Image courtesy of westelm.com
Mara Hoffman is shutting down her eponymous sustainable fashion brand. Hoffman launched her namesake brand in 2004 and acquired a sustainable celebrity following that included Beyoncé, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Miranda Kerr, Paris Hilton, and more.
In a recent interview for Vogue, Hoffman expressed her gratitude to the fashion industry for being a part of industry for over 20 years. “I am deeply humbled to have been given the gift to play a role that allows me to create beauty and then have it live in the world in such a meaningful way,” Hoffman said. “To have the privilege to work with and for women and to be able to have some level of impact on their lives, even in small or subtle ways. This has given me such purpose and joy and I know in my heart, this is what I am here to do in this life. It has been an honor to step into a position of responsibility, to become an example of change in this industry, and show the potential for new systems that are more loving, Earth centered, and kinder. I will forever remain an advocate and supporter of the tireless work being done by the exceptional people working in this space. The ones fighting for a new version.”
Closing the label “is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life … I didn’t want other people’s ideas of solutions and how they thought it could be fixed or where I could have done things differently.”
After graduating from Parsons in 1999, Hoffman launched her brand a few years later, making sustainability the core focus of her brand in 2014. She expanded her brand to include large sizes in 2018 and opened her first store in 2022.
“There are not many companies that have successfully done this for as long of a period as we have. And the reality is that the demands that are on a small company financially make it almost impossible to be privately held and run after a certain point.”
Image courtesy of wallpapermagazine.com
Timothée’s new job
Timothée Chalamet has a new job. Chanel has assigned Chalamet his first campaign with its fragrance Bleu de Chanel as its new brand ambassador.
For Chalamet’s first campaign with Bleu de Chanel, Chanel has chosen Martin Scorsese to direct the short film. This short film follows Chalamet throughout his day, from Chalamet waking up in Soho to his appearance on a late-night talk show.
This long-awaited short film was shot last spring in New York City. “We were in Queens at four in the morning and he was bounding up the subway stairs. It should’ve to me sooner that I try to find something to work on with him. Yes, it’s a perfume ad, but for me it was an opportunity for an enormous education,” explained Chalamet in a November 2023 GQ article.
Chalamet did not want the short film to resemble an ad for a product. The short film reflects the actor’s conflict with his celebrity status and staying true to himself. And he felt Scorsese was the perfect director to bring that reflection to film.
“I have some friends that aren’t as interested in the high-fashion space, but when I tell them I’m doing a short film with Martin Scorsese in New York, their ears prick up. He lives and breathes moviemaking. The conversations we’ve had over Zoom have been super enthused. For him, it’s like hitting the treadmill.”
Image courtesy of newyorktimes.com
Bye, bye Bruce
Bruce Nordstorm, heir to one of the largest American retail stores, has died. Nordstrom helped transform the family business from a regional footwear store to a large American retail empire.
In 1963, Bruce Nordstrom began to run the company his grandfather founded, presiding over the regional chain of shoe stores. Nordstrom transformed the company by fostering customer loyalty in a friendly environment. He added live music played on a baby grand piano instead of the typical generic music piped in over speakers. He also made changing rooms larger and added more sales associates so that customers’ needs were always met.
“All retailers in America have awakened to the Nordstrom threat and are struggling to catch up,” said Leonard Lauder, who headed cosmetics maker Estée Lauder Cos., according to a 1989 New York Times article, as reported in fashionnetwork.com. “Nordstrom is the future of retailing.”
In 2006 when Bruce Nordstrom retired the department store, Nordstrom had $8.6 billion in revenue generated by full-line stores and Nordstrom Rack discount sites. In the company’s most recent fiscal year, it recorded sales of almost $15 billion.
Bruce Nordstrom is survived by his three children, Peter, Erik, and Blake.
—William S. Gooch
