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 Lauren Invasion What's behind Ralph's move into Europe?
07/29/2002
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TIME for Fashion The art — and business — of fashion
04/2002
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Clothes
That Say It All
Europe's first intelligent garments aren't cheap Jan.
7, 2001
Battle
of the Boring
Haute couture's old guard holds sway. Who cares? Jul.
23, 2001
Belgium's
Fashion Fete
Antwerp throws a $5 million party Jul. 2, 2001
Made
to Measure
Popular Spanish fashion group Inditex targets a new market May.
14, 2001
Putting
Sparks in Marks
British fashion brand M&S loses touch Apr. 15,
2001
Clothes
Vs. Fashion
Should it be art or commerce? Apr. 5, 2001
In
the Bag
Gucci's acquisitions create a stable of haute labels Apr.
2, 2001
With
Family Like This...
The strange tale of the Gucci dynasty Apr. 2, 2001
Born-Again
Christians
Is there room in the house of Dior for two designers? Feb.
12, 2001
Frock
Wars
If sales are an afterthought, how do you know who wins Feb.
5, 2001
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Ralph Lauren's online fashion and home design store
fashion.net
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Fashion news-wire, updated daily. Requires free registration.
The Fashion Page
Viewpoint on fashion styles, and trends, by Lynda Stretton |
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RICHARD YOUNG/REX FEATURES |
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| WORKING "IT" GIRL:
Jade Jagger, party-loving mother-of-two, divides her time between London and Ibiza and has said that she "sometimes feels like a housewife to Garrard." The debut of her first collection should put to rest any questions of lineage vs. talent
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When the new backers of London jeweler Asprey & Garrard announced last summer that they were splitting the brands into two, you could have thought they
had nothing less in mind than separating London from the rest of Britain. "We now have a crystal-clear vision of what we want to do with the company," said Lawrence Stroll, one of the investors. "To create the greatest English luxury lifestyle brand in Asprey."
As for Garrard, it would continue to serve the royal family (Garrard was appointed the crown jeweler by
Queen Victoria, and the current crown jeweler, David Thomas, still sits in the Garrard workshop), but it would attract Cool Britannia too. The backers, Canadian Stroll who grew up with Silas Chou, know something about packaging national heritage: they built up the American sportswear brand Tommy Hilfiger. For Garrard, they brought in an Italian CEO (Gianluca Brozzetti), a French strategic
partner (LVMH) and another Canadian for a bit of extra cash (Edgar Bronfman Jr.), but when it came to the brand's image they went British.
Jade Jagger, daughter of the Rolling Stones' Mick, was signed to be creative director. (Asprey got its own team.) Jagger began by doing what any party-loving "It" girl would do — she hired a bunch of her friends. There's Tamsin de Roemer, Jagger's partner from the days when she had her own line called Jade Inc., working on jewelry and clothes. Koji Tatsuno is creating couture clothes and shoes embellished with gems (real ones, like diamonds
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These symbols have always been very relevant to me and to our country and to our heritage |
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and rubies) and sewn with gold and silver thread. Omar Torres, of Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels fame, is in charge of the "for royals and the seriously rich" collection. Architect Tom Bartlett has designed homes for Jagger in Ibizia and London.
The results of their work will debut at the opening of a new Garrard store on London's Albemarle
Street this fall. "The style comes from the heritage of Garrard and from Jade, who has brought a lot of fresh air into the company," says CEO Brozzetti. The best example of that fresh air might be the way Jagger plays with the symbols of royalty — swords, crests and crowns find their place on charm bracelets or as links in a necklace. "I don't approach these symbols with irreverence," Jagger says. "I approach them with fun. These symbols have always been very relevant to me and to our country and to our heritage." Asked if she'd be designing new crowns, Jagger said no. "But I might get to make Prince William's engagement ring." — Lauren Goldstein
Photographs for TIME by TIM IMRIE. Styled by NIKIE BRODIE
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