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dailyfrontrow(NEW YORK) As first reported by The Daily last August, Jean Paul Gaultier is indeed parting ways with Hermès, the brand announced today in a realease. “After seven fruitful years of creative partnership, Hermès and Jean-Paul Gaultier artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear, have decided to bring to an end their collaboration allowing Jean-Paul Gaultier to concentrate on his own projects. The spring-summer 2011 collection to be revealed in October 2010 will be the last collection created by Jean-Paul Gaultier for Hermès. Hermès is deeply grateful to Jean-Paul Gaultier for his outstanding creative contribution during these seven years.”
Christophe Lamaire, the creative director of Lacoste, will step in where Gaultier leaves off as the artistic director of Hermès women’s ready-to-wear, starting with the Fall 2011 collection.
Ties between Gaultier and the house won’t be permanently cut, however: Hermès remains a 45% shareholder in Gaultier’s eponymous line. Hermès began investing in Gaultier’s house in 1999.
bloomberg.comMay 26 (Bloomberg) -- French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier will step down as the artistic director of Hermes International SCA’s women’s ready-to-wear unit after seven years in the role.
The 58-year-old French couturier, best known for designing the cone bra worn by singer Madonna on her 1990 Blond Ambition tour, will be replaced by Christophe Lemaire, Hermes said today in a statement. The spring-summer 2011 collection to be presented in October will be the last one created by Gaultier for Hermes.
“Hermes is deeply grateful to Jean-Paul Gaultier for his outstanding creative contribution,” the Paris-based company said in the statement.
Gaultier’s exit marks the end of a formal arrangement that began when Jean-Louis Dumas, former president and chief executive officer of Hermes, signed the designer up to bring new blood to the maker of luxury handbags and silk ties. Dumas died this month at the age of 72.
Gaultier has had a relationship with Hermes since 1999, when the luxury-goods maker bought a 35 percent stake in his fashion house for $23 million. The company raised that stake to 45 percent and plans to remain its main shareholder, Hermes said.
Hermes posted net income of 288.8 million euros ($353 million) and revenue of 1.9 billion euros in 2009, the company said March 5. Hermes was founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermes as a maker of harnesses and saddles.
Hermes, whose Kelly handbags retail from about 4,000 euros, rose 2 percent to 104.25 euros today in Paris, giving the fashion house a market value of 11 billion euros.
fashionistaAfter seven years under the helm of fashion’s enfant-terrible, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermes has hired Christophe Lemaire as its new creative director. Lemaire previously worked as Lacoste’s creative director for eight years.
With Gaultier out and Lemaire in, it’s undeniable that Hermes is finally taking a more commercial approach to its ready-to-wear collection. Under the command of Gaultier, and earlier Martin Margiela, Hermes prêt-à-porter gained an avant-garde reputation which, while popular in editorials, was not popular in stores.
We’re expecting Lemaire’s first collection, due in March 2011, to be sportswear heavy, helping to transform Hermes’ ready-to-wear collection into a viable business.
Hermes, however, still owns nearly half of Gaultier’s own label. While the company says it’s not planning to sell its stock in Jean Paul Gaultier, there are indications that it probably will.
Hermes does not own Gaultier’s main money maker, his fragrance license. Beauté Prestige International does, meaning that Hermes only reaps the benefits of Gaultier’s collection, couture, and accessories lines whose sales are not very high. (Sure, it makes some money form the license, but not as much as Beauté Prestige.)
If Hermes sells, we’re hoping that a larger conglomerate, like LVMH or PPR, will invest in Jean Paul Gaultier, or else it might be au revoir Jean. Christian Lacroix suffered a similar fate, when after leaving Pucci in 2005, LVMH sold its stake in his label, which was bought by the Falic Group, only to file for bankruptcy four years later.
Squizree;7280593[B said:]Gaultier produced some pretty fantastic collections for Hermes, I loved his vision for the house[/B], but he started getting all tacky near the end. In particular the Cowboy collection he did (SS09?). That was terrible.
Indeed. I'm particularly still swooning over the Spring/Summer tennis collection. Ugh, it was so understated glam yet sophisticated.
vogue.co.ukGaultier Exits Hermes
Ella Alexander
27 May 2010
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JEAN PAUL GAULTIER has announced that he is leaving luxury French fashion label Hermès.
The house has named Christopher Lemaire - currently creative director of Lacoste - as his successor.
"Hermès is deeply grateful to Jean Paul Gaultier for his outstanding creative contribution during these seven years," the company told WWD.
Gaultier will leave after the label's spring/summer 2011 collection is showcased in October and Lemaire will take the helm at women's ready-to-wear at the start of the autumn/winter 2011 collection.
Gaultier, who was appointed artistic director of Hermès in 2003 when he took over from Martin Margiela, is expected to concentrate on his own ready-to-wear collections and haute couture fashion house, in which Hermès will retain a 45 per cent stake.
Hermès recently reported a sales increase of 18 per cent over the last quarter, and 15.2 per cent rise across Europe. The label plans to open or renovate 20 stores over the future year.