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Under Armour to cut corporate workforce

Image: Under Armour store | Credit: Liverpool One US sportswear brand Under Armour is cutting 50 roles across its corporate workforce. Confirming the cuts to Footwear News, the company said: “Under Armour made the difficult decision to eliminate certain corporate roles across several functions in the business. “We sincerely appreciate the commitment and contributions these teammates made and are supporting them during this transition.” It comes after the company announced in May that it swung to a net profit of 170.5 million dollars in the fourth quarter ended March 31, compared to a loss of 59.6 million dollars a year earlier. That came as revenue rose 8 percent to 1.4 billion dollars, with North America revenue increasing 3 percent to 862.2 million dollars and international revenue up 16 percent to 526 million dollars. Despite the growth, shares fell on the news as the company forecasted a weaker FY24 outlook than analysts had expected. The company said at the time it expects FY24 revenue to be flat or up slightly on the prior year, and for diluted earnings per share to be between 47 cents and 51 cents.
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Explosion at Paris American Academy international arts and design school, dozens injured

Credits: Smoke billows from the rubbles of a building at Place Alphonse-Laveran, location of the Paris American Academy, in Paris, on June 21, 2023. (Photo by Abdulmonam Eassa / AFP) A powerful gas explosion at the Paris Academy which houses an international fashion and design school, in the centre of the French capital, has left 37 people injured, as per reports from several news media. The explosion happened on Wednesday afternoon and severely damaged one of the school’s buildings. No students were present as it was after class hours. The search continued on Thursday morning for a person still missing in the rubble. The explosion left at least four people severely injured. "The number of absolute emergencies had not stabilised overnight", the Paris public prosecutor's office told French press agency AFP on Thursday morning. "The total number of victims is still around fifty". Paris American Academy, a fashion and design school, is located in Paris’ fifth quarter, also known as the Latin Quarter. Barricades erected on Saint-Jacques street, in front of the Maison des Mines student residence, kept onlookers and journalists away from the collapsed building, in front of which rubble was piling up. Explosion destroys building Paris American Academy, leaves 37 injured There were no vehicles in the street, and only a water hose was intermittently activated by the fire brigade to spray the ruins of the destroyed building. The shops in the street were open and people were moving around. Damage was reported over a wide area. A caretaker in the street perpendicular to Saint-Jacques street, Violeta Garesteaw throws broken glass into a dustbin on the pavement. "Many of the windows in the building have been broken, I'm cleaning up in the inner courtyard and we've already put up tarpaulins because it's raining", she told AFP. "It was terrible yesterday, I thought it was an earthquake. It was shaking,” she told AFP. The incident occurred shortly before 5pm in a building housing the private fashion and design school. Several witnesses and local residents interviewed by AFP said they smelled gas and heard a "big explosion". "One of my colleagues smelled a strong odour of gas and went to look under the porch to see what was going on", Philippe Delorme, France’s secretary general of catholic education, whose premises are in the immediate vicinity of the collapsed building, told French radio station RMC on Thursday morning. "Just as the accountant was dialling the telephone number" of the gas supplier's emergency service, "the explosion occurred", he continued. The Paris public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into "unintentional injuries caused by a manifestly deliberate breach of a duty of care or safety". “Initial indications (...) lead us to confirm that the explosion originated in the building", Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said at the scene. "We are obviously relying on the victims in relative emergency to assist us with the initial elements of investigation and give us an understanding of what may have happened", she added. The Paris judicial police have been called in. The mayor of the fifth quarter, Florence Berthout, told BFMTV that she had been "very frightened last night" because "young people were looking for their mothers who were on the site of this American fashion school". "We always fear the worst in such cases", she continued, welcoming the fact that the mother had finally been identified at the Percy military hospital in Clamart, where she had been admitted after the explosion. Some 270 Paris firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to two adjoining buildings, which were seriously destabilised by the explosion" and "have been evacuated", the Prefect of the city Police, Laurent Nuñez, said in the early evening on Wednesday.
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Nike commits to cruelty-free wool

Happy lambs need their tails. Image: Four Paws US sporting goods giant Nike has followed its own motto (“Just Do It”) and simply done it, namely decided to do away with wool that causes cruelty to animals. This kind of wool uses a process called mulesing in which strips of skin from the rump and the tail of lambs are cut away, often without any anaesthesia or painkillers. The resulting pain, shock and stress for the only two to ten-week-old lambs is so enormous that many grow more slowly and their risk of death increases. Global animal welfare organisation Four Paws announced the influential company's move today (Wednesday), which it hopes will inspire others. Nike commits to Responsible Wool Standard According to Four Paws, Nike has changed its CSR policy and is committed to complying with the certified Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) in its product range, which the animal rights organisation calls a “groundbreaking moment” and a “huge milestone”. Four Paws has been campaigning against the cruel process for years and in 2022 targeted a campaign directly at Nike. More than 80,000 sports enthusiasts called on the sportswear brand to follow in the footsteps of Adidas and Puma, which have already opted for certified wool in the past. “We congratulate Nike on this important commitment which will benefit millions of lambs. With the upcoming mulesing season in Australia due to start, this news comes at a crucial time and sends a strong signal to the wool producers, being an influential brand with potential to inspire the entire apparel market. This win was only possible with the help of tens of thousands of supporters fighting together with Four Paws for better animal welfare in the sports apparel market,” commented Rebecca Picallo Gil, head of the wool campaign at Four Paws, in a press release. According to Four Paws, more than 350 brands and retailers now have a policy against mulesing, among them Aldi, Asics, Asos, Bestseller, C&A, Decathlon, H&M, Ikea, Inditex, Kik, Kmart, Otto Group, Primark, Tchibo, Tesco, Uniqlo and Zalando. Also read: * How brands can transition to pain free, non-mulesed sheep wool * Textile Exchange releases new Responsible Mohair Standard
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Antwerp Fashion Academy alumnus Brandon Wen presents first show as academy's department director

Credits: COURTESY OF ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP In Pictures On Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10, the fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts presented its end-of-the-year student fashion show entitled ‘Show 23’, directed by former student and the department's new creative director Brandon Wen. The show took place in Antwerp, where 5,000 fashion enthusiasts from the Belgian city and abroad descended upon the impressive spaces of the Waagnatie, located on the banks of the Scheldt river, to discover the creations of the international graduating fourth year (master) class of the academy and its current (bachelor) students. ’Show 23’ was the first show of the Academy to be directed by US fashion designer Brandon Wen, who was appointed creative director upon the departure of Belgian designer Walter van Beirendonck. Van Beirendonck announced his retirement as head of the fashion academy in May 2022 and stepped down in June of last year. In addition to the show, students also presented their creations to industry professionals and the public in an exhibition. Wen graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp himself, and apart from his experience as a fashion designer, he also has a background as a performance artist. This was very apparent in this year’s fashion show which was at times -more specifically in the first 25 minutes or so of the show- a mix between a traditional fashion show format and a dance performance. A group of models dressed in traditional ball gowns created by the academy’s bachelor students opened the show as they moved elegantly to classical guitar music. This was followed by more energetic dancing and dance routines to alternative pop and punk rock while the male dancers/models, dressed in historical costumes, came onstage and the female performers stayed in character. In addition to the show, students also presented their creations to industry professionals and the public in an exhibition. The fashion show was divided into two parts. During the first part, the first year, second year and third year bachelor students of the Antwerp fashion academy showcased their collections. The sound of a loud horn followed by a deep male voice that seemed to come straight from a science-fiction movie announced the study year of the designers and their names. The students’ names were also projected on a digital panel above the stage. During the second part of the show, the World Costumes collection was presented. This was followed by the collections of the graduating master students of 2023. Credits: COURTESY OF ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP The names of the graduating master students of the Royal Academy of Arts Antwerp 2023 are: Laura Meier Hagested, Aaron Hüttenmeister, Marcel Sommer, Cezary Zalit, Jiawen Gong, Xuewen Chen, Antonia Vera Kannefaß, Tim Stolte, Ashton Lang, Yue Kong, Victoria Lebrun, Juyoung Ahn, Violette Des Roseaux, Frederik Liederley, and Jiayue She. Credits: COURTESY OF ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP Read more: * Interview - Meet Brandon Wen, the new creative director of the Fashion Department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp
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Power and ease define Net-a-Porter’s upcoming AW23 season

Credits: (From left) AW23 collections of Alexander McQueen, Ann Demeulemeester and Loewe. Images: Launchmetrics Spotlight It’s no secret that a fresh take on luxury was present during the autumn/winter 2023 runways, whether that be minimalist takes or wearable staples. It was these qualities, in fact, that Net-a-Porter let guide its buying period for the season, as it looks to cater more pointedly towards its so-called ‘extremely important people’ (EIPs), a group that make up 3 percent of its consumer base yet contribute to 40 percent of its sales. In order to build up this sector and ensure this “robust” consumer group invests more in their wardrobe, Net-a-Porter’s marketing director, Libby Page, said that it would be elevating its assortment, expanding its loyalty programme and growing its circularity offering. While all of these aspects are to be considered, the platform expanded on its efforts to define its product offering in a seasonal presentation on AW23 trends hosted by Page, who spoke on Net-a-Porter’s way of engaging with EIPs. FashionUnited took a closer look into Net-a-Porter’s defining trends for autumn/winter 2023 and what they could mean for seasons beyond. Wearable and minimal (From left) AW23 collections by Gucci, Loewe and Tove. Images: Launchmetrics Spotlight Much of Page’s focus was centred around a consistent “modern luxury” theme, which she said had been present both on the runway and in real life, whether that be media reports of “quiet luxury”, the final season of HBO’s Succession or the closely watched trial of Gwenyth Paltrow. Page added: “This mood has reached the peak of consumerism, and is showing no signs of slowing down for us. Though I have to say this is not a trend or a new wave, rather it's a shopping mindset that our trailblazing EIPs have had since SS23.” For the coming season, Page elaborated on this observation in what she dubbed the “wearable necessities” trend, with the likes of white shirts, black coats and tank tops exhibiting the epitome of luxury for AW23. While there were some established brands stoking the flames of this trend, it was newer labels that were really making waves, including the likes of Tove which made its debut in London. Similarly, Page’s “modern minimalism” trend also touched on clean cut fashion, albeit with references to eras of the past. She added: “Devoid of frippery, modern minimalism gave our favourite decade, the 90’s, a cool, architectural and elevated makeover. The silhouettes, monochromatic colour palette, and hardware details did all the talking, transforming 90’s inspirations and making them feel more modern than ever before.” (From left) AW23 collections by Ferragamo, Gabriela Hearst and Nensi Dojaka. Images: Launchmetrics Spotlight Effortless eveningwear (From left) AW23 collections by Loewe, Ann Demeulemeester and Tove. Images: Launchmetrics Spotlight Like the prior trend, Page also noted a distinct, effortless essence within eveningwear, as slews of designers used fashion weeks to present a fresh take on the category. Speaking on this, Page said: “In keeping with the simplistic tone of the season, we saw a continued paired back and sleek approach to eveningwear on the runway and this is already translating across to the red carpets where stylists and celebrities have taken a much more understated approach.” The likes of Ann Demeulemeester and Loewe each showed flowing silky gowns with simple silhouettes, forming what Page stated was a form of “old school Hollywood glamour”. She added: “The runway to red-carpet turnaround has never been swifter, it has become prime marketing real estate and designers who aren’t already known for eveningwear are recognising this opportunity.” Suiting and strong detailing (From left) AW23 collections by Proenza Schouler, Saint Laurent and Chloé. Images: Launchmetrics Spotlight A notable observation by Page was that over the fashion season, 13 different designers opened their shows with their own interpretations of a black suit and white shirt combo, setting the tone for tailoring’s return to the runway. She continued: “It was all about traditional suiting, taking cues from men’s tailoring – polished, precision cuts paired with black tie accessories. The looks felt fresh off Savile Row and had an extremely androgynous feel, promoting the idea of gender neutrality.” Page also stated that she expected this trend to appeal to both Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter clients alike, driving more crossover shopping. “This mood felt like a powerful nod to the acceptance of women taking inspiration from men’s wardrobing,” she added. Detailing was also an imperative part of the season, seen in the use of blanketing, cinched waists, hosiery and roll necks, among other things. Distinctly stepping away from the previously mentioned casual trends, Page said: “This season may have been one of simplicity, but it is the attention to detail that is making a big impact. Designers gave us interesting styling details and accessories to really bring their collections to life and show us new ways to wear these wardrobe staples.” At Net-a-Porter, the platform is hoping to aid shoppers in adopting this trend through upcoming features on its app, Digital Wardrobe. Via the service, customers will be able to utilise an outfit builder, allowing them to swipe and discover new pieces and learn how to style them with past purchases. “Once again, we’re showing our customers how to do more but with less,” Page concluded. (From left) AW23 collections by Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Versace. Images: Launchmetrics Spotlight Read more: * Quiet Luxury, the minimalist trend sweeping fashion * Red is the new pink: Why the Barbieocre trend is being replaced * Liberty womenswear buyer: ‘I am expecting customers to look for slightly more muted pieces’
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