JCKstyle - March 9, 2007
Free-associate for a moment: I say "Ralph Lauren" and you say "golf shirts," "towels," and, maybe, "a very tan sexagenarian."
Well, it's time to add jewels to the list for this prolific man and brand. That's right, Lauren, creator of the Polo pony-and-rider motif for clothes, home goods, and accessories aims to design, develop, manufacture, and distribute fine jewelry with Richemont, whose impressive portfolio of luxury goods companies includes Cartier. The partnership—dubbed The Polo Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Co.—represents firsts for both companies: a joint venture with a fashion designer for Richemont, and a push into fine jewelry for Lauren.
The union also signifies a potential yin-yang balance. Both firms are equal partners in the new entity, and company heads share an affinity for one another; Lauren refers to their venture as "an important part of a global luxury accessories strategy," while Richemont's executive chair Johann Rupert rhapsodizes "admiration" for Lauren's "impeccable taste." Company releases state that both are also "committed to this joint venture on a long-term basis." (The latter vow, like in marriage, is likely open to interpretation and probably hinges on bottom lines.)
While the firms are close-mouthed on details like design and inspiration, a spokesperson for Lauren did reveal that merchandise will be made in Switzerland, and that Lauren is "an avid watch collector." Expect precious offspring to surface in fall 2008 in Ralph Lauren boutiques and luxury jewelry stores worldwide.
Weekly Gem
Russell Simmons is one helpful guy. First, he took a South African fact-finding mission to help out the Diamond Information Center. Then, he created the Diamond Empowerment Fund to drive support to "the people and communities … where diamonds are a natural resource." Finally, Simmons unveiled the Green Initiative, a move to raise funds for DEF via sales of a jewelry line in malachite—a stone found in Africa. While 25 percent of sales benefit DEF, Simmons is 100 percent behind the new initiatives: "I've never had an agenda better than helping [the people of Africa]," he recently told JCK.
