“Apple has just made another significant hire from the global fashion industry: Yves Saint Laurent’s Europe President and Retail Head Catherine Monier,” Mark Gurman reports for 9to5Mac.
“Sources say that Monier left the Paris, France-based fashion icon earlier this summer and that she started at Apple within the last few weeks,” Gurman reports. “The sources added that former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve, who joined Apple last year to work on ‘Special Projects’ under Apple CEO Tim Cook, was behind the hire and that Monier will work on Deneve’s team.”
Gurman reports, “Sources say that Deneve’s team at Apple has been working on new strategies for Apple’s official retail stores in order to make the stores more capable of selling and marketing fashion and wearable goods.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
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Yup, iWear is coming.
I can imagine board rooms everywhere wondering what Apple is up to now.
This is not just about a watch.
I agree. And I think the “iPod” name is making a comeback.
A Mac is a traditional computer. An iPhone is a smartphone. An iPad is a tablet computer. Each product with those names is restricted to its category. But an “iPod” can transform into just about anything. It started as a music player, then became a media player, and then became a handheld computer (“iPhone without the phone”). In the future, I think it will become the “core” of Apple’s “wearable” system. iPod was a wisely chosen name.
I’m thinking a show on Bravo is next. Beginning to worry I may not be upscale enough to retain my Apple cred. May have been born in the wrong century. Don’t own any YSL or Burberrys. Come on Apple, show LLBean and Carhartt a little love here.
yeah, and Duluth Trading Co.
“Platinum bracelet? Uh, no. Do you have anything in rubber? Maybe stainless steel?”
Tim seems to be hiring “suits”. Can PHBs be far behind?
With all these mucky-mucks from European fashion houses coming to Apple, I suspect t-shirts on Apple Store employees might not be around much longer.
Très chic
It will not be an iWatch unless it is tied to the Apple TV (watch a “screen.”)
I believe Apple will continue the iP naming series by calling it the iPulse and marketing it as the center (pulse) of your “connectedness”. The pulse name will fit in with all the obvious health applications but also can be thought of being core to “the pulse (beat or Beats) of your daily life.” Many very moving commercials showing that theme will immediately follow its announcement.
ICal’d
That’s as good as any analyst has done.
And the salespeople take over.
My fear as well as Apple morphs into a FASHION COMPANY.
GoeB I think we have always understood Apple to be a fashionista amongst Tech companies, good engineers alright but a bit dandified; now the dandification swoops to new heights, with prospects of glittering wearables displayed upon the wrists of too-thin models stalking Parisian cat walks. I have mixed emotions: I do want a beautiful Apple bracelet on my left arm; but I demand they not retreat from power computing, as it continues to provide my livelihood. The new Mac Pro + Yosemite so far is evidence that they are not retreating, but we shall see—with me the jury is always out.
An analysis I can certainly agree with HJS — do BOTH, do both BEST.
The cautionary alert is smart and so we must remain vigilant — stay tuned …
Hannahjs-
You have said it all, well done and nothing to add … 🙂
The knock on Apple for years is that it was fashion over function and recently the trend in hiring and promotion at Apple seems to be stylists and PR people over engineers.
Not going to predict anything, but the warning light is dimly flashing. The main thing the Apple Store needs is a hipsterectomy.