BVLGARI
The Italian luxury jewelry brand Bulgari, under the LVMH Group, announced the appointment of Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou as its first Creative Director for leather goods and accessories. In her new role, she will lead the design of products including handbags and haute joaillerie clutches.
Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, stated in a press release, “Mary Katrantzou shares not only the Greek heritage with Bulgari (the founder of Bulgari hails from Greece) but most importantly, she pursues excellence in material selection and transformation, with a special emphasis on craftsmanship and a profound love for color.”
Born in Greece, Mary Katrantzou studied at the Central Saint Martins in London. In 2019, she collaborated with Bulgari for the first time, participating in the Spring/Summer 2020 haute couture show held at the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, Greece. In 2021, Katrantzou contributed to Bulgari’s “Serpenti Through the Eyes Of” accessories collection, reinterpreting the brand’s bestselling Serpenti Forever bag in a new way inspired by the brand’s archives. In 2023, Bulgari launched a new capsule collection featuring the Serpenti Forever bag with embroidery patterns inspired by the brand’s fine jewelry and watch collections. It is reported that Mary Katrantzou’s first leather goods and accessories collection for Bulgari will be available in stores starting August this year.
Tod’s Group
After the market closed on March 28, Italian luxury footwear manufacturer Tod‘s Group submitted a list of nine candidates for its next board of directors. The document revealed that the name of former board member and famous Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni was no longer included.
Chiara Ferragni joined the Tod’s board in April 2021. According to Forbes, Chiara Ferragni’s business empire generates an annual revenue of about $8 million, including her personal brand and lucrative endorsement deals with top brands.
Chiara Ferragni
However, Chiara Ferragni was previously under investigation for alleged fraud related to endorsement deals, but she denied any wrongdoing. In December last year, Chiara Ferragni was also investigated for a “Pandoro” cake fundraising event for children’s hospitals in 2022. The Italian competition authority found that the cake manufacturer paid a fixed amount of 50,000 euros to the hospital months before the cake was launched, while Chiara Ferragni’s company made over 1 million euros without any donations. As a result, two of Chiara Ferragni’s companies were fined approximately 1.4 million euros by the regulatory authority, and Milan investigators are examining allegations of fraud, with her other endorsement deals under strict scrutiny.
However, there is no indication that Chiara Ferragni’s departure is related to her recent reputation crisis. Besides Chiara Ferragni, the names of former Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and Luigi Abete were also not included. Tod’s Group emphasized in another statement that “not just Chiara Ferragni, but all members of Tod’s SpA’s board of directors’ (three-year) terms had naturally expired (on December 31 last year).”
Additionally, Maria D’Agata, who has been the general counsel of cosmetics manufacturing giant Intercos Group since 2014, is among the new names added to the list. Tod’s major shareholder Di.Vi Finanziaria stated that shareholders will vote on these candidates at the shareholders’ meeting on April 24.
In February this year, Tod’s Group announced plans to delist from the Milan Stock Exchange and go private in accordance with an agreement with the private equity fund L Catterton, supported by the French luxury group LVMH.
Capella Sanya
On March 26, Capella Sanya announced the appointment of Christophe Olivro as the new General Manager, responsible for the resort’s operations management, marketing, and strategic development.
Christophe Olivro, from Caen, France, has thirty years of experience in the luxury hotel industry, successfully managing operations and preparations for the opening of several luxury hotels in the United States, the Philippines, and Shanghai, China. He excels at implementing brand macro strategies into specific quality service standards. Before joining Capella Sanya, Christophe Olivro also served as the Regional Director for Aman Group in China and General Manager of Amanyangyun in Shanghai.
| Source: Official websites and LinkedIn profiles of the brands/groups, individual LinkedIn profiles and Instagram of executives, Fashion Dive, Agence France-Presse, Forbes, Barrons, Ansa
| Image Credit: Official websites and LinkedIn profiles of the brands/groups, individual LinkedIn profiles and Instagram of executives
| Editor: Liu Jun
