Naomi Campbell's Enduring Fashion Career Will Be Celebrated with a London Museum Exhibition

Naomi Campbell. (Getty Images)
Naomi Campbell. (Getty Images)
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Naomi Campbell's Enduring Fashion Career Will Be Celebrated with a London Museum Exhibition

Naomi Campbell. (Getty Images)
Naomi Campbell. (Getty Images)

After four decades in fashion, the queen of the catwalk is getting her own exhibition.The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is launching “NAOMI: In Fashion,” a celebration of Naomi Campbell's enduring career. The exhibition, which opens in June, will showcase memorable designer outfits worn by Campbell, one of the most recognizable models and Black women in the world, The Associated Press said.“I’m honored to be asked by the V&A to share my life in clothes with the world," Campbell, 53, said in a statement.Sonnet Stanfill, a fashion curator at the museum, called Campbell “one of the most prolific and influential figures in contemporary culture.”The exhibition will include some 100 looks and accessories from the biggest names in fashion, from Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana to Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and many others.Highlights include a 1989 Thierry Mugler car-inspired corset made from plastic and metal, a bubble-gum pink Valentino gown and feather cape Campbell wore at the 2019 Met Gala and staggeringly high Vivienne Westwood platform shoes worn by Campbell during her famous 1993 catwalk fall.The London-born Campbell attended stage school from a young age and started her career at 8, when she began performing in music videos for Bob Marley and Culture Club.The aspiring dancer was approached by a model agent when she was 15, and within two years she was strutting down catwalks in Paris and Milan. She was the first Black model to appear on the cover of Vogue France in 1988.Part of the exhibition focuses on Campbell's personal and professional relationship with the late Tunisian-born designer Azzedine Alaïa, who opened his Parisian home and studio to a young Campbell. She inspired his work, while he helped advance her career.Curators said that the show will recognize Campbell's advocacy for equity in the fashion industry and support for emerging creative talents.The exhibition will run from June 22 to April 2025.



LVMH Shares Drop after Missing Second-quarter Estimates

A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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LVMH Shares Drop after Missing Second-quarter Estimates

A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Shares in LVMH (LVMH.PA) fell as much as 6.5% in early Wednesday trade and were on track for their biggest one-day drop since October 2023 after second-quarter sales growth at the French luxury goods giant missed analysts' consensus estimate.

The world's biggest luxury group said late Tuesday its quarterly sales rose 1% year on year to 20.98 billion euros ($22.76 billion), undershooting the 21.6 billion expected on average by analysts polled by LSEG.

At 1000 GMT, LVMH's shares were down 4.5%.

The earnings miss weighed on other luxury stocks, with Hermes (HRMS.PA), down around 2% and Kering (PRTP.PA), off 3%.

Kering is scheduled to report second-quarter sales after the market close and Hermes reports on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Jittery investors are looking for evidence that the industry will pick up from a recent slowdown, as inflation-hit shoppers hold off from splashing out on designer fashion.

JPMorgan analyst Chiara Battistini cut full year profit forecasts by 2-3% for the group, citing softer trends at LVMH's fashion and leather goods division, home to Louis Vuitton and Dior.

"The soft print is likely to add to ongoing investors’ concerns on the sector more broadly in our view, confirming that even best-in-class players like LVMH cannot be immune from the challenging backdrop," said Battistini in a note to clients.

The weakness of the yen, which has prompted a flood of Chinese shoppers to Japan seeking bargains on luxury goods, added pressure to margins, another source of concern.

Equita cut 2024 sales estimates for LVMH by 3% - attributing 1% to currency fluctuations - and lowered its second half organic sales estimate to 7% growth from 10% growth previously.

The lack of visibility for the second half beyond the easing of comparative figures - as the Chinese post-pandemic lockdown bounce tapered off a year ago - is unlikely to improve investor sentiment to the luxury sector, Citi analyst Thomas Chauvet said in an email to clients.

"No miracle with the luxury bellwether; sector likely to remain out of favour," he wrote.

Jefferies analysts said the miss came as investors eye Chinese shoppers for their potential to "resume their pre-COVID role as the locomotive of industry growth and debate when Western consumers will have fully digested their COVID overspend".

LVMH shares have been volatile since the luxury slowdown emerged, and are down about 20% over the past year, with middle-class shoppers in China, the world's No. 2 economy, a key focus as they rein in purchases at home amid a property slump and job insecurity.

LVMH offered some reassurance, with finance chief Jean-Jacques Guiony telling analysts during a call on Tuesday that Chinese customers were "holding up quite well," while business with US and European customers was "slightly better".