Rochas to close

[tricotineacetat]

I don't really get what makes the clothing appear to be so "difficult"... some of the jersey and blouses were definitely too expensive to justify, but in terms of the jackets and all the tailoring, it was more or less close to other brands in the same league. The problem I saw was that most of the Parisian shops really had awful Rochas selections, a lot of pieces that looked a bit too sugar-y/tardy for an adult woman to wear. I still think that if you are asking for a high price as with Rochas, you should better go for a modest, rather black-ish colour palette... the clothing does look much more timeless then.

This Printemps spokesperson doesn't really know what he is talking about, I don't think I ever saw a single piece of Rochas clothing in their house, and as far as advertising is concerned - where on earth do you ever see McQueen, Lanvin or Balenciaga advertising being shown? There's absolutely no point to do AD's if you can only afford showing them only every once in a while in an independent publication.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Lanvin does advertise in mainstream fashion magazines ... I find their ads a bit disturbing ...

 

[tricotineacetat]

I never really see the Lanvin ad's being shown anywear, even though I do know that they exist... maybe it's got to do with the fact that Germany is not a big market for Lanvin, thus it wouldn't be profitable to pay for expensive advertising.

 

[Lena]

trico, Printemps are selling Rochas and believe me, they dont sell much, their ss06 collection was a joke, me and a friend who saw this at printemps we were actually laughing, the Rochas latest pret-a-porter was totally mainstream , almost down to being tacky and really bad made , sorry

 

[Miss Galliano]

Ooh i can't believe it .. Can someone support them ?

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

i'm in favor of sending hate mail to proctor and gamble (childish, i know, but i'm sooooo mad )
here's the website if anyone is going to join me.
http://www.pg.com/getintouch/index.jhtml

 

[kikidior]

I never really see the Lanvin ad's being shown anywear, even though I do know that they exist... maybe it's got to do with the fact that Germany is not a big market for Lanvin, thus it wouldn't be profitable to pay for expensive advertising.

the ones i saw lately were very cartoonish and too animated (models with oversized heads. it's like looking at nicole richie and her sunglasses). not like what i'd have pictured lanvin to be. i just loved rochas' silence. quite a class act amidst the vulgarities in fashion these days. i'll miss it (especially oliviercry:

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

^ Lanvin does advertise in mainstream fashion magazines ... I find their ads a bit disturbing ...

they were inspired by manga , what do you expect?

 

[kikidior]

^ i didn't know that. what an interesting pairing.

 

[northern_song]

I just found out this morning when I decided to read the "Front Row" article on Rochas in Thursday Styles section of the Times. My jaw literally dropped when I found out that Rochas was no more. P&G shouldn't be involved in any sort of fashion line, they need to stick to what they do best . . . grocery store products.

I really wish the best for Oliver, as he is extremely talented! And I am sure his talent will shine no matter where he next designs.

 

[cavanaugh]

as sad and unfortunate as this is, i am somewhat happy for oliver. i was not extremely impressed with his collections lately under rochas, it seemed his point of view really dissapeared as each collection was shown.

as others have said, he is an amazing talent and i hope to see him grow and surprise us once again.

pieces from his first collection at rochas will become collectors pieces without a doubt.

this is so sudden and unfortunate.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

trico, Printemps are selling Rochas and believe me, they dont sell much, their ss06 collection was a joke, me and a friend who saw this at printemps we were actually laughing, the Rochas latest pret-a-porter was totally mainstream , almost down to being tacky and really bad made , sorry

Unfortunately I have to agree. I am not saying the collection was not good, but the items Jeffrey's had in stock while I was there were just awful. They were very frumpy and awkward, it looked like something a hill billy would wear, just with really nice fabric.
'
Just a rack over was Lanvin, and that is where all the customers went.

I've seen various ads from Lanvin and Balenciaga in almost every major American magazine.

I make the comparison between the 3 brands because they all are a bit progressive and they all are unknown among the mainstream. Balenciaga has worked hard to overcome this and so has Lanvin, Theyskens simply didn't have the business structure, it wasn't the clothes. And I don't think P&G wanted to invest the money it needed.

When I was in Neiman Marcus they had Lanvin front and center and it was selling just as well as their staples like Oscar De La Renta and Jean Paul Gaultier

 

[Colette_B]

...

 

[anglinggg]

wah im sure a lot of us will miss his beautifully structured gowns..

 

[Scott]

Lieven is actually a boy, not a girl...

In any case, I am thrilled to see what he will be doing next... I told him numerous times that he could easily launch his own label and that I would definitely buy it - in fact, he brought up a lot of interesting concepts to treat leather, on the other side, he always gets the proportions right.

Oh that's so bad of me! Here,I've been a fan of this guy's work for years and never knew his sex. Mind you,I haven't actually read anything refrerring to anything except the name nor have I seen a picture. I just know the work. But silly me

 

[Scott]

With all due respect, stoping your lable because of financial problems does not exactly scream success to me. He has had much critical success but ran in to financial problems as you say. That is why many designers need a team, a company, so they can focus on the design and the creative direction and others trained in finance, marketing etc. can focus on that. I think sometimes people forget that even in such a creative field the customer must still be reached in a similar way as other goods and products. I found this when I worked in an art gallery in Chicago. It is a delicate balance, as with any business.

Unfortunately Procter & Gamble ultimately just wanted the perfume label and not the fashion label. I guess if someone analyzed P&G's business plans this may have been a forgone conclusion that they would not want the fashion label (what with never having supported a fashion brand before), but it is still sad that the name Rochas will not longer be associated with fashion

Where does it say that because you're having financial problems you haven't been a success? It was ultimately toward the end before shutting down...that's why his very last collection was so commercial. But he did have great success with his label for sometime. Barney's,Julie Gilhart, snapped up almost everything every season since his breakthough.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

wah im sure a lot of us will miss his beautifully structured gowns..

Absoloutely i sure will,i hope Olivier finds his way and comes back in force,he has to great a talent not too!

 

[Ameera]

i'm in favor of sending hate mail to proctor and gamble (childish, i know, but i'm sooooo mad )
here's the website if anyone is going to join me.
http://www.pg.com/getintouch/index.jhtml

I sent them my comments

I know its not gonna make a difference but The House Of Rochas definitly deserves me at least writing something to P&G. I'd buy Rochas if i had money!!!

but what happens now to all the Rochas dresses that people own? do they become more valuable in like 20 years?

 

[Lena]

on Rochas being commercially weak, we need to keep in mind that comapnies are not charity organisations.
a House like that of Rochas could be swimming in debt due to lack of strong turnover, success on commercial level, sometimes counts more than design talent..
on the other hand, Olivier was not really responsible for the flop.
their PR and communications department should had done a better work and they should had focused on accessories, same as all major design houses.

i will agree on Theyskens having a second chance with the closing of Rochas, i'm sure it will be the best for him to focus on a new personal line and this time do it right.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I think if you want to build up a fashion house on that scale, and at such an elite point of view that Rochas definitely demanded for, 3 years are simply not enough to turn such a niche-market business into the black.

People don't remember how long it took Balenciaga to grow into the house that it is now, after they had been put under pressure to move on from entirely conceptual to accessible. Their merchandise mix is rather "complete" these days.