St. John relaunches with social media-driven strategy and capsule collection

American luxury brand St. John, which was founded in 1962 and has become known for streamlined knitwear has relaunched with a social media-driven state of mind. The company’s full rebranding was led by its newly appointed creative director, Zoe Turner. According to an announcement from the brand, Turner will lead all creative endeavors at the brand “starting with its codes and icons and melding them with her fresh approach to product, visual and store design.”

St. John’s new image begins with a redesigned logo, indicating that the brand has officially entered into a new era. To echo this idea, the knitwear label is relaunching with a limited-edition collection. Created by Turner and her team, the capsule includes 20 head-to-toe knitwear looks for the modern woman.

Items in Turner’s capsule collection feature iconic silhouettes reimagined, as well as modern details including graphic geometric prints, metal hardware, and updated proportions.

“The capsule was inspired by the icons of St. John, represented in 20 unique looks that capture the spirit of the house through colour, print, silhouette and craft,” Turner shared in a statement. “This will act as a foundation to build our new story.”

St. Johns’ relaunch showcases its capsule collection with a digitally-native campaign, focusing on social media.

With St. John’s new campaign approach, consumers can experience new collection exclusively online and on Instagram in the U.S. and on WeChat in China.

“We’re excited to introduce Zoe and her vision with this limited-edition capsule collection, and to spark the conversation around beautiful fashion through the digitally-led campaign. These new initiatives will speak to a larger audience, including our existing clients, about who we are and what we represent: a blend of modernity and history,” St. John’s chief executive officer Eran Cohen said in a statement.

Image: St. John

* This article was originally published here

Women’s Footwear Trends from the Catwalks Spring Summer 2020

Trendstop brings FashionUnited readers a first look at the essential styles informing women’s footwear direction for Spring Summer 2020.

The Trendstop team give FashionUnited readers an exclusive look at three of the key theme aesthetics that will be inspiring the women’s footwear market throughout the SS20 season and beyond. Designers bring fresh thinking to styling and construction methods, integrating natural and sustainable properties, redefining outerwear inspirations and experimenting with form and fit. Our curated catwalk reports and dedicated footwear trend galleries evaluate each trend’s commercial value and longevity, giving you the best possible basis for your decision making.

This week Trendstop present three women’s footwear stories emerging for Spring Summer 2020. Proportional play challenges the notion of conventional footwear silhouettes in Extreme Padding and The Cut Away Sandal while Elevated Eco explores the introduction of sustainability to high-end design concepts.

Extreme Padding

A huge trend across outerwear, footwear and accessories for winter, extreme padded looks transcend the seasons with new sandal iterations for summer.

Inflated proportions and puffy straps amplify the comfort factor for both flat footbeds and heeled styles. Tubular padding woven into wide single straps puts a contemporary twist on crafted constructions.

Images courtesy of Trendstop, left to right: Bottega Veneta, Givenchy, Proenza Schouler, all Spring Summer 2020.

The Cut Away Sandal

Sandals evolve with a more architectural aesthetic, utilizing cut out techniques to create new silhouettes. Deep V vamps, high cut toplines and ultra-wide straps complete with integrated toe rings, finished in monochrome colour-ways, expose and conceal different areas the feet for a minimal, modernist silhouette.

Images courtesy of Trendstop, left to right: Tibi, Rejina Pyo, Bottega Veneta, all Spring Summer 2020.

Elevated Eco

Sustainable materials and eco constructions are refined and elevated for the SS20 season. Bamboo heels are polished, enhancing natural qualities while unbleached fabric uppers are produced via fine weaving techniques. Textural elements are subtle in neutral single tones, highlighted by delicate straps and clean black or white accent colours.

Images courtesy of Trendstop, left to right: Jil Sander, Issey Miyake, Marni, all Spring Summer 2020.

Exclusive Offer

FashionUnited readers can get free access to Trendstop’s Resort 2020 Key Footwear Directions featuring all the essential catwalk styles for the upcoming season. Simply click here to receive your free report.

Trendstop.com is one of the world's leading trend forecasting agencies for fashion and creative professionals, renowned for its insightful trend analysis and forecasts. Clients include H&M, Primark, Forever 21, Zalando, Geox, Evisu, Hugo Boss, L'Oreal and MTV.

* This article was originally published here

Superdry posts sharp decline in H1 revenues

In a trading update for the first half year, Superdry Plc said, revenues declined 11.3 percent to 367.8 million pounds (473.2 million dollars), reflecting an expected year of reset, and the need to address a number of legacy issues across the business. The company’s retail sales decline moderated through first half, with Q2 store revenue down 9.4 percent versus 13.9 percent in Q1.

Commenting on the update, Julian Dunkerton, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are making good progress with the start to our turnaround plan for Superdry, returning the business to its design led roots. We are moving the business away from a reliance on constant promotions, and while this focus on full price sales has affected revenue in the first half, this is being partially offset by a better gross margin performance."

Superdry said, focus on full price sales and reduction in promotional activity impacted revenue but drove a 3.2 percent increase in store gross margin. Full price sales mix averaged 70 percent in H120 versus 52 percent H119. Wholesale revenues for the period dropped 11.2 percent while ecommerce revenues were down 10.5 percent.

The company added that it has taken swift and decisive action to implement strategic changes as part of the business reset, which is a two to three year programme to gain full control of the product and costs and it is confident in delivering further benefits from reset initiatives across Superdry in the second half, while remaining cautious about the challenging market conditions over the peak trading period.

Picture:Facebook/Superdry

* This article was originally published here

Capri Holdings Q2 profits drop 47 percent

The company said on Wednesday its Q2 net profit dropped. Compared with the same period last year, revenues increased by 15 percent.

The company's net profit for Q2 was 73 million dollars, dropped from 137 million dollars a year earlier. Revenues climbed to 1,442 million dollars. Compared to 11 percent a year ago, the profit margin of the company dropped to 5 percent.

This story was generated by Arria, an AI tool that turns data into stories. You can report errors or bugs to tip@fashionunited.com.

* This article was originally published here

Renowned designer, Hussein Chalayan, to begin professorship at HTW Berlin

The renowned Cypriot-born Turkish fashion designer Hussein Chalayan will begin a professorship at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW) this coming winter semester 2019/2020.

Chalayan will be teaching "Fundamentals of Design and Design Processes" in the Department of Design and Culture with a focus on sustainability and innovation. His professorship is explicitly aimed at outstanding designers with extensive professional and technical expertise in the fashion industry.

In 1999, Chalayan was crowned 'Designer of the Year' and in 2006 appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). International recognition followed thereafter and Chalayan was awarded the Design Star Honoree in New York, by The Fashion Group International at their annual Night of Stars Gala. Then, German sportswear label Puma made him their creative director. Next, he and Nicola Formichetti collaborated with Lady Gaga for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. Most recently, Chalayan joined the University of Applied Arts Vienna as the Head of Fashion of the Institute of Design in 2015 and now HTW Berlin.

Photo: courtesy of HTW and Arne Eberle

* This article was originally published here

Under Armour Inc. Q3 profits increase 36 percent

Under Armour Inc. reported its net profit for Q3 surged on Monday. Revenues dropped by 1 percent from the same period last year.

For Q3, the company's net profit was 102 million dollars, climbed from 75 million dollars last year. Furthermore, revenues dropped to 1,429 million dollars.

Under Armour (NYSE: UAA) is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Under Armour develops and sells branded performance apparel both through wholesale and direct to consumer channels.

* This article was originally published here

Central Saint Martins pledges commitment to creative ecology

Committed to addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency, London's Central Saint Martins has pledged their commitment to creative ecology.

The renowned art and design school strongly believes that the world is shaped through creative action. A statement on their website vowed, "our relationship with the planet's resources calls for urgent and lasting change. If the global population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets will be required to sustain current lifestyles. Artists and designers are uniquely placed to meet these challenges. All forms of creative practice combine the ability to imagine new futures with the means to deliver them. Our work isn't defined simply by what we produce, but what comes before and after – how those things are made and how they are used."

* This article was originally published here