Latest news with #Guibert
Fashion United
24-04-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Lacoste eyes controlling stake in joint venture with Pentland
Lacoste is understood to be circling the acquisition of a controlling stake in its joint venture company set up with Pentland Group. If the deal proceeds, Lacoste intends to buy Pentland's 50 percent stake in Pentland Chaussures Ltd, for which the group currently serves as a Lacoste licensee. According to FashionNetwork, which initially reported the news, competition authorities in France are currently assessing the deal, with a decision said to be made 'soon'. If approved, the partnership between the British sportswear conglomerate and French premium brand will come to an end. The duo first established the joint venture back in 2018 to oversee the operations of Lacoste's footwear business. It cemented what was already a long-standing partnership between Lacoste and Pentland, which had first teamed up in 1991. Now, however, Lacoste is on a path of repositioning itself as a more high-end sportswear player. This has repeatedly been underlined by CEO Thierry Guibert, who had already told the Financial Times back in January of the brand's intention to reclaim its licenses over shoes, leather goods and under garments to further help support ambitious growth plans. Ultimately, Guibert is hoping to increase the brand's annual sales to four billion euros, with a plan that particularly focuses on the US market, where he has set out to double sales from 400 million euros. FashionUnited has contacted Pentland and Lacoste with requests to comment.
Forbes
10-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Lacoste Opening Tennis-Themed Flagship In New York City
The Lacoste flagship store in New York City pays tribute to brand founder Rene Lacoste and his sport ... More of tennis. In 1933 tennis player and equipment entrepreneur Rene Lacoste launched his eponymous company. As the French-based brand opens its third global flagship store—and first in North America—it's fitting that the same sport that defined Rene Lacoste roughly 100 years ago helps give a new Fifth Avenue store in New York City plenty of design inspiration. 'Lacoste it intertwined with tennis,' Thierry Guibert, CEO of Lacoste, tells me. 'The codes of the sport are part of the brand in the broadest sense.' The launch of a flagship store in a prime location on New York's Fifth Avenue aligns with the brand's aspirations for the United States and its hopes for further growth, Guibert says, especially in both sports apparel and footwear. Following flagship openings in Paris on Champs Elysées and London's Regent Street, Guibert says the stores have become a key element of the Lacoste strategy. The mirrored green facade on the Lacoste flagship in New York City includes a 23-foot-long ... More crocodile, the company's logo. 'We have turned them into showcases for our collections, especially those located on the world's most emblematic avenues,' Guibert says. 'This flagship is a testimony of our ambition for the United States. It is a statement that will offer visitors a unique immersion into the elegant world of the brand showcasing its complete collections and rich heritage.' The New York version features a green mirrored cube on the outside, opening to 10,000 square feet inside. The ground floor highlights the latest runway collections, while the upstairs offers a deconstructed tennis court stretching from floor to ceiling. Footwear has a central display, along with the polo shirt—the iconic apparel piece invented by Rene Lacoste—celebrated with a Polo Wall. In a continued nod to tennis, a sport performance area features ambassador capsules of Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev. 'Our flagships allow visitors to immerse themselves in our universe,' Guibert says, 'hence the importance of tennis in the design of the Fifth Avenue boutique.' A deconstructed tennis court and tennis themes play throughout the new Lacoste flagship on Fifth ... More Avenue in New York City. Rene Lacoste's tennis tenacity earned him the nickname 'Crocodile' in American press during a match in Boston in 1923. That nickname turned into the brand's emblem. A giant crocodile sculpture roughly 23 feet long adorns the New York store. And 90 historic rackets Rene Lacoste designed—along with his patents—join the tennis-focused design. The minimalist nature of the flagship is meant to highlight product, and the combination of concrete, metal and wood further ties to tennis. The wooden elements, for example, were crafted to evoke the iconic pleats of a tennis skirt while referencing an old racket. The metal accents highlight the technical edge the brand that was first seen in Rene Lacoste's move into metal racket frames. Rene Lacoste was a tennis player and equipment inventor. Both are on display in the new Lacoste ... More flagship in New York City. 'Lacoste and tennis have been inextricably linked since the very beginning,' Guibert says. 'That's why we're still so active in the tennis world. We will continue to invest in this sport, on all levels.' Lacoste continues to work with top and emerging players, from Djokovic to Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov to Arthur Fils. Guibert says Lacoste will remain invested in prestigious tournaments and last year announced an extension as a partner with Roland Garros until 2030. This year marked the brand's 10th year partnering with the Miami Open. The wood throughout the Lacoste flagship in New York City ties to wooden tennis rackets and pleated ... More tennis skirts. Guibert says that Lacoste is preparing an 'iconic celebration' of tennis when the U.S. Open returns to New York. The new flagship store will play a role. 'On a creative level, tennis inspires every collection we create, from sports performance items to lifestyle collections,' Guibert says. 'More than ever, we're blending this universe with fashion at its highest level—most recently with bold and iconic runway shows at Roland Garros. Lacoste has always played with the codes of tennis, from its creator to more than 90 years later. And it's not about to stop.' MORE: Daniil Medvedev Provides Lacoste Insight On AG-LT23 Ultra Tennis Shoe
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brad Pitt Wanted to Play Jeff Buckley in a Biopic but the Musician's Mom Nixed It — Here's Why
Brad Pitt once explored the possibility of starring in a biopic about Jeff Buckley, a talented and promising musician who died in 1997 at the age of 30. Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, has revealed that the Wolfs star, 61, asked her for permission to create the biopic after inviting her to his 2000 wedding to Jennifer Aniston, which she quickly granted. 'If there's 20 people calling you, and Brad Pitt is one of them, who are you gonna pick to go see?' Guibert told Variety with a laugh, though she admitted that she was still hesitant to go through with the movie. ''We're going to dye your hair, put brown contact lenses on those baby blues, and you're going to open your mouth and Jeff's voice is going to come out?' she recalled asking Pitt. Related: Michael Jackson Biopic Needs Major Reshoots After Discovery of Past Legal Agreement with Molestation Accuser: Report Guibert said the pair stayed in touch over the years — even after she ultimately made the decision to not go ahead with the biopic idea and instead make a documentary to honor the life of her only son, who is best known for his cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and the 1994 album Grace. During the process of making the documentary, Guibert said she had Pitt's support, as he helped to preserve all of Buckley's belongings and bring it to a digital space. He even became a producer on the film, called It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley, per Variety. She also had the help of director Amy Berg — best-known for her documentary work on West of Memphis — who took on the project. She told Variety that she shared Guibert's vision for the film. 'Once I started listening to his voicemail messages and his DAP player and demos and reading his journals, I just couldn't imagine it being anything but a documentary,' Berg explained. 'I just didn't know how you could kind of replicate Jeff in that scripted sense.' Related: Paying Tribute to the Celebrities Who Have Died in 2024 One of the things the new documentary will shed light on is Buckley's death. Berg told Variety that there was an idea that 'Jeff probably overdosed, which was far from the truth,' noting that his death was attributed to drowning in a Memphis river. She said the late singer's legacy is one which transcends time. 'One of the great things about Jeff Buckley is you discover him when you're meant to discover him,' Berg said. 'He has definitely made a big impact on TikTok, where I was surprised to see that he has more followers on the Jeff Buckley hashtag than even Bob Dylan. He's definitely having another moment in pop culture history.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 24. Read the original article on People
