London - Heist, the British brand that has shaken up the hosiery market with its “no digging in, sagging or restriction of movement” tights, has now unveiled its new innovative shapewear garment, The Outer Body.

The new product launch follows the appointment of Fiona Fairhurst, the inventor of the revolutionary, multi-gold-medal-winning FastSkin swimsuit, as vice president of innovation earlier this year. Led by Fairhurst, Heist has applied technology never before used in underwear to create shapewear that it states removes the “struggle, sweat and squeezing” typically associated with shapewear.

Whereas existing shapewear is composed of elastomeric fabric that applies equal pressure around its circumference, The Outer Body uses revolutionary biomimetic film technology to mirror the body’s own support system, so “moves with the body, rather than against it”.

The result is shapewear that contours the stomach, without “placing redundant - and deeply uncomfortable - pressure on the groin and spine” added the brand in a press release.

The Outer Body design replaces layers of constrictive fabric with laser-perforated, ultrasonically-bonded panels, that allow a varied thickness of material to create strategically-placed zones of higher compression, while promoting breathability and eliminating bulky seams.

Heist adds that the The Outer Body applies pressure only where needed, meaning there is no struggle involved in putting it on.

Commenting on the launch, Fairhurst said: “We wanted to give women freedom by giving them something better. While intimate apparel is the fastest growing market within apparel – with the shapewear market expected to reach 5.6 billion US dollars by 2022, 5 percent of the global lingerie market – there is very little catering to the comfort of women.”

Heist aims to shake up shapewear market with new The Outer Body

Toby Darbyshire, co-founder and chief executive of Heist, added: “We asked 1,025 women who wear shapewear what they actually wanted from the product, and this disillusioned and dissatisfied group told us: no squeezing, sweating, or struggling into something that’s not worth it. So, we applied high-performing technology to our bodysuit from top to bottom.

“We set out on a mission to change the future of underwear and started with tights to prove a point – that women’s bodywear has been neglected, overlooking an important scientific and technological focus that it deserves. With this new launch, we have applied our philosophy of innovation and expert knowledge of the anatomy to a very specific product that has been crying out for an overhaul.”

Heist was founded in 2015 and has reported a 20 percent month-on-month sales growth from October 2015 to April 2018. It has also secured backing from a number of high-profile investors including Net-A-Porter founder, Natalie Massenet, Bella Freud and Alexachung investor, Pembroke VCT, and the founders of the Innocent Drinks company.

Images: courtesy of Heist

London Fashion Week designer Erdem has been honoured for his innovative Royal Ballet costumes at the 2018 Beazley Design of the Year, an annual award and exhibition run by London's Design Museum.

Womenswear designer Erdem Moralıoğlu was named as the fashion category winner for 2018 for the 24 costumes he designed for the Royal Ballet and Christopher Wheeldon's production of Corybantic.

Inspired by the Classical Greek themes of the piece, Erdem juxtaposed armour-like ribbon detailing with ethereal sheer tutus, while the champagne-coloured satin bodices and careful pleating evoked the 1950s era of Bernstein’s original score.

Erdem’s ballet costumes beat off tough competition from Burberry’s Rainbow Check collection, the final collection from Christopher Bailey, E Carter's costume designs for the film Black Panther, which drew inspiration from a rich array of African ceremonial dress, Nike’s team collection for the Nigeria national football team, which was designed to reflect the youth and dynamism of modern Nigeria and its diasporas, and Matty Bovan’s debut collection ‘Vigilamus’ inspired his late grandmother and her wardrobe of tweed suits.

Now in its 11th year, Beazley Designs of the Year celebrates innovative and impactful products, concepts and designers by showcasing world-class design projects from the last 12 months.

Other winners included Heatherwick Studio in the Architecture category, the designers of the shopping district in King’s Cross, Coal Drops Yard, were honoured for its disused grain silo on Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, described as a ‘museum carved from concrete’, while Counter Investigations by Forensic Architecture was named best design of 2018.

The Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition is at the Design Museum in London, until January 6, 2019.

Image: courtesy of the Design Museum

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the longest serving airline uniform, Singapore Airlines’ sarong kebaya, designed by haute couturier Pierre Balmain.

The iconic sarong kebaya has not significantly changed since its creation by Pierre Balmain in 1968, due to the timeless silhouette of the uniform mixing “tradition, practicality and elegance,” states the airline. Everything from the pattern, lines, hues and fabric designed by Balmain remain the same today as they did 50 years ago.

Balmain’s choice of Asian batik print for the sarong kebaya was chosen to reflect the identity and hospitality of Singapore Airlines’ cabin crew, and the fabric design consists of brightly-coloured floral motifs and a colourful border.

Worn only by the female cabin crew, each sarong kebaya uniform is tailor made to the specific crew member wearing it. Singapore Airlines notes that there are no standard sizes, as Balmain insisted every sarong kebaya be tailored to fit its wearer’s form.

There are four different colours for the sarong kebaya, each representing the role and rank of the crew member that wears it. The most recognisable is the blue, which remains the trademark Singapore Airlines look, and is worn by flight stewards and stewardesses. While green is for leading stewards and stewardesses, red for chief stewards and stewardesses and purple for the flight’s inflight manager, who is in ultimate charge of the cabin environment and all the crew on board.

In Pictures: 50 years of Pierre Balmain’s sarong kebaya uniform for Singapore Airlines

The uniform is a lot more practical than it looks and has been adapted for emergency situations, with the slit in the front of the uniform allowing cabin crew to tie up the skirt for ease of movement.

Commenting on the anniversary, Sheldon Hee, general manager UK and Ireland at Singapore Airlines said in a statement: “The 1968 Balmain sarong kebaya and its batik print, as well as the 2008 Balmain designed update to our male uniform, have become synonymous with Singapore Airlines.

“We’re proud to say Balmain’s timeless Asian batik female and male designs have made the Singapore Airlines cabin crew one of the most instantly recognisable in aviation.”

In addition to designing the female cabin crew’s uniform, the house of Balmain under French fashion designer Christophe Galibert, artistic Director of Balmain Uniformes, also redesigned the entire male uniform in 2008 to include a tie with a complementary print to the sarong kebaya.

Other airlines that have looked to fashion’s top designers includes British Airways, which recently announced that British tailor Ozwald Boateng was redesigning the uniforms, following in the footsteps of Julien MacDonald, Paul Costelloe, Roland Klein, Baccart Weatherall, and Hardy Amies, who have designed the British Airways uniforms over the years.

Virgin Atlantic cabin crew were given a glamorous makeover by Dame Vivienne Westwood, while Qantas’s cabin crew attire featuring a black uniform with red accents and trilby hats, was designed by one of Australia’s most acclaimed international designers, Martin Grant, and Air France also has a long-standing tradition with using French couturiers, with Balenciaga and Dior both designing uniforms in the 1960s, while most recently Christian Lacroix designed a uniform featuring red gloves and a red bow-tie belt dress.

Images: courtesy of Singapore Airlines

Danskin, the heritage dance and lifestyle brand owned by Iconix Brand Group, has unveiled its first capsule collection designed by actress and dancer, Jenna Dewan.

Inspired by Dewan's style and active lifestyle, the Jenna Dewan x Danskin capsule marks the actresses first foray into fashion design and features pieces including coordinating leggings, sports bras, a jogger and hoodie combo, and a new take on the traditional leotard based on her love of fitness, dance and transitional fashion.

The capsule line is aimed at supporting modern woman’s lifestyle, day to night, states the brand, with Dewan being fully involved from the conception to design, including developing the colour palettes, fabrics and silhouettes with the Danskin team.

"My capsule for Danskin is so meaningful to me because I grew up wearing the brand. I have so many special memories associated with Danskin and it is incredibly near and dear to my heart," explained Dewan in a press release. “I designed this collection with active women of all ages in mind and wanted the pieces to look as good as they feel and to be able to move with the body all day long.”

The collaboration also aims to introduce Danskin to a new generation with the curated collection featuring styles across multiple categories including activewear, dancewear and intimates, and has been positioned at an “elevated yet accessible price point” compared to the core Danskin line, with pieces ranging from 28-100 US dollars.

Danskin, owned by Iconix Brand Group, was founded in 1882 in New York City by brothers Joel and Benson Goodman to manufacture goods specifically for dancers' needs and has since become one of the world's leading manufacturers of dance and activewear for girls and women.

The Jenna Dewan x Danskin is available exclusively at select Six:02 stores and online, as well as at Danskin.com.

Image: courtesy of Danksin

With over 90 million daily users, pornographic website Pornhub is one the most popular sources of adult content on the Internet. Now, it is venturing into a rather surprising realm: fashion. “With the debut of our Pornhub Apparel clothing line, we also want to be counted among your favorite outfitters”, said the brand on its website.

But don’t be alarmed, for the clothes the company launched last week in partnership with fashion brand Richardson are safe to wear outside the bedroom -- that is, if you don’t mind flaunting the website’s logo everywhere. The collection includes hoodies, T-shirts, sweatshirts, bomber jackets, socks and baseball caps. Some of the pieces are adorned with flags of countries where pornography is banned and where it is not, while the brand’s “signature T-shirt” is autographed by famous porn stars.

“No matter your pick, your one of a kind Pornhub Apparel garment is designed to provide cool and casual comfort and is guaranteed to turn heads and raise brows”, promises the label.

In a recent interview with Vox, Pornhub’s co-founder Javi Iñiguez said the company aims to be the new Playboy: “a lifestyle brand, a fashion brand. The girls were wearing sweatshirts and purses with the Playboy bunny even though they might not have seen a Playboy magazine in their lives”.

Photos: Pornhub Apparel website

Social media giant Instagram has further expanded its shopping features just in time for the Christmas shopping period. The three new features were announced on the photo-and-video-sharing platform’s press page and come hot on the heels of the ‘Product Stickers’ feature which was introduced in September.

“‘Tis the season of wish lists and gift giving! With the holidays just around the corner, we’re making it easier than ever to turn to Instagram for all of your holiday shopping needs,” the platform announced.

The first feature - called Shopping Collection - makes it easier for users to revisit items they like by allowing them to save product tags in Stories or Feed to their personal shopping-list collection.

The new Business Profiles feature is a redesign of the Shop Tab on business profiles which allows customers to quickly view all the products featured in a business’ shopping posts. When users visit a business profile they can now tap on the ‘Shop’ button to see a list of all their products.

The Shopping in Feed videos feature allows customers to shop in videos from their favorite brands. When users see a video in their feed from a brand they follow, they can tap the shopping icon in the bottom left corner to see the featured products.

Read more: Is Burberry's Instabuzz enough to sustain growth?

KFC, the fried chicken fast-food chain, has collaborated with Japanese designer Nigo on a streetwear collection that it is finger lickin’ good.

Nigo, using KFC's Colonel Sanders as his muse, has teamed up with global creative studio Hypemaker to create the Human Made x KFC capsule collection, featuring a shop jacket, hoodie, hat, and T-shirt inspired by the 1970s Americana and workwear style.

For inspiration, Nigo visited the KFC headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Colonel Sanders Museum and KFC archives, and spent time in the kitchen learning to make the Colonel’s world famous fried chicken.

"When we heard of Nigo's obsession with Colonel Sanders, we had to invite him for a rare tour of the Colonel's personal archives to help inspire him," said Steve Kelly, director of media and digital marketing in a statement. "We're humbled to work alongside both Hypemaker and Nigo in debuting this collection and are proud to have been a small part of his creative process."

The Human Made x KFC capsule collection launched at a pop-up shopping experience in a KFC restaurant in Manhattan on November 16, ahead of its launch on HBX.com and at the Human Made store in Tokyo on November 23. Prices range from 20 to 375 US dollars.

This isn’t the fried chicken chain’s first foray into fashion, in August, it launched its own clothing and accessories collection in Australia for charity, featuring budgie smugglers, track pants and fried chicken-scented surf wax to raise money for the company’s Youth Foundation, and in the UK back in 2015, KFC challenged London-based designer Katie Eary to create a capsule womenswear collection for spring/summer 2016 within an hour, as part of the fast-food chain’s #PackMoreIntoLunch campaign.

Images: courtesy of KFC

Montreal’s McGill University has officially opened the Bensadoun School of Retail Management, named after Aldo Bensadoun, founder of footwear company Aldo Group. The school aims to act as a hub for students, researchers and practitioners to address the challenges retailers face, according to the university’s website. Mr. Bensadoun donated 25 million Canadian dollars to help set up the institution, and an additional 7.5 million dollars were offered by retailers from Canada and abroad.

“We are living through a period of tremendous change in retail and to succeed, future industry leaders will need to fundamentally understand consumers’ changing behaviors and expectations”, said Bensadoun in a statement. “It is my hope that by working with industry partners and leveraging McGill’s breadth and depth of research in fields such as accounting and finance, psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience and sustainability, we will succeed in reinventing the future of retail management”.

Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, Dean of the Faculty of Management, added: “The retail industry has seen unprecedented change in the last decade with the rise of e-commerce and the fall of formerly invincible category leaders. The school’s goal is to ensure the sustainable and prosperous future of the retail industry through research and education”.

The school is set to focus on interdisciplinary research drawing from three different departments. Sustainability will be a key area of inquiry, as McGill is looking to establish Quebec and Canada as “an international center for retail sustainability research and training”, according to the university’s website. Students will also benefit from a retail experience lab featuring a pop-up space to observe shoppers’ behavior.

Founded in 1821 in Montreal, McGill is one of the leading universities in Canada, with 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students. Also headquartered in Quebec, Aldo Group operates a worldwide chain of shoe and accessories stores. Founded in 1972, the company owns three brands: Also, Call it Spring and Globo.

Picture: courtesy of McGill University

JD.com, Inc., China’s e-commerce company and retail infrastructure service provider, reported net revenues for the third quarter of 104.8 billion Chinese yuan (215.3 billion dollars), an increase of 25.1 percent from the third quarter of 2017, while the company’s net service revenues were 10.9 billion Chinese yuan (1.6 billion dollars), an increase of 49.4 percent from the third quarter of 2017. The company expects net revenues for the fourth quarter to be between 130 billion and 135 billion Chinese yuan, representing a growth rate between 18 percent and 23 percent compared with the fourth quarter of 2017.

“We are pleased to report solid results for the third quarter, with our core JD Mall business driving consistent growth under its highly experienced management team,” said Richard Liu, Chairman and CEO of JD.com in a statement, adding, “Our ‘Retail as a Service’ strategy is also gaining traction as we provide a wide range of partners with innovative retail infrastructure solutions.”

Operating margin of JD Mall before unallocated items for the third quarter was 2.2 percent compared to 2.3 percent for the same period last year. The company said, net income from continuing operations attributable to ordinary shareholders was 3 billion Chinese yuan (0.4 billion dollars) compared to 1 billion Chinese yuan for the same period last year. Non-GAAP net income was 1.2 billion Chinese yuan (0.2 billion dollars) compared to 2.2 billion Chinese yuan for the same period last year.

Diluted net income per ADS from continuing operations, the company added, was 2.03 Chinese yuan (0.30 dollar) compared to 0.69 Chinese yuan for the third quarter of 2017, while non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS from continuing operations was 0.80 Chinese yuan (0.12 dollar) compared to 1.52 Chinese yuan for the same quarter last year.

JD.com’s annual active customer accounts increased to 305.2 million in the twelve months ended September 30, 2018 from 266.3 million in the twelve months ended September 30, 2017.

Picture:Facebook/JD.com

Innovation 000. One doesn’t need to look further than the store’s name to learn the importance of Nike’s new flagship in the heart of New York City. With six stories spanning over 68,000 square feet, the shop located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street has the largest concentration of Nike footwear anywhere in the world.

One of the store's most interesting features is the Nike Speed Shop, which occupies an entire floor. The space uses digital commerce data to stock its shelves. Re-stock is based on the community's favorites.

Similarly to other flagship stores opened elsewhere, DIY forms a great deal of Nike's New York location. “Nothing makes a product more personal than adding individual touches before you even carry it out of the store”, said the sportswear giant on its website. That’s why the new shop features not one, but two customization studios for its customers.

Those looking to guarantee good results can get expert advice at the Nike Expert Studio, where clients receive assistance in finding the right items and how to customize them in a way that best meets their needs.

But transformation is not only reserved for sneakers. At Nike NYC, aka Innovation 000, the store’s physical space can change at any moment too. On the Arena, the floor which showcases the label’s seasonal collections, tiles can be completely rearranged. “What if entire floors could shift at a moment’s notice?”, asked the brand on its website.

As usual, those who partake in Nike’s membership program, NikePlus, enjoy special advantages. In New York, they're able to reserve products via phone and have them held in an in-store locker for as long as they need. NikePlus members can also shop the looks showcased by the mannequins by scanning a code with their mobile phone. Their smartphones also allow them to checkout instantly at the stations provided throughout the retail space.

Pictures: Nike newsroom

Fashion’s love affair with Disney’s Mickey Mouse is stronger than ever, with fast-fashion, streetwear, luxury designers and high-end jewellers, all flocking to be part of the Disney experience as the playful mouse marks 90 years since his first appearance in ‘Steamboat Willie’ on November 18, 1928.

As part of the celebration, Disney has asked all of its friends to create collections in honour of Mickey Mouse, and they have a lot of friends, as the collaborations have been coming thick and fast over the past couple of months.

We’ve had 90th anniversary collections from Cath Kidston, Rag and Bone, Primark, Marc Jacobs, Clarks, Pandora, Shinola, Samsonite, Havaianas, Vans, Swatch, Opening Ceremony, Berksha, and Forever 21, and in recent years Coach, Gucci, Christopher Kane, Gap, Marcus Lupfer, Givenchy, Castlebajac, Dolce and Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, Comme de Garçons, Anya Hindmarch, and even the recent H&M x Moschino collaboration featured Disney graphics.

Rag and Bone launched a limited-edition unisex collection using original sketches from the Disney archive on a wide selection of apparel including T-shirts, shirts, knits, polo shirts, sweatshirts, chinos, jeans and jackets, as well as bowling-inspired trainers.

While Cath Kidston followed up its previous collaborations with Mickey and Minnie with a playful collection of bags, accessories and homeware featuring four bespoke prints to mark Mickey’s 90th anniversary. At the heart of the collection is a reworking of Cath Kidston’s iconic Button Spot print, the Hooray Rose, a pop art inspired design that showcases Mickey Mouse alongside graphic speech bubbles juxtaposed with flowers, stars and a red dotty print.

Streetwear brand Vans collaborated with graphic designer and illustrator John van Hamersveld, tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon, illustrator and animator Geoff McFetridge, and longtime collaborator Taka Hayash on a collection of trainers and T-shirts featuring the beloved mouse, while Brazilian flip-flop brand Havaianas has launched a collection of 10 flip-flop styles that each honour a different moment in Mickey Mouse’s History, from Mickey’s debut to his trip to the moon to celebrate the US Space Program in the 1960s, and high street chain has launched a line of dresses, T-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets featuring an all-over Mickey font print .

Mickey Mouse is even going high fashion for his milestone birthday, with Marc Jacobs launching a limited edition collection starring Mickey in oversized graphics on casual streetwear silhouettes. While the collection may only be four pieces, the oversized hoodie, denim mini, short sleeve Mickey dress and denim jacket certainly packs a fashion punch, in the statement graphics as well as the price, with the pieces starting at 280 pounds.

Disney celebrates 90 years of Mickey Mania

Mickey Mania it seems has always been in fashion, with the first Disney licensing beginning in 1929, when Walt Disney was approached by a man walking through a hotel lobby in New York City to put Mickey Mouse on a children’s pencil tablet he was manufacturing. He offered 300 US dollars and that they say is how the commercial potential of the mouse began.

A pencil tablet was followed up with the first Mickey plush doll in 1930, created by a young seamstress, Charlotte Clark, and in 1933, Ingersoll produced the first wristwatch in which Mickey’s arms tell the time, of course it was an immediate hit and Disney character watches have been continuously produced ever since. The original watch sold for 3.75 US dollars and later lowered to 2.95 US dollars.

There isn’t many things that Mickey’s face hasn’t been adorned on, he’s featured on bags, T-shirts, watches, jewellery, jeans, stationery, homeware, dresses, trainers, wireless headphones, flip flops, luggage, kitchen appliances, plush toys, nightwear, sweatshirts, cuff links, socks, the list is endless.

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.”

Mickey Mouse and its element of fun and nostalgia is a winning combination for Disney and collaborative brands, with the playful mouse being Disney’s second most licensed product across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the number one in Italy, Iberia and the Middle East and North Africa, according to Disney.

While all Disney characters are loved, Mickey it seems is one of the most coveted pop culture elements for adult fashion, and Disney states that its design collaborations are less about obvious character placement and more about creating beautiful designs where the characters and details tell a story as part of the product, and its that storytelling quality that has made captured numerous high-end designer collaborations.

Why does fashion love Mickey Mouse?

On why Mickey inspires fashion designers, Stuart Vevers said in a statement: “The nostalgic charm of Mickey, his cheekiness, his uniqueness and his legendary calm make him an undeniable American icon. I have always thought of him as a playful character, a rebel at heart and a timeless symbol that is the embodiment of joy and creativity.”

Coach launched one of the most recognisable Mickey Mouse collections in recent years as part of its own 75th anniversary celebrations. The limited-edition collection of leather goods and ready-to-wear pieces featured exclusive Mickey Mouse artwork, which was specially created by Disney animators. The highlight of the collection was the re-edition of an archival Coach bag from the 1960’s, the Kisslock with added round Mickey Mouse ears.

It isn’t just the fashion world that is amour with Mickey, interior designer Terence Conran and German industrial designer Ingo Maurer have both been inspired by the funny cartoon character, and over the nine decades Mickey has inspired countless artists including Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst.

“Mickey Mouse is one of the great icons from the golden era of Hollywood and as a young boy I was absolutely enchanted by the magical film, Fantasia,” said Sir Terence Conran in a statement from Disney when commenting on a Mickey Mouse chair he designed. “I have tried to capture something of Mickey’s spirit of timeless humour, charm and cheerful optimism and cheerful pugilism to show young people the pleasures of good design. After all, like Mickey Mouse himself, good design makes you happier.”

Happy birthday Mickey!

Images: courtesy of Disney, Cath Kidston and Coach

Along with its third quarter results, L Brands also announced the appointment of John Mehas as the new CEO of Victoria’s Secret Lingerie, effective early 2019, replacing Jan Singer, who recently resigned.

“John is an outstanding retail merchant and we could not be more excited for him to lead Victoria’s Secret Lingerie to a new phase of success,” said Leslie H. Wexner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of L Brands in a statement, adding, “Our number one priority is improving performance at Victoria’s Secret Lingerie and Pink. I am confident that, under John’s leadership, Victoria’s Secret Lingerie, the world’s leading lingerie brand, will continue to be a powerhouse and will deliver products and experiences that resonate with women around the globe.”

Mehas is currently serving as president of lifestyle brand Tory Burch. Previously he led Club Monaco, a Polo Ralph Lauren brand, for 13 years as president and CEO. Mehas, the company said, gained his early retail and merchandising experience at The Gap and Bloomingdales.

Picture;Facebook/Victoria's Secret

Columbia Sportswear Company has appointed Troy Sicotte to serve as Vice President of Sales, North America for the Mountain Hardwear brand, effective October 22, 2018. In his new role, the company said, Sicotte will be based at Mountain Hardwear’s headquarters in Richmond, California, where he will develop and drive all aspects of the brand’s North America Sales.

Commenting on Sicotte’s appointment, Mountain Hardwear President Joe Vernachio, to whom Sicotte will report, said in a statement: “We are excited to have Troy bring his expertise to our brand. As the head of our Sales Team, Troy will ensure our ongoing revitalization is thoughtfully channelled through the best core specialty partners across North America.”

Sicotte, the company added brings a lifetime of experience in sales, with over a decade in the footwear and outdoor industry. After college at the University of Oregon, he got into sales with Birkenstock USA for three years followed by over a decade at The North Face. Sicotte’s last three years there were spent at the global HQ as director of sales, where he took on several roles from managing all sales channels of the US-Midwest to overseeing national sporting goods, REI, Ski and run specialty and footwear channels. His work at The North Face gained him some industry acknowledgement with the SGB “40 under 40” industry award in 2012.

Prior to joining Mountain Hardwear, Sicotte took a two year leave to pursue making a career of his hobby in the automotive aftermarket and motorsport, leading 034Motorsport as global director of sales.

“My two years outside the industry has given me new perspective on the changing marketplace and true specialty retail. I cannot wait to help lead this sales team, ensuring that we listen to our dealers and offer industry leading product, knowledge and support,” added Sicotte.

Picture credit:Columbia Sportswear

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), is looking to sell around Rs 5,000 crore worth of Khadi by 2018-19-end. According to KVIC, production of khadi fabric in the country has grown by 37 per cent over the last few years. It production has risen by 38.30 million sq. mt. to 142 million sq. mt. from 103 million sq. mt. in the last four years.

KVC attributed this steep rise in Khadi sector fabric production to the repeated appeals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to adopt Khadi. The commission started registration of new Khadi institutions for widening the scope for employment as well as the revival of defunct Khadi institutions. It added 38,684 new khadi artisans till October 10 this year, consequently rising the artisan’s total number to 4,94,684. KVIC is also expanding its khadi stores across India and has added close to 326 new Khadi institutions in the last two years.

Private equity firm CX Partners is planning to buy around 30 per cent stake in Indian women’s ethnic wear brand Soch for slightly over Rs 300 crore. Soch opened its first exclusive store in Bengaluru’s Forum Mall in 2005. The brand retails through over 100 exclusive brand outlets across 39 cities, including Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad. It retails through shop-in-shops across Shopper’s Stop and Central outlets, with a presence in over 50 large format stores.

The latest deal comes after Soch and Manyavar ended merger talks last year, which was to be backed by another PE investor Kedaara Capital. While Manyavar roped in Kedaara, its talks to buy Soch didn’t work out well, prompting the former to focus on developing its own women’s ethnic wear brand Mohey.

Following the successful Adidas Originals by Daniëlle Cathari collaboration, which launched earlier this year, the sportswear brand has tapped another emerging designer to reimagine its iconic three stripes, New York-based designer, Olivia Oblanc.

Parsons School of Design graduate and one of fashion’s rising stars, Oblanc has designed a 15-piece gender-fluid collection that reimagines Adidas Originals’ sportswear heritage, which the sportswear giant states “defies traditional design conventions” and offers a new perception of femininity.

Taking inspiration from utility focused garments, Oblanc’s debut collaborative collection showcases functionally focused gender-fluid silhouettes across a range of hoodies, track tops, cargo pants, and jackets, in a bold colour palette of blue, red, and yellow.

The collection stays true to Adidas’ sportswear identity whilst also combining with Oblanc’s utility focused design ethos, and her aesthetic of upcycling and reworking garments, as select pieces from the collaboration feature Parlay’s recycled fabrics.

To launch the collection, Oblanc worked with Adidas brand ambassador Kendall Jenner to creative direct the campaign, which features three films created by young filmmakers, Leonn Ward, Stephen Isaac-Wilson and Ronan McKenzie, who showcase the collection around the concepts of music, fashion and beauty.

Adidas Originals by Olivia Oblanc is available globally through adidas.com, as well as at select Adidas Originals flagships, and select retailers including Barney’s, Dover Street Market, Naked, Nordstrom, Pam Pam, and Selfridges.

Images: courtesy of Adidas Originals

Global Fashion Group (GFG) reported net merchandise value growth of 22.7 percent year on year on a constant currency and 9.2 percent in absolute euro terms to 289.5 million euros, and improved profitability by 4.6 percentage points in the third quarter ended September 30, 2018. Group revenue (which includes only commission earned on marketplace NMV and delivery fees) for the quarter was EUR 264.6 million, constant currency growth of 16.9 percent or 3.2 percent growth in absolute euro terms.

The company said, gross profit margin in Q318 at 36.2 percent was 2.4 percentage points lower than the Q317 margin since a stronger gross margin in Australasia was offset by continued price investments in Southeast Asia (SEA), Latin America (LatAm) and Russia/CIS. Overall adjusted EBITDA margin improved 4.6 percentage points to 8.1 percent of net revenue for Q318. Active customers for the group reached 11 million, adding 1 million since the start of the year, and representing year on year growth of 15.8%. Net orders grew by 25.1 percent.

Regional overview of Global Fashion Group’s third quarter

In the LatAm region, Dafiti’s NMV of 91.5 million euros in the quarter represented a 14.4 percent uplift on a constant currency basis. Revenue of 82.3 million euros, grew by 13.6 percent on a constant currency basis. Continued depreciation of the Brazilian real and the Argentinian peso, the company added, resulted in absolute EUR NMV and Revenue declining by 7 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively, while gross profit margin declined by 2.2 percentage points to 40.8 percent.

In the Russia / CIS region, Lamoda’s NMV of 91.7 million euros increased by 20.8 percent on a constant currency basis, driven by accelerated marketplace growth, while revenue of 85 million euros demonstrated constant currency growth of 9 percent. GFG said, depreciation in the ruble reduced NMV and revenue growth in absolute euro terms to 9.6 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. Gross profit margin declined by 0.8 percentage points partly due to delayed uptake of Lamoda’s fall/winter inventory given an extended warm weather period.

In the Australasia region, NMV of 65 million euros at The Iconic, grew by 38.6 percent, on a constant currency basis and revenue increased by 35.3 percent in constant currency basis to 55.2 million euros. Due to depreciation of the Australian dollar, NMV and revenue growth in absolute euro terms were 29.6 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively. Gross profit margin increased by 0.8 percentage points to 45.7 percent.

In the SEA region, Zalora’s NMV of 41.4 million euros in the quarter represented a 27.8 percent on a constant currency basis and revenue was 38.6 million euros, growing 22.7 percent on a constant currency basis. In absolute EUR terms, the NMV and revenue growth were 25.8 percent and 21.3 percent, respectively. Gross Profit margin declined by 9.6 percentage points in the quarter to 22.6 percent.

Picture:Dafiti website

Asos has announced the global roll out of its sizing tool, the Asos Fit Assistant on its app and e-commerce site, which aims to help customers get sizing right, first time.

Powered by Fit Analytics, the Fit Assistant uses machine learning to provide bespoke sizing recommendations for customers, based on their previous purchases and returns.

To enhance the accuracy of the sizing tool, customers can choose to answer three short questions about their height, weight and fit preference, and the tool will display a more accurate result, which the e-tailer stated is “especially useful” for new customers.

Andy Berks, digital product director at Asos said in a press release: “We want to do all we can to make sure our customers are getting the right size, first time. This is where Asos Fit Assistant comes in – we can now offer personalised size recommendations across Asos collections, exclusive labels and fashion favourites. Ultimately, we’re here to make our customer’s lives easier, giving them the confidence to shop with us and minimising the risk of disappointment when their Asos parcel arrives.”

Asos has been experimenting with machine learning tools for some time with tools such as Your Edit, Style Match and the ‘You Might Also Like’ carousel on product pages, which are all part of the online fashion retailer’s commitment to improve the customer experience.

Images: courtesy of Asos

Peer-to-peer second hand e-tailer Poshmark has appointed Steven Tristan Young as its first chief marketing officer, as it continues to expand its executive leadership team to assist with its accelerated growth.

Young, a marketing leader and brand strategist for high-growth startups and Fortune 500 companies, has been tasked to lead growth, product and brand marketing for the rapidly-growing company, as well as lead the marketing team through Poshmark’s next phase of growth.

He brings with him a proven track record of building and scaling consumer brands, stated Poshmark in a press release, as he spent seven years at GrubHub, where he was played a key role in driving brand awareness as well as double-digit year-over-year customer acquisition growth.

Prior to GrubHub, Young served in a number of leadership postitions at Directv, American Express, Puma and Endurance International.

"Poshmark's unique social commerce platform has grown tremendously over the past year and today supports five million Seller Stylists and 40 million community members," said Manish Chandra, founder and chief executive of Poshmark. "As more people turn to Poshmark as the leading destination to buy, sell and share fashion, we need the best people to help us manage that growth while maintaining our community-first ethos.”

Chandra added: “We're thrilled to welcome Steven, who stood out as a seasoned and passionate marketer with a proven track record of scaling high-growth companies, and we look forward to his leadership and expertise over the coming years."

Young’s appointment comes at a time of accelerated growth for the company, which is now powering a sale every second, has 100 million US dollars in inventory uploads each week and ships to 30,000 US zip codes.

Torrid, the American fashion retailer for women sizes 10 to 30, is collaborating with curvy supermodel Tara Lynn on two limited-edition luxe lingerie collections.

Lynn, who has just been named Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie of 2019, has worked with Torrid’s design team on two capsule collections for the holidays and spring 2019 comprising of 20 lingerie pieces.

The first capsule for the festive season is in selected Torrid stores and online now, and features lingerie pieces in dusty blue and sultry black with lace embroidery, for a unique take on holiday collections, as it features non-traditional, holiday colours that the brand states allows the collection to “be worn year-round”.

The signature piece and Lynn's favourite is the sexy bodysuit with lace insets and garters.

"I'm so excited to be able to partner with the pioneers of curvy fashion," said Lynn in a statement. "Torrid was one of the first brands I shopped and after modelling with them for the past 10 years, the next natural step in our relationship was to create pieces I would personally love to wear and a collection that would look beautiful on curvy women.”

Supermodel Tara Lynn launches lingerie collection with Torrid

The holiday 2018 collection will be followed up with a spring 2019 range in January, which features pieces in black with revealing and strappy peek-a-boo styling.

On designing the collections, Lynn said it was a “dream come true,” added: “I put passion and care into each piece, with the goal to inspire women of all sizes to feel empowered by their own sexiness and femininity and to celebrate the beauty of curvy women."

Torrid chief executive, Liz Muñoz, said: "As the leader in apparel and intimates for curvy women, we have created a line of comfortable and sexy intimates with Tara Lynn that make women feel confident.

"I have been working with her since I joined the company and we love what she stands for. Her beauty, sensuality and body positivity fit perfectly with Torrid's mission.”

Tara Lynn x Torrid lingerie capsules range in price from 18.90 to 58.90 US dollars.

Established in 2001, Torrid is the leading and fastest growing retailer of apparel, intimates and accessories for curvy women sizes 10 to 30 in North America. Purchased by Sycamore Partners in 2013, Torrid has annual sales of 1 billion US dollars and operates 588 stores.

Image: courtesy of Torrid