新闻来源：www.nbcnews.com
原文地址：In federal trial, Michael Kors says it’s harder to sell handbags in TikTok and Taylor Swift era
新闻日期：2024-09-16
美国联邦法庭周一上午举行听证会，在TikTok和泰勒·斯威夫特等知名艺人的手袋照片流行的时代，著名时尚设计师迈克尔·科斯表示，品牌维持市场竞争力变得更加困难。
在针对塔佩斯特对卡比8.5亿美元收购交易的FTC诉讼案中，联邦贸易委员会要求阻止这桩交易。该合并若获批准，将使六个时尚品牌——Tapestry旗下的科夫（Coach）、凯特·斯派德（Kate Spade）和斯图亚特·维兹曼（Stuart Weitzman），以及卡比旗下的范思哲（Versace）、吉尔伯特·查鲁（Jimmy Choo）和迈克尔·科斯——集中在一个公司旗下。
联邦贸易委员会周一邀请了迈克尔·科斯出庭作证，他于1981年创立了自己的同名品牌，并至今仍担任首席创意总监。前梅西百货CEO杰夫·詹内特也出庭作证。他今年早些时候退休，表示梅西百货的销售受到了过度依赖迈克尔·科斯品牌的冲击，后者手袋的价格下跌导致了他在任期间的一连串问题。
法院案件预计将于周二结束，届时将有FTC和公司的经济学家进行作证。
原文摘要：
NEW YORK CITY — In a federal courtroom on Monday, storied fashion designer Michael Kors spoke about the steep challenge of staying relevant in a world where brands can rise and fall based on viral TikTok videos and photos of handbags on the arms of celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Kors kicked off the week of testimony in the antitrust trial in Manhattan as a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit seeks to block Tapestry’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri. The deal, if approved, would put six fashion brands under a single company: Tapestry’s Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, with Capri’s Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors. The FTC on Monday called Kors, who founded his namesake brand in 1981 at age 22 and still serves as its chief creative director, to testify. Yet, in his remarks, Kors described how even legacy brands like his own can struggle and lose shoppers’ interest. “Sometimes you’ll be the hottest thing on the block,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll be lukewarm. Sometimes you’ll be cold.” He acknowledged that his namesake label has fallen from favor and needs a refresh. “I think we’ve reached the point of brand fatigue,” he said. The FTC has argued that the combined companies, particularly with Coach and Michael Kors under the same owner, would create a bag behemoth with the power to hike prices for customers while offering them the same or worse products. Attorneys for Tapestry and Capri, on the other hand, have questioned the FTC’s depictions of a consolidated handbag market. They have said competition has grown as customers consider both pricier luxury brands and lower-priced fast-fashion names, and can shop from online-only platforms and secondhand marketplaces. The trial comes as consumers balk at high prices and when the outcome of the closely watched U.S. presidential election could change the federal agency’s strategy. Shares of Capri, which includes Michael Kors, reflect the tougher stretch that the designer Kors described. As of Monday afternoon, the company’s stock has fallen about 24% so far this year. That trails far behind the roughly 18% gains of the S&P 500 and the approximately 17% rise of Tapestry. In its most-recent fiscal quarter that ended in late June, Michael Kors’ revenue dropped 14.2% on a reported basis or 13.3% on a constant currency basis compared to the year-ago period. Kors said he remains a student of the fashion industry and draws inspiration from spending time on store floors, talking to customers or people-watching at places such as airports. Even as an industry veteran, he said he must move nimbly. For instance, he said he learned about Aupen, a handbag industry newcomer, when he saw a photo of Taylor Swift carrying one of the company’s handbags. When he went to the company’s website, it crashed, he said. “It shows you the power of women like this,” he said. In another testimony on Monday, former Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette said retailers also feel it when brands lose some of their shine. Gennette, who retired early this year, said the department store’s sales got hit because it leaned too heavily on Michael Kors’ brand. He said the markdown of Michael Kors’ handbags contributed to “a bad spiral Macy’s was living through when I was there.” The antitrust trial is expected to conclude on Tuesday with testimony by economists, including one for the FTC and one for the companies.
