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Brand And Retail News: Platinum Born Taps Erlanger; Oscar Heyman Honor; Barneys’ Chapter 11; More August 14, 2019 (0 comments)
Platinum Born Taps Celebrity Stylist Micaela Erlanger As Brand Ambassador
New York, NY—Preeminent celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger, left, has been tapped as an official brand ambassador for Platinum Born, the platinum fashion jewelry brand exclusively distributed in the United States by Suna Bros.
In her new role, Erlanger will highlight platinum as her preferred metal for jewelry. The campaign launched with Erlanger curating “Micaela’s Style Selects” from Platinum Born, and will continue with her making a personal appearance to further showcase what she admires most about platinum jewelry in fashion, as well as on the red carpet on a personal and professional styling level.
“My love of platinum jewelry began years ago when my grandmother first introduced me to the metal,” says Erlanger. “I style my celebrity clients with platinum jewelry for events because the metal is chic yet durable. So, I am looking forward to offering my suggestions on how to wear platinum jewelry to create every day fashionable moments whether going out with friends or making a red-carpet debut.”
“Micaela Erlanger IS Platinum Born. Her innate sense of fashion and intuitive styling savvy resonate with consumers,” explained Aron Suna, president of Suna Bros. “She will really help generate exposure for the brand.”
The Hollywood Reporter named Erlanger to its “Most Powerful Stylist” list, a position Erlanger has sustained for five years. Among her high-profile clients are Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyong’o, Michelle Dockery, Diane Kruger, and Shailene Woodley, to name just a few. The Accessories Council honored Erlanger with its 2018 Style Influencer Award and, in 2016, Marie Claire magazine awarded her with its Image Maker Award.
Oscar Heyman Honored At Spectrum Awards
New York, NY—A moonstone, sapphire, and Paraiba tourmaline pendant by Oscar Heyman was awarded the Platinum Honors designation in the Business/Day Wear category of the 2019 AGTA Spectrum Awards.
Related: AGTA Names 2019 Spectrum Award Winners
The pendant was inspired by the blue button jellyfish, below, and was created for a special order. Every other tentacle moves slightly to give the piece the illusion of floating in the water. (Jellyfish image: Wikipedia)
Barneys Files Chapter 11
New York, NY—Barneys New York filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection August 5, confirming rumors the iconic luxury retailer was in trouble.
As part of the proceedings, 15 of Barneys’ 22 stores will close. On the list are prime locations in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Seattle, along with five smaller concept stores and seven Barneys Warehouse outlet stores.
Five full-line locations will remain open: two in New York City, the flagship store on Madison Avenue and its downtown Manhattan location; plus Beverly Hills and San Francisco in California and Copley Place in Boston, MA. Two Barneys Warehouse outlets also will remain open, in Woodbury Commons in Orange County, NY, and Livermore, CA, outside San Franciso. Online orders also will be fulfilled.
CEO Daniella Vitale blamed the retailer’s woes on both a challenging retail environment and a rent hike of nearly double on its Madison Avenue flagship. The retailer is looking for a buyer and has raised $75 million to support its sale process.
According to a statement, Barneys has filed motions to support operations, including paying employee wages and benefits as well as honoring customer payments and orders. Vendors, manufacturing partners, and suppliers will be paid in full on or after the filing date, the statement said. Barneys owes unsecured seven-figure sums to some major luxury brands: Celine, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Gucci and Prada.
As rumors swirled in the weeks leading up to the filing, brands and vendors across many categories began asking for merchandise back, and employees were getting nervous about both their paychecks and health benefits.
(Editor’s note: many jewelry manufacturers have learned the hard way that memo goods are often frozen once a retailer files for bankruptcy proceedings, and getting them back can be a lengthy and complicated administrative process. The takeaway lesson is twofold: one, no matter how tight your relationship with a retailer, never skip or cut corners on any memo paperwork—including photos of the piece/s—as it may be the only proof you have that the goods belong to you if inventory is seized to pay for debts; and two, when bankruptcy rumors begin, act quickly to retrieve your merchandise. You can easily replenish the goods if the rumors prove unfounded, but if they’re proven true, even with proper paperwork it can take weeks or months to get your merchandise back.)
First Batch of Sustainable ‘Salmon Gold’ Enters Tiffany, Apple Supply Chains
Washington, DC—RESOLVE, a solutions-focused NGO, in partnership with jeweler Tiffany & Co. and tech giant Apple, announces the launch of Salmon Gold, an innovative approach to sourcing gold responsibly and restoring fish habitats in Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia. Gold from the project is now in the supply chains of both Tiffany and Apple.
Environmental activitsts have long worried that gold mining will disturb salmon habitates in Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory and British Columbia.
Salmon Gold (named for its origin, not its color) targets streams and habitat impacted by historical tailings, the residue left over from old placer gold mining sites, which can prevent fish like salmon and grayling from migrating and spawning. The initial phase of Salmon Gold focused on re-mining and restoring part of Jack Wade Creek, a tributary of the Fortymile River in Alaska. RESOLVE worked with a local placer miner and government agencies to test restoration methods, process recovered gold, and establish a chain-of-custody for the first batch of Salmon Gold from the mine to manufacturers.
By producing gold that supports restoration, Salmon Gold meets the needs of manufacturing and retail companies that responsibly source minerals for their products. After the pilot phase, RESOLVE will work with partners to expand Salmon Gold’s impact and turn it into a self-sustaining social enterprise to achieve restoration and revitalization of fish habitat at scale.
“Salmon Gold is a restoration start-up,” said Stephen D'Esposito, president of RESOLVE. “The idea of local placer miners working with restoration experts to provide gold to jewelry and technology companies while also restoring habitats for salmon and grayling is unique—each of our partners brings a piece of the solution to Salmon Gold.”
“At Tiffany & Co., we are committed to safeguarding critical ecosystems, including in majestic Alaska and its precious salmon habitats, a place that we have long advocated for. Salmon Gold proves that responsible mining practices and restoration of important ecosystems can go hand in hand. We are proud to collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders to demonstrate the viability of this approach and learn from its successes,” said Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer.
“As we work to increase our use of recycled materials, we are looking for innovative approaches to source gold responsibly,” said Paula Pyers, head of Apple’s supplier responsibility program. “Our collaboration on Salmon Gold proves it is possible to protect our planet, restore ecosystems and fish habitats, and mine gold responsibly. The blockchain technology we are using with the project allows us to know exactly where the gold originated from as it works its way through our supply chain.”
At Jack Wade Creek, Salmon Gold partnered with Dean Race and his two sons, Chris and Dakota, placer miners and restoration entrepreneurs. “This part of Alaska is pretty special,” Dean Race said. "We believe that if you disturb the land you should put it back the way it was or better. We are part of Salmon Gold because we want our gold and our restoration to make a difference, and we want to fish for grayling in these streams.”
“We want to show that responsible placer gold mining and good habitat restoration can be aligned in the Yukon. Our Sulphur Creek project is the first Canadian pilot,” said Peter Wright, a placer miner and Salmon Gold partner.
Gold nuggests from Jack Wade Creek. Salmon Gold is named for its environmental sensitivity, not its color.
Tiffany Targets India For Expansion
Mumbai, India—Tiffany & Co. is eyeing the lucrative Indian market, banking on consumers that want jewelry of western design, rather than the traditional heavy gold-and-gem ornamentation of traditional Indian jewelry.
The jeweler is planning to form a joint venture with a retail unit of billionaire Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd., to open stores in Delhi and Mumbai by 2020, according to a report on Bloomberg.com.
Related: Tiffany Sales Drop on Weak Tourism
The announcement comes after the jeweler said U.S. sales to Chinese tourists—a key part of its business—fell more than 25% last quarter. Trade tensions between the United States and China are to blame. In India, however, sales of gold and diamond jewelry are predicted to grow as much as 7% annually for the next three to five years, said Colin Shah, vice chairman of India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council.