独立时尚品牌瘦身求生存

纽约第五大道上的范思哲店

　　从范思哲(Gianni Versace)最新宣布裁员的举动可以看出，经济低迷时期，独立时尚品牌为求生存，不得不削减成本、降低亏损。而在这个行业占据主导地位的大企业集团，却能够更好地缓冲需求的下降。
　　Newly announced job cuts at Gianni Versace SpA show how the economic downturn is forcing independent fashion labels to cut costs and stem losses in order to survive in an industry dominated by conglomerates that can better absorb downturns in demand.

　　范思哲总部位于米兰，这家时尚品牌的蛇发女妖头像商标很多人都认得。范思哲表示，根据一项为时两年的重组计划，将削减350个工作岗位，相当于员工总数的四分之一。根据这项计划，它还将重审其遍布全球的店铺网络。自从创办人詹尼•范思哲(Gianni Versace)1997年被枪杀以来，公司走过了风风雨雨。每隔几年，它都更换管理层，并宣布提高绩效的各种计划。
　　Versace, the Milan-based fashion house known for its Medusa-head symbol, said it was cutting a quarter of its work force, or 350 jobs, as part of a two-year restructuring plan that will also include a review of the company's store network around the world. Versace has gone through struggles since the fashion house's celebrated founder Gianni Versace was shot to death in 1997, and every few years the company has changed management and announced plans to try to improve performance.

　　但最新这项成本削减计划明显说明，全球奢侈品支出的下降，对小型家族式企业的打击最为沉重。普拉达(Prada)一位发言人称，在削减3000名意大利员工当中210名的工时后，上周已经开始让他们从事全工时工作。
　　Still, the latest cost-cutting plan is a clear sign that the global cutback in spending on luxury goods is hitting small family-owned companies the hardest. Last week, Prada SpA began calling employees back to full-time work after cutting some work days for 210 of its 3,000 Italian workers, according to a spokesman.

　　沃特海默(Wertheimer)家族拥有的香奈儿(Chanel)，在去年12月裁掉了200个岗位，相当于其工厂员工总数的10%。
　　Chanel, which is owned by the Wertheimer family, slashed 200 jobs, or 10% of its factory work force, last December.

　　行业内规模更大的多品牌参与者，比如酩悦轩尼诗-路易威登集团(LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton，简称LVMH)，皮诺-春天-雷都集团(PPR SA)旗下的古驰集团(Gucci Group)，应对衰退就显得更为从容──部分原因在于，它们拥有多个品牌，可以通过共享资源，比如共同采购原材料和广告位，来降低固定成本。
　　Bigger multibrand players in the industry, such as LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA and PPR SA's Gucci Group, are weathering the slump better -- partly because their different brands can lower fixed costs by pooling resources such as materials purchasing or ad buying.

　　例如，过去一年里，伊芙•圣罗兰(Yves Saint Laurent)、斯特拉•麦卡托尼(Stella McCartney)和亚历山大•麦昆(Alexander McQueen)──都属于古驰集团──关闭了位于日本和俄罗斯等重要市场里的一些店铺。但上半年古驰集团的运营利润实现了小幅增长。
　　For example, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen -- which are all part of PPR's Gucci Group -- have closed boutiques within the past year in crucial luxury markets such as Japan and Russia. But operating profit at Gucci Group inched up in the first half.

　　在LVMH集团内部，赛琳(Celine)等小品牌寄生于路易威登（Louis Vuitton）等利润丰厚的其他品牌。虽然赛琳通过不开新店控制着成本，但这个品牌却避免了范思哲等独立品牌被深度重组。
　　At LVMH, small brands such as Celine are living off the riches of the group's profitable labels such as Louis Vuitton. Though Celine is keeping its costs down by not opening new stores, the label has avoided the deep restructuring of independent brands such as Versace.