Loewe opens first retail store in New York City

Spanish fashion house Loewe has touched down in New York with a new retail location on Greene Street in SoHo. This is the luxury brand’s first store in the U.S. fashion capital.

Though Loewe first started as a collective of craftsmen creating high-quality leather goods, including its now-signature handbags, the brand expanded into ready-to-wear and accessories in 2013 under the leadership of creative director Jonathan Anderson, who is also the creative director of his namesake label, J.W. Anderson.

According to the New York Times, the store—titled Casa Loewe and designed under the concept of appearing like a collector’s —features everything from its cult-favorite puzzle bags, small leather goods, and shoes to clothes for both men and women.

Loewe's new store is located at 79 Greene Street.

Image: Loewe Facebook

* This article was originally published here

'Made in China' no longer a negative for consumers

"Made in China" may still evoke more off the rack than catwalk, but Chinese designers are slowly installing themselves in Paris, the fashion capital, as a part of an upscale march towards the lucrative luxury market, a segment that is increasingly made up of Chinese shoppers.

As Paris gears up for its next run of shows early in the new year, it is clear that Chinese designers have made it into the rarefied world of fashion. Think Guo Pei, the Chinese-born and trained couturier best known for the massive canary-yellow coronation cape worn by Rihanna that stole the show at the New York Met's 2015 gala.

Guo, who has a Paris boutique, will present her haute culture collection. Several other Chinese designers, such as Uma Wang, Masha Ma, Yang Li, Jarel Zhang, Dawei and Shangguan Zhe, will show their collections at the ready-to-wear shows in February.

"We're starting to see fashion coming from China aimed at the entire world and which is creating new ideas about the country -- a new 'Made in China' of quality and refinement," said Isabelle Capron, head of Chinese fashion group Icicle's Paris office.

Paris a 'springboard'

Founded in Shanghai in 1997, Icicle has 270 shops in China and generates 250 million euros (275 million US dollars) in annual sales. Under the label's back-to-nature ethos, it favours natural fabrics like cashmere, silk, cotton, wool and linen. It uses natural dyes made from onions, walnut bark, woad and tea to colour the clothes it makes in the three factories that it owns in China.

The Chinese firm opened its first international store in September in Paris in the heart of the city's "Golden Triangle" of luxury boutiques. "It's a springboard for our internationalisation," Capron said. "Paris is the capital of fashion, and the goal is to give our brand visibility," she added.

Even though many Western brands are produced in China, European consumers still view clothes tagged "Made in China" as being of mediocre quality. "Stereotypes are very tenacious: seven years ago when I said I was joining a Chinese group, some people looked at me and it was clear that 'the Chinese have no taste' and 'the Chinese are poor-quality manufacturers' were running through their heads," Capron said.

"But today, there has been a real swing, this new wave of Chinese brands is a tidal wave."

'Quality more important'

Designer Shangguan Zhe, founder of the Sankuanz label based in the Chinese port city of Xiamen, made his international debut in London in 2015. Now a regular at the Paris men's ready-to-wear shows, Shangguan said he has not encountered stereotypes or challenges based on his nationality from fellow designers.

"People from outside the industry are more likely to have these stereotypes," he told AFP in China. "People from within the industry are fully aware of the level China's manufacturing is at," he said, adding: "The quality is actually getting better and better."

Speaking to AFP from China, he said: "Paris is a very international stage. People don't really care where you came from... The product itself is more important."

'Neo-Chinese chic'

Shiatzy Chen, a fashion house founded in 1978 in Taiwan, produces its clothes in Shanghai and Taipei. It has staged shows in Paris for a decade and has a boutique in one of Paris's most exclusive streets.

Why Paris?

"Paris is the centre of Western fashion and the birthplace of the couture. A design studio in Paris, the heart of couture, helps us to explore complex Western construction techniques as well as stay on top the latest trends," Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia, who founded the fashion house and who has been dubbed the Coco Chanel of Taiwan, told AFP.

The label, which set itself a mission to create "neo-Chinese chic" through a fusion of East and West, has 70 boutiques throughout Asia. The collections marry traditional techniques with contemporary cuts.

"To be attractive, including for Chinese clients, a Chinese label cannot limit itself to boutiques at home, it must also be present in Paris, which fascinates" the Chinese, said luxury goods expert Eric Briones, noting that China today represents some 35 percent of the global luxury goods market. This "rise of a new 'Made in China' is just the start of a revolution, initiated by a young generation that wants to consume Chinese," said Briones, who co-founded the Paris School of Luxury.

"It is a return to favour for local brands which began with streetwear and is now spreading to luxury clothes," he added.(AFP)

* This article was originally published here

Bombay Shirt Company to raise Rs 56.6 crore to boost business

Apparel and fashion startup Bombay Shirt Company plans to raise Rs 56.6 crore from early-stage venture capital firm Lightbox Ventures for automating its production and supply chain operations, and expanding its physical presence in 40 to 50 locations, in the next one and a half years. The company also plans to widen its menswear category, by including newer products like trousers and denim among others.

Founded in 2012 by Akshay Narvekar, Mumbai-based Bombay Shirt Company offers online tailor-made shirts to its consumers. Currently, the company has 16 stores across India, Dubai and New York. It offers personalised shirts curated for each and every customer while ensuring zero inventory and wastage. The company leverages technology to automate the entire process, thereby providing a seamless experience for its customers.

Consumer tech-focussed Lightbox Ventures was founded in 2014 by Sandeep Murthy, Siddharth Talwar and Prashant Mehta. Previously, the venture capitalist firm has backed many consumer tech companies, including Melorra Bags, Generico, Flintobox, Faasos and Droom among others. This is the latest investment, and the VC firm in September had closed its third India-focused investment fund at $209 million with the participation of 28 investors.

* This article was originally published here

Alberto Racca named new managing director of Miroglio Group

Alberto Racca is the new CEO of Miroglio Group. As stated in a statement, the appointment, approved by the Board of Directors which met on 19 December, is part of the strengthening of the role of the parent company Miroglio spa as an industrial holding company, which began at the end of 2018 with the appointment of Filippo Ferrua Magliani as Chairman.

"The appointment of Alberto Racca as CEO completes the renewal process started at the end of last year," said Chairman Filippo Ferrua Magliani. "The holding company has the task of exercising an active shareholder role, allocating resources to the operating companies, selecting key people to whom responsibilities are assigned, and ensuring control over the implementation of strategies and management choices," stressed the company's management.

"The appointment of Alberto Racca as CEO completes the renewal process begun at the end of last year. This is an important strengthening for the action of the Board of Directors, which will have a professional figure able to ensure supervision and a managerial and strategic link with the activities of the main subsidiaries Miroglio Fashion and Miroglio Textile", said Chairman Filippo Ferrua Magliani.

Racca, joined the Miroglio Group in October 2018 as Group strategy & transformation director. During these months he was responsible for strategic planning and portfolio management of subsidiaries. Graduated in Managerial Economics at the London School of Economics and Mba at the London Business school, the manager, continues the company's press release, has previously gained significant experience in McKinsey & Co. following corporate transformation projects and in Kkr-Pillarstone, participating in the definition of acquisition and investment plans and successful turnaround.

A few months ago the Miroglio Group renewed its corporate visual identity, in line with the new "soul" of the group, a company characterized by a solid industrial culture, with an eye to the future and an international vision.

The first new element is the logo, "where the "M", an effective visual synthesis of the new brand, is inspired by the movement of the fabric inside the printing cylinders, an expression of a dynamic and constantly evolving reality. The colour chosen is blue, the colour of the ink, of the design, of the printing, which has always been present in the company logo, now revisited with a new chromatic declination that refers to lapis lazuli, a precious stone used by the most important artists and painters over the centuries. The only chromatic exception is Miroglio Fashion's logo, which maintains black and white to best enhance the identities of the individual brands", the management underlines in the note.

The font is derived from "Quirinus", a design by Fonderia Nebiolo, an ancient Turin industry specialized in typographic fonts, which for its characteristics of excellence and geographical location recalls the reality of Miroglio. The particular font has been revisited in a contemporary key, while preserving a historical flavour. The new logo is the basis of the renewed identity and the entire graphic design of Miroglio Group, as well as the main subsidiaries, Miroglio Fashion and Miroglio Textile, for which customized and differentiated versions have been created. As for the new online look, both the Group's website and those of the two main associated companies have been completely revised.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.IT, translated and edited by Kelly Press.

Photo: Alberto Racca, from Miroglio press office

* This article was originally published here

A look at the multi-layered designs of late Emanuel Ungaro

IN PICTURES Sunday the news came out that fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro passed away at the age of 86. Ungaro was known for his sometimes incoherent prints and different materials on top of each other. He mixed flowers and polka dots, stripes and squares often with bright colors and brought a lot of effect on the haute couture catwalk.

One of his first designs to be seen on the catwalk consisted of many layers on top of each other. The model wears trousers with a long tunic dress, on top of that a chasuble dress and another jacket. According to AFP 'the garments run smoothly into each other, without appearing heavy. The models must be able to move freely'. Take a look at some of Ungaro's designs over the years.

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Emanuel Ungaro mixes prints and materials in collections

In addition to haute couture, Ungaro launched ready-to-wear collections for women in 1968. A few years later followed by a line for men. Over the years, Ungaro built an empire. In addition to fashion, he launched perfumes, shoes and glasses. Until the fashion house was bought by the Ferragamo family in 1996.

From 2001, Emanuel Ungaro, married and father of a daughter, began to distance himself from fashion, leaving the artistic direction of ready-to-wear and accessories to his most important collaborator, Giambattista Valli.

Ungaro himself then designed a few more collections, but in 2004 he definitively withdrew from the world of haute couture, believing that it no longer corresponded to "the expectations of women today".

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.NL, edited and translated by Kelly Press

Images: Gerard Julien / AFP, Pierre Verdy / AFP, Thomas Coex / AFP

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H&M starts selling "tailor-made" shirts through H&M Lab platform

The Swedish multinational group H&M has just created a new platform under the name of H&M Lab. A digital portal, for now exclusively operative in Germany, through which it will market the latest services, its newest products and all the innovations created by its research "hub", The Laboratory. It will also be looking for new collaborations and projects with all kinds of emerging companies.

"With HMlab.de we have the possibility to present and offer access to all kinds of innovative products and services," says Oliver Lange, Director of H&MLab Germany. "This way we can see which ones have the highest approval rates and which ones are particularly well received by our customers. All this thanks to a platform designed "to test innovative products and services," they say from the company itself, which also promote the development of local startups linked to the retail sector. "Through joint creation with clients and emerging companies," they explain, "we want to develop products and services that our consumers will love and that will have a positive impact on building a more sustainable future.

In addition to offering its clients the possibility of acquiring some of its products from its pilot initiatives, the company will also give them the chance, through the platform, to participate in some of its trials. On which it will show its latest developments on a regular basis.

ZyseMe Custom Shirts

Among the first initiatives launched by the company with this H&M Lab is the "H&M Yours" project. This is a collaboration with German technology company ZyseMe - specialized in customization services - consisting in the manufacture of shirts adjusted to the measures of each client, made "as if they were made to measure".

"With the H&M Yours pilot project," Lange adds, "we are learning how we can individualize clothing while continuing to make it accessible to a wide range of customers in a sustainable way.

"ZyseMe brings customised production to the world of fashion," explains Bobby Östberg, founder and CEO of ZyseMe in a statement. He said that the company is "very proud" to be able to work together with H&M, while at the same time contributing to the development of more sustainable production techniques. "The fact that we can also offer customers added value at the same time is a very important milestone for us.

At a sales price ranging from 34.99 euros for "Easy Iron" models to 39.99 euros for Oxford models, this is the first time that H&M decides to sell fully customized garments. This is the first time that H&M has decided to sell fully customized clothing, a development that comes just a month after the company announced that it would begin to implement a similar program for making customized jeans on a larger scale. While continuing to drive greater circularity within the industry, through initiatives such as the new rental clothing programs it is launching in the Swedish and Chinese markets.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.ES, edited and translated by Kelly Press

Photo Credits: H&M Lab, official website

* This article was originally published here

Fashion East to stage co-ed show at LFW

London-based talent incubator Fashion East is combining its womenswear and menswear shows into one for the first time with its autumn/winter 2020 showcase.

The new-look showcase will take place during London Fashion Week in February, and will feature three returning talents alongside two newcomers to the line-up of designers.

London-based footwear designer Ancuta Sarca, who debut her upcycled trainer/kitten heel hybrid shoes will be returning, as will experimental menswear and womenswear designer Gareth Wrighton, and menswear designer and choreographer Saul Nash.

They will be joined by South Korean designer Goom Heo, who won the L’Oreal Professionnel Creative Award for her MA collection at Central Saint Martins, and Albanian womenswear designer Nensi Dojaka, who graduated from Central Saint Martins in February.

Fashion East’s founder and director, Lulu Kennedy, said on Instagram: “At Fashion East, we’ve never been concerned with standard gender rules on the catwalk, so it is natural for us and the progressive designers we support to make this format switch up at the start of our 20th year.”

* This article was originally published here