Apple hires Paul Deneve of French fashion house YSL [u]
French luxury label Saint Laurent has named a new chief executive to replace Paul Deneve, who is leaving for a new career at Apple, where he will be involved in an unknown role.
Update: This report was originally published as a rumor based on a tip provided to AppleInsider, but the hiring of Deneve has since been confirmed. According to Adam Satariano of Bloomberg, Deneve will work on "special projects" and report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Source: Wikipedia
Saint Laurent, previously known as YSL, just announced today that Deneve would be replaced at the beginning of September by Francesca Bellettini of Bottega Veneta, and that its creative director Hedi Slimane would take on new responsibility concerning "all strategic projects for the brand."
Deneve was only said to be "leaving to pursue a career in the technology industry," a curious shift for the business leader. Since 1997 Deneve has managed a series of companies in the luxury fashion industry, including Courreges, Nina Ricci, Lanvin and finally YSL, where he was named president and CEO in April 2011.
However, prior to that Deneve worked for Apple for seven years beginning in 1990, holding a series of sales and marketing positions. Deneve has also more recently acted as an advisor to Silicon Valley startups.
Apple may want to draw upon Deneve's expertise in the luxury goods sector to help launch new products, including the rumored iWatch. The mere mention of Apple trademarking "iWatch" has driven up the company's stock by 6 percent across the last two days.
Apple is known to be searching globally for a retail head to replace John Browett, who was dismissed last October. Retail operations have since been directly managed by Apple's chief executive Tim Cook.
Cook appointed vice president of finance Jim Bean to help support the company's retail operations, but it appears Apple has continued its search for a retail head outside the company.
Recruiting an established member of the fashion and luxury goods sector could be a move to propel Apple's brand internationally, building upon the success and cachet of the iPhone, which dramatically opened up new demand for the company's products outside the United States.
Increasingly, Apple has also presented its new Macs as high end, luxurious devices that can sell in volume at premium price points other PC makers have not been able to replicate.
In 2012, Apple released the MacBook Pro with Retina Display as "the finest computer it had ever made," and this year the company dramatically unveiled its new Mac Pro with the thundering splash of a virtual catwalk at its Worldwide Developer Conference.
Update: This report was originally published as a rumor based on a tip provided to AppleInsider, but the hiring of Deneve has since been confirmed. According to Adam Satariano of Bloomberg, Deneve will work on "special projects" and report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Source: Wikipedia
Saint Laurent, previously known as YSL, just announced today that Deneve would be replaced at the beginning of September by Francesca Bellettini of Bottega Veneta, and that its creative director Hedi Slimane would take on new responsibility concerning "all strategic projects for the brand."
Deneve was only said to be "leaving to pursue a career in the technology industry," a curious shift for the business leader. Since 1997 Deneve has managed a series of companies in the luxury fashion industry, including Courreges, Nina Ricci, Lanvin and finally YSL, where he was named president and CEO in April 2011.
However, prior to that Deneve worked for Apple for seven years beginning in 1990, holding a series of sales and marketing positions. Deneve has also more recently acted as an advisor to Silicon Valley startups.
New Apple Retail head?
An anonymous tipster has indicated to AppleInsider that Apple has plans to hire Deneve, without specifying his intended role. Neither Apple nor YSL offered to comment on the matter.Apple may want to draw upon Deneve's expertise in the luxury goods sector to help launch new products, including the rumored iWatch. The mere mention of Apple trademarking "iWatch" has driven up the company's stock by 6 percent across the last two days.
Apple is known to be searching globally for a retail head to replace John Browett, who was dismissed last October. Retail operations have since been directly managed by Apple's chief executive Tim Cook.
Cook appointed vice president of finance Jim Bean to help support the company's retail operations, but it appears Apple has continued its search for a retail head outside the company.
Recruiting an established member of the fashion and luxury goods sector could be a move to propel Apple's brand internationally, building upon the success and cachet of the iPhone, which dramatically opened up new demand for the company's products outside the United States.
Increasingly, Apple has also presented its new Macs as high end, luxurious devices that can sell in volume at premium price points other PC makers have not been able to replicate.
In 2012, Apple released the MacBook Pro with Retina Display as "the finest computer it had ever made," and this year the company dramatically unveiled its new Mac Pro with the thundering splash of a virtual catwalk at its Worldwide Developer Conference.
Comments
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/27809/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
[URL=http://scoopertino.com/think-different-dress-alike-apple-introduces-steve-jobs-fashion-line/]Steve[/URL], for the rest of us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NotScott
The thundering whah? of a virtual huh?
I guess you had to be there
What's the "over-under" on how many days until the following story appears here: "YSL CEO not bound for Apple afterall."
I can't see why a CEO would go work for Apple as head of retail or any other role. Obviously anything is possible, but I'd bet money on this conjecture being wrong.
I hope it ticks him off to no end.
This indeed would auger well for Apple, if true. "Designed in California" should be understood in a global context. Designers and engineers from around the world find the Bay Area and the Peninsula attractive enough to come to and preside over making the next revolution in technology. It wouldn't happen anywhere else in the U.S. Might not happen anywhere else in the world, for that matter, because of the unique mix of counterculture and technology. And climate and scenery.
An accident of history and geography, nothing to do with pride or chauvinism. But it would be great to pull in some French and European sensibility.
That is an excellent point.
I have lived all over the globe and can say with considerable experience that the San Francisco Bay Area is home to one of the most diverse populations of people from all over the globe.
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Increasingly, Apple has also presented its new Macs as high end, luxurious devices that can sell in volume at premium price points other PC makers have not been able to replicate.
Agree completely. This is exactly what Apple had to do with the Mac Pro in order to increase its consumer appeal. Market it as a high-end luxury item for affluent consumers. From that perspective, of the high-end consumer looking to buy a high-end Mac, the old box-full-of-components Mac Pro had a luxury price but absolutely not a luxury image.
Maybe Mr. Deneve can be to Apple's retail and marketing what Jony Ive is to Apple's hardware and software design. Deneve could help evolve Apple's stores and ads beyond the familiar clean-and-simple. After all, high-end brands like YSL appeal to their consumers' emotions. Apple has designed their hardware and software to appeal to their consumers' emotions as well. This is why pages and view bounce when they hit their limits, why all Apple products feel so great in the hand, why Siri has "personality," and why iOS 7 will have depth + translucency + lightness.
Who knows? Maybe Deneve could add artistic flourishes to Apple stores and ads to bring them to the next level. We're already seeing Apple ads with emotional appeal (the teary FaceTime ads, the "Designed in California" ads, but not the "blue Apple shirt guy on the plane" ad.)
Sock, you left off the /s, right?
If this is true, I can't wait to see the difference between what Apple presents for wearable technology compared to what the iToo companies vomit up.
The Samsung shill that shows up at Apple stores during a new product release will have a dozen knockoffs sewn inside his trench coat so he can flash his whole half-priced over-sized selection at the Apple fans waiting in line.
I can't wait to see Uncle Fester sweating over Microsoft's watch running real Windows 8 with live tiles in Fisher Price colors and including a virtual keyboard that you can project on your crouch area to play games with yourself anywhere.
Sounds like the bulk of Apple's market.
Contrary to what a few clueless posts here might be alluding to, I don't have any problems with Apple hiring this person, if he is indeed the right person for the job. I don't know if it is, never heard of him before, so time will tell.
This is a brilliant move. Hiring someone with an absolute knowledge of design and aesthetics -- that's what Apple should be doing.
And just think about how intersting his spot at Apple will be, for him to leave as CEO of YSL (yeah, yeah, I know about the renaming; but I'm old, and it will ALWAYS be YSL to me