Swiss Army Chic

Never tested on a battle-field, the Swiss army has been victorious on at least one front — marketing. The Swiss Army knife has become one of the world’s most popular multi-purpose tools, used by millions for filing nails, tweezing eyebrows and opening bottles. After the Sept. 11 attacks, when sharp objects were banned on airplanes, worldwide sales of the handy gadget dropped an estimated 30% but rebounded several months later, says Urs Wyss, marketing director of Victorinox, the biggest Swiss Army knife manufacturer. Buoyed by the knife’s success, the Swiss Army line has morphed into watches, travel gear, apparel, cutlery, pens and eyewear. Victorinox’s U.S. distributor, Swiss Army Brands of Shelton, Conn., opened its first retail store in New York last October selling rugged, no-fuss clothing and accessories. “Our designs are comfortable, practical and sturdy, appealing to people who lead active outdoor lives,” says Thomas Lupinski, the company’s chief financial officer. Meanwhile, Swiss Army Recycling Collection is conquering fashion frontiers with accessories made from old military blankets. After discovering unused blankets stockpiled in the Alps, designer Walter Maurer decided the coarse wool was ideal for heavy-duty bags, rucksacks and key rings. Made in the tiny Swiss village of Törbel by Maurer and a local cobbler, the collection is sold to the “trendy, techno generation” in Europe and Japan, Maurer says. Chalk up another victory for the Swiss. — Helena Bachmann/Geneva

SEEN ON THE CHARITY CIRCUIT
Giorgio Armani, the Next Pierre Cardin?
In becoming a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations last month, Giorgio Armani is not only following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Muhammad Ali and Michael Douglas — he’s also following in the path of Pierre Cardin, who became a U.N. Ambassador back in 1991. It’s not the only thing they have in common. Armani, with sales of some $1.1 billion a year, is one of the most successful fashion designers in the world (he trails only Ralph Lauren, who has some $2 billion) and as sole owner of his firm, he is often counted as the richest. But in such lists, the name Pierre Cardin is often forgotten. Cardin’s strategic decision to put his name on over 1,000 different products may have made him the poster child for bad brand management, but it put him in the top three with Armani and Lauren — Cardin also brings in over $1 billion in sales. And Cardin has one thing that the others don’t — global recognition. Cardin licensed his name in countries like Japan (in 1957) and China (in 1978). Now Armani plans to open 20 stores in China over the next three years. Move over Pierre Cardin. — Lauren Goldstein

MEN’S WEAR
Savile Row Redux
One might think that closing off Savile Row for a party and fashion show would raise a few eyebrows among the tailors who toil there. But the Savile Row residents are used to the antics of Ozwald Boateng, the tailor who opened a shop at the end of their street in 1995 — and went out of business five years later. Boateng’s return was the cause of the big bash. “It’s fun,” said one tailor watching the models parade in beaded suits, “but the quality …” Quality aside, tailors like Boateng did shake up the row when they first arrived. Faced with the colorful displays hanging in Richard James or in Boateng’s shop, some on Savile Row stuck to their staid ways. But others responded with brighter designs and cheaper lines — which is one of the reasons the hip male style leaders in Britain (the editors of Arena, Esquire and GQ) now prefer traditional Savile Row tailoring over designer duds. Under the design direction of Carlo Brandelli, Savile Row’s Kilgour French Stanbury has been rewarded with not only the business of the fashion crowd, but of the celebrity crowd as well. Actor Jude Law and musician Noel Gallagher are customers too. “I would fear walking into Anderson & Sheppard,” says Bill Prince, GQ’s deputy editor. “But Kilgour understands younger men.” Gucci is fighting back with its own bespoke service. “It’s clearly a response to the fact that a bespoke suit is the blue chip element in a man’s wardrobe,” says Prince. — Lauren Goldstein