More China (and Asia: +34%) and less USA (-1%). Sales of fashion and leather goods, however, grew at a vertiginous pace: +21% from April to June 2023 compared to Q2 2022. In the first quarter, growth had been 18%. Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Celine, Loro Piana, Loewe and Marc Jacobs were the best performing brands. […]
It took the testimonies of Chanel and LVMH to explain a value implied in the dynamics of industrial concentration. Public opinion fears that large M&As, especially when operated by foreign players, are a subtraction of expertise: a player takes the savoir faire of an autonomous or artisanal entity and, so to speak, privatises it. Things...
Since 11 February 2021, when the article appeared in the scientific journal MDPI Coatings, to date more than 26,000 readers have consulted the study conducted by the FILK Institute in Freiburg. And they have thus understood the true qualitative and performance distance between leather and alternative materials, both traditional plastic fabrics and the latest “vegan”...
Claudia Sequi is the new president of Assopellettieri. She is taking her place after Fabio Gabbrielli and will remain in charge for the 23/24 period. The 55-years-old entrepreneur from Florence is also the VP of Pelletterie Claudia (brand Claudia Firenze) based in Pontassieve. Crucial moment Sequi nominated 4 VPs: Stefania Orselli of Gucci, Stefano Giacomelli […]
The US market is slowing down, but still going fast. Local brands dream of producing in Italy. “The costs of made in Italy are similar to those of made in the USA. But Italian quality is superior”, observes Andrea Calistri, owner of Sapaf Atelier 1954. According to him, production quantity limits are the real obstacle....
From the Barbiecore trend, to the glorification of Birkenstocks. The great success of the film Barbie (in cinemas, from 21 July) is not only in terms of tickets sold at the box office (over 10 million in Italy in the first week of screenings), but also and above all in fashion. It was to be […]
Leather is fashionable in Hollywood. The costumes for films Aquaman, The Dark Knight, Captain America: The First Avenger and Wonder Woman (to cite a few), are made with leather. London-based laboratory Whitaker Malem, founded in 1988 by Patrick Whitaker and Keir Malem. Moreover: they also make costumes for pop stars and top models worn during...
Kering has nominated Francesca Bellettini (in photo) as deputy CEO. Saint Laurent’s CEO (photo from Imagoeconomica) will be deputy to François-Henri Pinault. All the CEOs of Kering’s other brands (including Gucci), will need to refer to her. Bellettini will be able to provide suggestions and more, when it comes to strategies. Pinault, beside from letting...
BAV Shoes of Vigevano (Pavia) has taken over the Marche-based footwear brand Donna Più. The first collection, Spring-Summer 2024, is already on sale. Market operations do not only involve large groups and big brands, but also smaller companies. Which, likewise, want to get stronger. “It is increasingly difficult to grow in the current context, but...
Experimenting new ways to build the “leather goods of the future”. Holding Moda – controlled by Turin-based Holding Industriale (Hind) – created a division dedicated to rendering a service to all the Group’s companies and final clients. The division has a dedicated team made of 3 people currently, but planning to get bigger. The team...
Dr. Martens is focused on the US market. Revenues from the Americas declined in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2024 (April 2023-March 2024) due to difficulties in the wholesale channel. For the company, therefore, improving performance in the US “remains the number one priority”. Dr. Martens, without providing figures or percentages, issued a […]
His tenure as president of the LHCA, the amalgamation of LIA (the US tanners’ association) and USHSLA (the traders’ association), is coming to an end. In his more than ten years at the top of the US leather industry, Stephen Sothmann (pictured) has seen the sector experience exciting moments, such as during the boom in...
After London, New York. After New York, Milan. Lineapelle’s exhibition network lands in the Big Apple where, yesterday, it opened its window on the USA kicking off the new edition Lineapelle New York. Two days of eagerly awaited creative and commercial exploration, as usual, preparatory to the highlight of the exhibition season for the global...
Richemont’s fashion brands grow, but at a slower pace than jewelry ones. The Swiss group closed a solid first quarter (April-June), but not a great one. Growth and revenue were below the analysts’ forecasts. Sales were down 4% in the USA, while China increased 32% and jewelry as a segment performed well too (+19%). “Good, […]
The age of greenwashing is coming to an end (one hopes). Because in the meantime, the age of greenhushing (of discretion on sustainability issues) is asserting itself. The Washington Post coined the new expression when observing the transformation taking place in the fashion industry (and beyond). Before, brands and investment funds flaunted green goals and...
Born during the pandemic, they now seek success in the male domestic wardrobe. They are Haus by Everton slippers, made of Italian leather. After launching them on the market, the founder, former Canadian Olympic athlete Everton McDougall (pictured), is fine-tuning the brand’s business. Having defined production, he is shifting the focus to distribution and sales....
It’s called LEAF Hardware. It’s “the first certification allowing the measurement of the environmental impact of metal accessories for the fashion segment via indicators able to calculate their sustainability levels”. The certification was developed by Fondazione Leaf, founded in Florence “to promote the ethical, environmental, social and economic values of the luxury segment”. LEAF The...
It is the USA that is holding Burberry back, but at the same time launching Brunello Cucinelli. Both, however, are making important progress in China (which, however, has a relative weight in the Italian brand). Cucinelli confirms that it is a brand on the upswing. Burberry recorded a good quarter, also thanks to leather goods....
There is something mocking in the circumstance that the biggest problem of start-ups presenting themselves as champions of environmental sustainability is economic unsustainability. Business of Fashion, investigating the reasons for the unexpected stoppage of Mylo, Bolt Threads’ mushroom fabric that suspended production due to financial unavailability, identified the Achilles’ heel of the entire sector of...
Between sustainability and finance, Gabriela Hearst chose the former. And she has immolated herself, so to speak. To increase Chloé’s revenues, she would have had to “soften” her positions, considered too intransigent in the face of “green”. Like the one concerning the outright refusal to use so-called vegan materials. “The idea that vegan shoes are […]
