If last week saw creative directors playing musical chairs, with Hannah MacGibbon out at Chloé, to be replaced by Pringle’s ex Clare Waight Keller, and Patrick Robinson leaving the Gap, today it looks as if it’s corporate’s turn.
British accessory group Anya Hindmarch has announced a new CEO: James McArthur, formerly of Gucci Group and Balenciaga. Over at Boucheron, PPR says Jean-Christophe Bédos is being replaced by Pierre Bouissou, who left as managing director of rival LVMH’s Berluti last year.
Phew! Got that? Ah, these tangled webs the luxury industry weaves.
Anyway, both appointments come at interesting times. McArthur is charged with taking the Anya Hindmarch label to the next (read Jimmy Choo) level; the brand currently has 54 stores, sales of £20m, and a few fingers in the footwear and apparel pots; one (OK, me) can only imagine there are plans for more, especially given Hindmarch’s continued relationship with private equity investors Kelso Place Asset Management (which bought a chunk of the company in 2006). Some of the best-selling products by Ms Hindmarch, who is a mother of five and friend to David Cameron, are geared towards organising the life of the modern power woman.
Meanwhile, Mr Bouissou’s move to PPR comes as its chief François-Henri Pinault has switched to a hands-on role with the luxury section of the business, and is looking to take the Gucci model, mega-brand as central core around which orbit a group of smaller brands, and emulate it with his sports lifestyle group. Boucheron, the only jewellery brand in the portfolio, has always seemed a bit of an anomaly in the Gucci Group stable, but joined by a few other, smaller gem names – well, suddenly it starts to look a lot more logical.
Vanessa has been the FT’s fashion editor since 2003, and is based in New York, though she lived in London for 12 years.