Latest news with #Keepall
South China Morning Post
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Louis Vuitton's spring/summer 2025 collection continues the brand's ‘soft power' vibe with the versatile LV Biker bag and hybrid Sneakerina, each blending elegance with functionality
Every season there are certain accessories that top every fashion editor's wish list. For spring/summer 2025, Louis Vuitton has pretty much monopolised those lists by creating not one but two covetable styles that are creating plenty of buzz. Hot on the heels of the now iconic GO-14 bag is the chic and striking LV Biker bag. In keeping with the ready-to-wear collection's theme of 'soft power' , this bag embodies a new spirit of femininity that is both delicate and powerful. Designed by Nicolas Ghesquière , Louis Vuitton's artistic director of women's collections, and inspired by classic biker jackets, it combines resilience with elegance while showcasing new leather techniques and exceptional details borrowed from the maison's rich history of trunk-making. The LV Biker bag was designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton's artistic director of women's collections. Photo: Handout Advertisement Similar to other iconic styles like the Speedy and Keepall, the bag is supple and structured, with a foldable construction that makes it sophisticated and versatile. It can be worn in multiple ways thanks to an assortment of straps and handles – turning it into a clutch, shoulder bag or a cross-body. Another defining feature is the new Pixel two-toned grained lambskin leather, with a unique texture which is created by adding a surface layer of colour to create more depth. The bag comes in a range of cool colours and three sizes ranging from the MM – a larger style for all your essentials – to the Nano which is perfect for an evening out. The bag showcases new leather techniques and exceptional details – testament to Louis Vuitton's rich history of trunk-making. Photo: Handout The new Sneakerina shoe is also sure to be a must-have for modern women. This fresh creation plays on contrasts and is a hybrid design that can best be described as part trainer, part contemporary ballet flat. Embodying a more minimalist approach to sportswear, its dynamic, streamlined silhouette includes a flexible sole that offers incredible freedom of movement and agility. It's also a testament to functional elegance – each variation has been specially designed for everyday wear to match any look, be it casual or formal. Part trainer, part ballet flat, the Sneakerina reflects Louis Vuitton's 'soft power' vibe by being both functional and elegant. Photo: Handout Each style features Louis Vuitton's signatures of course, such as the Monogram pattern, Monogram canvas and LV Circle. Choose from myriad material and colour combinations, including velvet-effect and metallic leathers, technical satin, glittering sequin embroidery and mesh, in a striking palette of tones such as fuchsia, forest green, beige, black and white, pink, blue and silver.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Louis Vuitton Has Bumped Up Handbag Prices in the U.S.
Amid the upheaval of the Trump administration's tariffs, Louis Vuitton handbags just became more expensive in the U.S. Luxury analysts at Bernstein and Barclays flagged that the French luxury brand has bumped up prices by roughly 4 percent on More from WWD Kering Shares Fall 6% After Weak Q1 Results Fashion Expected to Star in NFL Draft as Players Prepare to Shine Hermès Continues to Increase Handbag Production Amid Rising Demand 'This price increase likely comes as a response to the recent introduction of a 10 percent tariff in the U.S. The price increased ranged from +7 percent for some bags like the NeoNoe to 1 percent for products like the Twist or Keepall,' Barclays analyst Carole Madjo wrote in a research note Thursday. However, it is understood Vuitton typically institutes price increases around this time of the year. Madjo noted her team also detected price bumps of 3 percent in Japan and 2 percent in France. Luca Solca, analyst at Bernstein, noted that prices were unchanged for CarryAll, Biker, All In and Graceful handbag ranges, suggesting these products may be produced in the U.S., where Vuitton operates three leather goods production sites in Texas and California. In his view, Vuitton's average price increase of 3.6 percent 'seems more than enough to cover even the worst-case scenario of 20 percent tariffs on EU exports from the U.S.' What's more, 'these price increases provide a case in point: the first level impact of tariffs will be negligible,' according to Solca, arguing that megabrands like Vuitton in particular 'remain highly desirable and command clear pricing power.' In addition, given that tariffs are also applied to 'industrial first cost,' Bernstein expects price increases on luxury goods to be 'well below the 10 percent headline number, falling within the 5 to 7 percent like-for-like price inflation the industry has seen over the past 50 years.' Analysts are more concerned about the wider impact of tariffs on consumer sentiment, financial markets and currencies. Last week, Hermès International said it would increase prices across various product lines in the U.S. effective May 1 to offset the tariff impact, as reported. Best of WWD Harvey Nichols Sees Sales Dip, Losses Widen in Year Marred by Closures Nike Logs $1.3 Billion Profit, But Supply Chain Issues Persist Zegna Shares Start Trading on New York Stock Exchange Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs would test pricing power of Europe's luxury goods makers
By Tassilo Hummel and Mimosa Spencer PARIS (Reuters) - European luxury goods makers say they could draw on pricing power to offset the cost of any tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, but analysts say some brands may have limited room to hike prices. Famous brands like LVMH's Louis Vuitton or Kering's Gucci are counting on a buoyant U.S. market this year as China lags. However, Trump has threatened new tariffs on the European Union due to trade surpluses it had with the United States, in a widening offensive that economists say could trigger a global economic slowdown. Executives at Hermes and Kering, which make handbags and loafers that sell for thousands of dollars, said last week they could leverage their brands' cachet to absorb any additional duties. "If duties increase, we'll increase our prices accordingly," Hermes Executive Chairman Axel Dumas said on Friday after reporting results. Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault signalled the same commitment earlier in the week, saying his brands, including Gucci, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, would "review (their) pricing strategy" in the event of tariffs. "We know how to manoeuvre that," he said. PASSING ON COSTS Yet, years of aggressive price hikes, particularly during the post-pandemic boom, could make it harder for some brands to pass on higher import costs. Most brands lifted prices by their most ever in recent years, analysts from firms including UBS, Citi and Bernstein said. Chanel's classic quilted flap bag has more than tripled in price since 2010, while the Lady Dior bag and Louis Vuitton Keepall travel bag have more than doubled, according to UBS. "We've talked a lot about 'greedflation' for the past 12 months, the idea that you've gone too far, too high, too quickly. And at the end of the day, you've basically cut yourself off from that aspirational consumer," HSBC analyst Erwan Rambourg said. CAUTIOUS PRICING A significant price rise would counter a recent trend for more cautious pricing policy, especially in the U.S. market. Dior, for example, kept U.S. prices flat last year, while Louis Vuitton increased them by a little more than 2%, according to Paris-based market intelligence firm Data & Data, which monitors online retail prices for brand catalogues. Chanel raised prices by 5.4%, a moderate move compared with previous years, while jewellers Tiffany and Richemont-owned Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels slowed the pace of U.S. increases to 4% to 6%, from over 8% in the previous year, the data showed. "I think that the major brands' room for manoeuvre in terms of price increases in the United States will be fairly limited in 2025," Data & Data CEO Zouheir Guedri said. "This would risk accentuating price differences between different regions and jeopardise costly efforts undertaken over the years to harmonise prices on a global scale." Morningstar analysts said in a recent note: "A 10% to 20% tariff on European luxury goods could depress luxury sales in the U.S., especially for companies like Burberry and Kering that focus more on an affluent and aspirational clientele as opposed to the ultra-rich patrons." CHOPPY OUTLOOK As Chinese demand stays subdued, Europe's luxury companies are pinning their hopes on Americans in 2025, boosted by roaring equities and crypto markets. Even though business with American customers is expected to grow fastest this year, at 6%, buoyed also by a strong dollar, sales to Chinese customers are set to drop 1%, UBS has forecast. But the outlook remains uncertain. U.S. consumer sentiment dropped unexpectedly in February to a seven-month low and inflation expectations rocketed as households feared they could pay the price for Trump's trade policies. Analysts at Citi noted spending habits of aspirational shoppers - consumers who stretch their budgets seeking to elevate their social status - remain choppy. LAND OF CONQUEST Hermes CEO Dumas last week said he still saw the United States as a "land of conquest" to generate growth, pointing to his group's retail expansion into second-tier U.S. cities, with upcoming openings in Phoenix and Nashville. LVMH hinted it could further bulk up production there. CEO Bernard Arnault and his family have cultivated personal ties with Trump, with four of them attending the president's inauguration last month. "We believe the group is positioning itself to be able to negotiate with the U.S. administration on potential tariffs by offering to produce more in the U.S., as is already the case for Louis Vuitton and could easily be done for other brands," said analysts at HSBC. Asked how he viewed lobbying efforts from Arnault in the United States, Kering-owner Pinault told Reuters "it's certainly a good thing" if it helps the European luxury sector avoid additional duties. However, like some other European luxury executives, Pinault ruled out any shifts of production to the U.S., saying that could dilute his group's 'Made in Europe' image and would "make no sense." Sign in to access your portfolio
