Two years after brand owner Proctor & Gamble shuttered the money-losing ready-to-wear house, it has signed a global licensing agreement with Italy’s Gibo SpA to manufacture and distribute Rochas ready-to-wear.
The first collection is to be readied for March 2009. P&G will continue to market Rochas fragrances.
The most recent Rochas designer was Olivier Theyskens, now creative director at Nina Ricci.
For complete coverage, see Wednesday’s WWD.
What does everyone think? To be honest, I'm a little miffed...why close the house if you plan on opening it 3 years later. Rochas would have only grown. Now you've lost Olivier, and he really made Rochas important again...he was Rochas (more so than he is Nina Ricci, if you ask me). I think a new designer will basically have to reinvent Rochas all over again, like Olivier did, because there isn't really any historical Rochas 'image.' Olivier basically invented the modern Rochas, and the new designer should not copy Theyskens work or even be that similar to it.
Who do you think should take the designing helm? Who do you think actually will?
I personally hope Alessandra Facchinetti gets the job...she deserves a good position and I think Rochas would be a great place for her...she has a very light, airy, feminine and romantic point of view that I feel could fit extremely well with Rochas. I would guess, though, that the head designer will be someone more unknown...someone who's been working behind the scenes for the most part.
__________________ "DIOR, NOT WAR!" - My motto
Last edited by dior_couture1245 : 07-10-2008 at 12:19 PM.
YES! I'm quite excited .. but I can't imagina Rochas without Olivier Theyskens.. his second collection for Nina Ricci felt so Rochas, that dreamy, floaty esthetic ..
I third Alessandra for the job!
__________________
Lily Donaldson, dripping in gold Bulgari jewelry, said she has no room left for artworks.
"What, with my eight Picassos and a couple of Man Rays, where does one put it, under the bed?" she said.
I think this could work out if they branch out into a different image than Rochas has been in the past.. if not, it will just be too Oliver and he brought his aesthetic with him to Nina Ricci..
Reviving the label to be something new and different could be interesting though..
__________________
Style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma.
Alexandra already did her best to revive and renew the image of Valentino. As we all know without any result! What about Gucci - the same! She has no personality and she is not a bright and innovative creator. It is my position.
Olivier is a designer on words but in reality ...
The company should think global!
Last edited by Needlecrush : 07-10-2008 at 12:47 PM.
I am so excited about this!
I think it will be hard for the new designer being inevitably compared to Theyskens, but its been 3 years now, and there is room for a completely new identity.
I would be SO happy to see Alessandra at Rochas, her aesthetic could fit the brand perfectly.
I think Alessandra was great at Valentino. And I don't think everyone agrees that she didn't do her job - she added something new, but it was still Valentino, and it was very beautiful and well-recieved. That those corporate fools don't want to do anything but sell and only think about profits, well, that's how it works. And probably why she got fired and they put accessoires designers in her place. I actually think she has lots of personality to stick up to those greedy bastards
She would be great at Rochas, I really think she would.
__________________
ten days of perfect tunes
the colors red and blue
we had a promise made
we were in love
I think people may be overthinking this. Will it be proper ready to wear? Because as far as I understood they were just licensing the name out to a manufacturer and I got the impression it was going down the Perry Ellis route....
P&G Pact to Reopen Rochas Fashion House
By ELLEN BYRON
Procter & Gamble Co. has found a way to reopen the Rochas fashion house.
Upscale Italian manufacturer Gibo Co. SpA and consumer-products titan P&G are expected to announce Tuesday a licensing agreement for Gibo to produce a ready-to-wear apparel line under the Rochas brand, according to a person familiar with the matter.
A spokeswoman for P&G declined to comment. Gibo spokesperson couldn't be reached.
P&G enraged the fashion world two years ago when it announced that it would shutter the Rochas fashion house, then led by critically acclaimed designer Olivier Theyskens.
P&G had acquired Rochas in 2003 almost by accident when it bought Wella AG as a way to gain a major presence in the fast-growing professional hair-care market. The Cincinnati-based company planned to continue producing Rochas fragrances but decided to close down the Rochas fashion business because it wasn't a core competency. P&G had said at the time that the closing of Rochas had nothing to do with the abilities of Mr. Theyskens, whose elegant designs by were beloved by celebrities. Mr. Theyskens moved on to Nina Ricci.
Gibo, which is owned by Japanese apparel maker Onward Holdings Co., has produced clothes for a number of fashion labels, from Marc Jacobs to Michael Kors and Paul Smith. Tokyo-listed Onward has recently made a number of acquisitions in the luxury goods market in Europe including Jil Sander and fashion retailer Joseph.
In recent years, P&G has added to its stable of designer scents, producing fragrances under brands including Gucci, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana.
Today, P&G's fine-fragrance business exceeds $2.5 billion in annual sales, according to company reports, and remains one of the fastest growing segments of its beauty division, which also includes Olay skin care and Pantene shampoo.
I have inside info about the whole Olivier/Rochas thing.
The reason the house closed was as usual, no more money. The reason according to my source was because Olivier was wasting tons of money doing techniques he couldn't replicate for production. And that lost sales.
He would create some gorgeous stuff without knowing or having the presence of mind to note how he made this happen. So Rochas couldn't deliver. And when Rochas mentioned this to him, he was offended.
__________________ There are no mistakes, just misunderstandings.
Linear Mode
