Prada Returns to Minimalist Roots for 1st Joint Collection

FILE PHOTO: The Prada store is shown in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, January 17, 2020. REUTERS/ Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Prada store is shown in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, January 17, 2020. REUTERS/ Mike Blake/File Photo
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Prada Returns to Minimalist Roots for 1st Joint Collection

FILE PHOTO: The Prada store is shown in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, January 17, 2020. REUTERS/ Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Prada store is shown in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, January 17, 2020. REUTERS/ Mike Blake/File Photo

Miuccia Prada went back to her trademark minimalist style for her first collection with Belgian designer Raf Simons, who joined the Italian fashion group as co-creative director in February.

The pair's Spring/Summer 2021 women's show was streamed live on Thursday for Milan's fashion week, where most collections are being presented digitally and without audiences due to coronavirus social distancing rules.

"It's a really strange situation," Prada said in a video after the show, where she and Simons answered questions from people around the world.

"But we have the occasion to really show the clothes, we can't see the real people, the public, but at least we hope you can enjoy and see the clothes better."

Models wore mostly black and white or pastel-colored vests, trousers and long skirts in simple, monochrome designs which Prada said were inspired by the idea of uniforms. Many clothes had round-shaped holes cut out of the fabric.

"Clothes are pared-back, refined, focused, without superfluous decoration: shell tops, straight pants, overcoats in industrial re-nylon," the brand said in a statement.

Simons, 52, said he had never expected to be, one day, co-designing a collection with Miuccia Prada, but that he was "extremely happy" with the result.

"Maybe it's harder as you have more dialogue, and that can also impact on the timing, but all in all I find it easier," he said when asked what it was like to jointly create a collection.

"Decision-making for me is strengthened when I know that Miuccia likes very much what I also like very much. Even if I am convinced, my decision is strengthened when I know that she too is convinced."



Hermes Sales Jump 9% in Q2, with US Prices Rising More Than Elsewhere 

A logo of fashion house Hermes is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. (Reuters) 
A logo of fashion house Hermes is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. (Reuters) 
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Hermes Sales Jump 9% in Q2, with US Prices Rising More Than Elsewhere 

A logo of fashion house Hermes is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. (Reuters) 
A logo of fashion house Hermes is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. (Reuters) 

Hermes on Wednesday reported a 9% rise in quarterly sales due to the continued appetite from rich shoppers for its coveted, $10,000 handbags, helping the French house defy the global luxury downturn.

Executive Chairman Axel Dumas said so far no further price hikes were planned this year after a general 7% rise globally and an additional 5% in the US, where the company flagged it would fully pass on the effects of tariffs to its clients.

Speaking to journalists on a call, Dumas said these price rises would probably suffice to offset the 15% tariff rate agreed between the Trump administration and the EU.

Sales for the second quarter to the end of June reached 3.9 billion euros ($4.50 billion), up 9% at constant currency rates, Hermes said, broadly in line with analysts' expectations for a 10% rise.

The appeal of the brand's famous Birkin, Constance and Kelly bags so far has shielded the group from headwinds in the luxury sector, while growth at Hermes's smaller fashion and silk divisions slowed and perfume and beauty sales contracted.

"This is a sign the market is staying difficult", Bernstein analyst Luca Solca said.

Hermes shares fell 2.5% in early Paris trade.

Hermes, which this year overtook LVMH as France's most valuable listed company by market capitalization, maintains tight control over production, raising it at a steady pace of around 6% to 7% per year, frustrating some shoppers who have to wait months for a handbag.

That strategy has helped the company buck an industry slowdown as big fashion labels like Chanel, Kering's Gucci and LVMH-owned Louis Vuitton and Dior grapple with declining sales.

A prolonged slump in China has pushed the focus of European luxury labels to the United States this year, although demand there has been rocky due to a volatile stock market and fragile consumer confidence.

"I don't see any fundamental changes in the sales climate in China at the moment," Dumas said, adding that he still saw China's long-term potential as intact with no structural changes in consumer sentiment.

Consultancy Bain forecasts worldwide luxury goods sales will fall by between 2% and 5% in 2025 after a 1% decline last year.

Shares in Hermes have risen 2% since the start of the year, outpacing the sector along with Cartier-owner Richemont, which has benefited from a surge in sales of high-end jewelry but is trading flat.