PARTNERSHIP ENDS FOR CHALAYAN, TSE
Byline: Eric Wilson
NEW YORK — Hussein Chalayan, who is in the process of liquidating his London-based company, is also breaking his ties with the Tse New York collection.
Chalayan’s three-year contract with Tse, which expires with the fall collection set to be shown in New York during fashion week next month, will not be renewed at its conclusion, company founder Augustine Tse said Friday.
Tse New York has also canceled its fall runway show, which had tentatively been set for Feb. 12, and will instead show the collection in a showroom presentation. The company attributed the cancellation to late fabric deliveries.
Tse and Chalayan had been discussing a new contract for some time, but both parties decided not to renew the deal once the designer initiated the restructuring of his signature collection, according to Tse. Chalayan could not be reached on Friday.
“Tse has benefited enormously from the colossal talents of Hussein Chalayan,” said Joann Casa, executive vice president of Tse. “This development comes at a time when Hussein has notified us that he is undergoing a strategy shift. Having enjoyed our collaboration with this formidable talent for three years, we feel we must respect his need to focus on his own business at this time, but continue to cheer for him from the sidelines.”
While the formal agreement with Chalayan has ended, Casa noted it does not preclude special projects or other assignments with the designer.
The Tse New York label is Tse’s most design-driven collection, priced and styled above the core Tse Women’s and Men’s lines, and was headed by Narciso Rodriguez and Victor Alfaro prior to Chalayan’s contract. Tse considers the collection to be a directional line that acts as an incubator for new talent, as well as the design inspiration for its other collections.
A spokeswoman for the company added that the “door is wide open” for possibilities for a replacement for Chalayan.
“We have been throwing small pebbles into a large pond, attempting to cause a ripple,” said Tse. “Our experience with these designers has proven that Tse can make an impact in the designer arena. For that reason, we are still very much devoted to the notion of continuing our designer business under the Tse New York label.”
Chalayan said last week that he would ship his signature spring collection and produce a fall 2001 line while he is setting up a new organization. He said that the new organization is under way, but would not provide further details.