FROM | BUSINESSWIRE | http://bit.ly/2jkMC9l

#First #Tom #Ford #Beauty Store Opens in #London

Debuting on November 20, 2017, the first TOM FORD beauty standalone store is the ultimate in luxury beauté, expressed through Tom Ford’s singular vision. Located in historic Covent Garden (3 The Market Building) this store is a pivotal moment in the evolution of the brand.

The new design of light and layered grey glass sculpture creates a visually arresting play on objects and space while highlighting his collection of makeup, skincare and fragrance for women and men. Tom Ford’s inimitable touch reverberates in every dimension of the store, beginning with the LED screens lining the façade with the latest campaigns. Halos of light and floating white marble slabs showcase the exquisite design of his products, fully immersing you in the convergence of glamour and technology for the most luxurious retail environment. A complete vision of the breadth of the world of TOM FORD BEAUTY, each room in the 130 square meter store features its own enhanced shopping experiences, equipped with various digital technologies that unite technical innovation, bespoke sculptural design and the most coveted customer services.

COLOR ROOM
Discover the latest launches, most wanted colors, and augmented reality, that allow customers to virtually try on shades from the highly coveted lip color collection.

FRAGRANCE ROOM
Enter Tom Ford’s personal scent laboratory, where the brand is transforming how consumers trial fragrance. The room features a dedicated interactive scenting installation where guests can digitally explore the unconventional scents that make up the artisanal Private Blend Collection. A dramming bar offers customized services, from luxury sampling to scent styling.

Explore the Oud and Neroli Portofino Collections, the Tom Ford for Men skincare and grooming collection and a luxury gifting station.

MAKEUP ROOM
An intimate room that offers personalized makeup services and demonstrations by a Tom Ford Beauty Specialist. For the first time, customers can record their makeup applications for use at home as a personalized how-to, sent with a shopping list of products used throughout the service.

PRIVATE MAKEUP SERVICES ROOM
The Private Makeup Services Room provides appointment-only services bookable online and in store, with Tom Ford Beauty Specialists. The brand offers fragrance customization and makeup services such as application, Tom Ford’s Shade and Illuminate philosophy, definitive brows, VIP masterclasses and bridal services.

There is also the opportunity to record your customized how-to for these services.

VIP/EVENT SPACE
This is the ultimate space for private cosmetic and fragrance one-to-one consultations.

 The sculptural and lighting design and digital screens create the most exclusive space to showcase the products.

GROOMING ROOM
Experience the Tom Ford for Men skincare and grooming collection in London’s most luxurious space for men. Guests can choose from a range of exclusive grooming services by an expert barber, including a Beard Trim, the Express Facial, and a classic hot towel, close-cut Wet Shave, all bookable online at tomfordbeauty.co.uk/appointments.

DE AFP / RELAXNEWS | PREMUIM BEAUTY NEWS | http://bit.ly/2hON9jr

#7-Eleven #launches #beauty brand with impulse #buys in mind

Convenience store 7-Eleven is hoping to become the next big beauty destination, thanks to the launch of its debut cosmetics line. The chain store has unveiled a brand-new 40-piece makeup collection titled ‘Simply Me Beauty,’ designed with millennial consumers in mind.

Described by the retailer as an “affordable, fashion-forward line of makeup,” the Simply Me Beauty brand covers cosmetics and accessories for the face, eyes and lips, with all items priced between US $3 and US $5. From eyeshadow palettes and highlighters to BB foundation creams and eyebrow wax, the collection is positioning itself as a catch-all beauty range for women on the go, banking on the convenience factor of shoppers being able to pick up a bronzer alongside their morning coffee. As well as the traditional mascara, lip gloss and powder compact beauty offerings, the line will also feature tools such as false eyelashes, makeup remover, nail buffers, brushes and blender sponges.

“Much of the time, makeup items like lip and eye colours are spur-of-the-moment, impulse buys,” said Joy Pico, 7-Eleven category manager, in a statement. “If the price is right, that makes it easier to justify. For a millennial working woman wanting to refresh her makeup while grabbing lunch at 7-Eleven stores, Simply Me Beauty is a welcomed offering and is priced just right for her.”

The beauty launch, which is set for the Holiday season, will see the line made available at special ‘Gorgeous on the Go’ displays established exclusively at 7-Eleven stores. The brand operates, franchises or licenses 10,900 stores across North America. 7-Eleven also has a presence in Australia, Asia and Scandinavia.

The beauty products industry is currently worth US$46 billion, and forecast to increase by 12% by 2020. Drug stores and supermarkets have 30 percent of the market, so it makes sense that 7-Eleven wants its slice of the pie, and it isn’t the only mass retailer cashing in on the potential opportunity — earlier this year the pharmacy giant Walgreens targeted younger makeup fans with the launch of a new 160-piece cosmetics collection called CYO.
In fact, a slew of new makeup lines have appeared on the scene in 2017, with everyone from online fashion retailer Asos and manicure brand Nails Inc, to Rihanna and Kim Kardashian launching own-brand beauty collections.

DE FRISTEL MILET | PREMIUM BEAUTY NEWS | http://bit.ly/2hLXpcr

#Guerlain, #luxury #cosmetics flag-bearer for #sustainable #development

Spurred on by CEO Laurent Boillot, Guerlain included sustainable development to the company’s strategy as soon as 2007. Although they had remained discreet about their approach since then, the brand has just published a third report celebrating “10 years of sustainable commitment, In the Name of Beauty”, highlighting both their achievements and ambitions for 2020. The decision to finally communicate on this resulted from a nurtured strategic commitment for the future, on all levels. Sandrine Sommer, Sustainable Development Director of the prestigious brand, detailed its content and scope for Premium Beauty News.

Premium Beauty News - In 2007, luxury and sustainable development hardly worked hand in hand. How was this initiative born? 

Sandrine Sommer - It was born from a strong-willed man, Laurent Boillot, who had just taken over Maison Guerlain. Sustainable commitment was mainly a personal belief. But beyond that, sustainable development definitely had to be an integral part of the company’s strategy to develop, pass on, and preserve Guerlain’s heritage.

Premium Beauty News - Protection of bees (they are the Maison’s emblem), biodiversity, climate, eco-design, social responsibility… your commitment is global and you have already made very concrete achievements, like the new Orchidée Impériale pack lightened by 60%. After 10 years, what are your greatest satisfactions?

Sandrine Sommer - Internal mobilization and involvement, first. From the very beginning, we implemented an efficient collaborative organization with a “sustainable development” steering committee composed of 18 people from every department in the company. For sustainable development to be a project on the level of the whole company, with a real will to change and the right structure to do it, and for our employees to be the best ambassadors, it was essential for me to have all trades involved and get one referent per department. In addition, I am very proud of having brought up to date the Abeille bottles, making them indefinitely refillable, thanks to our perfume fountains. To me, the perfumer Guerlain concept embodies sustainable luxury. And we have great ambitions to gradually deploy the concept.

Premium Beauty News - What are your objectives for 2020?

Sandrine Sommer - There are many of them, but they can be grouped into four main challenges: biodiversity preservation. We already work with sustainable sourcing players for Guerlain’s iconic raw materials. Also, we have made a lot of efforts for bee protection, in particular on Brittany’s Île d’Ouessant, and we are now developing our projects on the global level. The second challenge for us is ecodesign. It is probably one of the most complex. The idea is to make things as, or even more beautiful, while preserving the planet’s resources. We aim for 100% of our new products to be ecodesigned by 2020. Then, as far as climate is concerned, we have committed to reduce our CO2 emissions by half compared to 2007, for example by choosing maritime transport. Lastly, as regards social responsibility, definitely one of our own priorities, we support a global association dedicated to self-esteem: Look Good Feel Better. They offer women receiving cancer treatment free beauty workshops in hospitals. By 2020, we would like to be able to support them in all countries where Guerlain has settled.

Premium Beauty News - How did the transition go with your suppliers?

Sandrine Sommer - We worked together with the LVMH Perfume & Cosmetics branch to develop a responsible purchasing charter and define a number of guidelines that would help us make progress. The charter was co-set up with steering suppliers and is used as a working basis to go forward together, that was most important.

Premium Beauty News - How did you make the notions of environmental protection and luxury match?

Sandrine Sommer - They are not incompatible, there are actually matching elements between luxury and sustainable development that are almost natural, even consubstantial, in particular the notions of long periods of time, of the selection of rare and precious raw materials that require protection, or of know-how that needs to be passed on…

On the contrary, it can be difficult to communicate, because we are aware of the fact that we are not exemplary yet – no one is. It is an issue on which we have been innovating on a daily basis. Many luxury companies have been working for a long time on this, but they do not make it public that much. Guerlain has only just started, but we still want to keep humble and sincere in how we do it. It is a continuous improvement process, a long, step-by-step building process, without compromising on the quality and prestige perceived with luxury houses.

The “green” vision of sustainable development is behind us now. It is time to highlight beautiful, sustainable innovations to reconcile both. That is what the challenge involves.

Premium Beauty News - Is your public ready to hear these arguments?

Sandrine Sommer - The luxury public is getting increasingly sensitive to this. To our customers, it is just obvious, as long as you are a luxury brand, you should do things well. It is up to us to go farther and anticipate their questions and aspirations. For example, we have communicated on our rare, natural materials for long. Today, we are going further, by putting an emphasis on our commitment to protect biodiversity in light of these rare ecosystems.

We have a prescribing, training role: it is up to us to raise customer awareness.

Premium Beauty News - How are you going to communicate on this issue?

Sandrine Sommer - Every year, we organize two events at Guerlain Champs-Élysées to put forward committed men and women. These players work on Sustainable Development on a daily basis. They come to share their experiences with a concerned public, my counterparts from different companies and industries, associations, all our stakeholders… It is a different way to communicate, but we do believe in the pollination of ideas and the strength of committed networks.

DE BLOOMBERG | STYLE | http://bit.ly/2j3b5A6

#Dolce & #Gabbana are #now in the #pasta #business

In September, the iconoclastic Italian designer house Dolce & Gabbana sent a parade of food-oriented outfits down the runway at the Paris show for its Spring 2018 collection, including high-waisted, carrot-and-radish-printed pants, a ruffled dress emblazoned with cannoli, and a skirt printed with cans of tomatoes.

Turns out, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce have food on their minds these days. Specifically pasta. This fall, the duo partnered with the venerable Italian pasta maker Pastificio di Martino to produce an extremely limited edition tin of pastas along with a D&G-designed apron. Only 5,000 of the tins will be available worldwide; fewer than 1,000 of those will be available in the US

Di Martino has been in the pasta business since 1912; its product was the first pasta to cross the Panama Canal. It’s pastas are now available worldwide and account for annual revenue of more than US$163 million. In the US they’re available at Whole Foods.

The family-owned company is based in Gragnano, in Naples, a town known for the pedigree of its dried pasta. Di Martino produces more than 9,000 tons of pasta a day in 125 different shapes, made from 100 per cent Italian durum wheat (low-priced Canadian wheat has been flooding Italy’s market). Its great chewy, nonsticky texture has been lauded by such organisations as Slow Food.

Dolce & Gabbana isn’t messing around with di Martino’s pasta recipe. It has designed the packaging for a handful of pasta shapes, along with that custom-designed apron. The engaging, limited-edition pasta wrappings are made for three shapes (spaghetti, the tubular paccheri, and penne mezzani rigate). The design features old-school southern Italian figures, such as a Sophia Loren-esque brunette holding a plate of tomato-sauced pasta, interspersed with brightly coloured tiles, and the tagline, “La Famiglia, La Pasta, e L’Italia!” (Translation: “Family, Pasta and Italy!”) Although the packaging evokes southern Italy, there are illustrations of landmarks from all over the country – including the Duomo of Milan, a Venetian canal, the Colosseum, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The tins will be available in Pasta Di Martino’s stores in Naples and Bologna and at Harrods in London. (Later in 2018, downtown New York will get its own di Martino store; the company is planning a major American expansion.) In the US, the tins will be sold online starting November 15 at dimartinodolcegabbana.com and available in select stores including Buonitalia in Chelsea Market in New York. The tins retail for about US$110. (For a preview of the apron, check out Stefano Gabbana’s Instagram feed.)

This is just the first collaboration between the two independent Italian companies, according to Guiseppe di Martino, chief executive officer of the Pastifico di Martino and a fourth-generation pasta maker. “We have a two-year contract with them, but we have talked about 25,000 things, so this is just the beginning,” he says. “This is the first time ever in history that food and fashion have come together like this.” According to di Martino, his pasta will play a big part in D&G’s holiday display at Harrods.

Meanwhile, pasta has announced itself in Dolce & Gabbana campaigns for straight fashion and beauty. In its recent ad for The One fragrance, Emilia Clarke dances around, then sits down to a bowl of spaghetti. You can’t see the package, but that’s di Martino pasta that the Game of Thrones star is eating. (The pasta figures even more prominently in a video taken immediately after D&G’s Spring 2018 Milan fashion show.)

DE JENNIFER HERMES | ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER | http://bit.ly/2zKQw5e

#Clarins, #L’Oreal & Others Launch #Initiative to Improve #Beauty #Supply #Chain

Clarins, Coty, L’Oreal and Groupe Rocher have joined with EcoVadis to launch the Responsible Beauty Initiative (RBI), a group that the companies say will accelerate social and environmental performance and progress throughout the beauty supply chain. EcoVadis, a provider of supplier sustainability ratings for supply chains, is working with the companies to ensure their suppliers have sound environmental business practices in place.

The announcement comes at a time when few companies (just 15%) say they have total visibility into the environmental actions of their tier one and tier two suppliers (per an EcoVadis report published earlier this year).

RBI is meant to help companies to boost environmental responsibility in their supply chains by:

• driving a common understanding of sustainability performance across the industry
• sharing best practices and processes
• leveraging common tools to create efficiencies and benefits for suppliers

The RBI is built on a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rating platform, operated by EcoVadis, as a common foundation for supplier assessment and interaction. It will address the unique opportunities and challenges of the beauty industry global supply chains and will aim to drive the continuous improvement of sustainability practices, the companies say. The founding members will sign the charter to officially launch RBI and invite other companies and suppliers in the industry to join.

Nearly half (45%) of organizations say their sustainable procurement program covers most (75% or more) of their spend volume today, a significant jump from the 27% that reported the same in 2013, according to EcoVadis. Yet while supplier coverage has increased, depth of supply chain CSR visibility remains elusive: just 15% of organizations said they have complete supply chain visibility into the CSR and sustainability performance of both tier one and two suppliers, and only six% reported full visibility into tier three suppliers and beyond. This is the number one challenge today for sustainable procurement teams. “It is often further down in supply chains where the most significant risks lie, and the need to scale up programs to increase the depth of program visibility to the ‘long tail’ of global supply chains has never been more urgent,” the report stated.

But companies looking for sustainable sourcing nirvana are making progress: The EcoVadis/HEC study also found that organizations collecting sustainability data are actively using the intelligence to guide sourcing decisions. By making CSR data a key factor in the sourcing process, organizations are incentivizing suppliers to be more sustainable and act more responsibly across the board.

The report found that 97% of organizations place a high level of importance on sustainable procurement, continuing an upward trend seen in the last decade.

DE VIVAN CHEN | STYLE | http://bit.ly/2i4D1GO

#JD.com launches #luxury #e-commerce #platform #Toplife

Chinese online retailer flexes its muscles in the luxury sector with the launch of its new site, Toplife, rivalling Alibaba’s Luxury Pavilion.

Chinese e-commerce sites have been warring over who gets the biggest slice of the luxury sector. Following Alibaba’s launch in August of Luxury Pavilion – an e-commerce platform on its TMall shopping site dedicated to high-end, premier luxury brands the likes of Burberry, Hugo Boss and La Mer – JD.com has unveiled today its first-ever luxury online platform called Toplife. Alibaba Group is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

The site is said to be “an exclusive full-price online shopping platform” that allows brands to sell directly to consumers through a luxury e-commerce ecosystem that incorporates online stores, premium customer service, delivery and marketing, and warehousing and inventory.

“Our deep understanding of high-end consumers has enabled us to launch a luxury e-commerce ecosystem that provides a truly premium shopping experience, and helps partners tell their brand story to local consumers,” says Richard Liu, chairman and CEO of JD.com, in a statement. “Toplife aims to mirror the offline luxury shopping experience in a premium e-commerce experience.”

Toplife, a smart device application, is now available for downloading.

So far, six luxury brands including La Perla, Rimowa, B&O Play, Trussardi and Emporio Armani have joined the Toplife platform. JD.com suggested in the statement that more brands will be joining the platform, including ones that will be launching their first ever online stores in China.