Danish menswear brand Les Deux is having a busy autumn on the store front. The brand has recently opened its first store outside Scandinavia in the Parisian Marais district and now it’s also available in London’s Selfridges.
Les Deux
To celebrate its launch in the store, Les Deux has wrapped the retailer’s famous DeLorean DMC-12 car (that’s a star feature of the menswear floor) in a bespoke foil design featuring a film-strip motif inspired by the brand’s Winter 2025 campaign, which draws from classic 1990s sitcoms.
In the boot, a miniature brand universe includes VHS tapes labelled with recent milestones and a vintage camera. The installation will be on display until mid-December.
The company has been growing fast with 225% turnover growth so far this year (on the back of 13 consecutive years of revenue growth) and is already available in 42 UK doors, up from 24 last summer.
The brand is also stocked by a number of other big UK names such as Harvey Nichols (where it’s in all its UK branches as well as its Doha location), The Hambledon, Michael Chell, and Exceed.
And it has seen similar fast growth in the Republic of Ireland, going from zero to 12 doors there in just nine months. They include prestige names like Brown Thomas/Arnotts and Avoca.
Les Deux
It’s an impressive British Isles growth story for a label that only took on its first permanent UK employee in September.
And the growth won’t be slowing down any time soon with plans for a Shoreditch showroom opening in Q1 next year.
Chief commercial officer Morten Kristiansen said: “There’s so much energy around the brand right now, and that’s especially visible in the UK, where partners like Selfridges are helping set the pace for what comes next.”
The “preppy and sporty” label was only founded in 2011 “when two guys from different worlds became friends. What began as a few mates working out of a basement has evolved into a thriving international community, all driven by the teamwork, ambition and spirit that shaped the brand from day one”.
Clearly the UK and Ireland are seen as important markets for the brand. But combined with the recent Paris opening, it’s obvious that the company has much wider international ambitions. It’s already available in over 1,000 retail destinations across four continents, with key partners also including Bloomingdale’s, KaDeWe, Nordstrom, De Bijenkorf, Galeries Lafayette, and La Rinascente.
The demerger of Unilever‘s ice cream division, to be named ‘The Magnum Ice Cream Company,’ which had been delayed in recent months by the US government shutdown, will finally go ahead on Saturday, the British group announced.
Reuters
Unilever said in a statement on Friday that the admission of the new entity’s shares to listing and trading in Amsterdam, London, and New York, as well as the commencement of trading… is expected to take place on Monday, December 8.
The longest federal government shutdown in US history, from October 1 to November 12, fully or partially affected many parts of the federal government, including the securities regulator, after weeks without an agreement between Donald Trump‘s Republicans and the Democratic opposition.
Unilever, which had previously aimed to complete the demerger by mid-November, warned in October that the US securities regulator (SEC) was “not in a position to declare effective” the registration of the new company’s shares. However, the group said it was “determined to implement in 2025” the separation of a division that also includes the Ben & Jerry’s and Cornetto brands, and which will have its primary listing in Amsterdam.
“The registration statement” for the shares in the US “became effective on Thursday, December 4,” Unilever said in its statement. Known for Dove soaps, Axe deodorants and Knorr soups, the group reported a slight decline in third-quarter sales at the end of October, but beat market expectations.
Under pressure from investors, including the activist fund Trian of US billionaire Nelson Peltz, to improve performance, the group last year unveiled a strategic plan to focus on 30 power brands. It then announced the demerger of its ice cream division and, to boost margins, launched a cost-saving plan involving 7,500 job cuts, nearly 6% of the workforce. Unilever’s shares on the London Stock Exchange were steady on Friday shortly after the market opened, at 4,429 pence.
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Burberry has named a new chief operating and supply chain officer as well as a new chief customer officer. They’re both key roles at the recovering luxury giant and both are being promoted from within.
Matteo Calonaci becomes chief operating and supply chain officer, moving from his role as senior vice-president of strategy and transformation at the firm.
In his new role, he’ll be oversee supply chain and planning, strategy and transformation, and data and analytics. He succeeds Klaus Bierbrauer, who’s currently Burberry supply chain and industrial officer. Bierbrauer will be leaving the company following its winter show and a transition period.
Matteo Calonaci – Burberry
Meanwhile, Johnattan Leon steps up as chief customer officer. He’s currently currently Burberry’s senior vice-president of commercial and chief of staff. In his new role he’ll be leading Burberry’s customer, client engagement, customer service and retail excellence teams, while also overseeing its digital, outlet and commercial operations.
Both Calonaci and Leon will join the executive committee, reporting to Company CEO Joshua Schulman.
JohnattanLeon – Burberry
Schulman said of the two execs that the appointments “reflect the exceptional talent and leadership we have at Burberry. Both Matteo and Johnattan have been instrumental in strengthening our focus on executional excellence and elevating our customer experience. Their deep understanding of our business, our people, and our customers gives me full confidence that their leadership will help drive [our strategy] Burberry Forward”.
Traditional and occasion wear designer Puneet Gupta has stepped into the world of fine jewellery with the launch of ‘Deco Luméaura,’ a collection designed to blend heritage and contemporary aesthetics while taking inspiration from the dramatic landscapes of Ladakh.
Hints of Ladakh’s heritage can be seen in this sculptural evening bag – Puneet Gupta
“For me, Deco Luméaura is an exploration of transformation- of material, of story, of self,” said Puneet Gupta in a press release. “True luxury isn’t perfect; it is intentional. Every piece is crafted to be lived with and passed on.”
The jewellery collection features cocktail rings, bangles, chokers, necklaces, and statement evening bags made in recycled brass and finished with 24 carat gold. The stones used have been kept natural to highlight their imperfect and unique forms and each piece in the collection has been hammered, polished, and engraved by hand.
An eclectic mix of jewels from the collection – Puneet Gupta
Designed to function as wearable art pieces, the colourful jewellery echoes the geometry of Art Deco while incorporating distinctly South Asian imagery such as camels, butterflies, and tassels. Gupta divides his time between his stores in Hyderabad and Delhi and aims to bring Indian artistry to a global audience while crafting a dialogue between designer and artisan.