GUESS BY MARCIANO LAUNCHES ORGANIC COTTON JEANS AND TOPS

Famous for its cutting edge fashion denim-wear and unforgettable advertising campaigns, GUESS by Marciano, will be introducing the GUESS GREEN program with offerings of organic cotton garments for men and women. Starting in April of 2008, the environmentally conscientious consumer can reduce their own Carbon Footprint through the power of shopping at GUESS stores.
In collaboration with the Environmental Media Association, GUESS by Marciano’s green garments will be labeled as “GUESS GREEN”. Organic cotton will be used in select men’s and women’s styles consisting of such garments as jeans, tee-shirts and tank tops. GUESS GREEN products will launch in April 2008 exclusively at select GUESS North American retail locations and at www.GUESS.com. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of GUESS GREEN denim will go towards the Environmental Media Association (EMA), which mobilizes the entertainment industry in a global effort to educate people about environmental issues and inspire them into action.

GUESS by Marciano has long been an advocate and supporter of environmental issues. The EMA is thrilled that they’re taking this important step to incorporate these values into their wildly popular fashions,” states Debbie Levin, EMA President. “GUESS GREEN will offer the opportunity for their already loyal fan base to understand that green and fashion are not mutually exclusive and give the already environmentally conscious a fashionable alternative. We’re so proud to partner on this important direction.”

Who ever knew??...

Back in 1997 Guess? was criticised for its use of clothings made in sweatshops. Billboards subsequently appeared in Las Vegas and New York featuring a photograph of Rage Against the Machine (an American rock band from L.A.) with the caption "Rage Against Sweatshops: We Don't Wear Guess? – A Message from Rage Against The Machine and Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE).

Coach Sues Target Over Copycat Bags....

Coach and Target are at it again. In 2006 the luxury handbag brand took on the retailer over designs that looked similar to their offerings and that case ended in a private settlement. Now Coach is ready to step back into court with Target over a fresh set of designs that look just a little too close to their own much-more-expensive offerings. Coach filed a complaint last week in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. At issue are Coach's Ergo bags and the Signature Patchwork bags similar to the one shown at right. Coach says that starting this summer Target began to sell knockoffs of these bags.The craze for the handbags has lead to a rapid uptick in a lookalikes in the past few years.

Once a popular style hits the mainstream it is rapidly copied. While out-and-out counterfeits are illegal and relatively easy to identify the business of similarity is far muddier. Earlier this year Gucci took on Guess? Inc. (as mentioned in the earliers blog) for trademark infringement saying that the company's use of the "g" logo and interlocking G pattens were too similar and damaging to the Gucci brand. Both Coach and Gucci are seeking similar resolution in the form of damages, attorneys fees and injunctions against selling the similar designs.

G Is For? Gucci Sues Guess....

Guess has created handbags that ape the looks of designer bags for far less money for years but Gucci has had enough. Bloomberg reports that Gucci Group's U.S. unit is suing Guess? Inc. for trademark infringement. The companies both make ample use of the "g" logo and both do interlocking G pattens and embossed leather (or in Guess's case, vinyl).

Gucci's lawsuit claims that the knockoffs are no homage but are instead "part of a sophisticated and elaborate scheme to target Gucci, to create products that are similar in appearance to the most popular and best-known Gucci products." Gucci is seeking damages as well as a court order banning Guess from using the disputed designs and calling for surrender of all the existing bags in question.Copying has become commonplace in the fashion world especially when a lower-priced line imitates a more expensive brand. It becomes a question of just how similar the designs are and whether or not the lookalike handbags and wallets are damaging the Gucci brand.

www.luxist.com

Coach Board Directors

Coach Headquarters, are located in New York at 516 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001. Members include:

Executive Officers
Lew Frankfort
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Reed Krakoff
President, Executive Creative Director

Jerry Stritzke
President and Chief Operating Officer

Michael Tucci
President, Retail Division - North America

Michael F. Devine, III
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Todd Kahn
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Sarah Dunn
Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Guess Board of Directors

GUESS' corporate headquarters are located in Los Angeles, California. GUESS also has showroom locations in New York City, Dallas, and Atlanta.

GUESS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MAURICE MARCIANO
Chairman of the Board

PAUL MARCIANO
Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

CARLOS ALBERINI
President and Chief Operating Officer

ANTHONY CHIDONI
Director

KAY ISSACSON-LEIBOWITZ
Director

ALICE KANE
Chair and Managing Director, Q-Cubed Alternative Advisor LLC

KAREN NEUBURGER
Chief Lifestyle Officer, KN Ltd.

ALEX YEMENIDJIAN
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Armenco Holdings LLC

CORPORATE OFFICERS

MAURICE MARCIANO
Chairman of the Board

PAUL MARCIANO
Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

CARLOS ALBERINI
President and Chief Operating Officer

DEBORAH SIEGEL
Secretary

Guess Fashion Show 2009

Inside look at the brand Guess??

Coach Planning a New Scent for Men

Coach is looking to beef up its men’s business by launching its first masculine scent, Coach for Men, in mid-September.

“This is intended to be a signature scent for the modern man,” said Walker MacWilliam, senior vice president of design for Coach, who describes the brand’s typical consumer as “now and aspirational — two parts New York and one part European.” The Coach leathergoods range for men includes shoes, briefcases, wallets, belts and outerwear.

“Our aim was to complement Coach’s men’s assortment in a bold way, and we think we have done so with this fragrance,” said MacWilliam.

That included paying close attention to how the Coach for Men bottle and scent could complement and reference the brand’s men’s assortment, noted Julie Howard, senior vice president, global marketing and brand development for BeautyBank, the division of the Estée Lauder Cos. that produces Coach’s scents. “We did eight passes on the mahogany stripe on the neck of the bottle, for instance.”

The fragrance, created by Reed Krakoff, president and executive creative director of Coach, and Karyn Khoury, senior vice president of corporate fragrance development at the Estée Lauder Cos., in cooperation with Firmenich’s Honorine Blanc, has top notes of grapefruit and Mandarin Naartjie NaturePrint, a heart of Darjeeling Tea, petitgrain leaves and juniper oil, and a drydown of oakmoss, cedarwood and patchouli. “Mandarin Naartjie NaturePrint, which captures the scent of a small citrus fruit native to South Africa, has never been used in perfumery before,” said Khoury. “Combined with Italian bergamot, it gives the scent a crisp beginning.”

The bottle, a heavy glass rectangle with a frosted stripe detail, brushed nickel cap and Coach’s horse and carriage logo and stripe, “speaks to Reed’s tastes — masculine, with materials synergies to our leathergoods business,” said MacWilliam. “For instance, the cap’s color is that of the nickel finish we use on our hardware. There are subtle details and nuances of that type throughout this project.” Outer packaging is white with a mahogany strip and the Coach logo in silver.

The fragrance will be available in one size, 3.4 oz. for $75. It will be sold exclusively in Coach stores — of which there are currently about 300 in North America — and on coach.com. National advertising is not planned, but an extensive sampling campaign — with more than 100,000 vials on card — is intended to raise awareness for the fragrance, as is an ad in the New York Post.

While none of the executives would discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated that the new scent would do upwards of $5 million at retail in its first year on counter.

Coach entered the fragrance business in the spring of 2007 with an eponymous women’s fragrance, Signature. A second women’s scent, Legacy, then bowed, and the brand’s beauty ancillaries include lip glosses, candles and body creams.

http://www.nstperfume.com/2009/08/28/coach-for-men-new-fragrance/

Guess Opens Regent Street Flagship in London

The image of Guess has been always very consistent, since 1983,” said Paul Marciano, chief executive officer and creative director of the denim and contemporary label, as he looked through past campaigns at the label’s London showroom Wednesday. Marciano said Guess’ early denim designs are still relevant today. “If you look at the first Guess image of denim and you look at what’s the bestseller in Europe today, it’s all the tight cigarette jeans….It always just goes full circle.”

Denim makes up a major part of the new London store, with two walls painted in the company’s signature red displaying rows of women’s and men’s jeans in washes from deep blue to a black jean in an acid wash.

“Because of [Guess’] expansion as a lifestyle brand, I didn’t want one day to forget our roots, where we come from and why we’re here,” said Marciano. “It’s the denim that made Guess alive and in business.”

According to Marciano, between 2007 and 2009, Guess Inc.’s denim business has grown by 17 percent. To commemorate the store’s launch, the company has designed a limited edition version of the Beverly jean — which echoes its original Marilyn jean — without ankle zippers that’s exclusive to the Regent Street store.

The store also carries Guess’ contemporary collections, accessories, footwear and jewelry lines, alongside its higher end Guess by Marciano ready-to-wear and accessories lines. Prices at the store range from 19 pounds, or $31, for a tank top to 1,200 pounds, or $1,970, for a Gc watch, Guess’ higher-end watch line.

The space is designed with gray tiled floors, brushed steel fittings and mirrored units to house accessories, and its spring campaign images adorn the walls, alongside images of the brand’s early ads that feature models such as Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova.

Since the store’s soft opening three weeks ago, sales have been “a little bit above our plan,” said Marciano, adding he expects the store to achieve sales of between $7 million and $10 million in its first year.

"The [Regent Street location] just happened by opportunity,” said Marciano. “Such a location, over 600 square meters, was an unusual opportunity, and we could not let [it] pass by…it will definitely perform by its sheer exposure and traffic.”

http://www.wwd.com/markets-news/guess-opens-regent-street-flagship-in-london-2355644//?full=true

ELECTRIFY FALL SEASON WITH COACH SEQUIN POUCH

Add electric glam and fizz to your fall wardrobe as you carry coach handbags. It may seem to be just the perfect extra to finish spring and summer outfits, but you could as well take this pouch on to this season for a touch of brightness to fall’s neutral palette.
This clutch is indeed very bright that some of you might find it already painful to the eyes. It is actually very simple as it has no other design aside from the ridged detail across the top and bottom, although it is enough since the shade is already captivating.
This coach bags Every day is a holiday with a sparkly sequined pouch. Sequin with leather trim Inside zip and multi-function pockets Zip-top closure, fabric lining 7 1/2” drop 9 (L) x 5 1/2 (H) x 1 1/2 (W).
Available in silver black purple and green color versions, this coach purses retails for $195, and it is enough since you know it could work throughout any seasons.

http://www.coachhandbags101.com/

GOSSIP, GIRL: Michelle Trachtenberg has inked a deal to lend a design hand to Coach, WWD has learned. Trachtenberg will apply her tough-girl meets sugary-sweet vibe to her first jewelry collection in collaboration with Coach under the accessories giant’s youthful and spirited Poppy line. The costume jewelry line, which hits stores in the spring, will be rife with colorful crystals in addition to faux pearls and intricate hardware.

http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/michelle-trachtenberg-inks-coach-deal-a-date-with-bill-clinton-2375112

Coach benefits from well received launch of Poppy...

Coach, Inc. a leading marketer of modern classic American accessories, today reported sales of $761 million for its first fiscal quarter ended September 26, 2009, compared with $753 million reported in the same period of the prior year, an increase of 1%. Net income for the quarter totaled $141 million, with earnings per diluted share of $0.44. This compared to net income of $146 million and earnings per diluted share of $0.44 in the prior year’s first quarter.

Lew Frankfort, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coach, Inc., said, “We experienced sequential improvement in our North American retail business this quarter, as the initiatives put into place earlier this year proved successful. Specifically, Coach benefited from the well received launch of the Poppy collection and other products at particularly compelling prices. We achieved a solid quarterly top-line performance; with North American stores generating an 8% overall gain on a 1% decline in comparable store sales. At the same time, we were very pleased to achieve earnings per share that matched the prior year with excellent operating margins.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS107331+20-Oct-2009+BW20091020

The retail stores were consumers can find the brand Guess is in moderate and luxury price department stores, along with their stand alone retail stores. Guess has approximately 157 retail stores in the United States, including full-priced stores, factory stores and 51 stores in Canada. Guess also has approximately 236 international stores. With Guess appearing in certain department stores it gives a brand image of being affordable but also luxury because it is price moderately above average in these stores. With its stand alone stores Guess is able to provide a level of service to certain consumers were they gain a certain level of customer service so a customer gain positive brand retention towards the brand, whenever they come into contact with that Guess wherever.

Guess Who??

Guess is known as an all American apparel company with an International flair and style influence. It has been around for about 28 years and has it considered a modern, slightly up scaled brand that is considered slightly above average price wise.

Guess started out in the apparel market, specifically jeans in 1981 with a denim company located in California. Two brothers Maurice and Paul Marciano took on the dated and lack of fashion material denim and build a trusted brand to consumers of the 80’s. After the decline and stagnation of the brand in the 90’s due to increased competition, Guess revised and replenished the brand to include not only women’s apparel but baby and kids apparel, belts, eyewear, footwear, fragrance, body care, handbags, jewelry, leather, swimwear, and watches. Guess to me evoke feelings of reliability and quality when I come into contact with their brand. The essences that each brand of Guess evokes are prestige and success.

Some insight on Coach

"Classic American style" for 60 years, these words have defined the character and spirit of the Coach brand. Today more than ever, Coach embodies "classic American style" now across a broad and modern product offering of lifestyle accessories in a number of distinctive categories, styles and fabrications. As the brand has grown and evolved, so has the company: from manufacturing to marketing driven; and from a small family business based in a New York loft to a publicly traded company with worldwide sales of $600 million in fiscal 2001. At Coach, the brand is at the core of the company's vision and strategy. The values of the brand--customer satisfaction, integrity, innovation and collaboration--are the reasons Coach's people come to work each morning. The strength of the Coach brand is, ultimately, what makes Coach the company it is today.

History of Coach

Coach has expanded their horizons over the last decade from just handbags and accessories, to watches, fragrances, footwear, and even furniture. The Coach Brand personality exhibits sophistication and excitement to their consumers. They attribute their unique combination of style to represent American attitude and design by using fine leather goods and custom fabrics and prints. The feelings this brand evokes are immaculate among Americans and hopefully to people across the world as they start a new campaign targeting Japanese consumers.

Coach was created in 1941 in the heart of what is known now as the fashion district by six artisans (craftsmen) who handcrafted genuine leather goods! Yes by hand....What group of talented people they had to be to hand stitch leather. According to Coach's website the last decade they have emerged as America's preeminent designer, producer, and marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men including handbags, business cases, luggage and travel accessories, wallets, outerwear, eyewear, gloves, scarves, fragrance and fine jewelry.

Coach is available at over 900 department store locations in the United States, 167 international department stores, retail store and duty free shop locations in over 20 countries, 149 department store shop in shops, retail and factory store locations operated by Coach Japan, Inc. There are currently about 400 Coach stores in the United States and Canada, with more expected to open this year.