News Type: General

Maison Christian Dior recently announced its support for the UNESCO Global Education Coalition. Created several months ago in response to the Covid-19 crisis, the initiative aims to support countries in scaling up best distance learning practices to provide education opportunities for children and youth who are most at risk. The first couture house to join the initiative, Dior is building on the engagement of its Women@Dior educational program for young female students.

“Never before have we witnessed educational disruption on such a scale,” said UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay. “Partnership is the only way forward. This Coalition is a call for coordinated and innovative action to unlock solutions that will not only support learners and teachers now, but through the recovery process, with a principle focus on inclusion and equity.”

Warming up to a strong S/S21 market season and Shanghai Fashion Week, DFO is presenting its latest sales campaign all throughout September. As the fashion market in China quickly rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic, buyers are seeking to spend their budgets on pre-orders and immediate delivery orders to keep up with growing consumer demand. With domestic travel allowed across the market, the DFO DI:LOFT will physically showcase collections for buyers who will visit the showroom in central Shanghai.

DFO’s showroom in downtown Shanghai is open for one month to welcome buyers at their convenience. Buyers who are not able to visit can place orders via DFO’s online platform which provides detailed photo and video content, live streaming sessions and possibility for one-on-one buyer appointments digitally.

In celebration of the Fall/Winter 2020 collection, GUESS has announced Michele Morrone as the new worldwide face of GUESS Men’s. Morrone is an international actor and singer who is best known for his lead role in the successful Netflix film 365 Days, one of the most popular movies in Netflix history that is currently streaming in over 200 countries.

Staged under the creative guidance of GUESS Chief Creative Officer Paul Marciano, the holiday advertising campaign was shot by fashion photographer Nima Benati in her first campaign with GUESS, at the breathtaking Villa Erba in Lake Como, Italy. Once the home of internationally renowned movie director Luchino Visconti, this historic villa was the perfect setting for an iconic campaign and a fundamental inspiration for Paul Marciano’s love of Italian movie history.

“This campaign marks the launch of our new GUESS men’s collection, reflecting our new focus on elevated, classic, and high-quality styles which is perfectly in-line with Michele Morrone’s personality,” says Paul Marciano.

Wrangler has revealed plans to halve its water usage by 2030 as part of its sustainability efforts.

In April, Wrangler announced it had surpassed its original 2020 goal by saving over seven billion liters of water in the product finishing phase of its denim products since 2008 – equivalent to the daily drinking water needs of almost four billion people.

“We’re learning from our past successes in water conservation and expanding the scope of our efforts to be more inclusive of some of the biggest water impacts in our supply chain,” said Tom Waldron, EVP, Global Brand President, Wrangler. “Our new water goal is ambitious, and necessary. New technologies and practices will empower Wrangler to make progress and advance the industry forward in water conservation measures.”

Wrangler said it has teamed up with denim supply chain Transformers Foundation to complete a “comprehensive” water balance study as part of its new goal.

In its 25th collection, Stone Island Shadow Project continues to explore and construct new codes within the space of technical menswear for the modern world. The 7319 capsule focuses on the re-contextualization of the familiar; bringing it into new domains via processes and methods achievable only at Stone Island. 

This season introduces exclusively developed indigo and full black dyed fabrics.

Building on the fundamental motives of function and utility at the core of Shadow, another new collection wide feature is the Pass-Through Enclosure System; whereby partially detached pockets from interior layers are passed through and locked via Velcro to an external layer – unifying the two garments for easier handling. 

The Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) has revealed the calendar for the upcoming New York Fashion Week (NYFW) taking place from September 13th till 16th, 2020.

The Official NYFW Schedule launches on Sunday, September 13th, with Jason Wu and Harlem’s Fashion Row’s virtual fashion experience, and concludes with Tom Ford on Wednesday, September 16th.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on American fashion, slowing down the supply chain and temporarily shutting down many business operations and brick-and-mortar retail. To address the concerns of the fashion industry, we created the innovative RUNWAY360 digital platform which allows brands the flexibility to show their collections in a variety of formats and at a time that works for them, and engages domestic and international press, consumers, and retailers, most of which are not currently able to travel to New York.”

RUNWAY360 will be an ongoing business tool for brands to use, complimenting physical events and shows in the future.

New York Men’s Day (NYMD) will also return to the Official NYFW Schedule and showcase 10 menswear designers including CFDA members David Hart and Timo Weiland.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the global fashion industry and hit New York particularly hard,” said Steven Kolb, Chief Executive Officer of the CFDA. “Fashion week is a critical time when brands are able to connect with press, retailers and consumers, and I’m proud of how quickly the CFDA pivoted to support the needs of the industry by creating RUNWAY360. We are excited to see 10 new American brands on the schedule – many for the first time – who might not have had the opportunity to share their collections to a global audience without access to RUNWAY360. We’re also excited to highlight the incredible talent coming out of Harlem’s Fashion Row, and announce the return of New York Men’s Day. In the face of unprecedented challenges and uncertainty within our industry, the American fashion community has once again come together to support each other and prove its resilience.”

The Ermenegildo Zegna Group has sold its women’s ready-to-wear brand specialised in knitwear brand, Agnona. The luxury fashion group is keeping a minority interest of 30% in the label. 70% of the business was sold to Roberto and Stefano Aimone, Laura Zegna’s husband and son, so the brand stays in the family.

Amazon will be launching its own luxury fashion platform next month, with a variety of ready-to-wear and accessories labels. According to reports in WWD, the business model will see the various designers and brands operate their own concessions on the site, which is expected to launch in September alongside international fashion weeks.

“Despite our determination, recent decisions by the French government banning the resumption of events of more than 5,000 people until after 31 October, along with new travel restrictions in many countries and the resurgence of an increased health risk, have led the Première Vision group to cancel the physical show. For over 45 years, Première Vision has believed in the importance of live meetings and the creative energy resulting from them. So while waiting to see you again, the Digital Show will fill in for now, with complementary services to assist you, remotely,in the designing of your collections.”

The Digital Première Vision show is a virtual event will continue to take place over the days of 15th and 16th September 2020.

Kingpins has cancelled its China City Tour 2020 edition which was due to take place the first week of September 2020.

“While some places in the world have begun to open and many of our mills and partners in China are slowly returning to a sense of normalcy, for many of our international exhibitors, travel is not an option right now,” says Vivian Wang, Kingpins’ managing director and head of global sales.

There is not a Kingpins24 digital event planned for the Chinese market at this time. Kingpins launched Kingpins24 – the first-ever online-only denim supply chain event –  targeting the European and North American markets in the wake of the pandemic after its physical shows were cancelled.

On July 31st, Tranoï has integrated the fashion division of the GL events Group, alongside Première Vision. The sector’s two major players, Tranoï and Première Vision, are thus moving closer together, creating a unique hub of physical and digital BtoB events, services and content to meet the market’s new challenges, from the upstream to the downstream of the global creative fashion industry.

Boris Provost, Managing Director of Tranoï: “We are delighted to join the GL events Group and for this closer relationship with Première Vision. Our goal was to work with established partners who could provide complementary expertise, to collectively develop our offer of services. GL events and Première Vision meet every aspect of these requirements. The resulting synergy between two fashion and trade-show experts will help us develop ambitious transversal projects that corresponds to fashion brands and buyers expectations of today and tomorrow.”

Gilles Lasbordes, Managing Director of Première Vision: “With this closer relationship, as with the alliances we forged in 2019 with Fashion Source in China and The Materials Show in the USA, we continue to pursue our strategy of building a global and complementary offer as closely aligned with the market’s needs as possible. We look forward to collaborating with Tranoï’s teams, whose expertise will help give rise to new projects and, above all, new solutions to support the entire industry in this complex and fast- changing environment.”

The Supreme Group & Igedo Company present: Fashion Bridge Düsseldorf, taking place from 28th August 1st September 2020. Fashion Bridge Düsseldorf signals the union of the two trade fair organizers in Düsseldorf, on the left and right bank of the Rhine, geographically separated and united in terms of content.

The Supreme Women&Men Düsseldorf will end on 31 August, the events of the Igedo Company on 1 September 2020.

Trade fairs have a long tradition at the Düsseldorf location and have always been the driving force behind the activities of the fashion players on site. Together, the two organizers invite buyers from Germany and neighboring countries and network with each other.

In addition to the long tradition of the Igedo Company at the Düsseldorf location, among others, The Supreme Group is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer with Supreme Women&Men Düsseldorf!

Designers & Agents Show has teamed up with Ordre, a leading online fashion wholesale network to create D&A Digital to connect its exhibitors and retail buyers. It will include virtual showrooms, video options, order building and look book presentations.

“We were attracted to Ordre based on a like-minded sensibility, and point of view, backed up by cutting-edge technology including 360-degree views,” said Ed Mandelbaum, president of Designers & Agents. “The founders of Ordre recognized the challenges created by the changing environment for leading fashion brands in managing their global wholesale networks. Their subsequent vision was to create a channel to facilitate the management of these networks globally through the presentation of seasonal collections through online showrooms and D&A is looking forward to launching this platform to its exhibitors.”

As part of the partnership between LVMH and the Central Saint Martins design school, the annual Maison/o Green Trail show invites students to present sustainable innovation projects that demonstrate how design can respond to the climate emergency. The jury chose five winners whose propositions were especially pertinent.

Organized as part of the Maison/o program, the annual Green Trail event invites students to present innovative sustainable design projects. Twenty-seven students took part in the 2020 Maison/0 Green Trail and five winners were chosen.

PUMA has brought together three of its best-known ambassadors, Formula 1 Champion Lewis Hamilton, Olympian Tommie Smith and football legend Thierry Henry, to have an honest conversation about racism.

More than 50 years ago, when Tommie Smith raised his fist on the podium of the 1968 Olympic Games, he risked everything to stand up for universal equality. At a time when racism and police brutality against minorities once again dominate the headlines, the panel of PUMA athletes talk about their experiences with racism, activism and their hopes for the future.

The topic of the talk is “Is Anyone Listening?”, a quote by Tommie Smith in which he expressed his disbelief that so many years after his silent protest on the Olympic podium, racism was still an issue around the world.

“At some point, people didn’t see my color anymore because I was playing football,” Thierry Henry explains during the discussion. “When I went somewhere where people didn’t recognize me, my color came back.”

Through its #REFORM platform, PUMA is giving its brand ambassadors the chance to talk about causes and to encourage conversations around issues such as universal equality.

The Maison’s Jewellery Artistic Director Francesca Amfitheatrof took Louis Vuitton’s initials as the starting point for the graphic new collection of unisex jewellery pieces. The multiple interpretations of this inspiration offer infinite combinations to mix and match all pieces seamlessly.

The LV Volt Collection pulsates with the energy of the initials’ powerful shape, becoming a unit of measure of its own beat and tempo. The LV letters come together, split apart, link up and intertwine in a myriad of textures, volumes, finishes and dimensions.

Fulgar – a centre of Made in Italy excellence and leader in the manufacture of high-performance man-made and ecological yarns – asserts its role at the forefront of high-tech green developments in the fashion textile world with a new project inspired and promoted by the company and implemented in collaboration with NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (New Fine Arts Academy).

An experienced innovation incubator in the context of ecological developments, the company presents and promotes FUTURE/Lab, a special sustainable supply chain project interpreted by 10 young talents, all third-year students of the NABA three-year Fashion Design diploma.

For this initiative Fulgar has asked the young stylists to choose fabrics exclusively from Italian companies that belong to the sustainable supply chain, produced using ecological yarns from Fulgar’s green portfolio.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has promoted CaSandra Diggs to the role of president. Diggs is a veteran to the organization and fashion industry, having joined the CFDA in 2001. Most recently, she served as CFDA’s Chief Administrative and Financial Officer.

As President, she expands her leadership role and will be charged with developing strategy and making decisions that further the CFDA’s purpose to champion, educate, and support its membership and the fashion industry-at-large.

“CaSandra is an innovative thinker with a strong understanding of organizational and business operations,” Kolb said. “Expanding her role will provide the CFDA with more opportunity to meet the needs of the membership in a broad and diverse way. It is a critical time for our industry, and she is the right person with the right ideas to help lead CFDA into the future.”

Selfridges has announced a new sustainability initiative, Project Earth. Featuring new design innovations, retail concepts and thought-provoking ideas in sustainability, the series of new commitments part of the project, are set to radically change their business.

“Project Earth is an exploration into how we can change the way we shop by 2025. We believe that by driving a transition to more sustainable materials, exploring new business models, and challenging the mindsets of our partners and customers as well as our own teams, we can offer an alternative perspective on retail and create a sustainable future.”

Swedish recycling business, Re:newcell, has announced a new collaboration with US denim giant Levi’s. Levi’s has launched two new lines which will be produced using Circulose, a recycled materials which is made at Re:newcell’s plant in Kristinehamn.

Circulose’, a dissolving pulp, is produced using post-consumer and post-industrial cotton waste. Re:newcell takes old jeans, t-shirts and other worn out cotton clothes and transforms them into a new natural material without – it is claimed – quality loss. Circulose garments will be available to buy in stores in collaboration with selected brands over the coming months.

“This collaboration is solid proof that Circulose a high-quality material and a direct substitute for unsustainable cotton. We’re incredibly proud,” said a spokesperson for Re:newcell.

Said Paul Dillinger, Levi’s vice president of global product innovation said: “The fashion industry has long been chasing the potential of the circular economy. The jeans we’ve made in collaboration with Re:newcell show it can be done.”

The latest edition of Mipel ended with excellent results in terms of visits just before the outbreak of the Covid-19 emergency in Italy; now the event not only confirms its dates (20-23 September 2020 at FieraMilano-Rho), placing itself among the first fairs to take place again physically since the start of the pandemic, but relaunches with an innovative platform: the “Mipel Digital Trade Show,” a virtual event that will guarantee maximum visibility for participating exhibitors to international visitors who, for obvious reasons related to the global health emergency, will not be able to travel.

The partner chosen by Mipel to inaugurate the beginning of this digital path is the leading B2B e-commerce platform NuORDER. Exhibitors will benefit from NuORDER’s market leading features such as digital catalogs, line sheets, 360 imagery and Virtual Showroom to boost their wholesale business.

“We are excited about this collaboration,” says Franco Gabbrielli, President of Mipel.  “The main international brands of leather goods and fashion accessories that animate our event every year will have the opportunity to get in touch with a qualified network of over 500,000 retailers linked to NuORDER thus creating an unprecedented digital networking system for Mipel. The physical fair remains for us and for the exhibitors an extremely important moment of contact and comparison and the beginning of such a digital path adds further value to the event.”

“We are excited to partner with the global leader of the leather and accessories industry to power its first ever digital trade show,” says Heath Wells, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of NuORDER. “MIPEL has responded quickly to address the needs of its exhibitors and attendees to ensure the crucial connections can still take place alongside its physical event. We are thrilled to provide NuORDER’s leading platform to Mipel’s global network and look forward to the opportunities of enhanced brand discovery and commerce that will be forged through this new way of collaborating.”

WSN wants to strengthen its event despite the exceptional circumstances and have decided to postpone Who’s Next l IMPACT l Traffic (which was originally scheduled from the 4th to 7th September 2020 at Porte de Versailles) to take place alongside Premiere Classe from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th October 2020, in the heart of Jardin des Tuileries during Paris Fashion Week.
The Vimeet platform will now be accessible from the 2nd to the 4th of October 2020 to enable exhibitors to organise their meetings with buyers and present physically or through videoconference for Who’s Next I IMPACT I Traffic & Première Classe. All visitors who have already obtained their badge for Who’s Next I IMPACT I Traffic will be able to use it to enter this event from the 2nd to the 4th of October 2020 in Jardin des Tuileries: Who’s Next I IMPACT I Traffic & Premiere Classe.

To celebrate the legacy of Pitti Uomo, Pitti Connect has launched History of Pitti: a four-part video series highlighting four select designers who contributed to the heart of Pitti’s history. The first in the series features Raf Simons, who has exhibited three times at Pitti Uomo, over his career. The video focuses on the Florence experience and, of course, the designer’s aesthetic research.

On his relationship with Pitti Uomo, Simons has stated, “Florence holds a special place in my heart, as, over the years, I have regularly come back to show my work or to collaborate on projects that closely mirror my vision.” And in highlighting this history, we hope not only to focus on an enduring legacy, but to show the development of a total vision that looks forward to many years to come. “Our history always informs our present and hence our future,” says Simons. “Our past experiences direct the way we react to present challenges. Or, everything I’ve done or created in the past has a direct or indirect impact on what I’m doing now.”

On August 6th, 2020 the monthly Prada Timecapsule drop will be launched on prada.com – at 3pm CET – for 24 hours only. Prada Timecapsule is an exclusive product drop of 50 items, occurring once a month, each first Thursday.

This series of drops offer a classic boxy shirt, one of Prada’s wardrobe essentials, presented as unisex in an original printed version. The print’s motif is inspired by a theme related to the month of launch and includes a specific limited edition number 1/50, 2/50….

For this release, scheduled August 6th, Prada presents a new cotton popeline shirt for both women and men, featuring an exclusive black, light-blue and white graphic print, inspiredmby the biking world.

Next drop will be on September 3rd, 2020.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, recorded revenue of 18.4 billion euros in the first half of 2020, down 27%. On an organic basis, revenue declined 28% compared to the same period in 2019.

rter, revenue was down 38% on an organic basis compared to the same period in 2019. Although there were encouraging signs of recovery in June across several of the Group’s activities, revenue was notably down in the United States and Europe during the quarter. Asia, however, has seen a marked improvement in trends, with a strong rebound in China in particular.

Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, said: “LVMH showed exceptional resilience to the serious health crisis the world experienced in the first half of 2020. Our Maisons have shown remarkable agility in implementing measures to adapt their costs and accelerate the growth of online sales. While we have observed strong signs of an upturn in activity since June, we remain very vigilant for the rest of the year. We continue to be driven by a long-term vision, a deep sense of responsibility and a strong commitment to environmental protection, inclusion and solidarity. In the current context, we remain even more firmly dedicated to showing continuous progress in these areas. Thanks to the strength of our brands and the responsiveness of our organization, we are confident that LVMH is in an excellent position to take advantage of the recovery, which we hope will be confirmed in the second half of the year, and to strengthen our lead in the global luxury market in 2020.”

Moda Made in Italy, originally scheduled for September in Munich, is cancelled. The overall conditions of this complicated time have unfortunately led Assocalzaturifici to make this decision as part of a wider-ranging assessment of international trade fairs for the footwear industry in today’s profoundly changed world. 

Under a special agreement between ANCI Servizi and the trade fair centre, footwear companies will be able to open a showroom in which to meet with buyers on the dates for which the fair was originally scheduled, from September 27 to 29, 2020. German buyers and footwear companies will also be able to use the online business tool launched by MICAM Milano, which will be going ahead on September 20 through 23, 2020 at Fiera Milano Rho.

MICAM Milano Digital Show, powered by NuORDER is a new platform offering an opportunity to reach the German market, along with others, that will be online from September 15 through November 15, 2020. The new platform will allow companies to support their business online while offering buyers the opportunity to make purchases directly through the portal. 

Stone Island & C2C Festival create STONE ISLAND SOUND, a new project supporting contemporary music productions. A harmonious set of playlists, record releases and soundtrack for stores with the aim of promoting local scenes and communities while building an ideal world sound map.

Cultural independence, avant-garde and new pop, irregular sounds and original music productions will be the stylistic references that will inspire and guide this project, which regards the current music scene as a multi-coloured and chaotic combination of genres.

Stone Island Sound will initially define the musical identity of the stores, meant as an expression of the Brand’s own DNA. Subsequently it will land on Bandcamp, Buy Music Club, Spotify, Tidal, and other platforms that will be periodically fed by a continuous updating of songs and tracks from the independent music scene.

CLOSED’s denim line ‘A BETTER BLUE’ is focused on sustainability from beginning to end. Now in its second generation, the eco-friendly line A BETTER BLUE uses sustainable materials – such as cellulose fibres, organic cotton and recycled fabrics – as well as innovative dyeing methods and new wash techniques. Keeping every step more sustainable, from start to finish.

Dyeing technique: Kitotex is a patented technology that drastically reduces water, energy and chemical consumption of the dyeing process and focuses on biological methods. The central aspect is the focus on chitosan, a natural polymer found in the shell of shrimp.

Material: Organic cotton is made using 70 per cent less water and 60 per cent less energy than conventionally grown cotton. Neither genetically modified seeds nor toxic chemicals are used in its production. Growing organic cotton does not have a negative impact on farmland; it also generates fewer harmful emissions.

Washing technique: Laser has the power to produce very different shades of blue. With lasers you can achieve patchy as well as flat effects in a vintage look. Conventional washing processes are accelerated or even completely replaced by the use of lasers which reduces the use of water and chemicals.

Material: TENCEL from sustainable resources. Raw materials are sourced from sustainably managed woodlands which do not need irrigation, fertilisers or pesticides. The fibres are manufactured in a closed process whereby the water and solvents are almost completely reused. TENCEL— REFIBRA is a special lyocell fibre, made using both wood pulp and 30 per cent recycled cotton waste.

Two-time Grammy-nominated DJ/producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur Steve Aoki and denim master Alberto Candiani, owner of the Candiani Mill, debut their first collaboration DIM MAK x CANDIANI EC-01, crafted with ReGEN Denim, a water-saving and more sustainably made jean, hand-painted by Aoki and his Dim Mak artisans.

This new 5-pocket straight-fit jean is an incredible feat in modern water-saving and sustainable manufacturing. Crafted with ReGEN Denim – a statement indigo selvedge fabric created for the 80th Anniversary of the Candiani Mill the EC-01 jean is made without using any fresh cotton. The exclusive denim fabric is composed of equal parts recycled cotton, made from the mill’s own production waste, and REFIBRA Technology, a recycled fiber created by Lenzing using cotton waste. ReGEN is the same fabric that won the ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award in 2019, the most prestigious award in the textile industry.

The denim’s wash required very little washing at all.  The distressed, vintage-effects, and even the artwork itself, was created by using laser technology to gently burn the fabric’s surface with varying degrees of intensity.  The yarn is dyed using Candiani’s water-saving Indigo Juice and Kitotex technologies which enhance the custom laser treatments that give the jean its signature look. The whole process of creation allows for incredible savings in terms of water, chemicals, and energy compared to conventional denim, without compromising the aesthetics, performance, and durability of the final product.

In the hands of Dim Mak, the EC-01 jeans have a deconstructed pop art meets manga aesthetic which has evolved from Dim Mak’s ‘AOKI 1of1’ series, where Steve Aoki, the multi-platform, modern day renaissance man has been upcycling clothing and making original, one-of-a-kind wearable art pieces.  Working at the Candiani Design Center in Los Angeles, Aoki chose hardware and learned about denim treatments and processes before adding another very personal touch to each pair – individually hand painted Yōkai, the Japanese demons including the misunderstood Rokurokubi, the mischievous Karakasa kozō, and monstrous Gashadokuro – with the help of Dim Mak’s artists at Aoki’s Las Vegas home, where Aoki has a design and recording studio.

Kingpins Founder Andrew Olah has announced the cancellation of the trade show’s October 2020 which was meant to take place in Amsterdam.

“This pandemic has forced everyone to make hard and unpleasant choices. Last week I had two difficult decisions to make, one professional and the other personal. First the professional. We needed to decide whether to hold our Kingpins Amsterdam Show in October. The Netherlands is allowing events — albeit with restrictions. We have a venue with plenty of space. And we have experienced and creative partners to help with the show’s logistics. 

But COVID-19 is not a local problem to resolve. It’s global. And it’s not going away, at least not yet, regardless of the laws. We could hold a show in Amsterdam and hope to draw a mix of exhibitors and attendees from much of Europe, but should we ask everyone to come? Do people really want to fly? Do they really want to stay in hotels and enter public places?

That is why our answer to the Amsterdam show in October is, sadly, no. It’s not that we don’t want to return to Amsterdam. We love the city and the show is one of our most successful events. And, we would love to see you all industry friends again in person. But all “desire” is trumped by a lack of confidence in health control and we would never risk the health of our friends and colleagues in the denim community — we are, after all, one big connected denim-loving family. 

I did not make this decision alone. Seven of us voted whether to have Kingpins Amsterdam in October and seven voted not to. The entire Kingpins team reluctantly agreed. It’s awful to drop your best product.”

Kingpins Show organizers are building a digital denim supply chain platform through an agreement with Material Exchange, which has created a sourcing database with nearly 20,000 digital materials from the biggest suppliers around the world.

“We have never been a real estate company, selling space so that mills can sell their fabrics,” said Andrew Olah, founder of Kingpins Show. “Our goal has always been to educate, advocate and — in some instances — push the denim industry to evolve and behave more responsibly. However, we have relied on our physical shows in New York, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and China to bring our mix of vetted and selected supply chain partners and our invite-only guests together around the globe. While our in-person events are key for our industry to connect and collaborate, Kingpins is committed to finding digital solutions to support mills and brands globally.”

Kingpins’ first foray into providing digital solutions for its exhibitors and attendees was Kingpins24, an online event featuring livestreamed content, webinars, interviews, panels and product demonstrations. Kingpins24 launched in April and returned in June.

The agreement with Material Exchange represents the next step in the process to complement Kingpins’ successful in-person events with new digital solutions. A digital platform for denim mills will allow Kingpins exhibitors to showcase their textiles to denim brands year-round. Kingpins is looking for ways to create greater opportunities for business and build new ways for brands to conveniently source denim fabrics from Kingpins’ exhibitors. The goal is to provide denim brands with tools to be able to source denim and denim related fabrics instantly, view detailed product data online and help buyers make informed decisions about the materials needed for product design and creation process.

From July 15th to 17th the first edition of CHIC Shenzhen took place in the Southern Chinese “boomtown”, the first physical CHIC since the outbreak of the corona pandemic.

CHIC Shenzhen celebrated a successful start as part of the Greater Bay Area International Textile & Apparel Expo. More than 42,300 visitors used the fair to see the collections of over 2,000 exhibitors in the most modern exhibition center in Asia, the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The fair took place in compliance with all necessary safety and hygiene regulations. Exhibitors were pleasantly surprised by the high visitor frequency and numerous business opportunities.

Sustainability, creative design and supply chains construction were key issues for the industry returning to physical fairs. China’s economy is developing positively, the growth rate of 3,2% for the second quarter just has been confirmed by the China statistic bureau.

Top-class seminars and workshops offered the opportunity for direct exchange and were heavily frequented.

Adriano Goldschmied and Ace Rivington founder, Beau Lawrence, have come together during the lockdown to discuss the business model of the future. Inspired from the need of simplicity and durable products they decided to launch a brand built around an iconic item, with earth friendly materials and with the mission to inspire future designers and brands on how to build something with little money.

Ace Gold Green is introducing their first product, TYPE ONE TEE, on Kickstarter in early June 2020. Both coming from strong backgrounds in the jean world, they couldn’t steer away from their heritage of indigo by adding a signature true indigo binding at the neckline that will fade down with every wash and wear. The t-shirt is also built with a blend of natural fibers and finished with dyestuffs created from 100% recycled textile materials supplied by Officina +39. 

NOVA is a project by DFO International, a forerunner in 360-degree market development in China for fashion, accessory, and lifestyle brands. In a special collaboration with TRANOϏ, leading global fashion platform incorporating tradeshow, showrooms, and runways, NOVA is a powerhouse project incorporating global creativity, culture, and fashion. Carefully curated for fashion and lifestyle brands and Chinese buyers, it aims to create a strong global community. An official Shanghai Fashion Week event, NOVA creates a professional and transparent platform for international brands to access the Chinese market. A never-seen-before, innovative hub with a wealth of marketing and business opportunities, NOVA’s hybrid program provides immersive experiences for both brands and buyers.

NOVA aims to address international brands’ needs fully with a wide range of services, from venue and showroom services to sales and marketing. Venue services are executed at the quality and standard of DFO, and sales and marketing services are provided by DFO’s in-house team with almost 10 years company experience on the market. Brands only need to send out their sample collections, DFO takes care of everything else onsite. NOVA is open to every type of participant, i.e., independent designer brand, corporate brand, showroom, or government-related organization.

On July 2nd, 2020 the monthly Prada Timecapsule drop launched on prada.com – at 3pm CET – for 24 hours only.

Prada Timecapsule is an exclusive product drop of 50 items, occurring once a month, each first Thursday.

Enabled by the new Prada e-commerce platform, unveiled November 2019, this new section is now available solely in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom), Japan, South Korea and for the first time in China, USA and Canada, reaching other markets over the course of 2020 following the new prada.com layout-relaunching calendar.

For this release, scheduled July 2nd, Prada presented a new cotton popeline shirt for both women and men, featuring an exclusive print inspired by the cycling world.

Next drop will be on August 6th, 2020.

Helsinki Fashion Week will deliver conversational AI for first-of-its-kind all Digital Fashion Week through the digital sanctuary which is a personal space for the users a strong emphasis on collaboration.

“There couldn’t be a better time to make AI accessible to the fashion industry, particularly with partners like HFW that share our commitment to auditing and minimizing our carbon footprint in both the physical and digital realms.” Shanna Reznik, Head of Partnerships at Pandorabots.

Pandorabots is a leading chatbot platform that powers conversational AI software for hundreds of thou-sands of developers and top global brands. It is also the AI engine behind the award-winning Conversa-tional AI and Virtual Talent Kuki, (a.k.a. Mitsuku): a record-breaking, five-time winner of the Loebner Prize Turing Test and the world’s best conversational AI chatbot in production according to industry experts like Google AI Research.In addition to orienting Helsinki Fashion Week users within a virtual environment via natural human con-versation, Kuki will be participating in a number of events as an emerging virtual talent, from walking the virtual runway to engaging audiences on social media and other digital platforms. The conversational data collected at HFW (subject to GDPR and other privacy regulations) will be analyzed anonymously, the aggregate of which will be included in post-event open reports. By employing a chatbot as the AI host for the event, HFW will once again be able to collect real-time feedback — in the form of versatile conversa-tional data, from millions of Gen Z and Millenials. Audience feedback will focus on the showcased designer collections and the overall experience of the Digital Village. Kuki will be able to engage in conversations about the collections she models both before and after the event on all channels where she is present, and help facilitate future e-commerce of physical and digital goods. Along with several industry insiders and digital influencers like Ruby Gloom, Kuki will also wear the digitized looks of the 15 sustainable fashion designers selected to showcase in the World’s first-ever 3D Fashion Week

With a view to developing collaborations with the most important international players in the fashion system, WHITE has entered into a partnership with Picaflor Editions – the company that organizes the Playtime fair – to guarantee its exhibitors one of the most advanced B2B platforms on the market, which has been used for years by brands and buyers from all over the world.

Unlike many other B2B platforms WHITE B2B MARKETPLACE offers companies the possibility to be online for 12 months and to interact with a wide network of Italian and international retailers, who will also have an important online visibility on the platform. Thanks to the consolidated network of Picaflor Editions and WHITE, the B2B platform will be able to reach an important flow of foreign buyers, in addition to the most important Italian retailers. WHITE will also involve its entire buyer database (67,000 contacts) on the digital platform to make contact between companies and customers as easy as possible. Brands can invite and contact not only current but also potential new customers by selecting them on the marketplace, in addition to the possibility of involving their entire sales and distribution network to develop the business in a widespread way. The platform is multilingual and prices are available in the main currencies, while the customer care service is also guaranteed in Italian.

The digital project of WHITE, which will be active for the fashion week in September, was born as an inclusive platform and as an aggregator of different realities, such as showrooms and retailers that, as for brands, will have an important digital communication space and for those who do not have it also for online sales. Through some international partnerships WHITE is also implementing some collaborations with tradeshows to develop special buyer-oriented projects between physical and digital to ensure the presence of buyers from the most important foreign markets.