News Type: General

In celebration of their AW19 collection ParaJumpers is releasing their new campaign project; STORIES. A multi-media travelogue that tells stories of ordinary people, their passions, and how ParaJumpers innovative outerwear supports their unique lifestyles. The first chapter, released today on 17th October, is set against beauty at low temperatures in Svalbard.

Capturing the everyday life of the unique characters who inhabit the last frontier before reaching the Arctic Circle the voices of Svalbard tell their STORIES of the unrelenting chill, a never-ending white landscape with jarring contrasts of midnight sun in summer, the Aurora Borealis come winter, the incredible wildlife and soothing echoing silence. To live here, the inhabitants embrace the isolation, the lack of creature comforts and the uncertainty that comes with living in the Norwegian archipelago thanks to its enticing mix of 51 cultures, sense of community, no stress, no crime, and eerie beauty that offers a uniquely colourful and inclusive home. 

And, to match the needs required by isolated snow bound valleys ParaJumpers’ pushed the technical boundaries to respond to the Arctic’s extreme conditions with the new All Star Fall/Winter 2019-20 collection – a range of men’s and women’s outdoor garments that fuse technical innovation with traditional Italian craftsmanship. 

Jil Sander will be the Guest Designer of Pitti Immagine Uomo no. 97 (taking place in Florence from 7th till 10th January 2020). Lucie and Luke Meier – co-creative directors of Jil Sander since spring 2017 – will present the new menswear collection of the iconic fashion house at a special event in Florence.

“We have following with great interest the work of Lucie and Luke Meier at Jil Sander”, says Lapo Cianchi, Pitti Immagine director of communications and events. “A very precise vision of fashion, where there is clearly a constant search for equilibrium between the respect for minimalist codes – which made the history of the brand – and the desire to incite emotion, combined with great attention to details. When they talk about their collections, it is as if they were describing a character, a complex and multifaceted individual. The desire to create clothes that last over time, is an approach that we find to be absolutely fresh and contemporary, to which the special event in Florence should be able to give a further contribution in terms of freedom of expression”.

“For us, showing in Florence is both an honor and a completion”, say Lucie and Luke Meier, co-creative directors of Jil Sander. “We first met in Florence, and never imagined that we would be back here together showing at Pitti Uomo. This opportunity is a truly special one, and we look forward to contributing to the legacy of this city and Pitti Uomo”.

The date and the venue of the event will be unveiled on the occasion of the Pitti Immagine press road show in November.

From 14th to 16th January 2020, the upcoming edition of Neonyt will be taking a closer look at the fashion industry’s carbon footprint, as well as presenting best- practice labels and encouraging industry-relevant discussions on the increasingly digitalised future – always from the analytical perspective of inspiring pioneers and pragmatic experts in sustainability. With views of the former runway of the decommissioned Berlin Tempelhof Airport, and the expanses of the sky above it, the overarching theme of the global hub for fashion, sustainability and innovation, will certainly be palpable. 

“In these times of Fridays for Future and society’s growing awareness of sustainability, many industry players are recognising the necessity of sustainability in fashion. From the very beginning, Neonyt has been dedicated to the major topics affecting the fashion industry – such as the use of resources, working conditions and pioneering technologies. This season with ́air ́ we are again setting the theme for the Berlin Fashion Week, and will ask what the future of fashion will look like,” says Thimo Schwenzfeier, Neonyt’s Show Director. 

Air serves as our protective coating – a thick layer of nitrogen and oxygen that wraps itself protectively around the earth and warms us. But the air we breathe is polluted by smog and fine dust particles. And a major contributor of that is the textile industry, which is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions.1 Which means it’s high time that we paid even more attention to the topic. 

As a next step in the recently initiated restructuring of the business, Strenesse appinted sales agency Toepfer GmbH & Co.KG, based in Düsseldorf to take over its B2B sales in the DACH countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
“The agency’s range of products together with the sales expertise that Udo Toepfer’s team brings to the brand, represent the ideal partner for the further development of the Strenesse brand,” says Strenesse’s management.
Restructuring in the context of self-administration is already well advanced and Strenesse is stable for the future, confirms the management.

Opening on 29th February 2020, the V&A museum in London will hold its exhibition called ‘Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk’. This exhibition will present the kimono as a dynamic and constantly evolving icon of fashion, revealing the sartorial, aesthetic and social significance of the garment from the 1660s to the present day, both in Japan and the rest of the world.

More than 315 works will be featured, including a kimono especially made for the show, half drawn from the V&A’s superlative collections and the rest generously lent by museums and private collections in Britain, Europe, America and Japan.

Last weekend, HUGO BOSS unveiled its newly refurbished BOSS flagship store at the heart of the most beautiful avenue in Paris, seven years after its last renovation. During more than seven months of renovation work, the store remained open and was refurbished in four different phases while allowing customers to explore the collections and store as usual.

“Reopening the BOSS store on the Champs-Élysées is a milestone in our retail endeavors. I am very happy with the result, which translates the creative vision of the brand to this location,” says Mark Langer, CEO of HUGO BOSS AG.

With over 1,200 square meters of retail space, the Champs-Élysées store is the largest BOSS flagship store in the world. It is also one of the first of its kind to feature a special interior design concept that seamlessly integrates the online and offline worlds, allowing for new forms of customer interaction. Furniture with interactive features offers customers the chance to discover the complete collection digitally, and inspires them with editorial content.

The open layout of the floors highlights the light materials and colors used, such as a stone floor with a marble effect, light oak wood and white marble platforms. The lighting concept gives the store an even more open look thanks to the numerous skylights and large windows which open up to views of the outside world. Backlit walls add additional light and depth to the space.

The seating was specially developed for the Champs-Élysées store and inspired by the style of Pierre Paulin, the designer behind the decoration of part of the Palais de l’Élysées in the 1970s and 1980s. The color combination of the armchairs and tables, in blue and pink velvet with black and gold contrasting touches, is also unique. Combined with lighter shades, the overall impression accentuates the lounge-like atmosphere.

The most important part of the renovation was the relocation of the staircase to the entrance of the store, making it a central feature, leading to the mezzanine and lower level. This new location gives the store a whole new look, inviting visitors to discover the entirety of the store as soon as they enter.

CHIC Shanghai, China’s most important fashion and lifestyle trade fair, successfully closed its September issue on September 27th. On the three days of the fair, almost 700 exhibitors from 10 countries presented themselves to the 45,000 visitors at the NECC in Shanghai on more than 62,000 square meters.

Once again, CHIC has proven to be a constant for the Chinese fashion industry and fashion retail in a rapidly changing market environment. Both Chinese and international exhibitors were satisfied and recorded direct on-site deals and an increase in order-oriented business contacts. They benefited from the extensive range of matching services offered by the trade fair organisers who have focused on optimal visitor management.

The appointment of Wenzhuo Zhao, famous Chinese kung-fu actor, as ambassador for sustainable fashion caused a stir in the re-integrated Sustainability Zone. Likewise, the sustainable hoodie collection of China’s most famous sportswear brand Li Ning, and the visit of blogger and KOL Binger.

Chen Dapeng, President of the CHIC and China National Garment Association draws a positive conclusion from the show: “CHIC is a reflection of the extremely dynamic Chinese apparel market, whose consumers are the fastest to adapt to new trends and tendencies around the world, and all market developments will be reflected at CHIC, with the fair’s service tools geared towards networking among its market partners. The Chinese market is undergoing changes to which it has not been exposed in the last hundred years: a permanently changing society shaped by the younger generation of consumers with the desire for individualization; the technological change, the digitization of the entire production and distribution chain; the increasing social and ecological responsibility of the companies. Challenges that companies have to face and keep pace with. In this environment, CHIC is the reliable basis that is used by all market participants. “

Luxury group Kering, through its Women In Motion program, is partnering with the creative arts publisher Phaidon and its sister company Artspace, a leading online marketplace, to launch the new book Great Women Artists.

The book, which is titled Great Women Artists, will feature female artists that reflects an era where art made by women is more prominent than ever. The book tells the stories of over 400 artists spanning 500 years and reveals a parallel yet equally engaging history of art for an age that champions a great diversity of voices.

Kering said in a press release it is strengthening its commitment to women in the arts. Since its creation in 2015, Women In Motion has highlighted the creativity and uniqueness of talented women whose work in the fields of arts and culture, is helping to transform our vision of the world. This support also manifests through the Kering Foundation which has been combating violence against women worldwide for over 10 years.

In celebration of Great Women Artists and with the support of Kering, Phaidon and Artspace will launch a charitable portfolio of limited-edition prints to benefit one of the Kering Foundation’s partners and aims to raise close to 1 million dollars for the non-profit Promundo-US, a leading organization in promoting gender justice, preventing violence against women by engaging boys and men as partners with women and girls.

The funds raised by Phaidon and Artspace, will support the launch of a Boyhood Campaign and Initiative co-developed by Promundo and the Kering Foundation, alongside other partners, including those focused on girls’ empowerment.

“I think that fashion is about the future, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your style for sustainability,” said Stella McCartney while backstage at her Spring 2020 fashion show. That idea applied well to McCartney’s collection, a playful mash-up of Savile Row tailoring and free-spirited dresses that she considers her most sustainable offering yet, but also to a new material McCartney has developed with DuPont. Called Koba, it is the first faux fur to be made using 37% plant-based ingredients. It’s also partially made from recycled polyester that can be recycled again at the end of the product’s life. “I wanted to try to develop a faux fur that was just more sustainable,” McCartney continued, explaining that she worked hand in hand with DuPont for about 18 months to develop the Koba to her eco standards.

The soft, plush fabric made its debut at McCartney’s show, not on the runway but in the front row, where model Natalia Vodianova wore a black jacket made of Koba faux fur. The model and friend of McCartney’s styled the jacket with a pleated skirt and stiletto boots—an apt ensemble for her (also very eco) method of arriving to the show, a Lime scooter. 

Amazon will soon open door to its four-day event called “Destination Denim” which will bring technology, music and culture to the denim shopping experience. Visitors to the festival, taking place October 24th till 27th in the Kühlhaus in Berlin can participate in educational events in the form of workshops, panels and demonstrations. Musical artists including Rita Ora, Jorja Smith and Anne-Marie are slated to perform.

The extensive denim category of Amazon Fashion will be shoppable for attendees, featuring hero products from brands including Levi’s Wrangler, G-Star, Replay and 7 For All Mankind. Amazon will also offer exclusive products from Tommy Jeans, find. and Amazon Essentials.