The jokes on you, but only if it’s successful. Over the years, WWD, has taken its chances with April Fools’ Day. In 1998, the daily used its “Fashion Scoop” column to highlight fashion week mishaps, including moving Bryant Park’s 7th on Sixth New York Fashion Week showings to Queens, N.Y., confusing Helmut Lang with Helmut Newton, and a Giorgio Armani fashion show gone awry. As thing go on April Fools’ Day, the joke was on them since not everyone acknowledges the day. To clear up the spoofs, WWD sent out an editor’s note the next day titled “Fool’s Paradise” to clarify.
In 2002, WWD revisited the prank. They took Karl Lagerfeld’s diet drama further, suggesting a new line of frozen foods branded Karl’s Kuisine with a soon-to-come, cookbook from “Le Diet King” Karl Lagerfeld. No luck for fashion foodies. There was also a spoof on Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti’s contract expiration, which included a new bed-and-breakfast at Valentino’s palazzo, a fishing tour and Giammetti launching an accessories line called G-G. Along with more “Tit for Tat” in the spirit of the day. To ensure readers and prank subjects caught on, WWD printed “Happy April Fools’ Day” upside down at the end of the column.