Luxury e-tail exclusives: Farfetch in Claude Montana reissue, Yoox sells Sozzani wardrobe

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 12, 2019

In a luxury e-tail sector where so many identical pieces are available globally from a wide number of retailers, the allure of the limited edition and the exclusive is key to driving traffic to webstores. And two new launches underline that, with full-price e-tailer Farfetch and off-price e-tailer Yoox both unveiling a unique product offer this week.

Farfetch has linked with contemporary-vintage fashion specialist Byronesque and UK fashion designer Gareth Pugh “to deliver a collection which honours one design visionary and is executed by another.”

What that means is an 11-piece womenswear capsule collection paying homage to French designer Claude Montana, re-issued by Byronesque with Gareth Pugh as design consultant.

It launched globally on Tuesday on the luxury webstore and “marks the first time that landmark pieces of Claude Montana's previous collections are available to buy in two decades.”

Montana, one of the most influential designers of the late 1970s and the 80s, was known for his love of dramatic looks, his obsession with big shoulders that helped characterise the 80s, his leathers and his combination of volume and body-hugging structure in his silhouettes, as well as his theatrical fashion shows. 

RESPECTING THE LEGACY

Pugh was invited by Byronesque “to ensure the collection respects exactly Claude Montana's original creations” with the pieces that were recreated having dated from 1979 to 1994. The companies have used many of the same manufacturers who worked with Montana the first time around.

Underlining the importance of exclusivity, Giorgio Belloli, Chief Commercial & Sustainability Officer at Farfetch said: “This collection really brings to life the fact that Farfetch offers incredible pieces you cannot find anywhere else in the world.”
 
Gill Linton, CEO/Editor-in-Chief at Byronesque added: “It’s easy to get distracted by giant shoulder-pads that kept Montana stuck in the 80s, but when you explore the breadth of his designs, you can see how the brand shaped fashion history, not just shoulders. We have reissued a collection of clothes that look like they have been designed for today, such was his genius, as is Gareth’s.”
 
And Pugh added that “to engage with [Montana’s] legacy in this way comes with a great deal of responsibility... but ultimately these are clothes which demand respect and recognition.”

To back up the launch, Byronesque and Farfetch have produced a short documentary film paying homage to Montana’s legacy and featuring industry figures who worked closely with the designer or have been influenced by his work. It stars fashion journalist Alexander Fury, photographer Joe Gaffney, journalist Sarah Mower, milliner Stephen Jones, models Suzanne Von Aichinger and Yasmin Le Bon, plus Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes. And Pugh, Olivier Theyskens and Marc Jacobs also discuss how Montana has inspired them and why his design legacy has endured.

FRANCA SOZZANI

Meanwhile e-tailer Yoox on Monday launched the Franca Sozzani Private Collection. It’s an exclusive selection of "memorable designer pieces cherished by the fashion icon and late visionary Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia.”

Sale proceeds will benefit the new Franca Sozzani Fund for Preventive Genomics, to enhance research into disease prevention at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard (francafund.org).

Sozzani’s son, filmmaker and photographer Francesco Carrozzini, decided to donate her wardrobe to raise funds for the charity with Yoox selling an edited selection of 397 ready-to-wear and haute couture pieces, as well as 190 accessories.

Her clothing, bags, and shoes are presented through five categories, The Eclectic, The Black Tale, The Londoner, The Unconventional and The Dream Dimension.

The collection includes pieces by Valentino, Dior, Prada, Fendi, Armani, Miu Miu, Givenchy, Versace, Gucci, Balenciaga and more.