Tag: Luxury Fashion

Fashion, Law

Valentino lost its ‘rockstud’

by renaissanceidealLeave a Comment on Valentino lost its ‘rockstud’

VALENTINO LOST ITS 'ROCKSTUD'

When you think of ‘Rockstud’, what do you think of?  What is the first thing that comes into your mind?

In the US, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) is refusing to let Italian luxury fashion house Valentino register its ‘Rockstud Spike’. It ruled that ‘Spike’ simply describes Valentino’s products.  A 3 judge panel for TTAB upheld the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) decision in 2018 to refuse to register the ‘Rockstud Spike’ mark as it “merely describes [Valentino’s] goods”. In its April 15th ruling, the TTAB argued that if Valentino does not agree with the definition given by UPSTO there is evidence in support of their argument, that the definition of ‘Spike’ varies. TTAB gave examples of various websites and designers such as Neiman Marcus, Gucci and Farfetch that “..use the word SPIKE to describe [an array of different] embellishments or features on the types of goods identified in [Valentino’s] application”. The board pointed to examples like Prada sandals on Farfetch which are described as ‘Prada Spike Caged Sandals’ and a pair of Louboutin heels on Neiman Marcus’ website as ‘Escapric Spike 100mm Red Sole pumps’.  The TTAB went further and said that  Valentino’s “purses and shoes, as well as those of third parties, contain pointed metal pieces” and “taper to a point or edge and have an elongated shape in relation to the flat surface on which they are attached”. Therefore the TTAB panel came to the conclusion that Valentine’s ‘Rockstud’ fell into this category and that ‘Spike’ just describe a feature of their luxury items.

What words, pictues or ideas came to to your mind when I asked you what ‘Rockstud’ was? Well, with me, I know what the ‘Rockstud’ is because I am an avid fashion follower. Did you know that ‘Rockstud’ refers to purses, bags, shoes and other accessories made by Valentino?  Out of curiosity, I googled the ‘Rockstud’ and straight away it came up with all of Valentino’s Rockstuds.  This is what I found:

Rockstud 1

Rockstud 2

Rockstud 3

You cannot tell me that Rockstud and Valentino are not associated with one another. It is like not having egg in an English breakfast, that is what Rockstud is to Valentino. Rockstud is Valentino’s signature.  We all know Valentino for its ’Valentino Red’, haute couture, glamorous dresses and for dressing the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lopez. It is a known fact that Valentino makes most its money from accessories ( the ‘Rockstud’ embellishments are all over their accessories). A few years after the ‘Rockstud’ shoes hit the runway, Valentino overall sales doubled- with half of the growth attributed to the ‘Rockstud’ heels. Since its launch, the Rockstuds have sold out every year- in December 2018 Valentino sales had increased  from $590 million in 2013 to $1.4 billion in 2018. Valentino has its ‘Rockstud’ to thank for. The ‘Rockstud’ is a wardrobe staple and a classic, I will never ever get over it.  I mean, everyone and their Mum were wearing it in the 2000s and 2010s. Every shop was doing knock offs and copycats- you can see my Russell & Bromely ones here and here and I also own a pair of Dune sandals inspired by the ‘Rockstud’ sandals. It is a shoe that you can buy in every different colour, different style, trainer, block heel or belt.

So what do you think? Do you think the TTAB made the right decision? My thoughts are: the ‘Rockstud’ is Valentino’s signature just like how breakfast belongs to us the British- sorry but not sorry.

Stay Blessed x

Fashion

The end of an era- Karl Lagerfeld

by renaissanceidealLeave a Comment on The end of an era- Karl Lagerfeld

 

Fashion Designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85. Famous for his groundbreaking designs at Chanel and Fendi, died after a short illness today.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld at Milan Fashion Week in 2017

Picture source: Getty Images

Karl Lagerfeld was born Karl Otto Lagerfeldt in 1933 in Germany. He removed the ‘t’ from his surname as he believed it sounded more commercial. He moved to Paris when he was a teenager, then became a design assistant for the legendary designer Pierre Balmain. Lagerfeld then went on to work at Fendi and Chloe. He is most famous for being the Creative Director at Chanel in 1983, ten years after Chanel’s founder Coco Chanel died. Karl Lagerfeld is celebrated and will be revered forever for bringing back Chanel into the forefront of luxury fashion in the 80s. The iconic designer dressed celebrated figures like Princess Diana, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Madonna, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Lopez and Kylie Minogue. He is most famous for updating and modernising the classic Chanel tweed suit. The fashion genius was uncompromising in his work which earned him the nickname ‘Kaiser Karl’. Lagerfeld took Coco Chanel’s fashion house and reinvented into his very own. In his book, The world according to Karl, he said “I do what she never did. I had to find my mark. I had to go from what Chanel was to what it should be, could be, what it had been to something else”. Karl Lagerfeld had his own era at Chanel and can be debated to be (in my opinion) as iconic as Coco Chanel herself.

Lagerfeld was also an accomplished photographer who had Andy Warhol and Helmut Lang as friends and was also early on the designer x high street collaborations with H&M. He also shot many of Chanel’s advertising campaigns himself and was a book publisher.

One of my favourite quotes from Karl Lagerfeld was, “I am very much down to earth. Just not on this earth”. This quote alone gives you a deep insight into his character and his views. He was a larger than life character, one with very strong views, at times extremely controversial. My favourite moment from Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, or moments shall I say were watching his collections at fashion week knowing that the set production designs were going to be better than the last. Who remembers when Karl Lagerfeld took us to Chanel’s supermarket during Paris Autumn/Winter 2014/15 fashion week? His set designs were literally works of art.

At the end of his career, Karl Lagerfeld was head of Chanel, Fendi & his own label. Though controversial for his remarks against celebrities such as Adele, his genius is unmatched. He will be remembered for his creative inventiveness but also his problematic remarks. Rest in Peace Lagerfeld. The end of the Lagerfeld Chanel era.