Chapter 197: Torn Faces
[Chapter 197: Torn Faces]
[Thank you, I'll treat you to dinner sometime,] Ryan quickly received a reply from Karlie.
Ryan smiled -- it was just a side note. Now, he had to focus on serious business and prepare for the collaboration with Dior.
The detailed plan unfolded in three steps. Tomorrow marked the official announcement day for both parties, but it was just a public release of the collaboration news. They still needed to plan what products to offer, how to sell them, and define the target audience. The earliest a product could be launched would require at least a month of planning, followed by production and sales.
Considering the sales volume and scale of both brands, it was evident sTray would come off as the weaker side. The bulk of the profits would surely go to Dior. In an ideal scenario, if sTray could secure a 30% cut of sales, it would be a stroke of luck.
...
Ryan first called Ashley Olsen from the Olsen sisters.
"Ryan, Lydia has retracted her statement, and I heard Karlie Kloss was fired..." Ashley opened abruptly, not revealing where she got her information.
"This is completely irrelevant right now. Someone else will handle that for us," Ryan replied confidently.
Once the collaboration news hit the air, all disputes with LV would fade away immediately.
"Who? Are you referring to Lydia?" Ashley inquired further.
Ryan didn't answer. "We need to focus on something big. This is a new project involving a fresh clothing line. Starting tomorrow, you and Mary-Kate will be in charge of communication with the other party."
"Isn't launching a new product line a bit too ambitious right now? Too many products could end up competing with each other," Ashley continued.
"Then we need to scrap the old products and devote all our energy to this new project," Ryan asserted decisively.
"Even though we had disputes with LV, the new women's wear collection is performing pretty well. I've been reporting those numbers to you every week." Ashley seemed troubled; she found it hard to comprehend the situation.
"But the sales are about to increase even more. You'll see tomorrow."
...
That afternoon, Berwick brought an old acquaintance -- a self-proclaimed firearms expert -- who took Ryan and Berwick to a shooting club in downtown Orlando. They started practicing with basic handguns.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Ryan shook his hand, feeling a slight tingle.
Berwick and the firearms expert exchanged knowing smiles while sipping on their beers.
"Your final scores were one hit in the three-ring, one in the five-ring, and everything else was a miss. Honestly, my six-year-old nephew could probably do better," the firearms expert stated bluntly.
"Then I guess you might be a Texan," Ryan replied as he adjusted the slide.
"Not hard to guess. You need to stand in an isosceles triangle stance as a beginner; we'll teach you the Weaver stance later..." The expert moved in to adjust Ryan's aim.
"Your thumbs on both hands need to point at the target; it helps control the recoil."
"When pulling the trigger, be gentle, or the barrel will veer off target."
"Aiming is all about practice; do what feels comfortable."
"Most importantly, breathe. Keep your rhythm steady and pull the trigger during your natural breathing intervals."
...
The next day, at 10 AM Eastern Time, Ryan's personal social media, sTray's account, and Dior's official account simultaneously released a new announcement.
It featured just a single image with both brand logos together and an 'x' symbol in between.
...
Karlie had just awakened, grabbed her phone, and was taken aback, finally realizing why Ryan's words were so effective.
...
Paris was still in dreamland when she was roused by the sounds of a man stirring about the room, getting dressed. The man bore a striking resemblance to Ryan -- about 60% similar -- as if he had been deliberately chosen as Ryan's replacement.
Paris rubbed her eyes, noticing he was taking his time -- clearly up to something.
Last night you couldn't keep it up for long and you still want a tip? Paris felt a bit annoyed but decided not to dwell on it. She got up, retrieved an extravagant pink wallet from her handbag, and pulled out a few bills.
As she pulled out her phone, Paris gasped.
How did they get connected? She couldn't believe her eyes, but in the next moment, she realized that the dynamics between Ryan and LV were about to shift yet again.
She immediately began tweeting, fully supporting Ryan this time -- besides congratulating him on the collaboration, she also mentioned the call LV had made to her before. For her, the tides had turned, and it was time to adjust her stance accordingly.
...
Meanwhile, the Olsen sisters were also looking at the news, exchanging glances.
"Ryan did mention yesterday that something big was coming," Ashley's expression showed complexity. She hadn't expected such a dramatic turn.
"I'm increasingly convinced that the rumors about Ryan online are true," Mary-Kate slowly began.
...
In Los Angeles, Jimmy listened to his team report while clicking away on his mouse excitedly.
His smile broadened.
"I knew putting my chips on this guy would pay off!" Jimmy grinned.
He proactively called Lady Gaga, advising her to wear more sTray clothing. He even reached out to the person in charge of Beats.
"So sales are that high? What are the specific numbers for the RT collaboration?" Jimmy continued to inquire.
Excluding the batch Ryan bought himself, the newly launched RT collaboration had already sold thousands of units, with monthly sales expected to easily surpass 15,000.
To put things into perspective, note that currently, among Beats' product line, the high-end headphones over $100 had only a total monthly sales of around 50,000 units.
The entire high-end headphone market in the U.S. was a mere $1 billion, with total sales averaging between 2 to 3 million units annually.
Just with the RT collaboration, they could grab a 5% to 7% market share.
Ryan and Taylor could make a killing just from selling headphones!
...
In New York, Manhattan, at the Time Warner Center, the U.S. edition of Vogue's editorial department, Anna Wintour passed a "white paper" to her assistant. This white paper served as a template for next month's issue.
Anna kept track of the progress at home every day to present it again to her assistant the following day.
She had just learned about the sTray and Dior collaboration news.
The revelation shook her, as she never expected things would unfold this way. Ryan had managed to create a crack wide enough to shake things up.
It was the end of a minor dispute but also the beginning of an even larger storm.
...
At the LVMH board meeting, Delphine was getting into a heated argument with her brother.
"I know what you're trying to do, Delphine. You're just trying to rub salt in my wounds," Antoine sneered.
"Antoine, I'm not as petty as you. If this can help Dior grow profitability and open up a new product line, I'm all for it, rather than worrying about your feelings," Delphine shot back defiantly.
LV's flagship products are luggage, while Dior's main offerings are perfume and beauty products -- neither brand particularly excelled in fashion retail, meaning there was room for growth.
"Enough!" Bernard interjected, halting the siblings' quarrel.
"Antoine, revise the marketing strategy. Stop obsessing over that celebrity; he's now your sister's business partner."
"Yes, Father," Antoine agreed, though begrudgingly.
"Delphine, since you've chosen to embrace a new direction, focus all resources on this path. The menswear division at Dior has underperformed before; we're gradually scaling it down this year. The remaining personnel and designs will be merged into LV's menswear division," Bernard added.
As the leader of a vast luxury empire with seventy brands, alongside acquisitions, he was continuously streamlining and optimizing internal structures to ensure the business remained healthy.
"Sounds good," Delphine nodded.
She might have gained a new product line but lost an established department -- scoring a pretty much even deal in reality.
Though Antoine had let some reputation slip for LV, he received tangible benefits. With the menswear division swelling, the related marketing budget would increase, giving him greater power.
...
After the meeting, Antoine immediately called his team, "Find some scapegoats to calm things down with sTray. Also, get me in touch with Raf Simons. I need to see if he's interested in the LV menswear design director position."
Raf Simons was considered a high street style genius, and Ryan's sTray also operated within that same realm.
Compared to Ryan, the latter designer had a stronger pedigree in design.
"Delphine, you're eager to pivot, right? Well, I'm strategically positioning myself early to counter -- let's see what you both can muster," recalled Antoine with a sly smile. Anyway, the relationship has been broken now, so he has nothing to worry about anymore.
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