Big news in the lawsuit between Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) and eBay. Today in Paris, a French court ruled that eBay was responsible for counterfeit items sold on the site and for selling genuine products outside of authorized channels. The court ordered eBay to pay around 40 million euros, which works out to approximately. $63.2 million. Louis Vuitton was awarded 19.3 million euros, Christian Dior Couture will get 17.4 million euros and Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Kenzo, Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy is to receive around 3 million euros. The auction website has also been ordered to stop selling fragrances and cosmetics from those brands immediately, or face more fines. EBay has already said they will appeal the ruling. The case is just one of several against eBay. The company recently lost a battle with Hermes over counterfeit bags. EBay maintains that they remove counterfeit items from the site when they are made aware of them but the brands believe eBay doesn't do a good enough job in policing sellers. EBay has asserted that they are a host in the selling process and therefore not responsible but a statement from LVMH counters that saying that eBay is not a host but is instead a broker for these goods and therefore responsible not just for counterfeits but for the all the branded goods that are sold through eBay. If eBay decides to crack down on sellers this could have a tremendous impact on the way the site, and its users, do business.
Artist, bibliophile, collector and Louis Vuitton collaborator Richard Prince's first major solo show at a UK public institution opens in London at the Serpentine Gallery on Thursday. Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs threw a posh pre-opening party for the artist. Running through Sept. 7, the exhibition, called Continuation, picks up where Prince's major Guggenheim retrospective of last year left off. The Serpentine show however will "mirror the installation of Prince's work in his own buildings," especially his compound in upstate New York, complete with studio furniture. Also on display will be his sculptures in the form of muscle car hoods, flip-flops and concrete highway barriers. Last month, a painting from Prince's Nurse series similar to the one pictured here from the new show sold at Christie's for $7 million, while LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault cited the Vuitton bags Prince designed as one of the company's prime profit makers.
A couple of years ago when I saw guitarist Dave Navarro play in some small clubs with the Panic Channel I noticed his Louis Vuitton guitar strap. For years it's been as much a part of Dave's act as his penchant for nail polish and taking his shirt off. But now, as Dave says on his blog 6767, it looks like it's the end of an era. He has received a rather stern letter from the Vuitton legal team saying in part that: "We have no doubt that this copying has been willful and is intended to trade upon the fame and cachet of the LV Trademarks to elevate the status of the infringing Guitar Strap, and of Jane's Addiction."
Vuitton has been positively militant about brand protection the last few years, suing a dog toy company for their mock "Chewy Vuiton" dog toys and taking on Britney Spears for using a a pink Vuitton-upholstered dashboard in a music video. Apparently Spears and Navarro don't project the sort of image that Vuitton wants for their brand. It seems to me that these sort of moves work against a brand that has experienced a tremendous financial benefit by being seen on the arms of all sorts of Hollywood types and thereby becoming objects of desire for the masses.
In recent fashion news a French court ruled in favor of Hermes in a case they brought against eBay that involved the sales of fake handbags. This case set precedent and although the punitive fines involved are relatively small, the outcome of the case undoubtedly has eBay a little worried. The verdict directly challenges eBay's argument that it is not directly responsible for what is sold on its web site. Did I mention Tiffany & Co., Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton all have similar cases in the works against eBay! In response, eBay has said it takes counterfeiting very seriously and points to the steps it has taken since the case was first launched to improve its anti-counterfeiting measures. I'm interested to see the outcome of all this and I wonder if consumers will notice any changes in online auction policies as a result.
I hadn't loved any of the new Louis Vuitton purses for quite awhile, but that all changed when I laid eyes on the Eva Clutch. The design is inspired by one of my favorite models Eva Herzigova. I'm not sure if "inspired by" means she took part in it's conception, or if by looking at her perfect face someone was inspired to make it...either way this dainty bag is getting my vote for must have Louis of 2008. The clever removable straps allow you to carry it three different ways, using the short chain on your shoulder, using the long strap on your shoulder (which leaves the chain hanging as a decoration), or using the chain around your wrist as a pouchette. I love love love this bag! The Eva Clutch is available online and in select stores (it's selling out quickly, so get on a list) for $530, not bad as far as Louis go.
Louis Vuitton collaborated with Richard Prince for a spring line of handbags, and now they've taken it a step further and created a special limited edition version to celebrate Prince's first solo exhibition (called "Continuation") that will take place at the Serpentine Gallery (in the UK) from June 26 - Sept 7.
There will be 50 of the ostrich and canvas Jamais bags available (numbered and signed of course) at Vuitton's Sloane Street store in London and each will be priced at about $17,800.
Bernard Arnault, chairman of luxury goods monolith LVMH, says that despite dire economic predictions and reports of a falloff in parts of the luxury sector the company expects profits to actually improve in 2008. "We are in a position to meet our objectives for a sharp rise in earnings in 2008," Arnault just announced at LVMH's annual shareholders meeting, according to Women's Wear Daily. "Every time we've been [in a difficult economy] we've increased market share. We've started the year strong. We will not pull off [of the accelerator]. We are focused on innovating."
Arnault, whose company recently added Swiss watchmaker Hublot to its portfolio of luxury brands, singled out handbags as a strong earner. "There are tons of new leather goods," he declared. "The Richard Prince bag for Vuitton" - one of our Handbags of the Day -- "has been an immense success and we won't be able to meet demand," Arnault said. "We can't produce the pieces fast enough." He also predicted strong sales this year for Fendi, calling it "one of the most important Italian brands on the market," and Dior as well -- no doubt thanks to Charlize Theron's captivating fragrance ads (above).
A Francis Bacon triptych painted in 1976 is expected to fetch about $70 million in the star sale of Sotheby's Contemporary Art auction in New York on May 14. If the work, billed as the most important privately-held Bacon extant, does max out despite all the hand-wringing going on, the price will eclipse Impressionist claptrap like this $40 million Monet while still falling far short of some puffed-up Picassos. (The middle panel is pictured here; see the image gallery for the complete piece.) Back in February, a Bacon triptych sold for $46.1 million at Christie's in London, slightly below estimate, though the one currently on offer is the better work in our opinion.
Also included in the stunning sale is Mark Rothko's 1956 Orange, Red, Yellow, expected to fetch in excess of $35 million; Jean-Michel Basquiat's beautiful Untitled (Prophet I), est. $9 - $12 million; Robert Rauschenberg's 1963 Overdrive, est. $10 - $15 million; Richard Prince's Millionaire Nurse, est. $3.5 - $4.5 million; a 1986 Andy Warhol self-portrait, est. $2 - $3 million; an untitled Cy Twombly, est. $1.5 - $2 million; and a very naughty manga-inspired sculpture by Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami, valued at an astonishing $3 - $4 million.
After several years of scrambling after hot new faces, a slew of the world's top fashion houses have decided to take a more classic approach for Spring/Summer '08, showcasing supermodels who ruled the Earth in the 1990s in their latest ad campaigns. The top indicator that the supes are back in town is artist Richard Prince's new campaign for the Louis Vuitton bags he designed, starring a gaggle of semi-retired stars: Stephanie Seymour, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova, all sprawled on the hood of a kandy-kolored muscle car.
This season, Schiffer also appears in ads for Salvatore Ferragamo as well as Chanel, along with Christy Turlington, who's now also the face of Escada. Herzigova also stars in the new Roberto Cavalli and Chopard campaigns, while Shalom Harlow meanwhile does the honors for Valentino, Tumi and Jones New York.
Celebrities are no different than the rest of us, sometimes they lose their luggage. But they may have a lot more help getting it back than the rest of us do. Kate Moss flew first class by British Airways to Los Angeles from Heathrow airport's fancy new Terminal 5 two weeks ago and when she arrived ten of her bags were missing. Inside Moss's missing Louis Vuitton bags were prototypes for her latest collection for Topshop. She reportedly could receive a £10,000 payout for the inconvenience of the missing bags something that might make other passengers a little angry. Moss's bags were just some of the estimated 28,000 that went missing when the terminal opened at the end of March.
Kate has some big guns in her corner, billionaire Sir Philip Green,the head of Topshop helped to make sure the bags were found. She received two bags a couple of days after arriving in Los Angeles and all ten have now been located although it's not known if they've all made it into Moss's hands yet. Supermodels have been tough business for British Airways recently; they have already banned Naomi Campbell from their airline after an on-board scuffle.
Okay, so I first heard in April 2006 that musician Pharrell Williams who had already worked with Louis Vuitton to create the Millionaire sunglasses line would be creating a new line of jewelry for the fashion house. At the time, it was said that the line, that Pharrell would work on with designer Camille Miceli for a line that would debut in early 2007. So we waited. And waited. Now, Fashion Week Daily, reports that the new line, Blason, will finally have its debut on January 21. The line was inspired by "the music universe" and features pieces made from white gold with diamonds and yellow gold with diamonds.No pictures yet but there will be four separate and distinctly themed lines under Blason that will range in price from approximately $2,070 to $621,000.
For Louis Vuitton lovers the ultimate gift might be the Ultimate Travel bag. The company has teamed up with fashion editor of the Times of London, Lisa Armstrong, to create the bag which is being auctioned in aid of CLIC Sargent, a London-based charity benefiting children with cancer. The bag is inspired by the silhouette of the Eole bag but has two separate compartments trimmed in purple leather. The bag also includes a passport cover, cashmere eyeshades and a blanket, a computer case, a transparent toiletries kit, a foldable jewelry kit, a laundry pouch and an evening leather clutch. Bidding ends December 18th.
It's been an interesting week for Louis Vuitton lawsuits. The company received the results of two lawsuits and ended up winning one and losing one. Louis Vuitton claimed a Las Vegas company, Huate Diggity Dog, infringed on their trademark with its furry "Chewy Vuiton" dog toys, plush toys that resemble the handbag company's posh purses. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier ruling that the toys represent a parody, one which is made clear by the fact that the company also makes produces such as the "Furcedes" and "Chewnel No. 5."
Louis Vuitton did better with a lawsuit regarding a Britney Spears video that was found to be violating counterfeiting laws. The beleaguered popstar used a pink Vuitton-upholstered dashboard in a music video. A Paris civil court ordered Sony BMG and MTV to stop showing the video for "Do Something" and handed down a fine of $117,000 apiece. Spears herself was not found guilty but the ruling said that the video said that the use of the Vuitton fabric in the video constituted an attack on the brand and its luxury image.
As any regular reader of this blog knows we feature a handbag every day. After all, if there is any symbol of the rise of the luxury market aimed at the masses it is the "it bag" the bag that is released and suddenly dangled off every celebrity's arm. Everyone must have it for a season or so and then, just as quickly, everyone quickly consigns it or relegates it to the back of the closet. The Fendi baguette, the Vuitton Multicolore Speedy, the Chloe Paddington and so many others have been loved and then discarded. But could all this buying be slowing down. The NY Times' Eric Wilson took on the question of whether the status bag is on the way down.
There's no question that tthe mid-range luxury consumer that fueled the bag frenzy of the past few years, is cutting back. While once a trendy bag was the way to show the world you had made it (and much cheaper than the status car or the status home), now in troubled economic times it seems like an easy place to trim the fat. Especially since, as designers churned out more and more special and limited editions it has become impossible to keep up with the latest trends.
If I had to choose a "jump the shark" moment for the handbag craze it would have to be the release of the Louis Vuitton Patchwork Tribute bag, the $45,000+ haphazard creation shown at right which was last spring. I might also speculate that more and more consumers are becoming aware that their bags are less likely to be coming from a French atelier and more often are being churned out in a Chinese factory.
Handbags are clearly not going away. And for the true fashionista there will always be a market for a beautifully done bag. As in other markets, a loss in status or interest usually pushes the dilettantes out, leaving the dedicated obsessives behind.
One of the stars of the new Wes Anderson movie doesn't even have a speaking part. It's the 11 pieces of distinctive Louis Vuitton luggage made specifically for the movie. The luggage was designed by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton and includes monogrammed steamer trunks, duffels, and suitcases covered in a jungle pattern created by Anderson's brother, Eric. The luggage will be auctioned off with proceeds going to benefit UNICEF and the Rawal Mallinathji Foundation, a medical treatment charity in India. The luggage is on display at the Louis Vuitton store in New York and you can enter a silent bid for the pieces there.
It's been an interesting week for Louis Vuitton lawsuits. The company received the results of two lawsuits and ended up winning one and losing one. Louis Vuitton claimed a Las Vegas company, Huate Diggity Dog, infringed on their trademark with its furry 
As any regular reader of this blog knows we feature a handbag every day. After all, if there is any symbol of the rise of the luxury market aimed at the masses it is the "it bag" the bag that is released and suddenly dangled off every celebrity's arm. Everyone must have it for a season or so and then, just as quickly, everyone quickly consigns it or relegates it to the back of the closet. The Fendi baguette, the Vuitton Multicolore Speedy, the Chloe Paddington and so many others have been loved and then discarded. But could all this buying be slowing down. The NY Times' Eric Wilson took on the question of whether the status bag is on the way down. 
