Coperni launches rental offer with Hurr

Coperni SS23. Images: Coperni Parisian luxury label Coperni has joined the rental market through a new exclusive partnership with UK-based rental platform Hurr. The brand, which has become known for its viral runway moments and strong line up of celebrity fans, will now offer a curated edit through the site, including pieces from its current spring/summer 2023 collection. Next to this, items from Coperni’s archive will also be available for rent, namely the brand’s popular Coperni Swipe bag which has made regular runway appearances. Initially launched in 2017 by CEO Victoria Pew, Hurr has developed itself into an established tech-first platform, striving for the mission of becoming “the Airbnb of fashion”, as Pew told Forbes back in 2019. Initially starting out as a peer-to-peer platform, Hurr introduced a white-label service in 2021, allowing retailers to get involved with its rental offer. The site has now welcomed a series of notable partnerships with both premium and luxury brands, from Selfridges and John Lewis to & Other Stories and Mulberry. Its expansion was further fueled by a four million pound funding round later in the same year, which it used to expand its operations and develop its proprietary technology.
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NIQ launches Beauty Trailblazer Programme to support minority-owned brands

Cosmetics cream. Image: Unsplash Market research and data analytics platform NielsenIQ (NIQ) has launched a new Beauty Trailblazer Programme to support minority-owned beauty brands through access to data sets. The three-month programme is open to emerging brand leaders, with selected finalists to gain access to the platform’s data, as well as support from data professionals and mentorship from industry leaders. In a release, the company said that it hopes participants will be able to “supercharge their business plans” through the programme, while also building brand awareness and growing their network. Speaking on the initiative, Kymberly Graham VP, head of diversity initiatives at NIQ, said: “We are thrilled to launch the Beauty Trailblazer Programme and provide support to emerging minority-owned brands in the CPG industry. “We believe that this programme will not only help these brands grow their businesses, but it will also bring diversity and equity to the industry.” To be considered for the programme, brands must be minority-owned and generate less than 20 million dollars in annual sales.
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Destination XL's Q4 comparable sales increase by 10.8 percent

Image: Destination XL retail store. Image credit: Calvin L. Leake via Dreamstime For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, total sales were 143.9 million dollars compared to 133.5 million dollars for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. Comparable sales for the quarter increased 10.8 percent, driven by a 13.2 percent comparable sales increase from stores and a 6.2 percent increase in the direct business. For fiscal 2022, total sales increased 8.1 percent to 545.8 million dollars, while comparable sales increased 10.9 percent, with stores up 11.3 percent and the direct business up 9.9 percent. “We exceeded our sales and margin plan this year, in both our stores and direct business, with an increase of 10.9 percent in comparable sales which we believe was driven by the brand’s strategic transformational repositioning,” said Harvey Kanter, the company’s president and chief executive officer. “We are planning for sales in fiscal 2023 of 550 million dollars to 570 million dollars and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 12.5 percent to 13.5 percent,” Kanter added. DXL's fourth-quarter and fiscal 2022 results The company said, sales for the quarter started slowly with comparable sales for November up 2.7 percent, but accelerated 10.8 percent in December and then up 23.7 percent in January. The incremental increase in comparable sales in January was largely driven by store traffic. All regions of the country performed well in the fourth quarter with the southeast and south central stores our strongest performers. The company added that the growth in the direct business of 6.2 percent was driven primarily by web and app. Similar to the fourth quarter, all regions of the country performed well in fiscal 2022 with southeast, south central and northeast stores our strongest performers, and direct growth driven primarily by web and app. Net income for the fourth quarter was 8.3 million dollars or 13 cents per diluted share compared to 9.9 million dollars or 14 cents per diluted share. Net income for fiscal 2022 was 89.1 million dollars or 1.33 dollars per diluted share compared to 56.7 million dollars or 83 cents per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was 14.2 million dollars compared to 14.3 million dollars for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. For fiscal 2022, adjusted EBITDA was 73.8 million dollars compared to 76.9 million dollars for fiscal 2021. Over the next three to five years, based on our preliminary store development plan, the company could potentially open up to 50 net new stores. For fiscal 2023, the company plans to convert 10 of the existing casual male XL stores to DXL stores, remodel five existing DXL stores, close five stores and open three new DXL stores.
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Morocco Fashion Week highlights the talents of the Arab world

Image: Designer Lamia Lakhsassi and her models | Credit: Paul Tomasini While being a field of inspiration for many French designers, Morocco is now also setting up its own Fashion Week. The second edition took place on March 10 and 11, 2023, in Marrakech. The cosmopolitan event offered visibility to 17 designers, with the intention to make the Arab creations shine beyond the borders of their country. The event started in the M Avenue, a newly built promenade lined with fashion boutiques, located outside the Medina, which is conveniently in close proximity to a slew of prestigious hotels. Its brand new cultural building, the Meydene, hosted the ready-to-wear shows on Friday March 10. The scouting of new locations for the Morocco Fashion Week are in full swing and are organised by the Oriental Fashion Show. The Paris-based association is known to French industry professionals as it has already planned the shows several times in the capital before. With 18 years of experience, the Oriental Fashion Show is now the official organiser of the Morocco Fashion Week. Its president, Hind Joudar, confirmed to FashionUnited that the name "Morocco Fashion Week" has been registered at the INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle). Image: Design by Marine El Himer | Credit : Paul Tomasini Modest fashion amid diverse designers Many designers showcased modest fashion pieces, which are garments that are meant to cover up the majority of the body. Some of the outfits were accessorised with hijabs and aimed at Muslim women, an important target audience since the global Muslim population is now estimated at 2 billion people. This demographic group is quite young: 70 percent of its population is under 40 years old, while generations Z and Y represent 50 percent, according to figures from the Mastercard-Crescentrating Global Muslim Travel Index 2022 report. The range of offered caftans and abayas was as varied as the origin of its designers. Part of the creators were not only Moroccan but also Palestinian, French, Lebanese and Kazakhstani. To be found on the catwalk: established designers like Bernard Jabbour (Lebanon) as well as young graduates who came to participate in a competition for young talents. The announced winner was Donia Shehadeh, who created satin evening dresses with voluminous needle work and sensual cuts. She will have the opportunity to present her collection in France, during the Paris Fashion Week, and in the Oriental Fashion Show. Image: On the right, designer and winner of the contest: Donia Shehadeh | Credit: Paul Tomasini Donia Shehadeh studied fashion at the Accademia Di Moda, located in Nazareth, which was founded by Saher Okal, the winner of Project Runway Middle East, season two. He says: "I was in Italy to study fashion and it was very difficult for me. I received a scholarship from someone to study fashion in Italy and the moment I started learning, I thought 'I have to help all the new talents in my country'. That's why I decided to open a fashion academy in Palestine. Not everyone can afford to travel somewhere else to study fashion, so I thought I should help people in my country to learn about design on the spot, at home, in my country." On March 11, Omri Elayan, another Palestinian designer, took the runway under the lavish chandeliers of the Royal Mansour, a historic luxury hotel in Marrakech. The fashion designer from the Shfaram region in the Galilee is, according to a press release, considered the "first designer of men's clothing in Palestine". His collection revolved around dark suits, embellished with sequined embroidery, feathers and transparent materials and included a line of items for both men and women. Image: Collection by Omri Elayan | Credit: Paul Tomasini Another name to remember is that of Zineb Hazim. The designer of Moroccan origin and Italian nationality seduced the public of Meydene with the creativity of his modest fashion. Her collection named "Abaya Street Couture" was composed of non-revealing outfits, dotted with golden or bright blue sequins. The play of materials and the imposing volumes exposed a stomach or a leg from time to time, demonstrating that modest fashion could address all women. Image: Designer Zineb Hazim and her models | Credit: Paul Tomasini The project of an Arab Fashion Week consortium The biannual event that now represents the Morocco Fashion Week seems set to last in the future. Hind Joudar additionally announced a major upcoming project, the introduction of a consortium of Arab Fashion Week. "With Morocco Fashion Week, Kazakhstan Fashion Week, Azerbaijan Fashion Week and Tajikistan Fashion Week, we are building a project called Fashion Industry. In collaboration with all the talents of these different regions, we are in the process of making a designer exchange partnership," says Hind Joudar. The president says: "We have been working for 18 years in the organisation, the label Oriental Fashion Show, and thanks to it we were able to support the development of Azerbaijan Fashion Week and Kazakhstan Fashion Week. We have always been by their side." The Fashion Industry project will be "kind of like a fashion Erasmus" explains Hind. The Morocco Fashion Week will send its Moroccan designers to other capitals of the Arab world as Kuwait and will continue to cast foreign designers. She adds: "It is a synergy between young talents. There is a new generation that sees fashion differently, we are no longer in large institutional houses as before. Now, young people want to be free, but we must support them. This Fashion Week will be a platform of visibility for them.” Image: Collection by d'Omri Elyan | Credit: Paul Tomasini Julia Garel was invited by the Oriental Fashion Show and travelled to Marrakech. This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and edit by: Cenia Zitter.
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Caleres enjoys ‘record-setting’ year following bumper Q4 sales

Image: CEO Jay Schmidt and former CEO Diane Sullivan | Credit: Caleres US footwear group Caleres has reported record sales in both its Q4 and full-year results. The company made net sales of 696.4 million dollars in the quarter ended January 28, up 2.5 percent from the 679.3 million dollars it made a year earlier. Breaking it down by segment, Famous Footwear segment sales increased 0.1 percent, while Brand Portfolio segment sales rose 6.4 percent. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales represented approximately 75 percent of total net sales in the period. The group’s net earnings in the quarter widened to 40.8 million dollars from 33.9 million dollars a year earlier. For the full year, the company posted a 6.9 percent increase in net sales to 2.97 billion dollars, with net earnings of 181.7 million dollars, up from 137 million dollars. ‘Record-setting’ 2022 Chief executive and president Jay Schmidt told investors: “Caleres closed a record-setting 2022 with another quarter of strong sales and earnings performance that exceeded initial expectations. “Our fourth quarter results were led by our Brand Portfolio, which experienced strong growth in sales, gross margin, and earnings, and a solid performance from Famous Footwear, which continues to provide the brands, trends, and value aligned with consumer preferences.” Looking ahead, the company now expects consolidated net sales to be flat to up 2 percent for the current year, while it expects earnings per diluted share to be in the range of 4.10 dollars to 4.30 dollars. “This outlook balances strong momentum in our business and structural improvements in our earnings ability against anticipated headwinds that include inflationary pressures, higher interest rates, and continuing uncertainty in the macro-economic environment,” the company said.
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Khaite snaps up new investment partner to support next growth chapter

Khaite AW23, New York Fashion Week. Image: Hanna Tveite, Khaite New York brand Khaite has reportedly secured a new investment partner to support its next stage of growth. Stripes is believed to be the growth equity firm behind the move, set to provide funding that will help Khaite embark on a new chapter of business. Founder of the brand, Catherine Holstein, told WWD: “This is an exciting chapter for Khaite. “After opening the first store on Mercer Street in February, we are strategically looking ahead to continue to grow and strengthen our presence on a global scale.” Stripes already has a strong foothold in the industry, with past investments in the likes of intimates brand Parada and footwear company On. Its operating partner, Brigitte Kleine, has also served as president at Tory Burch, Michael Kors and Alexander McQueen, among others. Founded back in 2016, Holstein launched Khaite alongside an initial investment from Adam Pritzker of Assembled Brands, who told WWD that Stripes would be “leading the next phase for this company”. Pritzker added: “Co-founding and building Khaite has been an honour. In partnership with Cate, we accomplished the extremely audacious goal of building the foremost American luxury brand. “The next stage of investment will further accelerate Khaite’s expansion and ensure greater visibility for an already iconic brand that is redefining American luxury.”
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