At the Cucinelli’s home, sisters are doing it for themselves. At least when it comes to the brand’s latest leather goods offering, the BC Duo bag. While officially launching earlier this month, the bag was officially celebrated in Milan last week.
The Manhattan stop is one of three events globally to build excitement for the handbag, which is the first time sisters Camilla and Caroline Cucinelli had entirely conceived and executed a design that addressed the needs of today’s busy women themselves.
FashionNetwork.com was on hand for the celebration that Carolina hosted.
With Camilla back in Italy working on the next collection, the younger Cucinelli sibling was tasked with hosting the affair, which could described as about as chic as an intro that tanned hide might typically receive in NYC.
Transforming an event space on West 8th street, the brand set up the trapezoidal-shaped bag—which derives its name from the notion of contemporary design and artisanal craftsmanship mixed with the parallel construction and the duo that created it—on geometric wood podiums and swathed the room in shades of brown and tan carpeting and drapes to drive home the idea.
Vanessa Fuchs and Charly Sturm – Courtesy
While guests and friends such as Margherita Missoni, Derek Blasberg, Kristina O’Neill, and New York VIPs such as Phillipa Soo, ballerina Isabella Boylston, Charly Sturm, Ivy Getty, and Antoni Porowski listened to the DJ-violin stylings of Mia Moretti and Margot of the Dolls, posed for hand-painted portraits and posed with bags, Carolina demonstrated the versatility of the bad, carrying a mini version in black and worn with a sheer embellished black top with a bralette and pants while describing the bags genesis.
“We wanted a bag to represent the dynamic women who wear our ready-to-wear designs; our bag needs to be handy, lightweight, and useful daily, but with a special touch. It’s the perfect bag for a very busy woman,” Carolina said.
Margot and Mia Moretti – Courtesy
Co-creative directors, vice presidents, and sisters, Camilla and Carolina Cucinelli oversee the women’s offerings alongside their father and company CEO, Brunello. Teaming up at work has been beneficial for the female siblings, who work in a male-dominated business.
“We are women in a masculine business. Having a friend and sister who can help you daily is significant. Also, we have the same vision, exchange ideas daily, share the same friends, and live the same life, which is a plus every day. To see our company move into the future together in the same place is a super value,” said Carolina.
Phillipa Soo – Courtesy
While Carolina’s trip is brief, she will have time to visit the brand’s retail space in the Big Apple, which includes a boutique in Soho, in the Meatpacking District, on Madison Avenue and its hyper-exclusive Casa Cucinelli in Midtown, before heading back home.
After that, the bag will appear in Shanghai, where the brand recently opened a store, signaling a prospective growth trajectory there.
The BC Duo bag perfectly sums up the brand and vision.
Perhaps Camilla put it best in an earlier interview. “The BC Duo looks to the future, injects our creative vision, and is dedicated to the next generation with the same principal brand values—sartorial, handmade, and pure craftsmanship.”
Swedish fintech Klarna has paused its plans for a U.S. initial public offering as President Donald Trump‘s sweeping tariffs rattle global markets, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Reuters
The decision would complicate an uneven recovery for the U.S. IPO market, as the company’s listing was seen as a potential catalyst for encouraging others to follow.
Klarna could reassess its plans if market conditions stabilize, the people said.
While hopes of a recovery were high in 2025, some of the new entrants to the IPO market have seen muted receptions.
LNG exporter Venture Global’s shares have dropped since its January debut. AI infrastructure firm CoreWeave’s shares dipped on their first day of trading, but have climbed since then.
Fears of a trade war have crushed stocks after Trump unveiled the sweeping tariffs plan this week that could weigh on the global economy.
“This kind of market instability naturally makes any company, regardless of sector, hit the brakes on near-term IPO plans,” said Lukas Muehlbauer, research analyst at IPOX.
Klarna was aiming to raise more than $1 billion at a valuation exceeding $15 billion, according to media reports.
It had 93 million active customers on its platform and operations in 26 countries as of 2024 end, according to its IPO filing.
The company had soared to a valuation of $45.6 billion in 2021, but that has tempered since as the pandemic-driven surge in online spending moderated.
Klarna did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the plans, said the company had decided to postpone marketing its shares, originally scheduled for this week.
Meanwhile, U.S. stocks fell sharply for a second straight session on Friday, pushing the Nasdaq toward a bear market.
Shares in companies that have large manufacturing operations in Vietnam, including Nike Inc. and Lululemon Athletica Inc., soared Friday
Nike
Nike shares erased an earlier loss to gain as much as 5.9%, while On Holding AG and Skechers USA Inc. also rose more than 6% each. Lululemon Athletica shares meanwhile jumped 3.9%. Wayfair Inc. was briefly halted for volatility after erasing a 19% decline to jump as much as 6.4%.
Trump said on social media that he spoke to To Lam and Vietnam wants to “cut their tariffs down to zero.” The president unveiled a levy of 46% on goods imported from Vietnam, effective April 9. Apparel and shoemakers had shifted manufacturing to the southeast Asia country in recent years after Trump hit China will levies during his first term.
About half of all Nike brand shoes and 39% of Adidas shoes are made in Vietnam, according to regulatory filings, with the country being the largest supplier of footwear for both companies. Nike has already said it expects its gross margin to decline sharply this quarter, in part due to US tariffs on products from China and Mexico.
Nike shares are still down more than 20% on the year, while Lululemon is off more than 30%.
Zara owner Inditex believes it will have opportunities to grow in the United States where it plans to open more stores, despite trade tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, Chief Executive Officer Oscar Garcia Maceiras said on Friday.
Zara
Garcia Maceiras said the company has not seen any drastic consumption changes in any of its key markets lately.
The United States is Inditex’s second-biggest market.