more like the Andean countries are benefiting,” Cuevas said. “Textile and apparel negotiations will be hard, but we need something that will be as good as NAFTA and allows us to link with Mexico, Canada or the Andean countries.”

Milian said: “The way to do it is through CAFTA [a Central American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.] and the integration of the Western Hemisphere.

Eventually, Colombian fabrics should be part of the equation, Mexican fabrics should be part of the equation and they should not be excluded in terms of rules of origin.”

WASHINGTON — The battle over which tax cuts or government cash payments might help stimulate the economy begins today, as President Bush offers details of his $600 billion plan, the outline of which Democrats decried Monday as ineffective.

But there’s one certainty: Bush’s plan will be changed.

The GOP’s majority control in both chambers of Congress is slim and Democratic votes will be needed to pass a package, especially in the Senate, where rules favor opposition interference.

also expected to call for a speedup of $1.3 trillion in phased-in income and other tax cuts passed in 2000 and a direct $400 tax rebate for middle-class parents.

House Democrats on Monday unveiled their $136 billion stimulus package targeted to be spent only in 2003. Their plan includes a $300 per person or $600 a couple tax rebate for all workers, an increase in new plant and equipment depreciation for the year and $31 billion in funds to states and locales to spend on homeland security, highways, Medicaid cost and “critical needs.”

Rep. John Spratt, a member of Democratic leadership, said the Bush stimulus plan was about the “stock market,” while a competing Democrat plan was about the “job market.”

Something else is clear: Debate over a stimulus package will be heated, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), firing the first salvo Monday when she said “joblessness is rampant” in the Bush administration, and Rep. John Spratt (D., S.C.), a member of Democratic leadership, said the Bush stimulus plan was about the “stock market,” while a competing Democrat plan was about the “job market.”

At the centerpiece of Bush’s 10-year plan is slated to be an elimination of taxes shareholders pay on dividends. He is

There is common ground between the parties on one issue: extending unemployment benefits that expired Dec. 28 for some 800,000 people. However, the Democrats want a 26-week extension and the GOP wants 12 weeks.

For their part, retailers are weighing both proposals as to what might be best to jump-start the flagging economy.

“We have to look at it all,” said Steve Pfister, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Retail Federation, not ready to immediately line up behind either program.

Diamond Origin Bill on Agenda WASHINGTON — Passage of legislation to help American jewelers and consumers identify the country of origin of diamonds will be a priority in Congress this year, according to influential House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas

(R., Calif.).

The legislation is patterned on the global diamond identification initiative called the Kimberley Process and is designed to keep diamonds from being traded for arms to fight crippling African civil wars.

Fashion Scoop

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: Azzedine Alaïa confirmed Monday he will join Paris couture week and do a “small showing” of ready-to-wear on Jan. 23 at his Paris headquarters. But trust fashion’s most resolute individualist to do it his way. While Yohji Yamamoto will show fall 2003 ready-to-wear and couturiers will show summer designs, Alaïa promises looks for all four seasons. “It’ll be a real mix,” he said. Also expect a glimpse of his new eyewear, made in collaboration with Alain Mikli, and an expanded collection of handbags.

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— Jacob Bernstein RECOVERING: Condé Nast ceo Steve Florio was involved in what his spokeswoman called a “mild fender bender in a parking lot” while at his house in Florida during Christmas break. While he was supposed to be back in the office Monday, the spokeswoman said he would be taking the rest of the week off and that he would be back next Monday.

“He’s been working from there, he’s absolutely fine,” she said.

— J.B. WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS: After a whirlwind first 17 months on the job as the executive editor of The New York Times, Howell Raines is tying the knot. Raines was unavailable for comment, but a Times spokeswoman e-mailed confirmation from Raines that he is engaged to public relations executive Krystyna Stachowiak, with whom he lives in Greenwich Village.

“I’m happy to confirm that Krystyna accepted my proposal of marriage in Paris on Dec. 20. We are planning a small family wedding in the early spring. We are ecstatically happy and I feel blessed by fortune.”

The two met in 1996 when Stachowiak was doing p.r. for the President of Poland, whom she brought to The Times to meet with its editorial board, of which Raines was the editor. Last spring, the two bought a second home together in Pennsylvania and she took up flyfishing lessons, a longtime passion of Raines’. While in Europe for the holidays, Raines also went with Stachowiak to Poland, where he met her family.

The marriage will be the second for Raines. His first ended in divorce.

— G.L.

— G.L.

— Greg Lindsay

— J.B. FT THE MAG: Readers of the Financial Times in America may find a glossy surprise tucked in its pink pages this year. Pleased with the results of a special five-year anniversary magazine included with the paper in November, FT executives are developing plans to publish a similar magazine regularly in 2003, despite a terrible outlook for parent Pearson PLC. “The U.S. is the growth market,” said FT U.S. managing editor Lionel Barber, “and a magazine may help to continue raising our profile.”

A source close to the project said the frequency has yet to be decided — everything from publishing a weekly to an annual is up for discussion. The FT already publishes its luxe U.K. glossy How To Spend It here in the US four times a year, and Barber says the new magazine could

LIFE INSIDE AT INSTYLE: “The Devil Wears Prada” is to Vogue what HBO’s Oz is to prison, and the very latest of the “mag-lackey” novels gives InStyle a similar treatment.

“Fashionistas” is a view of the celeb-obsessed title from the very bottom by freelance copy editor Lynn Messina, who in time-honored fashion embellished overheard conversations into a roman-a-clef book deal. But unlike “TDWP” author Lauren Weisberger, who presumably sought entre to Vogue before spilling its secrets, “I have no interest in the magazine industry at all,” Messina said. “I wound up at InStyle by answering an ad on Mediabistro.”

The book itself, which will arrive in March from Red Dress Ink, is fairly typical chick-lit fare in terms of plot, featuring a plucky and clever heroine planning a coup against her editor.

Messina’s next novel, already complete, features a clever young furniture designer, which should raise the eyebrows of her current colleagues: She’s now working as a freelancer at Metropolitan Home.

WOMEN WHO ROCK (BUT DON’T): It probably wasn’t in the business plan, but playing off the fondness of Rolling Stone readers for rock chicks may not be the worst way to grow a magazine.

That appears to be the lesson of Women Who Rock, a fledgling entertainment magazine with an Xchromosome bent that hopes to ride its confusion with RS’ “Women of Rock” issue to the big time. WWR is the first mass-market creation of the Cherry Lane Music Group, a music publisher that also owns GuitarOne, a niche title aimed at learners. After soft launching with four issues last year, the magazine claimed it has amassed an unaudited circulation of 100,000.

Last week, Cherry Lane named company veteran Diane Shattuck editor of the magazine and put her in charge of producing six issues this year with a staff due to grow by a third to 50 employees. Circulation is supposed to rise to 200,000 by the time it goes monthly in 2004. But catering to the Lilith Fair crowd only takes you so far.

The magazine’s next order of business is to stop focusing on women who rock, literally, and who rock, figuratively. “We want to be a bit more like Entertainment Weekly,” says editorial director Abigail Tuller, “but I don’t think anything like this has ever been done before.” Probably because including both genders makes for a bigger audience.

borrow elements from that supplement. He also rejects the idea of doing a weekly; the paper killed just such a magazine in the U.K., The Business, last fall.

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WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

MEMO PAD THE NINE LIVES OF MAER ROSHAN: When The New York Post reported on Thursday that American Media’s David Pecker backed out of Maer Roshan’s Radar, many wondered whether it was curtains for the magazine — even if Michael Fuchs was signing on as a partner. But it may not be. According to sources familiar with the situation, the distribution end of the magazine is likely to be handled by Curtis Circulation Co., the publishing behemoth that handles Dennis Publications, Gruner + Jahr, and Hachette Filappacchi’s distribution.

Roshan, meanwhile, has maintained in private that he dumped American Media after Pecker insisted on too high of an equity stake.

Regardless, he has his work cut out for him. A call to Curtis went unreturned and Radar is not commenting, but sources familiar with the terms of the financial agreement said that while Curtis will provide distribution, it will not invest in the magazine, as Pecker was doing. Instead, it will distribute the magazine for a cut of the newsstand price, which means Roshan still has the task of raising more money.

But he is continuing to staff up.

Coming on as the magazine’s art

director will be Shawn Young, who most recently worked as a creative consultant at Seventeen, where he redesigned the magazine with ousted editor in chief Annemarie Iverson.

Young was also the art director at Allure during much of the Nineties.

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

16

Is Après Ski Retail Sun Valley’s New Frontier? Former YSL Employees Continued from page 10 Fink said Theodore itself is a look that people have come to know. While the Ketchumbased store Fink owns is only six years old, her father, Herb, opened the original Theodore boutique on North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in 1972. The Beverly Hills store is still open today, but is run separately. Fink said the Theodore look was originally inspired by St. Tropez in the Seventies — body-conscious and sporty with sexy sophistication.

Price points at Theodore run the gamut, so Fink can accommodate a local clientele during the slower months. Domestic resources such as jeans by AG Adriano Goldschmied and Sharagano and T-shirts by Michael Stars and James Perse fill the lower price category.

“The other challenge is receiving merchandise,” Fink said. “You could get merchandise delivered in March and sit with it until July. You can sometimes negotiate with vendors but Europe is not going to hold the merchandise, so I sit with it because I have the money. But that could be a killer for a person with a resort business.”

The flip side is that there is more merchandise in the store during the tourist season. Fink said she does 80 percent of her business in the July through August and December through March seasons.

Housed in the same building as Theodore is Deja Vu, a vintage shop with designer duds including dresses and suits from Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Pucci, Oleg Cassini, Halston and lesswell-known lines popular from the heyday of Hollywood, such as Lillian and Lilli Diamond.

“Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of Versace from the Eighties,” said Suzy Hart, owner. “I also specialize in vintage Westernwear, like fringe jackets and cowgirl suits.”

Hart has had her business in Ketchum for 20 years, but recently changed locations to a higher-profile spot, giving her direct street access on one side and indoor access to a restaurant and more stores on the other.

Retailers said foot traffic is not usually a problem given the pro-outdoor mind-set of a mountain town. But there aren’t a whole lot of new faces, said Fink.

“I get maybe two people a day that I’ve never seen,” she said, adding that this makes merchandising more challenging. “If they come in the summer and they come in the winter, there’d better be new stuff. I have a customer base of a few hundred people, whereas Aspen has tons of new people every day. People in Boise and Twin Falls are not our customer base.

Aspen has Denver and direct flights from [numerous] big cities.”

Girl Street, a vibrant hot spot for the local and visiting junior crowd, is housed inside the 14year-old Board Bin, Ketchum’s top skate and snowboard shop. Girl Street is one of the few places that carries junior lines such as Paul Frank, Free People, Steve Madden, Roxy, Billabong and Dickies Girl. But since the store is housed in the same space as Board Bin, owners Karin Reichow and Jim Slanetz said getting new clients is sometimes difficult.

“We have a lot of fashion in the store,” Reichow said. “People that have been in once, they’re hooked and they keep coming back. But when a new person comes in, [sometimes] they see the snowboard stuff and don’t think about the clothing.”

Since Girl Street, which has been open for eight years, is a hit with juniors, Reichow said she tries to keep merchandise under $100, which bodes well for her local and visiting business. Reichow also said she’s started to carry the children’s line Teeny Wahine from Roxy and Billabong’s girls’ line.

“The amount of new retail space has been staggering,” said Tim Eagan, president of Eagan Real Estate, which managed the leasing for The Christiania and The Shops at the Colonnade.

“The high-end retailers here work their butts off and the ones that are successful are profoundly good at what they do.”

Moving On After Closure PARIS — Finally, a denouement for Yves Saint Laurent’s shuttered couture business.

Closing the books on a dramatic 2002, the house on Monday gave a final accounting for its 160 employees, whose futures were the subject of empathy, acrimony and court battles in the wake of the couturier’s retirement.

According to couture chief Pierre Bergé, the majority of the affected workers, 49, found jobs at other couture or ready-towear houses, including Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa. Of the others: 36 took retirement or preretirement; 27 were contract employees whose contracts expired; 17 found jobs in other industries; 12 are training for new careers; nine are starting their own businesses, and the remaining 10 have joined the YSL museum.

As reported, Saint Laurent’s fabled 5 Avenue Marceau headquarters will become a foundation housing the Saint Laurent museum, currently in suburban

Paris, as well as sponsoring cultural activities.

The couture house actually went dark last Oct. 31, but Monday marked the first time Bergé detailed his “social plan” for the affected workers.

Last summer, French retail titan François Pinault, who funded the money-losing career operation since acquiring the brand in 1999, had sold the house for a symbolic euro, or $1, to Patrice Bouygues, a French industrialist. Bouygues intended to transform Saint Laurent’s formidable workrooms into a multibrand couture operation. But workers, who contended that Bouygues was not forthcoming about the health of his finances, rebutted his plans in court.

Last July, Saint Laurent and Bergé purchased the house from Pinault, also for a euro, and began hammering out an agreement with the workers, who must be compensated under French law. It is believed the package totaled about $16 million.

Benetton to Sell Rollerblade NEW YORK — Benetton Group is said to be near a deal to sell its Rollerblade and Nordica units.

The company is negotiating a deal with The Hockey Co., a Montreal-based firm, for Rollerblade. A Hockey spokeswoman confirmed Monday that talks are continuing. Benetton declined to comment, but insiders at Rollerblade said a deal should be struck in a week or so.

Benetton is also shopping around its other athletic labels — Nordica ski boots and apparel and Prince tenniswear — which have weighed heavily on financial results. This is part of the firm’s strategy to focus the clothing unit on its core sportswear business and shed non-core assets.

Benetton’s sporting goods sales, which account for about 13 percent of group sales, fell 18 percent to $211 million in the first nine months of last year. Benetton’s sales for 2001 were $2.19 billion.

The company is in talks with the Zanetta and Viccari families,

which own other ski labels including Tecnica, Volkl and Marker, a Nordica spokeswoman said Monday. That deal is expected to be wrapped up in 30 days.

Last week, the billionaire Benetton family unveiled a $15 billion takeover proposal for Autostrade, the Italian toll-road operator, by handing a bid prospectus to the Italian markets regulator. The move was made through its majority stake in a holding company, Schemaventotto.

The family already owns 30 percent of Autostrade, and has offered to buy the remaining 70 percent at nearly $10 a share.

The Benetton family is directing its focus to transport and service-related companies.

They already own Autogrill, a restaurant and catering chain in Italian highway service stations, as well as a 40 percent stake in Grandi Stazioni, which manages concourses at Italy’s largest railway stations.

— Rosemary Feitelberg

Not a December to Remember Continued from page 2 Burstell said not everybody is bargain hunting. “We delivered a silk sweater program for spring. It’s snowing outside, but customers are buying silk sweaters in 12 different colors.”

Most retailers wisely planned conservatively, and sometimes discovered a downside to that. “Our only problem right now is that we don’t have enough sale merchandise in stores,” said Jeffrey Kalinsky, owner of the Jeffrey stores in New York and Atlanta.

J.C. Penney on Monday said sales at its department stores were on plan through the first

RELKIN, ABRAHAM of Clearwater, Florida, formerly of North Woodmere.

Formerly affiliated with Relkin Textile Co., Inc., LeGrand Fabrics Inc., Kra-Kin Sales.

week of the January period, which overall calls for comp-store sales to be flat or slightly up. The best areas were fine jewelry, children’s and home. Catalog sales are expected to be down about 25 percent for the month.

Piper Jaffray senior analyst Jeff Klinefelter estimated Gap and Kohl’s would report comps 3 to 5 percent ahead for December, and Pacific Sunwear possibly a point higher. WalMart will gain 2 to 3 percent and Aeropostale, 1 to 3 percent.

However, Abercrombie & Fitch was estimated down 4 to 6 percent; American Eagle down 6 to 8 percent, and Bebe down 10 to 12 percent.

Specialty chains, according to estimates from analyst Mark A. Friedman of Merrill Lynch, will report December samestore sales flat to 2 percent ahead, versus a 4 percent decline a year ago.

WWDMAGIC represents an unparalleled opportunity to preview the season’s complete offerings. A comprehensive look at the most exciting trends, designs and labels in women’s apparel and accessories. Intent on connecting retailers with the vendors, the resources and the partnerships they seek, WWDMAGIC brings the industry together at one highly-focused, cost-effective and time efficient event. WWDMAGIC means business. And that means business for you.

BOTTOM LINE: FEBRUARY 18-21, 2003 SANDS EXPO AND CONVENTION CENTER LAS VEGAS, NEVADA FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION: phone 218.723.9792 TO EXHIBIT: phone 818.593.5000 or 212.630.4572 MAGIC is a subsidiary of Advanstar Communications, Inc.

www.MAGIConline.com

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

18

PARTNER WANTED Closeouts Wanted WE BUY CLOSEOUTS OF GENERAL MERCHANDISE FOR OUR STORES AND ALSO STORE INVENTORIES. IMMEDIATE PAYMENTS 212-564-3606 WEBERS FAX: 212-564-3236

CLOSEOUTS WANTED We buy any fabrics, even remnants, buttons, beads and trims. 212-243-4913

Kmart Cancellations

Well-known domestic men’s apparel mfr selling credit-worthy specialty stores. Will ship $3.5 million in 2003.

We need a financial partner who can buy out present partner & is able to run a business. Have a national sales force. Currently doubling last years business. If interested, call 1-800-727-9307.

No factors or brokers please.

FIT MODEL VICTORIA’S SECRET DIRECT seeks full-time Fit Model for sportswear to fit samples and prototypes to ensure accuracy in garment specification. Required measurements: Size 8, Bust 34B, Waist 28, Hip 38 1/2", Height 5’7" (to be measured and confirmed by Director Technical Services). Must have the ability to stand for long periods of time. Must maintain body measurements to fit standards. Must be able to work full-time in NYC.

RESUMES THAT WORK! SINCE 1970 Updating/Phone Interviews PROFESSIONAL RESUMES, INC. 60 E 42nd Street, NYC 10165 (212)697-1282/(800)221-4425 www.resumesforfashion.com

Please visit our career website at www.careers.limitedbrands.com where you may view our current opportunities and express your interest in this open position, or create your candidate profile for future consideration

We buy big lots.

Contact: Ari @ (212) 302-1320 ext. 211

ADMIN Bryant Pk Duplex 1100, 2000, 4500 FT. 20 Ft Ceilings - Great Windows/Views SoHo-Sublet Penthouse 2000 FT Prime Manhattan Jon 212-268-8043 Search-www.manhattanoffices.com

Since 1967

W-I-N-S-T-O-N APPAREL STAFFING DESIGN * SALES * MERCH ADMIN * TECH * PRODUCTION (212)557-5000 F: (212)986-8437

CONTROLLER

EDI MANAGER

Importer/Manufacturer of apparel located in NYC seeks hands on Controller to prepare monthly financials and analysis for reporting back to corporate parent in Hong Kong. Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work independently in small company required. Industry experience highly desirable. CPA background helpful. Compensation 65-75K. Excellent benefits. Fax resume in confidence to 212-840-7742 ATT: CFO.

Wholesale co seeking experienced EDI manager to handle all aspects of EDI, including setting up new customers.

Knowledge of Apparel Data Systems & EZEDI software a plus. Needs to manage data entry operators.

Fax: 212-643-0684

COORDINATOR

Coordinator position open immediately for greater BOSTON area: Major Manufaturer looking for highly motivated individual with merchandising experience. Must have strong communication skills. Proficiency in excel andword required. Must be detail oriented. Territory: Greater Boston area, car a must. Fax resume to: 732-432Leading childrenswear mfr is looking 5410 attn: human resources "BOSTON for a Graphic Artist. Will develop prints, COORDINATOR" embroideries & appliquedesigns for newborn, infant & toddler through size 7.

Also responsible for development of wovens & board presentation projects.

Must have working knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop. U4ia exp a plus. Major Manufacturer looking for highly Please email your resume to: motivated individual with experience holt@babytogs.com or fax: (212) 643-2826. within Retail/Visual Field. Must have No phone calls. EOE. strong communication skills. Proficiency in excel and word required. Must be detail oriented. Assist in all areas of visual presentation, store planning and retail development. Job New Jersey.

Fax Contemporary dress and sportswear location: to: 732-432-5410 attn: company seeks Assistant Designer to resume service private label accounts. Must human resources "RETAIL DEVELOPhave excellent sketching skills, have MENT ASSISTANT" minimum 2 years experience in imports and be computer proficient.

CUT/SEWN KNITWEAR Fax resume to Lynn 212-302-2399

Apparel Graphic Artist Childrenswear

Retail Development Assistant

ASSISTANT DESIGNER

YOUR OFFICE/SHOWROOM...

READY TODAY! Furnished, Wired, Staffed, Conference Rooms, Pantry, Reception 500 7th Avenue - 38th Street 212-989-8900; www.bevmaxoffice.com 7TH AVE/BWAY/SIDE STREETS SHWRM/OFC/DSGN/SHIP/RETAIL All Sizes: 3,000-30,000 SqFt FASHION CORE BERNSTEINR.E. Richard Price 212-594-1414 x265

Showrooms & Lofts BWAY 7TH AVE SIDE STREETS Great ’New’ Office Space Avail ADAMS & CO. 212-679-5500

DESIGNER

Assistant Product Manager Jacques Moret Inc., a major apparel co is seeking an Asst Product Mgr w/ 2-4 yrs of exp in Production & Product Development for Ladies Underwear & Sleepwear. Candidate will be resp for establishing production schedules, ensuring on time deliveries of purchase orders, handling vendor correspondence & landed cost calculations. Candidate must be detail oriented & possess strong analytical skills & computer skills in Word & Excel.

We offer competitive salaries & comprehensive benefits. Send resume with salary history to: Jacques Moret, Inc. 1411 Broadway, 8th Dept. APMS, Floor, New York, NY 10018 or E-mail resume to: jmjobs@moret.com We will only contact those candidates under further consideration. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F

B.K. Murphy Assoc. Inc. Artists-Design-Production-Merchandising-etc.

Call Ms. Murphy (212) 643-8090 (agcy)

Growing Knitwear Division with long established Import Company seeking Designer.

Must be proficient in technical flat sketching, specing for JR, Missy & Extra Size mkts., preparing technical pkgs. for overseas mfg. and have understanding of patterns & cut/sewn production. Fax resume w/salary required, in complete confidence to: 212-398-2086, att: Dora.

DESIGN ASSISTANT PRIVATE LABEL KNITWEAR Responsibilities include specs, layouts, boards and follow-up. Must be detail oriented with 1 yr sweater/knit exp.

Fax resume to: 212-869-5167 DESIGNER-5+ yrs exp designing Newborn/ Infant playwr/layette/do concepts/prod packages/artwk on MAC. $70-80K Les Richards Agcy NYC Call 221-0870

DESIGNER - DRESSES Leading better dress company seeks a talented creative designer who has a great sense of trends, color and print, as well as a knowledge of embroidery and bead work design. The ideal candidate must possess strong sketching, computer and communication skills.

This person must be highly organized and able to follow through from concept to finished product. Please fax resume to AB at 212-730-7581.

DESIGNER Est’d Better Sweater brand seeking exp’d update Missy sweater designer in NY. Min 5 yrs exp in sweater design.

Creative & strong tech background req’d. Excellent compensation package.

Email resume: NiceKnits@yahoo.com.

BUYER ASSOCIATE LINEBUILDER JUNIOR DESIGNER ACCOUNT MANAGER In S/M/L prod’n. Work high quality/low ASSOCIATE ACCOUNT MANAGER cost/fast turnaround. Raju: 212.967.5954 Leading Fashion Ftwr Co. seeks career oriented prof. who can work well in a fast paced environment. Min. 2 yrs exp. in industry required. Pls. fax resume to: 718-308-8909 EOE

Cut/Sew Specialization

PATTERNS, SAMPLES, PRODUCTIONS

All lines,Any styles.Fine Fast Service.

Call Sherry 212-719-0622.

PATTERNS/SAMPLES PRODUCTION

BUYER

DESIGNER-Packaging-5+ yrs designing packaging-boxes/baskets-for baby prods/toys/MAC-Photo/Illus nec. $60-70K Les Richards Agcy NYC Call 221-0870

Director of Operations Import Apparel Co. seeks strong executive to manage all operational functions, incl. in/outbound traffic, customs clearance, order entry, order processing, allocation, EDI, cust service, etc. Candidate must have min. 5 yrs exp and have ability to manage people and process. Fax res and sal. requirements to: 212-695-9721

Draper/ Assistant Designer

BlissWorld, a beauty cosmetics company, is seeking an experienced, beauty/ cosmetics Buyer to be responsible for Specializing in small productions. Sam- sourcing new products for the Eveningwear firm seeks highly skilled ples, duplicates, patterns. Full service BlissOut Catalog and the Bliss Spas. individual to drape first pattern from shop to the trade. Fine fast work.

Great taste is a must!! Send resume to: designer sketch. Please fax resume to: 212-869-2699 blissonthejob@blissworld.com (212) 391-8753

EMBROIDERY DESIGNER

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR KNIT GRAPHIC ARTIST CHILDRENSWEAR

Leading childrenswear mfr is looking Womenswear company seeks designer for a Sweater Knit Graphic Artist. Will with exp designing embroideries for develop prints, embroideries & applique dresses and sportswear. Must have at designs for newborn, infant & toddler least 2 yrs. exp, be able to do repeats through size 7. Also responsible for deand layouts, be about to translate velopment of wovens & board presentatrends into emby concepts, and intro- tion projects. Must have a working knowledge of Illustrator and duce new embellishment techniques.

Fax resume to Lynn 212-302-2399 Photoshop. U4ia exp a plus.

Please email your resume to: holt@babytogs.com or fax: (212) 643-2826.

No phone calls. EOE.

FIRST PATTERNMAKER & PRODUCTION PATTERNMAKER

Marketing Manager

-Men’s and Women’s International Brand --$250K

MEN’S HEAD DESIGNER -Sportswear --$100K

WOMEN’S SENIOR DESIGNER --Active wear --$80K

Executive Recruitment New York T: +1 (212) 989 1288 F: +1 (212) 989 9079 Email contact: eb@jpakter.com www.janoupakterinc.com

BlissWorld, a beauty cosmetics company, is seeking an experienced marketing guru to manage all aspects of marketing. Responsibilities include development of Bliss’ marketing plans and calendars, handling marketing events.

No vanilla, only cherry vanilla swirls PAYROLL/BENEFITS MGR need apply. Send resume to: N.J. Apparel Co. needs temp to perm blissonthejob@blissworld.com person for multi cos. 401k, Insurance & Benefits Admin; ADP PC Payroll for Windows; Hand Punch & E-Time Software for ADP; Mas 200 A/P and PRODUCTION MGR(Cut/Sew)..70-75K Gen’l. Ledger a plus; knowledge of Growing men’s/women’s sportswear PRODUCT DEVPMT(Jr & Sr)....50-80K Lotus & Excel. Fax resume and salary company seeks detail oriented indiv. QUALITY ASSURANCE (Tech).70-75K req. to 212-730-8032 with strong tech design background RETAIL PLANNER.....................50-75K to work with our existing team on ACCT EXEC (Adver)....................35-40K knit top silhouettes. Req’d exp. in spec SALES REP(Tri-State Area)to40K+comm development, grading, CAD development and preparing tech packages.

Computer literate in Photoshop or Womenswear company seeks indiv to Illustrator a must. Please fax resume : Call 212-986-7329 or Fax 212-986-7708 liaison between design, production (212) 684-7712 and sales. Must have experience working with private label accounts and catalog customers. Must have technical knowledge of garment construction and specs and be computer proficient.

A leading trend setting co seeking a Seeks to fill the following Positions: Fax resume to Lynn 212-302-2399 highly motivated and energetic designer to join our studio that specializes in DESIGNER/MERCHANDISER fashion acc,home decor, intimate For our Handbags & Backpacks apparel, packaging and prints for Division with strong merchandising & WOVENS, BETTER BRANDS juniors. Must have experience with planning skills. Must be highly, FASHION NETWORK 201-503-1060/Fax 1070 Illustrator and Photoshop. Please fax motivated, creative and experienced in that field. Excellent opportunity for a 212-643-0684. take charge person that is capable of running that dept.

Mass & (1) Bi-Ling Chinese. Better Sportswear Department Stores Market.

SusieJessilyn@aol.com or 212-947-3400 JUNIOR SALESPERSON CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: For our Junior division selling *DESIGN MERCH...................$80-150K Licensed Handbags, Backpacks and (Childrens or Junior Sleepwear) Accessories. Must have experience Middlesex County, N.J. family owned *ACCT EXECS..........................$65-150K with the Junior Market. apparel mfg. and importer. Computer (Mens, Womens & Childrens) knowledge essential. Pls. fax resume *FABRIC SOURCING COORD.....$50K and salary req’s to: (732) 442-0419 SALESPERSON *PRODUCTION..........................$30-35K For our Handbags and Backpacks *VP SALES & MARKETING.......$200K Division, Must have exceptional Sales (Collection Designer Level) ability with at least 2 years experience *PRODUCTION..........................$50-80K with chain stores.

DOMESTIC-IMPORT-807 MEXICO Bilingual Chinese 2 Production Assistants for Ladies *CAD DESIGNERS.........................$70K Fax resume indicating Sportswear Co. Woven/knit knowlExp with NEDGRAPHICS or U4IA desired position to: edge. Computer literate. Responsibili*ASSOCIATE BUYERS...............$45K 212-213-4347 Attn: Mike ties include ordering trim, fabric. Need *GRAPHIC DESIGNERS.............$260K to be flexible, extremely organized w/ (Childrens or Mens Exp) good communication skills. 2 yrs exp. *MANAGER OF PLANNING......$100K Openings in Apparel Thru Fax resume to (212) 289-6434 Please call 212-972-9300 or e-mail: tomf@gromwell.com *Account Exec-C.Wr.-Dept Stores....$BOE *Admin Coord - Sptswr mfr...........$45K *Artist-Final Prod’n Art-Boyswr...To $35K *Grader/Marker-Accumark Sys.......$Open Eveningwear firm seeks very exp’d *Graphic Designer-Jr. Accessory ....$Open individual to join our team.

Established better-bridge contemp *Graphic Designer-Lic Charctrs (3)..$BOE Please fax resume to (212) 391-8753 sptswr & dress mfr seeks self motivat- *Designer - Girls - 1-14 Sptswr.....To $70K ed indiv for design and concept layout. *Designer - Boys - 4-20 Sptswr.....To $80K Strong tech skills req’d. Min 5yrs exp. *Designer - Jr. Sleepwear.........To $90K Fax: (212)354-4222 *Sourcing Coordin - C.Wr. mfr.....To $50K *Sourcing Mgr - C.Wr. mfr ..........$Open Other listings @www.ApparelStaffing.com Well known label and private label or fax resume to (212) 302-1161 moderate sportswear Mfr seeks highly skilled Patternmaker to join our PACKAGING Production team. Candidate should NY Ladies’ Outerwear Co. seeks experihave knowledge in handling of knit enced person to perform import/docuand woven fabrics as well as complete ment/warehouse functions -- issuing knowledge of garment construction.

L/C, arranging shipments, booking Please fax resume to (212) 289-6434 ocean/air freight, preparing/reviewing Seeking an exp’d cosmetics packaging documents, clearing customs, and con- pro who can think "out of the box or bottle."

Prior exp in packaging; layout tracting/supervising warehouse. Candidesign; compatibility testing, assemdate will be responsible for setting up the system for the company. Please fax bly and production planning req’d.

Please email resume to: resume to Vannessa at: 212-354-3869 blissonthejob@blissworld.com Childrenswear company seeks extremely organized individual w/ good communication skills for production tracking and daily follow up with overMajor Sportswear Co. seeks indiv. w/ seas factories for all deliveries, and min 10 yrs. exp. in patternmaking for coordinating with sales department on Carlsteadt, NJ location. Proficiency in customers’ order dates.

Must have high standards and be will- Gerber System a must.

Fax resume & salary requirements to ing to learn. Fax resume: 212-202-6297.

Fax resume to 212-768-7973 Attn: Fran 212-967-8108 / attn: JM Contemporary dress & sportswear company seeks 1st patternmaker & production patternmaker. Must have at least 3 yrs exp. working w/ bias dresses.

Fax resume to Lynn 212-302-2399

FREELANCE

Technical/Design

"NEW YEAR-NEW STARTS"

"ON THE MARKS"

PRIVATE LABEL COORDINATOR

NEW YORK GRAPHIC DESIGNER ACCESSORY GROUP

Prod Devel Mgr $80K+

PROD’N COORDS (3) $55K

GROMWELL GROUP

Production Assistant

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

APPAREL STAFFING, LTD.

HEAD DESIGNER

PRODUCTION PATTERNMAKER PRODUCTION PATTERNMAKER

Import Specialist

Asst Manager, Package Development

PRODUCTION TRACKING ASST.

J. Mendel

Visual Display Assistant

PATTERNMAKER

19

Jones Apparel Group currently has the following exciting opportunities available:

SPEC TECHNICIAN Immediate opening for a Spec Technician with minimum 4-5 years experience. Candidate must have strong spec and garment construction knowledge, attend fittings, issue comments on all proto samples and communicate with overseas factories. Must be very computer literate (excel, computer sketching, AI program a plus), have excellent communication skills and attention to detail.

ASSISTANT COLORIST Immediate opening for an Assistant Colorist with minimum 1 to 3 years experience within our design department The ideal candidate must possess a design background and have a good sense of color. Responsibilities will include setup of color folders and books for lab dips and prints, setup of color boards, ordering colors, and correspondence with vendors regarding lab dip comments. The person must be a detail oriented, articulate and creative individual who thrives in an upbeat and fast environment. Individual must be computer literate.

This person must be a team player; highly organized and must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Jones Apparel Group offers an excellent compensation and benefits package, including a 401(k) plan, and an exciting work environment. For immediate consideration, please fax/e-mail resume with salary history, indicating position of interest to: Fax: 212-947-0277 E-mail: hr@mcnaughtonapparel.com EOE

SHOWERS-FT/PT

Sales Support Coordinator Jacques Moret Inc., a major apparel co is seeking a Sales Support Coord w/ 2-4 yrs of exp in sales support to maintain major retail accts. Resp include purchase order management, customer service & compliance & strong communication skills. Candidate must possess strong analytical skills & computer skills in Word & Excel.

We offer competitive salaries & comprehensive benefits. Please send resume with salary history to: Jacques Moret, Inc. 1411 Broadway, 8th Floor, Dept. SSC, New York, NY 10018 or E-mail resume to: jmjobs@moret.com We will only contact those candidates under further consideration. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F

Jones Apparel Group has an immediate opening for an Account Executive with minimum 5-7 years sales experience.

We are looking for a "well seasoned" individual with apparel background. Must have excellent analytical skills. Strong retail math skills a must. The ideal candidate must be a teamplayer with excellent communication and verbal skills.

Computer proficiency required.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. offers an excellent benefits package and an exciting work environment. EOE. For confidential consideration, please fax or e-mail resume with salary requirement to: 212-947-0277 Hr@mcnaughtonapparel.com

SALES Account Executive

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

SALES Great Opportunity for Sales Trainee with 1-3 years experience. Exciting, growing Junior / Contemporary sweater company seeks self motivator, "glass half full" individual.

Fax resume to 212-997-7997 ATT: RG

SALES-Mdsing-7+ yrs exp selling/mdsing Y/mens & Boys branded underwear/ loungewr to mid-tier dept & spec strs.

Les richards Agcy NYC Call 221-0870

DENIM JEAN SALES

Junior Chinese vertical denim jean mfr seeks sales pro to sell off price/discount chain stores. Must have childrens apparel good connection with denim jean buy- Well-established importer seeks highly motivated person ers. Please fax resume: 212-827-0011. to sell boys and girls sportswear in sizes 2-18 to regional and national chains.

Experience and contacts a must.

Fax resume to 212-695-9721 attn: sales.

COLOR AND TREND FORECASTING Robert Danes, a couture co, seeks Seeking Sales Rep with following to expert sewers in silk chiffon & luxury To $150K fabrics. Excellent salary & benefits. maintain and add to existing acct. list. SALES Visit website: www.design-options.com Apparel or HF. Target, Shopco, Please contact Robert at 212.941.5682. and fax resumes to (213) 622-9050 Meijers. A. Platt Call 800-544-5878 Contact Arnold Sude at: Agcy allen@justmgt.com designoptions@msn.com

SALESPERSON

Sewer & Alterations

Design Options, Inc.

Supply Manager We currently seek a highly motivated Supply Manager with core skills in both the areas of apparel sourcing & purchasing. Strong technical skills and at least 5 years of experience in sourcing/purchasing - in ladies’ and/or children’s wear are required.

To apply, e-mail your resume to: jobs13@avon.com or fax: (212) 282-5941

TD ASSISTS SPEC TECHS ASSIST TECHS ANY TECHS!!

SusieJessilyn@aol.com or 212-947-3400

Technical Designer Fast paced childrenswear co. seeks organized TD with patternmaking, fitting, and construction experience. Min. 5 yrs experience working with Wal-Mart, Target, etc.

Word/Excel skills a must.

Fax Resume: 212-967-8631 Att: LS

TECHNICAL DESIGNER

Jewelry & Hair Card National Sales Mgr

SALES

Updated missy sportswear collection seeks indiv w/ following in specialty/ stores. Aggressive & results orientMust have extensive experience and chain contacts. Detail oriented and knowl- ed. Good package. Fax: 212-391-1530 edge of graphic arts and visual display.

This is a new division that offers excellent upside potential. Metro N.Y. area office. China factory.

Email your resume in confidence to $50-70K jewelry_card@hotmail.com International Textile Mill looking for exp’d Sales Rep to manage & develop territory. Must have 5 yrs current shirting sales exp w/ full knowledge of vertical mill process. mheffron@quantum-us.com For Major Young Contemp. Dsgnr.

Maryblaise 212-972-1313 ext 219 Must have strong dept. and specialty chain store contacts. Confidentiality is assured. Fax resume: (212) 966-2636

SHIRTING

National Sales Mgr.

Sales/Acct. Manager Designer Jewelry Co. seeking National Sales/Account Manager. Minimum 5 years experience working with highend jewelry stores & Major Department stores. Candidate must be willing to travel. Salary dependent on experience Email resumes & salary requirements: info@anthonynak.com or Fax: (512) 454-7031 Interviews to be held in New York, January 12-14

Womenswear company seeks tech spec with min of 3 yrs exp in imports. Must have experience working with private label accounts and catalog customers, be computer proficient, and knowledgeable in garment construction.

Exp’d Salesperson for Missy/Special Fax resume to Lynn 212-302-2399 sizes. NY Showroom. Fax: 212-719-1544

SALES

MOA MOA, INC./Sweater and Woven Seeking motivated salespeople for the above position. Must have active account list covering dept. and chain stores.

DRIFTER/Men’s wear Men’s better streetwear Div. seeking motivated sales rep.

Must have 2 yrs. + experience and established dept. and specialty store contacts. Must possess strong analytical and organizational skills. Candidate must be a self-starter to manage sales territory.

Come work with us in an enthusiastic environment.

We provide great benefits!

YOUNG AGGRESSIVE GO GETTERS •College educated, degree required •Consumer product wholesaler, selling major national retail operations •Computer savvy •Prior sales experience needed, but need not be products, can be of services •Maintaining & servicing existing accounts, and new account development •Some domestic travel •Team oriented, detailed follow-up •Base salary $50,000, plus commission with no limit on upside •Major medical, 401(k) E-mail detailed cover letter & resume to:

Fast growing legwear/accessory company seeking exp’d salesperson w/ active accounts in dept., specialty & off price chains with contacts for the jr., missy areas. Must have 3 yrs exp in the the legwear/accessory industry.

Major young contemp. dsgr. seeks Please fax resume to: 212-967-3912 Acct. Exec. w/min 3 yrs. exp. in contemporary mkt. Fax resume: (212) 8694043

Rapidly expanding intl. private label sptswr. Co. seeks articulate, self-start er with solid relationships and proven volume with major chain & dept. stores. Excellent co. benefits in this viable, long-term opportunity in stable, productive environment for Sweater & Cut n’Sew Sptswr areas. Fax today, with salary required, in complete confidence to 212-398-2086, Att: Dora.

Major junior women’s wear co. seeks individual with experience in sales. Must have strong contacts with dept. and chain stores.

Please fax resume to: Mr. Okoo Kim @ 212-944-8319

llevine@baum-essex.com.

REAL ESTATE We Need Style, We Need Grace We need Your Face! Assist Our Real Estate Professionals Showing Luxury Manhattan Residences. Must be Bright & energetic & Will Train.

Start Immed! Career Oppty Poss!

Fax to 212-925-4379.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Suit mfr. seeks 2 Salespeople w/ min.

2 years exp. First, must have strong Specialty/Dept. store contacts. The other a good tel. communicator to work with BTQ’s. Please fax resume in confidence to (212) 840-1161

SWEATER SALES Well established branded import sweater company seeks an aggressive sales person with established accounts in specialty and department stores.

Only an energetic, highly motivated team player who manages his/her business like a pro should apply!

Please Fax resume to: (212) 221-2518

GARMENT SALES Position open, better imported garment line to sell direct to mfrs and department stores. Reps welcome.

Please fax resume to 212-719-2770.

***APPAREL EMPLOYERS Do you need exp’d DESIGNERS, PRODUCTION, TECHNICAL, Warehouse, Sales etc. staff? CALL 973-564-9236 Jaral Agy

Jr./Plus Size Jeans Mfr. seeks reps in all territories!

Must have following and references.

Please fax resume to Paul at: (212) 398-7950 or Call (212) 398-6585

Apparel Extraordinaire Senior professional with decades of experience in high-end men’s and women’s apparel, working for DNR Top 20 retailers, relocating and seeking fulltime career opportunity in the NYC area. Extensive background and national reputation includes: management, production / alteration, sales, customer satisfaction, product development / manufacture, training, and manufacturer / supplier interfacing. Please reply to Michael at 216-406-3222.

WWD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2003

SALES REPRESENTATIVES NEWPORT/Junior Women’s wear

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