Sophia Kokosalaki for Vionnet Collection * updated Sophia out

[PoppyAzura]

French Vogue is reporting that Sophia is out!! and Marc Audibet is in.

Changement de direction artistique chez Madeleine Vionnet. Après deux saisons seulement, la styliste anglaise Sofia Kokosalaki est remplacée par Marc Audibet. Ce designer, pionnier dans l'esthétique "stretch" des années 90, a collaboré à de nombreuses maisons prestigieuses. De Trussardi à Ferragamo ou Hermès, il a notamment réussi à donner à Prada son identité luxe en imaginant la "city girl" devenue icône de la marque. Sa première collection pour Vionnet - été 2008 - sera présentée en privé lors des défilés haute couture à Paris en juillet prochain. JDLR
http://www.vogue.fr/mode/Marc_Audibet_remplace_Sophia_Kokosalaki_chez_Vionnet-12087-info.htm

 

[lucy92]

i wonder if Marc Audibet will introduce stretchy materials into the line rather than mostly silk...could be interesting.

i'm actually glad about this. i want sophia to be focusing on her own line. hopefully those sophia kokosalaki for target rumours will be true as well.

 

[SomethingElse]

Wow. Thanks for the exciting news. Perhaps a new wave will be created, considering his interest in industrial design!

Marc Audibet was born in 1955 in Boulogne-sur-Seine, France. He is celebrated in the fashion world for his research into stretch fabrics. This expertise was acquired while working as an Assistant to Emanuel Ungaro in 1972, and then as a designer for Pierre Balmain, Madame Gres and Nino Cerruti. He is an admirer of Vionnet and Claire McCardell.

He believes that fashion is a matter of anatomy and that innovation starts with fabrics. Audibet presented his first collection in 1975.

Then in 1977 he took over the design at the house of Christian Aujard who died in a horseriding accident when only 36 years old. Audibet remained at the house of Aujard till 1981.

From 1981 to 1984, he designed for Basile and Laure Biagiotti. He then continued with his own label till 1988 when he designed for Parallel.
Marc Audibet and Azzedine Alaia, worked closely with Du Pont in 1984, on a project to mix Lycra with fabrics such as satin and silk. This project was very successful. Audibet became textile adviser to the fabric and fibre company Du Pont and together they created and launched single and two-way stretch fabrics made from Du Pont's LYCRA, the most important development in fashion in the 80's.

Throughout the 90's he has continued to design and create his seamless garments to accent the beauty of "stretch" made from Lycra mixed with a wide range of other fabrics like cotton, silk, linen and wool. Audibet also designed for Hermes during the 90's.

From 1990-1996 he designed 9 collections for Prada. He became the architect of Prada's growth. After Prada, Audibet was a consultant for the Italian house of Trussardi.

In 2000 Marc Audibet became designer for Salvatore Ferragamo. However, he only designed for 4 seasons before leaving them in early 2002. He felt that they were not supportive of his creative efforts.

His designs were entirely about Stretch. There are no hooks, eyes, buttons or zippers. He makes seamless asymmetrical creations that cling to the body, following the lines of the model's figure. He is both a fashion designer and an industrial designer.

http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/Marc+Audibet

 

[kimair]

it's been confirmed by wwd that sophia is out...
that was fast...

The short association between Vionnet and Sophia Kokosalaki is over.

The French brand, with a heritage for artistically draped evening gowns, on Monday said it had appointed Marc Audibet, a former Hermès and Prada designer, to replace Kokosalaki, who was hired last year to relaunch the legendary label.

Audibet’s first collection for Vionnet is expected to be a showroom presentation during the upcoming Paris couture in July.

Arnaud de Lummen, Vionnet’s chief executive officer, said the decision to replace Kokosalaki was prompted by the Greek designer’s sale in January of her brand to Staff International, the manufacturing arm of Italy’s Diesel fashion business.

“We weren’t displeased with Sophia,” said de Lummen. “But we have our own ambitions and she has hers. We want to develop Vionnet and it will help that we have a designer devoted full-time to that task.”

De Lummen said he wanted to develop a full-blown accessories line by fall 2008 while also expanding Vionnet’s ready-to-wear.

He said the house now would open wholesaling internationally after a year of exclusivity with Barneys New York, though that store will continue to sell Vionnet exclusively in the U.S. for at least another year.

“Marc is a thinking designer,” said de Lummen. “He is comfortable with concept, which we felt was important for the brand.”

Audibet, who is 52, is an industry veteran who has worked with a panoply of fashion houses, including Prada, Hermès, Trussardi and Ferragamo, where he was chief designer until 2001.

“Marc has a very Parisian sensibility,” said de Lummen.“It was interesting to contribute to the relaunch of Vionnet, but I realized it was the right time to move on, and I’m finally happy to focus my energy on my own label which is growing very fast,” Kokosalaki said in a statement.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

awwww
i love sofia
i'm not too familiar with this marc guy, but i'll be optimistic for now

 

[iyemstoopid]

i thought sophia was doing really well... the dresses where divine. i guess she has her own line to worry about.

 

[liberty33r1b]

damn, i soo loved her beautiful dresses !!!!

 

[Caffeine]

I stopped by her clothes yesterday at Barneys...the sale just began and there were many items hanging there. The price is insane and people just have too many choice to buy vionnet nowadays. I'm not sure how well they are doing financially but I don't think that they can make a profit with this kind of volume...

 

[DosViolines]

It will be interesting to see what Marc Audibet will come up with,
but I have always felt that Sophia and Vionnet were such a nice match.

 

[Whitelinen]

^ Exactly. I don't know whether to be sad or happy about this, but to quote iyemstoopid, now she has more time to concentrate on her own label.

But I do also think that if they cannot make Vionnet to sell without making it a bad caricatyre of its old self, it shouldn't be tried to keep alive. But we just have to wait and see now.

 

[Lena]

quite a dissapointment really, so non expected but quite understandable from Vionnet's style

obviously a nervous (due to the weight of the Vionnet heritage) 'diesel' group designer was not exactly what the new managers of Vionnet had in mind while choosing her to work for the prestigious label..
but still, prestige is not enough to pay Sophia's own collections bill, not enough to distribute those clothes on an international basis..

like Margiela, she seems to be losing her 'couture' prestige since she's been working with Rezzo

the one huge difference is that Margiela signed with Diesel/Staff while he was already quite established for what he is, but for Sophia it's such a different story since she joined in a relatively 'early' stage of her .. creative identity

 

[Whitelinen]

quite a dissapointment really, so non expected but quite understandable from Vionnet's style

obviously a nervous (due to the weight of the Vionnet heritage) 'diesel' group designer was not exactly what the new managers of Vionnet had in mind while choosing her to work for the prestigious label..
but still, prestige is not enough to pay Sophia's own collections bill, not enough to distribute those clothes on an international basis..

like Margiela, she seems to be losing her 'couture' prestige since she's been working with Rezzo

the one huge difference is that Margiela signed with Diesel/Staff while he was already quite established for what he is, but for Sophia it's such a different story since she joined in a relatively 'early' stage of her .. creative identity

That's true. I hope she will survive all this, she certainly would be missed.

 

[nqth]

oh dear.

 

[Scott]

i'm pretty surprised at how short-lived this has been. but understandably,she has a new deal with diesel and apparently,sales figures and press for Vionnet couldn't launch as successfully as they probably strived for.

 

[happyguy]

i wish marc all the best. can't wait to see what he cmes up with!!!

 

[ultramarine]

Again money and commercialism ruining it for me ... what did the investors expect? That shed be overnight bringing the house to black after one-two collections? Ms Kokosalaki deserved a chance ... they chose not to. Pfft!

 

[Scott]

^that's very true. seems a bit premature at this juncture. but of course there may have been the other circumstances that entails,particularly this new deal with renzo and maybe she wanting to concentrate on that.

 

[Meg]

well the investors have to be careful too. Several designers in a very short period of time makes the buyer wary in my opinion. Same with anything, a house, a restaurant. It makes it seem like they are desperate. Desperation never sells. Anyway who knows. He could do wonders. But it's a weird situation especially it seems after they spent so long courting or at least talking to Sophia.

 

[Lena]

Again money and commercialism ruining it for me ... what did the investors expect? That shed be overnight bringing the house to black after one-two collections? Ms Kokosalaki deserved a chance ... they chose not to. Pfft!

not sure if this time it was an issue of commercial success, it feels more like a 'policy/status issue here..
looks like the Vionnet group took Sophia's Staff/Diesel contract as betrial (can't find the right word here)

on the other hand, getting involved in too many contracts at once may have been a mistake from Sophia's part.. you can't possibly win/keep them all

 

[Scott]

here's some extra news from diane-

as quoted from the chief exec

"We are delighted that Marc Audibet provides us, with all his sensibility to Vionnet, an enlarged vision of strategy and creativity" stated Arnaud de Lummen, Chief Executive Officer of Vionnet, who added: "after collaborating for two seasons with us, Sophia Kokosalaki is dedicating herself to the development of her own label. We wish her the very best in this venture."

*ashadedviewonfashion.com