Caleres names Jack Calandra as senior vice president and CFO

Image: Caleres, Jack Calandra Footwear conglomerate Caleres has announced the appointment of Jack Calandra as its senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective September 12. Calandra joins the company from a.k.a Brands, where he served as chief financial officer. He has also held several executive positions at the likes of Tailored Brands and Gap Inc, where he took on the role of senior vice president and CFO of Banana Republic Global, among other positions. The appointment follows the previously announced CEO succession at Caleres as it continues to transition its executive leadership team for the future. Calandra, who will be responsible for the company’s finance, accounting and investor relations, will succeed Ken Hannah, who has served as CFO of the group for seven years. “I see a tremendous amount of opportunity for future value-creation at Caleres,” Calandra said on his appointment in a release. He continued: “I look forward to working with the entire Caleres team to unlock growth opportunities across the enterprise, to further bolster our financial structure and to drive long-term value for our shareholders.”
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Harlem’s Fashion Row to host 15th anniversary of awards with LVMH

Image: Harlem's Fashion Row, Facebook Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) has announced that the 15th anniversary edition of its Fashion Show and Style Awards will be opening New York Fashion Week on September 6, in partnership with LVMH. For this year, the organisation has introduced the new Virgil Abloh Award presented by LVMH, which will be given by the late designer’s wife, Shannon Abloh. The award looks to honour Abloh’s memory and impact by celebrating like-minded individuals that contribute to culture, community and innovation, HFR said in a release. This year, it will go to actress, writer and producer Issa Rae. The event in general will stick to the theme ‘Future’s Past’ in which collaborations and black-owned brands will tell the untold history of past contributions, sacrifices and innovations in fashion that will have influence on the future. “African Americans have a rich history in fashion, although much of their contributions have been buried or unrecognised in history,” said Brandice Daniel, CEO and founder of HFR. Daniel continued: “We are moving into the future by reaching back to understand, honour and pull strength from our past.” For this edition;s awards, womenswear designer Sergio Hudson has been named Designer of the Year, Robin Givhan will receive Editor of the Year, Ade Samuel has been selected for Stylist of the Year and the Icon of the Year Award will go to singer and philanthropist, Janet Jackson. Several brands from LVMH’s portfolio will be providing support to the event, including Sephora, which will offer runway hair products from black-owned brands, Dior Beauty, which is providing sponsorship of all skincare and artistry teams, and Tiffany & Co., which will present gifts to the award honourees. In addition, three BIPOC designers will also be showcasing their latest collections at the show; menswear designer Clarence Ruth, sustainable brand Deus Ex Machina’s Johnathon Hayden and womenswear creator Nicole Benefield.
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Marimekko to release capsule utilising Spinnova fibre

Image: Spinnova x Marimekko Marimekko has revealed a capsule collection made in collaboration with sustainable textile company Spinnova. The line will be the first commercial drop implementing Spinnova’s responsible fibre into printed products, bringing together the company’s technology with Marimekko’s printmaking. The capsule, which drops August 29 in select markets, includes a denim-inspired utility overshirt, pair of trousers and a tote bag, all with Marimekko’s signature Unikko (popp) print, made by Maija Isola in 1964. Its denim-like blend consists of around 20 percent Spinnova fibre, while the rest of the blend is approximately 70 percent organic cotton, the duo said in a release. The fibre is made of certified wood sourced from responsibly managed forests and is said to be fully recyclable. It builds on the two companies’ already established relationship, which spans back to 2017 when Marimekko and Spinnova began testing and commercialising new textiles. The brands have previously dropped two prototype outfits alongside an announcement that they hope to introduce commercially viable products by 2022. “The key to the success of this collaboration has been the truly close working relationship between both brands,” said Suvi-Elina Enqvist, head of innovation works at Marimekko. Enqvist continued: “The new capsule is one step towards our goals. Marimekko’s design philosophy is based on creating timeless design that brings joy for generations to come. It was a natural choice to partner with Spinnova thanks to its sustainability potential, and partnerships with the likes of Spinnova play a vital role in achieving our ambitious sustainability goals as a company.”
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Seattle NFT Museum launches exhibition on fashion’s place in the blockchain

Image: Seattle NFT Museum The Seattle NFT Museum has unveiled the topic of its upcoming exhibition, ‘Pixel and Thread’, set to take place between September 9 and November 3. “In this exhibition, we set out to highlight creators and collectives that are making bold expressions of fashion and new representations of ‘brand’ on the blockchain,” said Joana Kawahara Lino, exhibition curator, in a release. Lino continued: “From some of the very first fashion-forward non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to fashion made for NFTs, and from seasoned Fashion Week veterans to experimental metaverse garment designers, we are excited to showcase this holistic and highly nuanced art form that is ‘fashion’.” Among the included exhibitors will be digital-only couture house The Fabricant which will display works by past and current collaborators, Shavonne Wong, Nicopanda, Pabllo Vittar and World of Women. Carbon-neutral digital art marketplace Voice will also be present during the exhibition, alongside digital artists and designers Wildflowernft, Ashley Okoli and K0nklz. Tickets for the exhibition can already be purchased through the museum’s website, with a VIP preview event to also take place for the launch. During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a number of the displayed artists.
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Joules share slide reportedly throws Next rescue into doubt

Image: Joules A further drop in Joules’ share price has reportedly put its rescue deal from Next into doubt. The struggling British retailer was hoping to secure a 15 million pound equity investment from Next, however, according to Sky News, its most recent profit alert has raised concerns. The publication said that the two companies are not close to agreeing the terms of an investment, just three weeks after they confirmed discussions. Sources added that Next had not yet received sufficient financial information in order to make a formal proposal, with further doubts surrounding Joules’ initial valuation of 33 pence-a-share or more, as it revealed earlier this month. Since then, shares have continued to decline, closing on Friday at 25.5 pence. Discussions to go ahead Despite uncertainty, a spokesperson for Joules told Sky News that it is continuing to have “positive discussions” with Next about adopting its Total Platform services to support its long-term growth, as well as a potential equity investment. The statement continued: “There can be no certainty that these discussions will lead to any agreement, and further announcements in this regard will be made if and when appropriate.” The investment’s announcement comes following a difficult period for Joules, which has struggled due to inflationary pressures within retail. Last month, the heritage brand appointed debt advisory firm KPMG to assist in improving its profitability and liquidity headroom. Earlier in August, it announced the appointment of former John Lewis exec Jonathon Brown as its CEO, who said in a statement at the time that the group was making “strong progress against its clear plans to improve profitability by simplifying the business and optimising the cost base.” Sky News said Next declined to comment.
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