Saks Celebrates Seventh Floor, Guerra’s Prada Package, Tiffany Teases Nike Collab

MEN’S MOMENT: Retail is always a work in progress and that’s surely the case for Saks Fifth Avenue.

As part of its ongoing multimillion-dollar flagship renovation, right around the holidays, the retailer completed the revamp of the seventh-floor men’s department, significantly spiffing up the advanced designer and contemporary ready-to-wear presence. The project included 17 shops and the addition of 23 brands to the assortment.

And it’s paying off.

Louis DiGiacomo, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s for Saks, said since completion, the department has performed above expectations. “December was an amazing month on this floor,” he said, “and far exceeded what we did in 2019.”

Next up is a refresh of the sixth floor, which houses luxury collections and accessories in addition to footwear. That is projected to be completed by holiday 2023.

On Thursday night, Saks returned to party mode by hosting an event at Le Chalet at L’Avenue to celebrate the completion of the seventh floor and introduce its Saks Man program. Patterned after the Saks Social Club women’s brand ambassador program, the men’s version consists of some 30 influential guys who promote the store’s marketing campaigns and product launches, create custom content for the digital channels and attend and host both virtual and in-person events. Members of the Saks Man team span a variety of industries including sports, entertainment, business and activism.

Several of the ambassadors were on-site for the event, where NBA All-Star and Saks board member James Harden gave them a private tour of the seventh floor. They included Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants, Quentin Grimes of the New York Knicks, Joey Gonzalez, head of Barry’s, and activist Saad Amer. They also raised a glass with top Saks executives Marc Metrick, chief executive officer, and Tracy Margolies, chief merchandising officer.

“Our men’s business has experienced significant growth over the past several years,” Margolies said. “The new men’s floor in New York reinforces the power of the in-store experience and exemplifies Saks’ reputation as a fashion authority. We are excited to continue investing in the men’s category both online and in-store.” — JEAN E. PALMIERI

PRADA’S FEES: Andrea Guerra is taking on the chief executive officer’s mantle of the Prada Group and details about his salary were released on Friday in a statement confirming the appointment to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where the group is publicly listed. 

As an executive director of the board, the former Luxottica and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton executive will be paid a fee of 50,000 euros a year, which could be subjected to review.

As per the employment agreement, the executive’s remuneration, including salary, benefits in kind, pension, health care and TFR contributions, will amount to about 151,180 euros a month in the aggregate. He will also be entitled to a discretionary bonus and other incentives.

Prada granted the emoluments in light of Guerra’s “relevant experience and expertise, responsibilities and duties that he will contribute to strengthening and leading the group’s operations and his executive role,” the group stated.

© Provided by WWD Andrea Guerra

In case of the termination of Guerra’s employment by either the executive himself or by the company within the first 12 months, there is a reciprocal penalty of 24 months of his salary plus discretionary bonus (if any); if the termination is after 12 months, there is a golden parachute provision which entitles Guerra to receive a severance payment of 12 months of his salary plus discretionary bonus (if any).

Prada also listed the reasons for employing Guerra. In addition to his experience, the objective is “to facilitate the long-term growth and development of the group,” noting that “his services” are seen as “important and essential.”

As reported, Guerra is viewed as someone who can facilitate the transition until Lorenzo Bertelli, Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli’s son, will become the leader of the group in a few years’ time.

His parents have given up their shared co-CEO title, while remaining executive directors of the board. Miuccia Prada stays on as creative director of Miu Miu and of the Prada brand, the latter with Raf Simons. Patrizio Bertelli is expected to be named chairman this spring. — LUISA ZARGANI

NEW KICKS: Call it a meeting of the minds. Speculation that Tiffany & Co. is collaborating with Nike was confirmed Sunday when the two brands released a visual teaser to officially reveal their tie-up.

The teaser was posted to both Tiffany and Nike’s social media accounts, and was also featured in a New York Times ad in the paper’s Sunday print edition. It shows a Tiffany blue shoe box with a Nike swoosh and says, “A legendary pair.”

Rumors around the collaboration began circulating on Jan. 24, when leaked images of a black suede, low-top Air Force 1 featuring a Tiffany blue leather swoosh hit the internet. The images also depict a sterling silver back plate on the sneaker that appears to take visual reference from the jeweler’s classic Return to Tiffany designs.

Representatives for Tiffany declined to comment at this time.

The teaser did not provide any specifics relating to product, but if the sneaker speculation is true — as the teaser’s shoe box may indicate — it would mark Tiffany’s first foray into footwear. In 2005, the jeweler got an unofficial taste of its potential in the category. Then, Nike enlisted Nicholas Tershay, also known as Nicky Diamonds, to design a pair of low-top dunks on behalf of his skater label Diamond Supply Co.

The resulting sneaker — featuring stamped black crocodile leather trim and a silver swoosh set against a backdrop of Tiffany blue mesh and leather — was dubbed the “Tiffany.”

The jeweler did not have any involvement in the design, but the sneaker has been considered a classic and is available for sale on Sotheby’s website for $3,850.

Tiffany has engaged in an increased number of brand collaborations since its 2021 acquisition by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. The jeweler has teamed with companies including Supreme, Fendi and Patek Philippe, as well as artist Daniel Arsham and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. — MISTY WHITE SIDELL

BIG DAY: Inspiring young people.

Coach hosted its first Dream Day of the year at SoapBox Islington in London with singer and songwriter Bree Runway and YouTube’s chicken shop connoisseur Amelia Dimoldenberg as part of the Coach Foundation’s partnership with specialist music college SoundSkool and the charity UK Youth.

The event was part of Coach’s Dream It Real, an initiative with the goal of providing 5,000 students from underrepresented communities in North America, China, Japan and the U.K. scholarships and mentorship by 2025.

The program kicked off with Runway and Dimoldenberg spending time with the young people followed by a question-and-answer session. 

“I only ever partner and work with brands that I genuinely and authentically believe in,” Dimoldenberg told WWD over email.

“Growing up, I do always remember the signature Coach handbags. They felt like a timeless accessory. I feel like I wear a lot of colorful, playful looks so for me it just felt like a natural fit. Coach also isn’t afraid to push boundaries, which is something I feel reflects my approach to the work that I do,” she added.

Dimoldenberg hosted her first red carpet for the Globes Globes on Jan. 10, which has made her want to spend more time in the U.S. Her interaction with Andrew Garfield went viral across social media with the two of them awkwardly flirting, which is what Dimoldenberg often does on her YouTube series “Chicken Shop Date,” which has garnered in the likes of Rosalía, Jack Harlow, Matt Healy from The 1975 and more.

“It made me feel incredibly excited about how I could do more over there, and how I could develop new formats and ideas for that market. I felt very welcomed by the U.S. audiences and it’s great to see the work that I have done across the last decade building my brand, is now starting to translate internationally,” Dimoldenberg said.

She has plans to “work behind the camera” with some projects already underway that she’s working on behind the scenes.

“And of course I will also be continuing on my quest for true love, and have some really exciting Chicken Shop Dates lined up that I think people will really love. The romance never stops,” Dimoldenberg explained.

Although Coach has been involved in various Dream It Real initiatives since 2018, the brand’s chief executive officer Todd Kahn told WWD in 2021 that this time around it’s “deeper” and more “intense.” — HIKMAT MOHAMMED

LONDON LANDING: Chris Black and Jason Stewart of podcast “How Long Gone” have brought their pandemic hit to London.

The pair hosted a live podcast show at 5 Carlos Place, Matchesfashion’s town house in Mayfair, with Alexa Chung joining them as a surprise guest.

As the podcast nears 500 episodes, its fan base has been growing globally. Outside the town house, the crowd was just as busy as during a fashion week party, and fans patiently waited before being let inside.

The podcast’s guest stars have included Lee Pace, The 1975 and Orville Peck and Phoenix.

© Provided by WWD Live from London: Jason Stewart, Alexa Chung and Chris Black.

“Being able to chat with such interesting people, some of which we have looked up to for years, still surprises us. We have listened to Cat Power since we were teenagers, so having her be so open, honest and warm with us was memorable and a reminder of why we do this in the first place,” Black told WWD.

“We want to talk to Martha Stewart, Juergen Teller, Deon Cole and Liam Gallagher, not at the same time, but in general, we want to keep having engaging, funny conversations with people who do great stuff,” he added.

The collaboration with Matchesfashion started a while back when the duo worked on a small project with the luxury retailer.

This time around, with the rising popularity of the podcast, Black and Stewart starred in a Matchesfashion editorial shot in Los Angeles with photographer Jack Bool and stylist Karolyn Pho.

During the live talk, Black joked that his knee caps had to be moisturized due to being “ashy.”

On stage, the pair didn’t hold back from being their usual comedic selves — they mocked British cuisine, questioned Chung’s Instagram feed, interacted with the audience and discussed illegal substances.

The success of the podcast has led to Black and Stewart signing with talent agency CAA, which represents Annie Leibovitz, Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o and more.

Black’s recipe for success is “consistency; we do the show three times per week, which with other projects, and you know, life, is a lot. But it builds a strong relationship with the listener. They are invested in us, our lives, and our opinions on culture, current events and Los Angeles grocery stores.” — H.M.