The Shophound

T-Shirt Report: Gap Goes Gallery For Artists' Tees On Fifth

You can never have too many t-shirts, or at least that's what The Shophound tells ourself when we are cramming yet another one on the closet shelf. If you happen to find that your t-shirt shelf is looking a little anemic, it is important to differentiate between the cool (UNIQLO, James Perse, Trovata) and the revolting (Ed Hardy and anything else associated with Christian Audigier). It's not always simple, but the GAP —no strangers to the T-shirt— have made it easy for you shoppers. This month they have launched a the latest in a series of artists-designed T-shirts in conjunction with the (PRODUCT) Red program which fall decidedly on the cool side of the fence.
To promote this newest group of tees, Gap has transformed its Fifth Avenue concept space into a gallery featuring 10 original artworks along with the $28 shirts. The gallery will be open until August 10^th, and the shirts will be available at Gap stores and at Gap.com as well as at The Whitney Museum of American Art which will carry selected styles through August 30^th
As part of the (PRODUCT) RED program, 50% of the profits from the t-shirts will be donated to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa.
GAP Concept Store, 680 Fifth Avenue between 53^rd & 54^th Streets, through August 10^th, Midtown

More information about the participating artists after the jump

GAP to Stiff U.S. on (PRODUCT) RED Exclusives. Again.

This Monday, the Gap will introduce a series of limited edition items in conjunction with the (PRODUCT) RED program to commemorate World AIDS Day and benefit The Global Fund.
But not here.
Like so many of their more interesting initiatives, Gap Inc. is limiting this special range of merchandise to four stores, Gap flagships in London and Paris and the boutiques Colette in Paris and Comme des Garçons' Dover Street Market in London.
But nowhere in the U.S.
No wonder they are having such problems.
Unlike their heavily promoted Roland Mouret collaboration last year, no under-the-radar stateside distribution has been disclosed. While they will be releasing a holiday collection of their regular (PRODUCT) RED lines, American customers will not be given the opportunity to purchase the Stephen Jones headbands, Pierre Hardy satin shoes, Giles Deacon, Henry Holland (pictured right) and Proenza Schouler T-shirts, and special version of Mulberry's "Roxy" bag made in sweatshirt jersey (at left).
We have to admit that a certain level of designer collaboration fatigue has set in, but if H&M has shown us anything, it's that these programs can still whip customers into a rabid frenzy, most importantly getting them into the stores.
But not here.
We wouldn't want that kind of excitement here in the U.S.
Gap Joins With (Product) Red Initiative (WWD)

Converse Meets Common for (PRODUCT)RED

Converse is joining the (PRODUCT)RED bandwagon with a collaboration with Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., better known as rapper Common. The socially conscious Grammy-winning recording artist and actor, last seen in Gap's holiday ad campaign, says,

I have always felt my purpose is to do for people. Converse and (PRODUCT) RED are about people -- educating and reaching out to people to help humanity. I do this through my music, activism and with people I come into contact with everyday. For me, Converse (PRODUCT) RED allows me to help affect change and have an immediate impact on people. Knowing the contributions from this initiative help people who need it makes it incredible because there's no such thing as small change.

The Converse (PRODUCT) RED Weapon will be available for $75 this fall, and like other products in the program will benefit The Global Fund. A low-top version called the Weapon Ox will also be available as well as participating versions of the brand's iconic Chuck Taylor All Star shoe called"Combat Boot" and "Conscience REQUI(RED)" Chuck Taylor All Star Ox. Hopefully they will resist the urge to make absolutely everything in red. As much as we like the whole (PRODUCT)RED concept, there's only so much red stuff a person needs, and we would like to see this stuff sell. The (PRODUCT)RED sale racks we saw at the Gap last week were not an encouraging sign, but Converse has begun offering the "Make Mine Red" program as part of the initiative allowing customers to design their own Chuck Taylors.

Fashion News: Richie Gives Rachel the Boot

Us Magazine, that paragon of reliable information, has reported that überstylist Rachel Zoe has been given the heave-ho by her top client Nicole Richie. Zoe has taken flak lately for rumors that she pressures her clients to stay reed-thin by any means necessary. Her rise to fame coincided with Richie's startling transformation from pudgy, dumpy mess to svelte glamorpuss. The now ubiquitous stylist was given much of the credit for Nicole's makeover as well as for influencing the look of young Hollywood, and Us suggests that she has been undermining Richie's efforts to stabilize her weight at a healthier level. Good thing she has that side gig designing, what else, purses for Leiber.
Richie Fires Stylist Rachel Zoe (US)

Mark your calendars. If you aren't completely tapped out by the recent rash of High/Low designer collaboration frenzy, Elle reports that the super exclusive (New York only) launch of Roland Mouret's 19RM for Gap will arrive on December 1. That's in one week. As part of Gap's (PRODUCT)RED pogram, benefitting The Global Fund, the mini-launch appropriately coincides with World AIDS Day.
So, buy a dress, save some lives. Everybody wins.
Style Essential: Roland Mouret/Gap Collaboration (Elle)

And speaking of Designer/Mass collaborations, the very latest to be announced is Lela Rose and Payless, who has had a happy response to its team-up with designer Laura Poretzky's Abaeté label. The line will be available for Fall 2007, and will be unveiled on the runway at Bryant Park with her luxury ready-to-wear this February.
Lela Rose for Less: (The Daily)

And if that's not enough, omnipresent DJ Trio The Misshapes, Greg Krelenstein, Leigh Lezark and Geordon Nicol have announced that they are this close to signing with a major company to produce a collection of their own. Nicol tells WWD that the deal will be similar to Madonna's H&M agreement, but not necessarily with that particular company, which means we will only be seeing more and more of them.
Fashion Scoops: Shaping Up (WWD)

Fashion News: Roland Mouret Sparks Frenzy at U.K. Gap • 'Toos Flies the 17 Coop

Roland Mouret's special dress collection for Gap Europe was unveiled yesterday to pandemonium and instantaneous sellout. British women trampled each other to get ahold of the special offering from the up and coming but hardly superstar-level designer. The appetite for designer collaborations with mass retailers seems to know no bounds, so we may have to brace ourselves for mini-riots tomorrow morning when H&M unveils the fruits of its "marriage" with the talented but relatively obscure Viktor & Rolf. We've also got Sophia Kokosalaki for Nine West, Behnaz Sarafpour for Target and Abaeté for Payless available right now. Have Bergdorf's and Barneys been rendered obsolete?

Gap Riot (Vogue UK)
previously: Roland Mouret for Gap Coming to NYC

Atoosa Rubenstein, editor of Seventeen and perennial Gawker  punching bag has abruptly left her post. She is said to be pursuing multimedia ventures including a teen-centered website, a book deal and, naturally, a consulting business. The real question is whether she will be asked back to repeat her cloying appearances on America's Next Top Model without her magazine to back her up.

Seventeen Editor Quits to Start Own Projects (NY Post)
Gawker EXCLUSIVE: Lots of People Talking About Atoosa Rubenstein's Exit from 'Seventeen' (Gawker)

UPDATE: WWD's post mortem on Rubenstein's departure is worth reading. The message? Don't let the door hit you on your way out 'Toos! This was one widely disliked lady. Had she hung on, she probably could have reached Wintour-like levels of enmity.

Memo Pad: 'Toos' Vamoose... Style Watch (WWD)

Accessories firm Kate Spade has been officially snapped up by Liz Claiborne Inc. for $125 million. Neiman Marcus Group has had Spade on the block for a while now, and Claiborne will now be able to work a little of the same magic they have applied to contemporary brands like Juicy Couture. Only last week, Kate and Andy Spade exercised their option to sell their 44% share of the company to NMG for $59 million, and are contracted to stay with the brand through the middle of next year. Kate Spade grew rapidly through the 90's, but has struggled lately amid a hyper competitive handbag market, rampant counterfeiting and attempts to move their product further upscale that have had mixed results. Expect a more focused direction and new product extensions. They don't mess around at Liz Claiborne.

Roland Mouret for Gap Coming to NYC

Not to be outdone by Viktor & Rolf for H&M and UNIQLO's  opening extravaganza next week, Gap is bringing us Roland Mouret as its November Surprise. Originally slated only for Europe, Mouret's special collection (pictured at left) for Gap will be made available in a select number if Gap stores in New York City. It mark's Gap's first foray into the red-hot designer collaboration craze, and will launch on November 7 in Europe, but will make it's way to New York later in the month. No specific date has been announced as the collection is officially part of Gap Europe, and won't be widely available in the U.S. The assortment consists of 10 dresses, and if the preview is any indication, it is a casual departure from the retro-hourglass silhouette that has graced Scarlett Johansson and Demi Moore and made Mouret a designer to watch. He told WWD, "It's definitely not a diffusion of what I've been doing, but I have revisited a lot of the details I have done in the past, like the folded sleeve." He added, "We had all the girls at Gap here test all the designs out. Our feeling [is]. if they love them, everyone is going to." As an added bonus, it will be part of the (PRODUCT) RED program benefiting The Global Fund. It is the first project under the 19RM brand formed by Mouret and American Idol producer Simon Fuller, and Mouret's first work since leaving his eponymous label. The Shophound will keep our eyes out to let you know the moment it hits the floor.

Gap Goes Fast-Fashion: Mouret Latest Designer to Dabble in Mass (WWD)

Fashion News: Schiffer Weighs In, Ralph Goes Even More Nautical and more...

Claudia Schiffer has offered her 2 cents on the raging controversey concerning today's runway models' weight, or lack thereof. "It doesn't really look good any more," the 90's icon says. "Models have always been thin. But today, they are even thinner, which is unbelievable. I was one of the fattest when I started. Ever since I started having children, I can eat whatever I want. I eat chocolate almost every day and drink whole milk so that I don't lose any more [weight]. When media started writing that I looked too thin and ill, I went to the doctor. He said I was healthy. Fashion looks good on thin models, but when you look at today's models you cannot help but think there is some thing wrong."
Great.
We're sure everybody feels a whole lot better now.
(Vogue UK)

Is Kate Spade finally to be sold? The 13-year old accessories firm has been on the block for, well, it seems like forever, but sources say that multi-brand mammoth Liz Claiborne Inc. is close to a deal that would allow it to purchase the company from Kate & Andy Spade and majority owner Neiman Marcus Group, who has been divesting its non-core assets like Spade and cosmetics brand Laura Mercier. Is Liz the backer to return Spade to her heyday of only a few years ago? The brand has felt the pressure of a hypercompetetive accessories market and massive counterfeiting, and critics have complained that creatively, the collection has lost focus, but Claiborne has been known to invest, so if the deal goes through, expect a revitalized Kate Spade coming to a mall near you. (WWD)

Ralph Lauren is not content to be the official wardrobe of the Hamptons. He is in negotiations to purchase East Hampton Point, 5 acres of Long Island waterfront with a marina, dining and lodging facilities that he plans to convert into an exclusive club. Should go perfectly with the nautical collection he reintroduces every other spring.
Hey, at least he's consistent.
(Page Six via Curbed)

Giorgio Armani's contribution to (PRODUCT)RED will include a collaboration with contemporary African artist Owusu-Ankomah for a variety of items. Symbols by the artist signifying Flight, Erotic Balance, and Harmony will be featured on t-shirts and other pieces. The Emporio Armani items will be available in a few months, and 40% of profits will go directly to The Global Fund.
(The Daily)

And lastly, on Friday the fashion world bid adieu to Princess Irene Galitzine.
Who, you might ask? While her heyday was at least some 30 years ago, the Russian-born couturière did a lot to raise the profile of the Alta Moda, Rome's answer to the Haute Couture of Paris. Tiring of seeing her Pucci outfits coming and going, she started her own house and famously dressed Jackie Kennedy and a Cleopatra-era Elizabeth Taylor among others. Her own best model, she may be most remembered (or blamed) for giving the world Palazzo Pants.

(NYTimes)

Why Retailers Love Oprah

There's a big reason why every retailer in America loves Oprah. Yesterday she welcomed Bono to her show to launch (PRODUCT)RED, and promptly took him on a shopping trip on Michigan Avenue visiting The Gap, Emporio Armani and a Motorola shop. And's what's so great about it? If Oprah likes something she will buy at least two of it ("You know, one for here, one for L.A...) and more likely ten, as in "I'll take ten sunglasses,""Do you have ten iPods?""Can I get ten of these t-shirts? Three smalls, the rest large." Ah, wealth....

Midtown Mass Update:(PRODUCT)RED Debuts • UNIQLO Marches on to Rockefeller Center

Gap has launched their (PRODUCT)RED collection today, and while it looks like the merchandise is still being delivered, it looks pretty good. It will only be found at selected Gap stores, and at the Fifth Avenue Gap flagship, The Shophound saw plenty of clever logo T-shirts, a clever selvage denim tote, lots of sweatshirts, and a little leather bracelet, an opening item at $10. They had just put out "Individuals", a collection of celebrity portraits from their advertising campaigns which at $35 is a must-buy for photography buffs containing great shots from Herb Ritts, Mario Testino, Albert Watson and pretty much every celebrated photographer of the last 20 plus a bonus CD of some of the better songs from their TV ads. The goods are casual and Gap-like, with subtle red stitching to identify their affiliation to the (RED) program.

More after the jump

Bono To Launch (PRODUCT)RED on Oprah

Okay, we don't watch Oprah every day, but we will be tuning in on Friday the 13th to see Bono launch his (PRODUCT)RED project with Gap, Motorola, Armani and others. The special merchandise benefits The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, but rather than typical one-off charity items, this program is designed to be profitable for both the retailer and the charity thus creating a sustainable flow of funds.
We're intrigued.
We like this idea.