Stella!

[mikeijames]

STELLA'S AT A LOSS

STELLA MCCARTNEY has fuelled rumours that her Gucci-owned company is floundering after posting loses of £4.5 million for 2003 on sales of just £434,611. Pre-tax loses at Stella McCartney Limited, one of today's most famous fashion names, have almost doubled since last year's loss of £2.7 million. Stella, who got married earlier this year and was the subject of a primetime BBC documentary, is also thought to be under threat because of the unsettled management situation at Gucci, which paid £6 million for a 50 per cent stake in her company in 2001. With Tom Ford, who was key in luring Stella to Gucci when she left Chloe, and his partner Domenico de Sole on the way out, industry sources are worried that Gucci may have to sell off some of its more recent acquisitions - news that would not bode well for Stella or her stable mate, Alexander McQueen. According to Companies House accounts, Gucci injected £2.8 million into McCartney's business last year, only to bail her out again, with an undisclosed amount, last April "to enable the company to pay its liabilities". They also revealed that Stella McCartney Ltd's 12 staff, including 9 designers, were paid an average of £128,000 each. The company insisted, however, that all the financial results were "in line with the agreed business plan". While the figures can, to some extent, be blamed on Stella's brand-establishing investment - she has opened stores in London, New York and Los Angeles and launched her debut fragrance this year - industry insiders have put the figures down to a lack of cohesion in her famously pricey collections. Some buyers, however, are determined to see her through. "She had a tricky first couple of seasons but sells well," says Ivan Donovan, a buyer for Browns, South Molton Street. "This does look like a big loss for her to catch up with but her collections are continuing to improve and her customers are on the increase." (December 9 2003, AM)

http://www.vogue.co.uk/vogue_daily/story/s...4222&date=&sid=

 

[Spacemiu]

not a big stella fan, but i liek ehr work, it seems liek she is trying to do to much to fast and should move slwoer and work on improving ehr design ability.

 

[Acid]

OH YES YES YES!!!!!! i was reading this only this morning
yikes for stella........only herself and madonna wear the clothes though im not suprised.....they are so B A D

her s/s collection isnt so bad apart from the SHOES
we'll have to wait and see if the gucci group are gonna subsidise her anymore

 

[PrinceOfCats]

McQueen's a class act - it would be a shame to see his funding dropped...

 

[leyla m.]

Originally posted by Acid@Dec 9th, 2003 - 9:43 pm
OH YES YES YES!!!!!! i was reading this only this morning
yikes for stella........only herself and madonna wear the clothes though im not suprised.....they are so B A D

her s/s collection isnt so bad apart from the SHOES
we'll have to wait and see if the gucci group are gonna subsidise her anymore

some of her suits are nice but i always thought of her of being on an EGO TRIP and a bit arrogant. and that has been always protrayed in her collections; the fact that she ALWAYS wears her own clothes is a bit sad IMO.
another problem: her collection is WAY TOO OVERPRICED

lets see what happens

 

[Spacemiu]

Originally posted by leyla m.@Dec 9th, 2003 - 2:53 pm
but i always thought of her of being on an EGO TRIP and a bit arrogant. and that has been always protrayed in her collections

i definetly agree on that, the ego shows up

i reallyd ount have problem with desigenrs wearing thier won deisgns, i been if tehd eisgner wont who will?

 

[Scott]

Acid,you failed to mention the other celebs that wear her stuff: Gwynnie,Kate Hudson,Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde,Kate Moss and Sadie Frost. Goes to show,why it is not going so well since you hardly hear of regular people buying and wearing her stuff. Not to mention,these girls get to keep stuff free too!

 

[Meg]

I guess I am the only one here who likes her clothes. I loved the a/w '03 collection with the satin dresses and then the l/s shirts! I'm sad to hear this.

 

[pinkcouture]

I like some of her stuff..I think her collections are getting better over time.

 

[Spacemiu]

Originally posted by mehg@Dec 9th, 2003 - 6:47 pm
I guess I am the only one here who likes her clothes. I loved the a/w '03 collection with the satin dresses and then the l/s shirts! I'm sad to hear this.

I liek her stuff, i just think she has alot of faults.

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by Spacemiu+Dec 10th, 2003 - 4:23 am--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Spacemiu @ Dec 10th, 2003 - 4:23 am)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-leyla m.@Dec 9th, 2003 - 2:53 pm
but i always thought of her of being on an EGO TRIP and a bit arrogant. and that has been always protrayed in her collections

i definetly agree on that, the ego shows up

[/b][/quote]
i so agree with Leyla and space, Stellas arrogance and rock royalty attitude gets to me real bad.. (i seriously dont think she could go far if she wasnt born to this family )

on the other hand, i agree with pink couture, even though i dont like her or her work, its ovious that she's been improving just lately, her ss04 collection is her best ever (thats in my book) sad that she's been falling out of cash (or sponsors)

to keep a fashion house going is a really big business, she's in great need for better management ( Lena gives Stella a call drriiin dddrin )

regarding her future with PPR, i think they could easily drop her out, she's not talented enough to 'charm' the french businessmen, french love manners and unfortunately for stella, she seems quite rude (to me)

 

[Scott]

Not really Mehg,no. I think alot of my frustration with her is the fact that she's considered(sometimes I feel even she thinks of herself this way) the best and most important only because she has a famous family and has famous people surrounding her at almost all times. And they all seem to praise her wee bit too much for those reasons as well. As far as her clothes go, I think what she's doing now since being part of GG, has been the best we've seen since she first appeared on scene. Nothing brilliant but nothing is horrible either. Its just that snobbish attitude and the celebrity frenzy surrounding her that I can't stand.

 

[Meg]

hmmm, I haven't ever often seen her, heard quotations so I never got that impression but I will agree that she definately has the upper hand and probably takes advantage of it as many people would. I will admit I did not like most of her clothes for Chloe. The pineapple?! But I love what she's doing now.

 

[Belowen]

Originally posted by Lena@Dec 9th, 2003 - 10:57 pm
i so agree with Leyla and space, Stellas arrogance and rock royalty attitude gets to me real bad.. (i seriously dont think she could go far if she wasnt born to this family )

I agree with that comment ....

Also, Liv Tyler wears a lot of her clothes.

I much prefer her at Chloe ....

 

[ignitioned32]

Indeed her ego tends to show up, that's already one problem.

Another one is her clothes are really undesirable. I mean look at all her collections. I'm totally with Sean on this one!

 

[Lena]

Gucci Group seems to be backing Stella.

from Vogue UK of today :

THE Gucci Group has hit back at the hysteria over Stella McCartney's latest profit margins yesterday, announcing that it is perfectly happy with the way things are going. Rumours were quick to emerge that loses of £4.5 million on 2003 sales of £434,611, coupled with the news that Tom Ford, who lured Stella to Gucci, is leaving, would mean that her partnership with the Italian fashion giant would not last much longer. However, Gucci stood its ground yesterday afternoon, claiming that there was absolutely no need for alarm. "These figures are in line with the agreed business plan to develop the brand since its launch just over two-and-a-half years ago," said Gucci's spokesman, Tomaso Galli. "They reflect investments in product development and new store openings in London, and New York over that period. Sales have more than doubled and we are very happy with the way business is going." (December 10 2003, AM)

 

[leyla m.]

lets hope it goes well for her cause that amount of £434,611 is just a joke....

my opinion

 

[Lena]

must be a typing mistake from the Vogue UK journalists,
amount is £434.611 as reported yesterday

 

[leyla m.]

Originally posted by Lena@Dec 10th, 2003 - 1:37 pm
must be a typing mistake from the Vogue UK journalists,
amount is £434.611 as reported yesterday

thats i typed too. i meant that amount is a joke as in: its ridiculously little

 

[Lena]

four hundred thirty six thousand pounds? little?
to me thats quite a lot leyla