Private equity firm Apax Partners has acquired a majority stake in MatchesFashion. The latter’s founders, Tom and Ruth Chapman, as well as existing venture capital backers: Scottish Equity Partners and Highland Europe, will retain minority stakes and control in the business.

The deal is said to be expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Carolina Herrera has announced that her Spring 2018 runway show will take place in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at The Museum of Modern Art. Taking place on September 11 at 8pm, the show will take place as part of New York Fashion Week.

For the F/W 2018 edition of Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, the tradeshow will unveil an ambitious expansion of its innovative runway concept. First introduced in February 2017 under the name CIFF SHOWSCENE, the highly curated runway concept originally conceived to offer emerging talent a cost-effective way to produce individual runway shows, will be known going forward as CIFF RUNWAY.

“The Fall/Winter 2018-19 fair (31 Jan to 2 Feb 2018 ) will mark CIFF’s 50th edition and we feel there is no better way to mark the occasion than to reinforce our longstanding commitment to supporting and nurturing emerging talent. Young talents represent the lifeblood of our industry. They take risks, push boundaries and help move our industry forward. We’re thrilled therefore to be expanding our runway show concept and unveiling a series of exciting new services designed to help emerging brands express their vision in highly individualized presentations.”– Kristian W Andersen, Fashion and Design Director

Buffalo is reintroducing its infamous platform boot style with a revival of this popular 90s style shoe. In collaboration with Berlin-based fashion designer Patrick Mohr, Buffalo will release a unisex line of the shoe towards the end of 2017.

Upon publication of its annual report for 2016, Cotton made in Africa can report positive results for the past commercial year: As the largest label for sustainable cotton from Africa, CmiA certified 30% of cotton production in sub-Saharan Africa. Growing demand for CmiA cotton in the textile industry meant that around 50 million CmiA textiles were put to the market in 2016. Thereby, the sustainable cotton initiative increased its license revenues by 47 percent in comparison to 2015.

Thanks to the boost in sales of CmiA certified cotton in the textile production countries, CmiA could achieve a consolidated revenue of plus 47 percent in 2016. The share of public financial aid in 2016 reached the lowest level of 1 percent. The result substantiates the motto of the sponsoring organization – Aid by Trade. Based on its goals, the foundation was able to increase the effectiveness of its contributed funds by a further percentage point in comparison to the previous year, reaching 72 percent. Successful project implementation in the cotton growing countries.

Above its standard implementation, Cotton made in Africa supports projects by village communities and provides financing. Among the projects are solar power projects for farmer training centers, water or women’s projects. The total volume invested in cooperation projects that have been active 2016 came to 950,000 Euros.

WeAr is currently in Las Vegas visiting the tradeshows that are putting forward the best trends, brands and designers for the coming season.

At Liberty Fairs, the first day saw a slower start but proved to be a space that was clean, modern and easy to navigate. At Liberty, we visited Calik Denim who presented their Fly Jeans which have incredible technical properties where performance is built into the denim joggers through the addition of protective inserts. The qualities of these jeans feature lightness, flexibility, softness, no-seam slippage, creaseless fits and super compactness.

Exclusively at Liberty Las Vegas, the Quest area showcases industry-leading designers who blend the lines of luxury sportswear and sartorial dressing, bringing them into a curated space that holds no creative boundaries.

Furthermore at Agenda, that also kicked off on a slower note, featured some amazing brands that used innovative props all throughout their booths.

Stitch, The Tents and Project are also presenting some great trends and innovative products. Robins for example, is showcasing its interesting new red label for the wider audience. Whilst At Project and The Tents, The Edit Looks give a selected overview of the best that is on offer.

Stay tuned for more!

For S/S 18  UBM’s FN PLATFORM, the internationally recognized event for footwear in the USA, that is hosted in August will see the following events taking place:

ACTOR BLAIR UNDERWWOD LAUNCH Q by Blair Underwood will launch at FN PLATFORM. The collection is a collaboration between renowned footwear designer, Pasquale, and actor Blair Underwood. The line focuses on designing well-made, yet accessible luxury footwear that allows men to express their personal style. Featuring a modern design with an edge, Q by Blair Underwood is made in Italy and exemplifies Italian craftsmanship.

The Home Shopping Network (HSN) is coming to FN PLATFORM. On Tuesday, August 15th Aspart of their American Dreams Initiative, a panel of executives, producers and presenters will hear live product pitches from MAGIC exhibitors.

During the NY Womens September Show ‘Footwear @ Coterie’ will showcase new to the show, Chie Mihara, from Spain, and Ivy Kirzhner.

Farfetched has appointed former Style.com fashion director Yasmin Sewell as vice president of style and creative. In her new role, Sewell will be responsible for the global editorial and creative teams and all the styling of the platform.

“Farfetch is undoubtedly one of the most innovative companies in today’s retail landscape. I’ve known José since the beginning – we are past collaborators, and it is an honour for me to become a full-time part of everything Farfetch is creating now and even more so, all that is to come.” – Yasmin Sewell

Premium Order Munich took place 5-7 August 2017, and showed a high attendance of 83% in international brands. In harmony with the concept, the 250 brands were staged against the industrial backdrop of the Zenith Halle. With a consistently high visitor frequency on the last two of the three trade show days, expectations were fulfilled in terms of both numbers and quality.

“The move to the open-plan Zenith Halle was the right thing to do. The atmosphere and vibe were fantastic and – as always in Munich – everything revolved around appointments. Our focus on the basics and consolidation was very well received by both exhibitors and buyers. There was particular praise for the service and degree of quality on offer, facets that continue to top our list of priorities. We are satisfied and are already starting to prepare the January event in Berlin.”
Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the PREMIUM GROUP 

From September, Who’s Next and Premiere Classe will be doing more to support their exhibitors and visitors by creating opportunities to exchange information and to find real retail and wholesale solutions.  With the the new conferences theme will be #successstories #business. A new area called Fashion Solutions, located in Hall 3, will be dedicated to business solutions and networking. Here 30 companies will offer concrete solutions for merchandising and other services, whereby 40 planned workshops will take place over the 4 days.

For the first time, Who’s Next and Premiere Classe will help a selection of brands develop their wholesale and retail business by giving them the opportunity to both exhibit B2B in tradeshows and to sell B2C online.

The tradeshows will soon announce and present the exciting collaboration with La Redoute’s La Brand Boutique.

For the coming edition in September 2017, Who’s Next is collaborating with the agency Trend Union to create a new service area : The “Gallery Store”, situated in the heart of Hall 4. An updated trends area giving visitors a new perspective on retail, providing information on innovative ways to present a product, or the furniture that will highlight the collection but also information on the situation of retail today.

Who’s Next and Premiere Classe are supporting this evolution by putting human interaction back at the centre of communication and discovery in order to create an interdisciplinary environment where skills and knowledge complement each other.

Invista’s Cordura brand first teamed up with Carhartt, in 1998 to bring advanced durability and fabric technology to its Extremes line. The collaboration led to a durable bond that has endured for nearly 20 years. Now, the two iconic brands are celebrating this history of collaboration through innovation and setting the foundation for a next generation of durable workwear in their new ‘Meet the Maker’ series video.

This “Meet the Maker” episode takes viewers on a journey behind-the-scenes – through the Carhartt of today and past decades, including an archival piece dating back to the 1800s. It also debuts a limited-edition Multicam

CORDURA Brand and Carhartt Live Durable in Latest “Meet the Maker” Series Installment

Black camo print version of the legendary, fit-for-anything, Carhartt Chore Coat, built with the long-lasting durability of CORDURA fabric. First produced in 1917, Carhartt’s legendary Chore Coat is reimagined in honor of both its 100^th anniversary and in celebration of the 50^th Anniversary of the CORDURA brand.

The Italian premium label Stone Island opens its biggest flagship store yet in los Angeles at the intersection of N La Brea and 1st Street. The independent building featuring large show windows facing the street is 500m2 big. It has been designed to provide vast space to create an emotional area transporting the Stone Island image and putting the Stone Island and Stone Island Shadow Project collections properly on show.

The fourth branch of Dover Street Market has officially opened in Singapore. Dover Street Market Singapore is located in a building that forms part of the a complex promoting a “lifestyle destination” filled with design-focussed shops and restaurants.

Just as in the New York, London and Tokyo stores, the interior design is conveyed by Rew Kawakubo, founder of Comme Des Garçons, and Dover Street Market. The key feature within the shop is a giant central hut complex, which is a signature element of all Dover Street Market locations throughout the world. Colorful arches then draw attention to the back of the store, accounting for the first time that color has been used architecturally in any DSM.

CIFF has announced that the menswear brand ABASI ROSBOROUGH will be joining its fair for S/S 2018.

Designers Abdul ABASI and Greg ROSBOROUGH met while studying fashion at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and founded their eponymous brand in 2013. Since then, ABASI ROSBOROUGH has been making waves in menswear circles with their progressive take on men’s fashion and determination to reinvent the suit. Based in NYC, they were most recently nominated for the LVMH prize (2017) and were finalists for the Woolmark Prize (2016) and the Ecco Domani prize (2014) before that.

For CIFF, (in RAVEN Projects) ABASI ROSBOROUGH will be presenting their collection in a installation incorporating elements from their collaboration with artist, Justin Guariglia.

For ALBERTO women, ‘Cooler’ are the trousers for the diverse stylish summer business look, new as of Spring/Summer 2018. Until recently only the preserve of the world of golf, they are now also being introduced into the ALBERTO woman collection. Because more and more women who already know them from the green, also want Cooler for their summer office wardrobe. The intelligent high-tech material supports the body’s own active cooling system, with ALBERTO combining two technologies: On the one hand, the woven fabric of hollow fibres ensures that moisture is directly transported to the surface where it rapidly evaporates. An effect that improves the natural cooling function of the skin. On the other hand, the special 3xdry finishing withstands dirt just like liquid. Even spilled tomato juice on the plane can’t harm the trousers – it just rolls off. As moisture can’t settle from the inside or from the outside, the smart trousers reliably prevent heat accumulation on the skin. But if a bit of a cool wind does come along, the wrinkle-free bi-stretch trousers prevent unpleasant chills.

This month commemorates 15 years since launching the original Beach Clog, known today as the Classic Clog. The Classic has grown to become an iconic silhouette.

From the brand’s early days of making sales calls by carrying samples around on a fishing string to being named the fastest growing footwear brand by Footwear News in 2006, Crocs made an immediate splash with its colorful range of comfortable clogs. After experiencing immediate success with the clog, Crocs has steadily evolved to offer a broad portfolio of all-season products, while remaining true to its core molded footwear heritage.

In 2017, Crocs put out a call to consumers around the world to “Come As You Are”. The global marketing campaign focuses on the brand’s core, molded clog and sandal styles, while asking consumers to celebrate what makes them unique.

“Over the past 15 years, Crocs has never wavered from its identity: optimistic, versatile, comfortable and not afraid to poke holes in convention,” said Terence Reilly, Crocs’ Chief Marketing Officer. “’Come As You Are’ is an invitation for people to share their identity, their one‑of‑a‑kindness, which is so important in today’s world. Along with our great product, we hope this campaign can help make everyone comfortable in their own shoes.”

The first two days of Pure London have been full of energy and positivity as soon as the first visitors came through the doors on Sunday morning. The creative mood has continued on the catwalk with visually inspiring and uplifting trends, the SS18 Buyer’s Briefings by WGSN, a keynote address by Dr Pam Hogg and an inspiring interview with Henry Holland.

Bringing together key players in the industry from across the UK and abroad, a busy day of buying from retailers was accompanied by an informative and creative programme of on-stage content. After revealing her unorthodox approach to fashion design and career history, Dr Pam Hogg urged retailers to champion new designers and to offer the consumer something to feel excited about.

On Monday Henry Holland took to the stage and highlighted the importance of being unique when creating a brand. He said; “I have been lucky in the development of the brand DNA, it’s playful sense of humour can be translated across different price points and product categories so find your authentic tone of voice, your point of view, and stick to it.”

Mirroring Dr Hogg’s sentiments, Sara Maggioni, Director Retail and Buying at WGSN stated in her Buyer’s Briefing that consumers will be buying less but buying better. Versatility is key, seasonless and dual function items offer value for money and the blurring of genres and categories opens up cross merchandising opportunities.
On Sunday evening exhibitors gathered for the Pure London Display Awards to applaud creativity and celebrate the best stands, collections and service.

The winners were:
Best in Womenswear – Goose Collection
Best in Menswear & Athleisure – TrixTa
Best in Accessories & Footwear – E Barrito
Best in Show – King Louie
Best Premium Emerging Designer – DB Berdan

From August 6th till August 8th, at the Javits Center, New York., UBM Fashion at NY Women’s, Intermezzo Collections will debut its first-ever VINTAGE@Intermezzo consumer-facing fair within the show that will be epicenter of vintage shopping for retailers and consumers alike in the heart of Manhattan.

Featuring an unmatched curated selection of vintage dealers showcasing their one-of-a- kind apparel and accessories collections, the entire fashion community will have access to the best in vintage design, style and period pieces. Each vintage dealer will be showcasing a unique facet of the industry with product available for wholesale and retail.

VINTAGE@Intermezzo at Intermezzo Collections is held during UBM Fashion’s NY Women’s August Marketplace which offers women’s apparel and accessories with a strong focus on immediate deliverables, touting the largest accessories presentation with the two industry leading shows.

The supervisory board of Galeria Kaufhof GmbH has appointed Peter Herlitzius Managing Director and Labor Director, with effect from September 1, 2017. In this function, the 56-year-old qualified lawyer will assume responsibility for the company’s management areas of human resources and labor law.

“We are delighted to have recruited Peter Herlitzius to our company. With his extensive expertise and international experience, he will strengthen the important subjects of personnel and labor law while at the same time further developing the area of responsibility”, says Dr. Wolfgang Link, CEO HBC Europe

Peter Herlitzius is regarded as a recognized authority on human resources management. Over the years, he has held management positions at Unilever Deutschland, Reckitt Benckiser Deutschland and Tchibo. His most recent position was as HR director at Parfumerie Douglas GmbH.

In addition to the German and English online store, BRAUN Hamburg has now launched a French language version at www.braun-hamburg.com/fr/, thus responding to the growing demand in the French-speaking world and remains on an expansion course with over 30 delivery countries worldwide.

“We are experiencing very good growth abroad and would like to strengthen our international presence with the French online store. As a premium supplier, we want to present our online store not only as an addition to the stationary business, but rather to set new standards with it, “says Lars Braun, owner and managing director of BRAUN Hamburg.

According to the core market in Germany, Austria is the first market for BRAUN Hamburg and Switzerland is the largest market. This is followed by the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Spain and Eastern Europe. The focus now is on France, Luxembourg and Belgium; Markets in which BRAUN Hamburg already has a significant demand, but the customer is preferring the French user language.

Each year, the ISKO I-SKOOL contest involves the most brilliant and creative young minds from worldwide prestigious fashion and business institutions. The fashion show was held in the unusual setting of BASE, a post-industrial, multipurpose center in Milan that was perfectly in tune with the mood of this evening.

Everything was generated by a unique inspiration, denim: a journey into this versatile, evergreen style icon. The contest involved more than 60,000 students from all over the world. For the first time in ISKO I-SKOOL history, the contest invited independent students to compete, by sending their application through the official website of the competition, iskooldenim.com. Every winner will be awarded with internships with the brands that support the initiative. It’s a clear demonstration of the deep connection between the fashion talent contest and the market.

For the Denim Design Award, students were asked to create denim outfits for the season of their choice, following a daring theme, GENDERFUL, a celebration of the new and inclusive ways to conceive the many models of self expression that transcend traditional gender categories to promote new and evolving forms of identity.

The Marketing Award had students were design a strategic marketing plan and its tactical actions in order to explain and give value to one of the foremost themes in global fashion agenda today, the connection between fashion and sustainability, aesthetics and best practices.

Crocs has unveiled its latest collaboration with award-winning British designer Christopher Kane. The Christopher Kane x Crocs collection includes four colours of Classic Clogs, each featuring a tiger print and embellished with an ostrich feather, floral Jibbitz adornments and Christopher Kane’s signature “K”. The limited-edition collection is inspired by Christopher Kane’s pre-fall 2017 runway collection, which is now available.

Christopher Kane’s signature of constant innovation and rebellious femininity perfectly complements one of Crocs’ core brand values of celebrating individuality. On the heels of an innovative collaboration that shocked the fashion world last year, this new collection turns high fashion into affordable, ready-to-wear styles, starting at £64.99.

“When Christopher Kane approached us about this opportunity, we were delighted and excited to work together with such an iconic force in the fashion world,” said Michelle Poole, Senior Vice President of Global Product and Merchandising for Crocs. “Working with Christopher reinforces our belief that our iconic clog is incredibly relevant in today’s style arena. This partnership becomes a terrific vehicle for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, and elevating the everyday into desirable luxury, two of Christopher’s key design philosophies.

Known for his influence in the world of visual art and social activism, Keith Haring is one of the greatest pop artists of the 20th century.

As a homage to the street and pop culture of the 1980s, Herschel Supply released an exclusive collection of Keith Haring’s iconic stick figure drawings. Known for his influence in the world of visual art and social activism, Haring is one of the greatest pop artists of the 20th century.

The collection consists of bags, headwear, accessories and jackets in a striking blue-white all-over print with red accents. The Keith Haring line includes the backpack models Dawson and Winlaw, the popular Novel travel duffle, a Network Pouch as well as the practical chapter culture bag. The Sylas cap in the cotton twill as well as the Creek Bucket Hat with detachable chin, are also available in the dancing man print.

The collection is rounded off by five different models from the recently launched Apparel line. Including two jackets and a poncho from the travel voyage or a hooded jacket and a raincoat from the weather-resistant forecast collection. Key feature of the lightweight Voyage jackets is their collar-integrated pocket, which allows them to be folded and stored quickly and easily.

Colette is to close its concept store in Paris. WWD reports that staff in the French capital were told the news on Wednesday morning. The store, situated on 213 rue Saint-Honoré, first opened in March 1997 and will close for the last time in December.

Colette has announced that it will be closing its concept store in Paris, after 20 years. The store located at 213 rue Saint-Honoré will be closing on the 20th of December 2017. It is speculated that the location will be taken over by Saint Laurent.

Colette was founded in 1997 by Colette Roussaux, and has been run by her daughter Sarah Andelman in the last years.

Saint Laurent has partnered up with two leading fashion schools in France to develop and support a brand-new couture training programme. The latter will have ‘Institut Français de la Mode and the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne’ working with Saint Laurent to offer students a chance to work at the Saint Laurent head-offices as well as following 25 days of courses at the schools. At the end of March 2018, the students will present a special project to a panel of jury consisting of school faculty and Saint Laurent team members.

The programme set to last 6-months (launching in September 2017) will focus on innovation and sustainability. The application process is still open.

Just four days after separating from Bouchra Jarrar, the French fashion house of Jeanne Lanvin appoints Olivier Lapidus as the new Creative Director. He embarked on his new role immediately.
The first collection of the Paris-born designer is due to be shown as early as in September during the Paris ready-to-wear shows.
Besides his new role at chez Lavin, Lapidus will continue working on his own recently launched line, Création Olivier Lapidus, which launched this past haute couture season in Paris. He previously was at Balmain Homme before joining Maison Lapidus.
Lanvin has had a 23% fall in revenue since 2016 and hopes it can reignite the spirits former 14 year long creative director Alber Elbaz gave the brand, who left it following disagreements with its owner. Rumours have it, Lapidus wants to develop Lanvin into a French lifestyle brand, although these have not been substantiated.

For the MICAM84, to be held in September at the Milan Fair Centre and, to promote the forthcoming edition, Assocalzaturifici has promoted a teaser event in Seoul, in Korea to be held from 10th to 12th July at the capital’s Westin Chosun Hotel in conjunction with “La moda italiana a Seoul”, the trade fair for Italian Fashion Manufacturers organized by EMI, the Italian fashion organisation.

By accompanying a group of brands to the trade-fair, Assocalzaturifici intends to give continuity to promotional events in the Far East and consolidate the image of the MICAM in a fast-growing market by communicating the uniqueness of made-in-Italy footwear.

“South Korea represents the 13th largest market out of the various countries to which Italian footwear is exported, recording in 2016 a 16.7% increase in value with respect to the previous year – explains the president of Assocalzaturifici, Annarita Pilotti – The Asian market remains crucial for exports of made in Italy products. This is why we have decided to organise a series of promotional roadshows in the Far East with the aim of demonstrating to the world the excellence and quality of our footwear industry. The trade show in Seoul – Pilotti concludes – provides a perfect opportunity for talking about the new edition of theMICAM84 and for presenting the theme of September’s promotional campaign which is dedicated to seduction”.

Assocalzaturifici will in fact be setting up a special show entitled “The Seduction of footwear: Italian glamour” organised in collaboration with MIC the International Vigevano Shoe Museum which has selected under the supervision of the artistic director Armando Pollini, 20 pairs of stiletto heels: the leitmotiv of the exhibition is the high-heeled shoe which has been a perennial and universal symbol of secuction.

Marco Lucietti, Global Marketing Director will take on the new position of Senior Advisor for ISKO, the international leader in denim production and textile innovation.

“After eight incredible years, I’ve decided to change from the position of Global Marketing Director of ISKOTM to a different role working closely with the management of the Company”, explains Marco Lucietti.

Marco Lucietti managed the worldwide B2B (Business to Business) Marketing activity of ISKO and led a global team of Marketing Professionals. During his eight years as Global Marketing Director, Lucietti focused on conveying the innovative value of the Company to the market, and built long term partnerships in the industry, always playing an active role in company’s activities and actions.

2016 marked the beginning of ISKO’s development plan to align its communication and add a consumer facing ingredient brand message. This was intended to help fashion brands connect with ISKO fabrics more effectively, involving different channels of communication and new media. The creation also of a Brand & Communication team, headed by Fabio Di Liberto, ISKO Global Brand Director, became important to support ISKO’s new communication strategy.

Instead of exhibiting at Panorama as per previous year, Mustang this year launched its own event ‘Street Art Lab’ in Berlin’s Seven Star Gallery, presenting a mixed concept of showroom, pop-up studio and live event.

“In the search for a new, creative approach to presenting our brand during the Fashion Week in Berlin, we have developed this extraordinary event concept”, explains Dietmar Axt, CEO of the Mustang Group. “Great is that we can make the connection of street art and denim tangible. Authentic, approachable and hand-made – this is a perfect match for our brand! “The exhibiting artists are renowned street artists and will not only show some work but also be creative on the spot.

During the event, Mustang is also showcasing its S/S collection 2018.

Berlin this July was blessed with perfect weather. Not too cold and not too hot.

Premium Exhibitions started with a bang. International buyers were spotted already in the early morning hours from Ireland, Scandinavia, Czech Republic all the way to Japan. German buyers were numerous, too. Birkenstock even provided a nice terrace to have a cocktail during the sunny hours of the show, to relax from the orders placed. Many interesting brands, including some very creative Korean labels were spotted, well worth a visit. But also brands well capable to provide for the many are represented at the show.

At Show & Order, an experience platform was created, mimicking a concept store in a trade-show format. Couches, music, food, accessories and of course numerous high-end fashion brands were present.

Selvedge Run featured an overseeable amount of brands that all had one thing in common: elevated creativity.

Erwin Licher, owner of Herrlicher, presented his new upscale denim line Mr. Erwin at Seek. That show was in general well visited. Seek continuously focusses on sophisticated, urban menswear, so brands such as Herschel, Boxfresh, adidas Originals, Brooks, Burlington, Creative Recreation, Fred Perry, Ecoalf, Eastpak etc. were present.

Unfortunately not as much traffic was seen at Panorama, despite brands, well worth a visit such as Lieblingsstück, Fynch-Hatton, Alberto, the new line of Miss Sixty, Einstein Newton, Bobi LA, Pepe Jeans and other important brands.

Trends such as metallic effects out of copper, silver and gold elements worked onto the garments were seen. Floral and light, pastel colours meet jungle feeling complemented with plant-motives.

Lieblingsstück demonstrated with their latest campaign what fashion should be all about: laughing, positive, bubbly people that radiate happiness.

Check out our WeAr To Go section in this buyers guide to know where to have a beer, where to shop and where to party. Make the most of your trip here and find and support young up and coming labels that introduce creativity into our industry. Whilst not forgetting the established labels that bring customers to your store.

Should you not be in Berlin, our Buyers Guide will give you some impressions of the most interesting brands and what has been going on at the shows from the comfort of your home.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more Buyers Guide voices, and exclusive content on our social media pages!

The coming edition of Texworld which will take place in Paris from the 18th till 21st of September 2017, will introduce the launch of its new Texworld Denim section. The latter will showcase around 80 exhibitors who all specialise in the denim sector. Furthermore this area will also debut its own trend forum.

“We have introduced the Texworlddenim segment at our next show edition as a true reflection of the dominant position that denim occupies in the fashion industry,” commented Michael Scherpe, president, Messe Frankfurt France.

The new Denim sector will be regrouping the fabrics from Texworld and the ready-to-wear from Apparel Sourcing.

As part of the Fall / Winter 2017 Collection, Liebeskind Berlin presents ‘The Berlin Bag’ AKA the ‘B Bag’. The latter is a homage to a Berlin girl who wrapped herself in a large woven blanket to protect herself from the cold, held together by a leather belt with a round, metallic buckle. Her attitude embodies her own individual style: simple and confident, raw yet elegant.

The B Bag distills the essence of the city: a certain dynamism and freedom allowing one to be who they are- a citizen of the world.

Alaskan Bush Pilots have been the brave and iconic adventurers of the skies for over a century. They have tamed America’s most outlandish natural landscapes thanks to their outstanding courage and one-of-a-kind gut instinct – and Leighan Falley, a Talkeetna-based pilot, is one of them.

Falley is one of the very few female Alaskan pilots to continuously push boundaries in the great northern skies. Always graceful, even when under pressure, she explores Alaska’s idyllic yet raw nature with the courage of an explorer, following her instincts, while calculating risks. “The first memory of my entire life is being in the backseat of my father’s airplane,” Falley recalls. “I must have been a tiny baby, I remember feeling the airplane moving through the air and seeing the trees and the river below.”

In Talkeetna, situated some 115 miles north of Anchorage on the southern edge of the Denali National Park, Falley is one of the Talkeetna Air Taxi pilots. The company was established in the 40s, the early days of Alaskan aviation, and currently runs 10 bush aircraft.

She flies to the remotest locations in Alaska in order to capture the adventurous everyday life of the Great North, while bringing mountaineers to their final destination and helping those in need. Living her dream, Leighan Falley is not only a brave pilot, but also a mother, a ski guide, an alpinist, having reached the peak of Denali Mountain six times out of twelve expeditions. “Alaska is probably my favorite place on earth,” she continues. “I’ve been through different continents, climbed different mountain ranges, including the Himalaya, but Alaska is my favorite. It is so big and so wild, vast and untouchable. The biosphere is intact, the animals live in their natural habitat. Mountain ranges rise from a hundred meters to six thousand meters – it’s simply beautiful. In a place as beautiful as Alaska, you have to have an airplane to see all of it,” she concludes. “Discovering Alaska and climbing its mountains is a journey that involves a lot of beauty, a lot of hardship, and a lot of testing yourself mentally and physically.”

Follow the stories of modern-day heroes on the Parajumpers website where you can also watch exclusive video footage and discover Parajumpers’ latest collections.

Zalando and Bestseller United annoinced a joint venture to promote the B2B online platform fashiontrade.com.

Fashiontrade.com is another platform trying to promote digital fashion wholesale in order to transport also the B2B part of the fashion industry into the day-and-age of the Internet.

Most fashion trade is still done physically at trade shows, showrooms and client visits but it gets more apparent that part of it is possible to be done online.

The platform tries to connect retailers with brands and make trading online easier.

Fashiontrade.com was founded in 2015 by Besteller United (owner of Vero Moda, Jack&Jones et.al.) and Zalando now took over 50% of it. No financial details have been made public. Bestseller Group is one of Zalando’s largest shareholders.

Welcome to the latest edition of Berlin’s Buyers Guide, which will be live from tomorrow! From the 4th-6th of June we will cover Premium, SEEK, Selvedge Run, Show and Order, Panorama and further events. The aim of the tradeshows and the brands they present is to question systematically the way that fashion is worn and communicated.

The team of WeAr global magazine will communicate from Berlin, live, for you. We will interview decision makers, scout trends and keep you updated on what’s hot in Berlin.

Stay tuned on here and on our Facebook and Instagram channels so not to miss Berlin’s fashion week.

Have a look at the WeAr to go section to discover hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs and of course shopping for your stay in Berlin.

You can also read one of WeAr’s quality trend articles, provided by our global editorial team.

In its 16th edition, VIEW kicked off on a dynamic and progressive note and closed with a slight increase in visitors.

Materials with raised surfaces as super-soft wool types generated a great deal of interest. Also attracting a lot of attention were the sophisticated jerseys with a heavier feel for winter – some of them with standard reverse sides, others with printed or multi-coloured effects. All-important were the discussions revolving around sustainability, which serves for storytelling and clearly adds value to the fabrics and, hence, to the garments. In addition to this, there is a demand for more function in the form of technical material support – subtly integrated but strongly communicated and never as a technical element that determines the looks – at least not in the fashion segment. The innovative themes for winter include 3D technologies for texture and print.

Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE), based at London College of Fashion, UAL have announced their first Manufacturers Trade Show in East London. This one-day event, taking place on Tuesday 11th July at York Hall in Bethnal Green, will showcase over 20 exhibitors and aims to introduce fashion enterprises to manufacturers who can produce smaller scale quantities in order to progress their businesses.

The Manufacturers Trade Show is a part of CFE’s Fashion Technology Emerging Futures (FTEF) project, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with the vision to support the new eco-system emerging in London, recognising the convergence of fashion and technology SMEs. This will be the first of CFE’s commitment to a Manufacturer’s Trade Show as part of the FTEF project, and will happen twice yearly.

CFE have commissioned Making for Change to make a collection of tote bags for the Manufacturers Trade Show, featuring exclusive designs from CFE alumni and CFE Fashion Pioneer designer, Ovelia Transtoto. Making for Change are a social enterprise set up by London College of Fashion UAL as part of the college’s ethos of ‘Better Lives’, using fashion as a discipline, to drive change, build a sustainable future and improve the way we live.

Judith Tolley, Head of the CFE commented:

“London is known for nurturing the most innovative and authentic creative fashion designers and emerging businesses but without manufacturers to support and work with them their creative talent and growing businesses would not be realised. Our vision is to connect business with manufacturers with a view to developing long term working relationships.”

Rifle company (Rifle Jeans) has a new partner; the Swiss holding of investments Kora Investments Sa which took over 44% of the Rifle equity. The closing is expected in the next 45 days.

Franco Marianelli ex Guess and Gas Jeans  will be in charge to lead the new Rifle to the next level.

In  2018 – commented Giulio Fratini (owner of the company), who represents the third generation of the founders – “is the 60th anniversary of the company and this is the time to take our company in a new dimension, driving it to the 21st century with a financial investor that is realizing with us its first business in the fashion world.”

Rifle closed the 2016 with a turnover of € 21million as in the 2015. The turnover is almost completely realized in the domestic market. Infact one of the first goal is to develop a global strategy.

The coming edition of #FASHIONTECH Berlin taking place on 5th July 2017, will introduce a redesigned concept that puts the focus on business and practical solutions, Berlin’s meeting-place for fashion experts, industry insiders and future visionaries offers a comprehensive insight this season into the revolutionised value chain of fashion and presents the latest creative visions at the interface of fashion and technology. With the new concept, this season’s #FASHIONTECH Berlin will be interactive and experiential. Thereby, the many keynotes and the start-up pitches taking place on the #stage as well as the experiential #exhibition and the new #masterclasses will showcase all the latest tech trends.

The talks and keynotes on the #stage on the fifth floor of Kühlhaus Berlin will cover content from areas including Wearables & Smart Textiles, E-Commerce & Retailtech and Digital Marketing & Communication.

E-commerce giant JD.com and Farfetch announced a strategic partnership that will create the premier platform for luxury e-commerce across China, opening a gateway to an $80bn market.

The partnership leverages JD’s unparalleled logistics, Internet finance and technology capabilities and social media resources, including its WeChat partnership, with Farfetch’s leadership in global luxury, to create a frictionless and seamless brand experience. Farfetch has well-established operations in China and is already the partner of choice for 200 luxury brands and more than 500 multi-brand retailers. JD will help drive further brand awareness, traffic and sales for Farfetch in the market.

As part of this partnership, JD com will become one of the largest shareholders of Farfetch, investing $397 million, and Richard Liu, JD.com‘s founder and CEO, will join the Farfetch board. JD and Farfetch will partner on marketing, logistics and technology solutions to build the brand in China, while Farfetch will continue to be the customer-facing brand.

The combined strength of the Farfetch-JD partnership will benefit all 700 brands and boutiques that are part of the Farfetch community, enabling them to take advantage of the vast resources of this new gateway to China’s luxury market.

Leveraging JD Luxury Express, JD’s recently launched white glove service, Farfetch will be able to offer customers a premium level of service befitting the world-class brands sold on the site. For Chinese consumers, this combination of Farfetch’s luxury know-how, and JD’s blazing same-day delivery speeds and highly professional service, will provide an unparalleled luxury proposition.

Farfetch partner brands with a local retail presence will also have access to world-class omni-channel capabilities, including click & collect and in-store returns, connecting the brands’ physical retail stores in China to consumers.

Isabel Marant has launched its own dedicated e-commerce store in partnership with Yoox Net-a-Porter Group. The new site will feature the entire range of Isabel Marant products including the Etoile line and accessories lines. A special section called ‘La Valise d’Isabel’ will feature the designer’s perspective on the current collection. To mark the worldwide launch of the new platform, Marant is also set to unveil her new packaging, developed with German painter Katrin Bremermann. 

The website is available in 6 languages and offers worldwide shipping to 101 countries globally.

From 4th to 8th July, SEEK is bringing the rush of Fashion Week to the public in the form of a concept pop-up shop.

SEEK is taking Fechtner Delikatessen, one of Berlin’s finest organic coffee and lunch spots, and transforming it into a blank canvas for fashion insiders and outsiders alike to gather, shop, inspire and explore. The barriers between brand, buyer, media and consumer are breaking down season after season.

An experimental answer to the current retail situation, the space gives equal access to a curated selection of the best in fashion, food and lifestyle. Moreover, SEEK's Super Natural delivers what the most memorable shopping experiences always do: a concept everyone wants to take part in and share.

Dubbed Super Natural, the pop-up coincides with the release of SEEK Magazine No. 6. A portfolio of all-white clothing and lifestyle products populate a clear and reduced space. The launch of the latest print publication will be on 3th July at the pop-up shop.

Boasting a very creative energy and the overall quality of the proposals meeting the favor of the best national and international buyers at Pitti Immagine Uomo n. 92: foreign buyers confirm the excellent results of last June, while Italy has recorded a little drop.

As always, Pitti Immagine Uomo n. 92  presented in Florence the latest trends, designers and brands for men's fashion. The most important international and Italian buyers have chosen once again Pitti Uomo as a global reference point for lifestyle and scouting in menswear, confirming the importance of the selection and segmentation criteria adopted by the Pitti Immagine marketing team, that aim to present the more interesting news – in trends and products – from the best Italian and international companies that research and innovate in style and materials. The undisputed prestige of design and made in Italy, the completeness of the offer, the variety of the collections, the lively design and presentations, the different international partnerships (e.g. with the Guest Nation Australia, the Japan Fashion Week, Liberty Fairs..) and the special events (the exhibition at Palazzo Pitti, the JW Anderson and Off White shows, the presentations by the Italian designers Federico Curradi and Alanui …) did the rest.

In terms of figures, more than 19,000 buyers have been registered a few hours before the end of the show, with foreign countries confirming the levels of last June and with a drop of Italian buyers between 8 and 9%. A total number of more than 30,000 visitors is expected.

The WeAr team presented throughout the show exclusive insights into the fair, with voices from buyers/designer/visitors and various impressions including streetstyle in our Florence Buyers Guide. 

Stay tuned for Berlin Buyers Guide beginning of July 2017.

Swiss luxury brand Bally presented at Pitti Uomo for the first time, launching its Spring Summer ’18 retro sneaker collection. Bringing back the magic with the revival of its best sneaker styles over the past decades, Bally’s retro sneaker collection includes four replications of its most successful lace ups, from hip-hop era classics to smashing tennis shoes and sporty runners.

The replica will be presented alongside four additional derivations, exclusively for Pitti Uomo, in Kodak, garnet, marine and snuff. Reissued with a vulcanised sole and the same Bally logo on the side, the canvas shoes are available as replicas as well as three new derivations, in both hi and low top styles, and as full leather versions. Bally’s Galaxy runner, a shoe originally created for utility in 1988, has also been reissued and is now Bally’s lightest sneaker, crafted in canvas with suede detail. The original model in garnet has been reproduced alongside two new versions in Kodak and black, with the original running sole. The 1974 Vita-Parcours completes the collection, with original identifiable black and white check pattern and produced with a modernised sneaker sole, used in Bally’s Heimberg collection.

Bally’s retro sneaker collection is available in stores and online from January 2018 onwards.

Check out more on Pitti in our Florence Buyers Guide: http://www.wearglobalnetwork.com/buyers_guide/florence

Continuing on the success of last season’s first collaboration and ‘RECYCLE’ project, Save the Duck team up once again with award-winning British designer Christopher Ræburn to collaborate on a second luxury capsule collection for S/S 2018. In keeping with Save the Duck and Christopher Ræburn’s vision, a commitment to protecting the animal kingdom and planet, the collection presents a range of contemporary lightweight quilted jackets. These have been made from highly performing recycled fabrics, including Save The Duck’s PLUMTECH, an innovative padding and technical fibre that replaces down feathers.

As always considered sourcing is of paramount importance for both brands and all materials have been chosen inline with the “ANIMAL FRIENDLY” mission of Save the Duck. The capsule created by Christopher Ræburn for Save The Duck will be distributed to select luxury stores around the world in collaboration with the showroom Tomorrow.

JW Anderson presented the Italian debut showing of his S/S 2018 men’s collection on Wednesday, 14th June at Villa la Pietra. “I am truly honored by this invitation to show at Pitti Uomo”, said Jonathan Anderson. “Florence, with its extraordinary beauty will be the perfect backdrop for my collection”.  

“We have been keeping a careful eye on Jonathan Anderson’s career for several seasons”, says Lapo Cianchi, Pitti Immagine director of communications and events. “Above all, we are drawn to the creativity and eclecticism of his collections that are further enhanced by fine quality manufacturing and – in menswear by undisputable sartorial skill. The way he reinterprets elements from the contemporary art scene and from the youth culture, alternating emotional impact (out-of-scale volumes, for example) and transgressions that are projected towards anticipating the future leaving very little room for nostalgia, is very interesting. His shows are always surprising with great communicative power”.

For Pitti Uomo, Lindsay Kemp – who among many other things, directed the Ziggy Stardust Concerts for David Bowie – was a guest at IED from 12th to 15th June for a workshop freely inspired by Japanese Kabuki theatre and ukiyo-e prints from the Edo period, between the 17th and 19th centuries.

The workshop involved 40 students from the IED Group who – under the overall guidance of Kemp and the supervision of Giovanni Ottonello, IED Art Director – created the costumes for the event, using fabrics and products from companies in the Como area and Tuscany. The performance at the end of the workshop featured Kemp himself as protagonist, accompanied by two of his dancers. The students involved in the creation of the costumes wore them as part of Kemp’s performance event.

The performance is part of Secret Florence program. Secret Florence’s core mission is to enhance the attractiveness of the city of Florence during the opening week of Pitti Immagine Uomo. This is achieved through an innovational and high quality artistic proposal intended for a young, international audience interested in unveiling the connections between contemporary artistic languages and the extraordinary historical heritage of the city. 

Find more on Pitti in our Buyers Guide on WeAr Global Network.

MAGLIANO (Luca Magliano) is the winner of the 9th edition of WHO IS ON NEXT? UOMO, the scouting project that seeks out new talents in men’s fashions who are Italian or manufacture their collections in Italy, organized by Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery and sponsored by Pitti Immagine Uomo in collaboration with Altaroma and L'Uomo Vogue.

Luca Magliano has created a clear concept that is complete and minimalist, an “indispensable editing” of the contemporary man’s wardrobe. Highly appreciated for the quality of the manufacturing as well as the brand’s decisive attitude and character, Magliano has achieved results of an undisputed contemporaneity, a mix of genderless accents and military inspirations with an ironic twist.

In addition to the winner and the honorable mentions, the finalists were: MATTEOLAMANDINI, MILANO140 (Michele Canziani and Stefano Ghidotti) and OMAR (Omar Nardi).