LVMH puts capital into Gabriela Hearst, while stylist Kevin Carrigan leaves Ralph Lauren (to go back to Calvin Klein?). The fashion world is in agitation, not just on the catwalks but also behind the scene. LVMH Luxury Ventures, the fund created to assist young and promising brands, has acquired a minority percentage of Gabriela Hearst, brand of the Uruguayan stylist by the same name, based in New York and launched in 2015. The investment of the French conglomerate will allow the brand to develop all over the world. The news has an impact on Italy, where the brand manufactures most of its collection, clothing, footwear and accessories (the manufacturing country isn’t specified for the brand’s handbags). This is the third investment by Luxury Ventures, managed by Julie Bercovy, after the ones in French beauty brand Universelle Buly and the sneaker specialist Stadium Goods, later bought by Farfetch. Kevin Carrigan, on the other hand, has left its vice-president position with Ralph Lauren, and the creative director position for the Lauren and Chaps brands. The stylist had worked with Calvin Klein for 18 years, and under its management, the CK line, the most popular and accessible line, that he had followed personally, had reached record sales. Then Raf Simons came and he dismantled the old team, Carrigan included, to substitute it with two people close to him. Now, with Simons leaving the brand, the natural thought is that Carrigan will return to Calvin Klein: in fact, the rumors all go in this direction.
LVMH buys a percentage of Gabriela Hearst, while Kevin Carrigan leaves Ralph Lauren
