Miss Tweed Updates

More than 40 French media rally to support freedom of press

Miss Tweed was recently named as part of a list of seven media blacklisted by Bernard Arnault, chairman, CEO and controlling shareholder of the French luxury giant LVMH.

According to an internal memo, sent in January but revealed only on Sept. 18 by La Lettre, Arnault issued an "absolute ban" to his troops from speaking with journalists from seven "investigative" newsletters and media "which use the public's attraction to luxury to attract a new readership in a sensationalist manner: La Lettre, Le Canard enchaîné, Mediapart, Glitz Paris, Puck, L'Informé and Miss Tweed." What's more, the ban applies to "all other confidential letters of the same type that exist or could be created."

The ban shocked many editorial teams. So far, 46 of them have signed an open letter to defend the freedom of the press and express their solidarity with the editorial teams of the targeted media. These include: La Société des Rédacteurs du Monde, La Société des Journalistes of Libération, AFP, Les Échos, BFMTV, Radio France, RFI, France 24, RTL, TF1, Arte, M6, France TV rédaction nationale, Challenges, L'Express, France 3 rédaction nationale, La Tribune, L'Usine nouvelle, Télérama, Ouest-France and La Société des rédacteurs de Marianne among others.

"The SDJs (Société des Journalistes), newsrooms and journalists' associations signing this text firmly recall that the mission of the press is not to relay the official communication of companies and institutions, but to inform, and that this constitutes one of the pillars of democracy," they wrote.

"This episode also underlines the need to protect newsrooms against various pressures and, in particular, from advertisers and shareholders through reinforced guarantees of independence."

"Beyond the denunciation of the explicit criticism of the seven media mentioned - and the implicit contempt of this message for the work of other newsrooms -, the SDJ signatories salute the courage of those who provide journalists with precious testimonies and information to enable them to fulfill their mission on a daily basis."

"They would like to remind that employees enjoy freedom of expression both inside and outside of the company they work for. The duty of loyalty to which they are bound cannot allow their employer to deprive them of their fundamental rights by forbidding them any contact with people of their choice. Such a blanket ban is also unlawful in that it attempts to undermine protective measures put in place for whistleblowers."

Richemont, who has been blacklisting Miss Tweed for more than three years, may want to pay heed to this open letter. And other luxury groups or brands who have been blocking access to their events and press conferences such as Hermès, Gucci and Chanel.

Miss Tweed sincerely thanks all the media who have expressed their solidarity, as well as all of you who have subscribed to our newsletter (and there are many!) to support us and protect our editorial freedom.

As you know, Miss Tweed works only for you, dear reader.

Without you, Miss Tweed would have never made it this far. Onward and upward!

Astrid Wendlandt,

Founder and editor.

Miss Tweed welcomes Bernd Beetz as minority investor

Miss Tweed Publishing, parent of Paris-based information website Miss Tweed specialized in fashion and luxury, has sold a stake of just under 10 per cent to BB Kapital SA, the family investment company owned by Bernd Beetz.

Bernd Beetz, one of Europe's best-known business leaders, is former CEO of Coty, chairman of German department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof and controlling shareholder of Berlin eyewear manufacturer Mykita and of SV Waldhof Mannheim football club.

Given the speed at which Miss Tweed's revenue and profitability have increased in the past year, the company has had to sell a small stake to an external investor to comply with French media law. The financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

"I am delighted to welcome Bernd Beetz as an investor," declared Astrid Wendlandt, founder of Miss Tweed Publishing and editor of Miss Tweed. "I have known Bernd for 15 years and interviewed him many times when he was CEO of Coty. Bernd believed in Miss Tweed from day one. He has a rare talent for empowering the people he works with and encouraging them to fulfill their ambitions."

"With this investment, Miss Tweed's editorial independence and integrity, which sits at the heart of our commitment to our readers, remains unaltered," Astrid Wendlandt continued.

Bernd Beetz signed a document in which he pledged to respect Miss Tweed's independence and never interfere with its editorial content. Miss Tweed is not at the service of any commercial, political or any third-party influence. As per its editorial charter, it will never pass into the hands of any one interest, group or faction.

"Miss Tweed has become a dependable source of news for decision-makers in the luxury space," Bernd Beetz said. "It has built a community of high-quality readers in little time. The luxury industry can only but benefit from having an independent voice like that of Miss Tweed."

BB Kapital's capital injection will allow Miss Tweed to hire more staff and invest in the creation of new editorial content.

Miss Tweed is dedicated to fair, accurate and balanced reporting. Its motto is: "Stories on fashion and luxury you won't read elsewhere." Miss Tweed is on track to become the No. 1 independent news website dedicated to fashion and luxury. Thanks to its exclusive news reports, it is shaping the industry's conversation around topics such as management and designer changes as well as mergers and acquisitions. Miss Tweed's coverage centers on fashion, jewelry, online retail, cosmetics and watches.

Miss Tweed Publishing is run in a collegial fashion. Decisions regarding investments, editorial content and other operational matters are made by the Strategic Committee. Members of the Strategic Committee are: Philippe Jannet, president of Miss Tweed Publishing, Michèle D'Ancona, CEO of BB Kapital, Astrid Wendlandt, managing director of Miss Tweed Publishing, Jean-Baptiste Vey, former Reuters Élysée Correspondent, and the famous French writer and adventurer Sylvain Tesson.

About Miss Tweed:

Launched in June 2020, Miss Tweed is an information website accredited since November 2020 by the Commission Paritaire des Publications et Agences de Presse (CPPAP), which reports to the French Ministry of Culture. Miss Tweed's content in French and English is available by subscription. It is advertising-free to guarantee its editorial independence.

Miss Tweed's Sunday newsletter boasts more than 4,000 subscribers. Its subscriber base includes top luxury and fashion executives, investors, analysts and consultants and media outlets. Miss Tweed's market-moving stories are regularly picked up by several media including the Financial Times, The New York Times, Business of Fashion and Bloomberg.

Miss Tweed Publishing employs 15 people. Most of them are journalists with over 30 years' experience in major media such as Reuters, the Financial Times and Bloomberg.

Every April, Miss Tweed organizes a "Luxury at the Summit" in the French ski resort of Val d'Isère, a sort of Davos of the industry attended by executives, investors and consultants. It focuses on high-quality brainstorming and open exchanges.

About Miss Tweed's leadership team:

Phiippe Jannet: Publisher and President of Miss Tweed Publishing

Philippe Jannet has more than 30 years' experience in the media world and has been Miss Tweed's publisher since 2022. He introduced the digital version of Les Échos as head of the business daily's digital arm from 1996 to 2008. From 2008 to 2012, he ran Le Monde Interactif, the newspaper's digital arm and orchestrated the launch of its online subscription service and mobile versions.

In 2012, Philippe Jannet created ePresse, a digital newsstand for the French press which would be eventually sold to Cafeyn. After three years leading the editorial teams of the publishing group Uni Éditions (Crédit Agricole), Philippe Jannet was managing director of the French weekly magazine L'Express in 2018 and 2019.

Since 2018, he has been coaching entrepreneurs and start-ups. He is the co-founder of Odia, a start-up specialized in "text to speech" software for news organizations.

Philippe Jannet holds a Doctorate in Modern Literature from the Sorbonne and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Celsa. He is also a Certified Executive Coach and Organizational Coach by HEC Paris.

Astrid Wendlandt : Founder and Editor of Miss Tweed

Astrid Wendlandt started her career at the age of 21 at The Moscow Times newspaper in 1996. In 1999, she joined the Financial Times where she stayed for five years and worked as Moscow Correspondent and later as UK Companies Correspondent based in London. In 2004, she joined Reuters where she became the agency's first EMEA Luxury Goods Correspondent. She left Reuters in 2017 and in 2018 she set up Miss Tweed Publishing, an online media and book publishing company.

In 2019, she published How Luxury Conquered the World, the Inside Story of its Pioneers, and its French version Le Luxe à la conquête du monde. The book is the product of four years of investigation into the luxury sector. Revenues from the two books helped financed the launch Miss Tweed in June 2020.

Astrid Wendlandt is a member of the jury for the Temporis International Awards of the best watches released this year and presented at the 2024 annual fair Watches & Wonders.

Astrid Wendlandt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University in Political Science and Russian Studies, Joint-Honors, and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a school jointly administered by Tufts University and Harvard University. Her degree included coursework at Harvard's Russian Research Center and Harvard Business School with MBA students.

A fluent Russian speaker, Astrid Wendlandt is the author of two books on her travels in Russia's Far North among the last reindeer herders and in the Urals: Au bord du monde, Une vagabonde dans le Grand Nord sibérien, (Éditions Robert Laffont, 2010), L'Oural en plein cœur, des steppes à la taïga sibérienne, (Éditions Albin Michel, 2014) which was a finalist for the Prix des Lectrices de Elle magazine.

For more information, please send your questions and contact details to: contact@misstweed.com