Louis Vuitton Hires Advertising Chief to Run Communications

The logo of luxury brand Louis Vuitton is seen in New York City, on April 10, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
The logo of luxury brand Louis Vuitton is seen in New York City, on April 10, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
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Louis Vuitton Hires Advertising Chief to Run Communications

The logo of luxury brand Louis Vuitton is seen in New York City, on April 10, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
The logo of luxury brand Louis Vuitton is seen in New York City, on April 10, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

Louis Vuitton said on Thursday it had recruited Blake Harrop to be its next communications chief, replacing industry veteran Stefano Cantino, who was named deputy chief executive officer of Kering-owned Gucci earlier in the day.
Harrop's appointment to be Executive Vice President, Image and Communications at the LVMH-owned label, the world's biggest fashion brand, was first reported by publication WWD.
Harrop and Cantino's new jobs underline how central communications and marketing have become for high-end fashion labels at a time of rapid global growth.
Harrop is a high-profile, international advertising executive from outside the fashion trade - a rarity in the business - while Cantino worked for two decades at Prada before Vuitton.
Harrop, president of advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy since 2022, has extensive international experience, leading the US agency in China, Japan and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, and running business with Nike in Japan, South Korea, the Middle East and Europe.
As part of his new job, Harrop will contribute to new campaigns aimed at elevating Vuitton's image, the brand's Chief Executive Pietro Beccari said in a statement to Reuters.
"I am confident of his capacity to inspire passion and collectiveness," Beccari said.
Louis Vuitton has become increasingly involved in sport, producing trunks specially designed to hold the medals in the upcoming Paris Olympics.



Adidas Holds Back on Profit Upgrade Due to Tariff Uncertainty 

The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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Adidas Holds Back on Profit Upgrade Due to Tariff Uncertainty 

The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)

German sportswear maker Adidas on Tuesday said higher US import tariffs and broader uncertainty around trade were clouding its forecasts and making it difficult to plan.

CEO Bjorn Gulden said the company would have hiked its revenue and profit guidance for 2025 after strong first-quarter results, but tariff uncertainty meant it decided to hold back.

Adidas expects the blanket increase in US tariffs to eventually cause price increases across all its products, but said it was currently impossible to quantify those or to establish the likely impact on US consumer demand, highlighting the paralysis caused by trade uncertainty.

Adidas has already reduced exports of China-made goods to the US to a minimum but is still "somewhat exposed" to much higher US tariffs on Chinese goods, Gulden said, though it is unclear how long those might remain at the current level.

"Given the uncertainty around the negotiations between the US and the different exporting countries, we do not know what the final tariffs will be. Therefore, we cannot make any 'final' decisions on what to do," Gulden said.

Unexpectedly high US tariffs on Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, announced at the start of this month, but paused until July, blindsided sportswear brands, which make most of their sneakers and clothing there.

As tariffs raise the cost of doing business, Adidas said it would strive to ensure US retail partners and consumers get product "at the best possible price", adding it would try to compensate for uncertainty in the US by boosting its performance in the rest of the world.

First-quarter sales rose 14% in Europe and 13% in Greater China and were up 26% in Latin America. Sales in North America increased just 3%, which Adidas said was due to the phase-out of its Yeezy sneaker line.

While sticking to its full-year guidance, Adidas said uncertainties "could put negative pressure on this later in the year".