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A bitter bloodbath has begun at Barneys New York.
In an abrupt announcement yesterday, the swanky fashion chain said Julie Gilhart and Judy Collinson — the two top women’s fashion execs who have spent nearly 40 years combined at the retailer — left the company “to pursue other opportunities.”
Barneys’ new CEO Mark Lee — a former Gucci honcho who one insider described as “cold, quiet and logical” in his management style — skipped any mention of Gilhart and Collinson in a written statement.
Likewise, yesterday’s announcement made no mention of Creative Director Simon Doonan, stoking speculation that a rumored tiff between Doonan and Lee could soon boil over.
A Barneys spokesman declined to comment, and Doonan didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The ouster of Gilhart and Collinson is a signal that CEO Lee is looking to broaden the appeal of the famously edgy retailer — and isn’t afraid of wielding the ax after just three months on the job.
Saddled with stores in smaller, less fashion forward cities like Dallas, Boston and Las Vegas following an ill-advised expansion under Dubai-based owner Istithmar, Barneys must now cater to more mainstream tastes.
Gilhart — a motorcycle-riding Texan who built Barneys’ reputation as a fashion leader by discovering up-and-coming designers like Proenza Schouler — “is a great fashion prognosticator,” according to one top New York fashion executive.
“But the world has changed a little bit, and business is harder to come by,” the exec added. “Julie’s sensibility is very New York, and they’ve got stores all over the country.”
Indeed, larger fashion brands sometimes complained that Gilhart cherry-picked their collections in search of fashion gems. Meanwhile, smaller, up-and-coming designers lamented her ruthless prohibitions against selling to other retailers.
CEO Lee — a trim 47-year-old who was accused by some during his tenure at Gucci of taking the European luxury brand downmarket, even as he expanded sales and profits — replaced Collinson with Daniella Vitale, who previously had worked for him at Gucci as head of the Americas division.
In his statement, Lee cited Vitale’s “lucrative 20-year career in the luxury retail space” — a signal that making money will be the key objective after years of losses at the 87-year-old retailer Barneys.
In the year ahead, Barneys’ profitability will be a key issue as Istithmar — which shelled out nearly $950 million to buy Barneys in 2007 — struggles to maintain its grip on the company.
Last year, Los Angeles billionaire Ron Burkle scooped up nearly half of the retailer’s debt, and is poised to seize control of Barneys if losses continue and Istithmar can no longer foot the bill.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Doonan, renowned for his wacky window displays and snarky journalism on fashion and pop culture, will remain at Barneys.
According to one source, Lee is concerned that Doonan “has used his popularity to promote himself rather than Barneys, and that’s going to have to change.” james.covert@nypost.com