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H&M Says it Will 'Phase Out' Sourcing from Myanmar

FILE PHOTO: Workers tailor and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Tar Yar industry zone in Yangon March 10, 2010. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Workers tailor and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Tar Yar industry zone in Yangon March 10, 2010. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
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H&M Says it Will 'Phase Out' Sourcing from Myanmar

FILE PHOTO: Workers tailor and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Tar Yar industry zone in Yangon March 10, 2010. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Workers tailor and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Tar Yar industry zone in Yangon March 10, 2010. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

The world's second-biggest fashion retailer, H&M, has decided to gradually stop sourcing from Myanmar, it told Reuters on Thursday, as reports of labor abuses in garment factories in the country increase.
H&M became the latest brand to cut ties with suppliers in the country after Zara owner Inditex, Primark, Marks & Spencer and others. Some experts say the trend could ultimately leave workers in the country worse off.
"After careful consideration we have now taken the decision to gradually phase out our operations in Myanmar," H&M said in an email to Reuters.
"We have been monitoring the latest developments in Myanmar very closely and we see increased challenges to conduct our operations according to our standards and requirements."
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Min Tun was not immediately available to comment on H&M's announced exit.
H&M said on Wednesday it was investigating 20 alleged instances of labor abuse at Myanmar garment factories that supply it, as a UK-based NGO said cases of alleged abuses including wage theft and forced overtime have multiplied since a military coup in February 2021.
The coup plunged Myanmar into an ongoing political and humanitarian crisis.
The garment sector is a key employer in the Southeast Asian country, where mostly women workers produce clothes and shoes for major brands in more than 500 factories.
"I regret H&M’s announcement, as it will have a negative impact on thousands of women workers in Myanmar," said Vicky Bowman, director of the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business and former British ambassador to Myanmar.
H&M said its exit would follow a "responsible exit framework" developed by IndustriALL, a global union that has been campaigning for brands to stop doing business in the country, and that was cited by Inditex as a reason for its withdrawal.

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Fashion

New Designer De Sarno Showcases Minimalist Glamour for Gucci Debut

A model walks the runway of the Gucci fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 22, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)
A model walks the runway of the Gucci fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 22, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)
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New Designer De Sarno Showcases Minimalist Glamour for Gucci Debut

A model walks the runway of the Gucci fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 22, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)
A model walks the runway of the Gucci fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 22, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)

Gucci's new creative director Sabato De Sarno sent out a glamorous, skin-baring lineup of minimalist designs for his first fashion show on Friday, a highly anticipated debut which owner Kering hopes will help revive sales at its flagship brand.

Models filed down a darkened, concrete runway at the label's Milan headquarters, a former aircraft factory, parading short shorts paired with suit jackets, jewel-encrusted garments and tank tops with plunging neck lines.

Friday's catwalk presentation serves as the aesthetic foundation of a broad reset of the French group's prized label -- key to creating buzz and reigniting sales, even if the new designs won't hit stores until early next year. "Gucci is the opportunity to fall in love with fashion, ancora," De Sarno said in a post on Instagram in the run-up to the show, using the Italian word for "again."

The brand plastered the word "ancora" on huge advertisements that marked the date of the show, alongside the Gucci logo -- in white lettering, on a burgundy backdrop -- covering buildings around the world, including New York, Chengdu, Bangkok and London.

Adding to the drama of De Sarno's debut on Friday, a forecast of rain prompted a last-minute shift of the show venue to the Milan headquarters rather than outdoors, on the street in the swanky Brera district.

Debut collections can generate mixed reactions, and even positive press reviews are not always a proxy for their future commercial success. However, the fashion show will "definitely impact investors' perception of De Sarno's capacity to trigger an inflexion in Gucci's aesthetics," said Antoine Belge, analyst with Exane BNP Paribas.

"The climax is not for right away -- it's sometimes the second or third shows that are the most important," Kering CEO and Chairman Francois-Henri Pinault told reporters before the event began, before greeting front-row guest Ryan Gosling.

One of fashion's biggest success stories in recent years, Gucci has fallen behind rivals like LVMH-owned Louis Vuitton and Dior that capitalized on strong post-pandemic appetite for luxury goods.

Since parting ways in November with its previous creative director Alessandro Michele, whose eclectic, gender neutral styles were credited with soaring sales and profits in the 2015-2019 period, the group has been laying the groundwork for the brand reset with more elevated and timeless looks.

Gucci's long-time CEO Marco Bizzarri is due to leave the company after the show, as announced in July, to be replaced by managing director Jean-Francois Palus - Pinault's right-hand man - for a transitional period.

Kering shares were up 3.9% after the show.

At their current price, Kering shares are trading at the equivalent of around 14 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, according to LSEG data. That forward PE compares to 42 for Hermes and 22 for Moncler.

Fashion

Prada Explores Lightness with Windswept Translucent Chiffon for Next Summer 

A model presents a creation of Prada collection during the Milan Fashion Week, in Milan, Italy, 21 September 2023.
A model presents a creation of Prada collection during the Milan Fashion Week, in Milan, Italy, 21 September 2023.
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Prada Explores Lightness with Windswept Translucent Chiffon for Next Summer 

A model presents a creation of Prada collection during the Milan Fashion Week, in Milan, Italy, 21 September 2023.
A model presents a creation of Prada collection during the Milan Fashion Week, in Milan, Italy, 21 September 2023.

Prada achieved a state of unbearable lightness in a series of translucent chiffon dresses that gently cosseted the form, trailed by wispy strands of the finest organza.

Designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons aptly dubbed the series of ethereal, windswept dresses previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Thursday as “Haze.” They never altered shape, only the shades of muted pastels shifted. They were paired with bright satin mules, either flats or with small triangular heels.

As they did during menswear in June, models walked past a wall of clear, oozing slime, which pooled, then drained down an industrial grate runway, this season in peach. Miuccia Prada said there was a thematic link.

“The whole thing started from lightness,” Prada told reporters backstage. “We wanted to do a really light, light, light show. Usually, we ... tend to do heavy. It was a challenge to do light.”

Simons said it took the pair the full three years of their collaboration to date to figure out a “light and fluid” approach as a counterpoint to their exploration of weightier topics, like uniforms and decoration.

“The collection is about fluidity, and movement and material that you maybe can’t really grasp easily as solid,” Simons said.

Not that uniforms and decoration were ignored. Chiffon capes gave diaphanous elegance to high-waist belted shorts and a worker’s shirt. A leather utility vest was decorated with swirls of crystals, and there were jumpsuits with notched lapels. As in menswear, long fringe created a curtain over prints. Crushed velvet dresses were decorated with crystals, studs and metal eyelets.

“They are beautiful clothes for today,” Prada said.

Belts were the accessory of the season, especially with long trailing fringe: tinsel silver, coppery gold, leather with eyelets or silky strands.

The new collection featured a reissued bag originally made by Miuccia Prada’s grandfather, Mario Prada, in 1913, a link back to the brand’s lineage as a leather goods company. The gathered handbag features a clasp closure shaped like the mythological face with bulging eyes and tongue stuck out — just as it did in Mario’s day. “He was very eccentric, even back then,” Prada said.

The updated versions are made in leather or the brand’s trademark recycled nylon, Re-nylon.

The backstage surge included Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch, as the writers strike in Hollywood may have left the stars with time to fill fashion’s front rows.

Fashion

Tom Ford Relaunches Under Peter Hawkings and Moschino Celebrates 40 Years 

A model walks the runway at the Tom Ford fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 21, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)
A model walks the runway at the Tom Ford fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 21, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)
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Tom Ford Relaunches Under Peter Hawkings and Moschino Celebrates 40 Years 

A model walks the runway at the Tom Ford fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 21, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)
A model walks the runway at the Tom Ford fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 on September 21, 2023 in Milan. (AFP)

Milan Fashion Week continued Thursday for the second day with mostly womenswear previews for next spring and summer under a steady rain.

Here are some scenes as Milan designers try to keep the focus on warm weather:

TOM FORD RETURNS TO MILAN ROOTS Peter Hawkings has come full circle, making his runway debut as creative director of the Tom Ford brand Thursday in Milan, where he started working with Ford at Gucci 25 years ago.

Fashionistas entered the Tom Ford world through plush, champagne-colored carpet, beckoning luxury.

Models trod comfortably on stiletto heels, showing leg in shorts worn with tailored jackets, revealing their form in clingy, floor sweeping dresses, and fully inhabiting velvet suits with silken shirts with the trademark Tom Ford plunging neckline.

Hawkings freely acknowledged that his design codes owe a lot to the 25 years he worked alongside Ford, who passed the torch last April. "The design ethos is ingrained in me," he said backstage.

The collection was inspired by Donyale Luna, a Detroit-born Black supermodel who was a muse to Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon.

But Hawkings said his wife, Whitney, equally embodies the Tom Ford woman, one with strong opinions. The pair met at Gucci back in the day.

"I run everything by her. She will tell me whether she loves something, hates something, how it fits, how comfortable it is. I can't try the clothes on, but she can. And she can give me constant feedback," he said.

Whitney wiped tears after the show. "I feel hugely emotional about the whole thing," she said. "It is like going back, but it is a huge step forward. It’s a lot going on. It’s family after all."

MOSCHINO EMPOWERS WOMEN AS IT MARKS 40TH ANNIVERSARY Moschino briefly passed the torch to four top female stylists as the brand marked its 40th anniversary with an homage to founder, the late Franco Moschino.

Fashion designer Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele created a high-low, mix-match collection that can go anywhere and suit any woman. Gabriella Karefa-Johnson tapped a rap vein with high-energy hip looks featuring ruffled, tiered skirts, denim and granny squares that were size-inclusive.

Lucia Liu tapped Moschino's romantic vision, capping her collection with a cake-topper dresser with layers of pink bows, rosettes and boas, fit for the Barbie-moment. And Katie Grand let loose with dancewear from leotards with humorous graphic references and cutouts, exaggerated tutus and ironic slogans like Loud Luxury. Her models — professional dancers — brought the runway to life with a writhing, grinding, irreverent routine.

"We found the codes that we thought would be the most visually dissonant from one another," Karefa-Johnson said. "The challenge was creating cohesive looks within that, which is what I love as a stylist."

A successor to Jeremy Scott, who stepped down in March after a decade as creative director, is pending. But the spirit of Franco Moschino lives on.

BENETTON REACHES ACROSS GENERATIONS There’s a lot of floral-on-floral action in Benetton’s new co-ed, generation-spanning collection for Spring-Summer 2024, unveiled Thursday on the second day of Milan Fashion Week.

The Italian brand known as much for its consciousness-raising ad campaigns as for its bright knitwear is not looking to nudge into the luxury space, but rather into the every-day rotation of colorful dressers looking for elevated basics.

Andrea Incontri, in his third collection for the brand, reimagined Benetton’s mainstays and injected fun with bright monochromes that segued into the season’s upbeat strawberry and banana motifs, closing with tight floral prints that the designer treats as a wildflower patch: mix and match at will.

Denim looks punctuated the color, in two sweet miniskirt-jacket combos for her and shorts for him. The collection was mirrored across generations, underlined by babies and children accompanied by model parents.

Incontri said backstage that his aim is not to create iconic pieces so much as make the wearer feel that "you are iconic. You are expressing yourself with style."

Fashion

Shein Shifts Shipping Strategy to Bring China-Made Goods Closer to US Shoppers 

A Shein logo is pictured at the company's office in the central business district of Singapore, October 18, 2022. (Reuters)
A Shein logo is pictured at the company's office in the central business district of Singapore, October 18, 2022. (Reuters)
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Shein Shifts Shipping Strategy to Bring China-Made Goods Closer to US Shoppers 

A Shein logo is pictured at the company's office in the central business district of Singapore, October 18, 2022. (Reuters)
A Shein logo is pictured at the company's office in the central business district of Singapore, October 18, 2022. (Reuters)

E-commerce giant Shein is sending more low-priced apparel and home goods to US warehouses from China to speed up shipping times for shoppers, according to data from global trade analysis firm ImportGenius provided exclusively to Reuters.

Shein, known for its $10 tops and $5 biker shorts, until recently has made many American purchasers face wait times of up to two weeks or more to receive their goods. This, say analysts, has put the fast-fashion e-tailer at a competitive disadvantage to bigger rivals such as Target, Walmart and Amazon.com, particularly during the holiday shopping season.

Analysts told Reuters that Shein would likely continue to expand its bulk shipments to the US in a bid to compete with established retailers on delivery times as it eyes an initial public offering.

The import data seen by Reuters shows Shein's efforts to narrow the speed gap with retailers such as Amazon, which has made a push to offer next-day or two-day shipping to shoppers who pay $139 per year for its Prime membership service.

The move also marks a strategy shift for Shein, which has traditionally flown goods directly from China to shoppers. Shein lacks any physical stores in the US.

According to the import data seen by Reuters, Shein's ocean shipments of apparel have increased more than 2,000 times over the last two years, soaring from 312,385 pounds (141,695 kg) imported in bulk on container ships in 2021 to over 6.8 million so far this year. Virtually all came from China, where Shein relies on a network of suppliers to produce its expansive assortment of low-priced merchandise.

In 2022, Shein opened a warehouse in Whitestown, Indiana, where it generally stores that inventory to then be shipped to shoppers within four to seven business days.

Anchors aweigh

Shein had already launched a faster delivery option for goods stored in the US, called "QuickShip," in 2022. The same year, the retailer's bulk imports brought to the US by ocean freight increased by nearly 790%, from over 312,000 pounds to more than 2.7 million, according to the ImportGenius data.

Goods eligible for QuickShip are delivered significantly faster than Shein's standard shipping times, which can range from nine to 14 days, according to estimates on its website.

Facing long waits, shoppers will likely make "infrequent" purchases from Shein, particularly during the key holiday shopping season, analysts at UBS said on Tuesday.

The ImportGenius data did not provide detailed descriptions for Shein products imported in bulk on container ships. Importing high-demand products in bulk helps Shein save money, a person familiar with Shein's strategy said, as ocean shipping is significantly less costly than air freight.

Shein still sends the majority of its merchandise by air in individually addressed packages - most of which enter the US under the "de minimis" trade provision that exempts them from tariffs.

A June report by a US House of Representatives committee estimated that Shein and China-founded e-tailer Temu, owned by PDD Holdings, bring in nearly 600,000 packages a day under the exemption. Shein declined to comment on the estimate.

Shipping goods by air directly from China is a strategy that helps the e-tailer avoid unsold inventory piling up in warehouses, according to Juozas Kaziukenas, founder of e-commerce analytics firm Marketplace Pulse. Prior to 2020, Shein imported no clothing by ocean freight, according to the ImportGenius data.

Shein has said it plans to increase its US storage space with an expansion of its Indiana facility and a new warehouse in Cherry Valley, California, expected to open within months.

Fashion

UK Retailer Next Raises Profit Outlook Again

The Next logo is seen at a store of the clothing retailer in London, Britain, November 23, 2021. REUTERS/May James
The Next logo is seen at a store of the clothing retailer in London, Britain, November 23, 2021. REUTERS/May James
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UK Retailer Next Raises Profit Outlook Again

The Next logo is seen at a store of the clothing retailer in London, Britain, November 23, 2021. REUTERS/May James
The Next logo is seen at a store of the clothing retailer in London, Britain, November 23, 2021. REUTERS/May James

British clothing retailer Next raised its full-year profit outlook for the third time in four months as it reported a 4.8% rise in the first half.

The group, which trades from about 500 stores and online and is often considered a gauge of how British consumers are faring, also said on Thursday it was likely that inflationary pressures on selling prices and operating costs will continue to ease in its 2024/25 year.

For the full 2023/24 year it said it now expected to report pretax profit of 875 million pounds ($1.08 billion), versus a previous expectation of 845 million pounds and 870.4 million pounds made in the previous year.

It also raised its guidance for full price sales growth to 2.6% from 1.8% previously.
For the six months to July 29, Next made a pretax profit of 420 million pounds, on full price sales up 3.2%.

Fashion

Saudi Fashion Commission Hosts EMERGE Pop-up in Milan

The Saudi Fashion Commission
The Saudi Fashion Commission
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Saudi Fashion Commission Hosts EMERGE Pop-up in Milan

The Saudi Fashion Commission
The Saudi Fashion Commission

The Saudi Fashion Commission has opened the second pop-up event EMERGE, a global undertaking through which the commission highlights the creative and emerging talents in Saudi fashion.

The pop-up will be open from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm at 10 Corso Como in Milan.

"The first EMERGE pop-up that we held in Paris was a huge success and received visitors from different cultures who had an authentic Saudi shopping experience and discovered what Saudi creative talent has to offer,” Fashion Commission CEO Burak Cakmak said in a statement on Wednesday.

He added: "I look forward to welcoming visitors to Milan Fashion Week to introduce them to the Saudi fashion world."

Thirteen designers participating in the Saudi 100 Brands program take part in the event to showcase a wide assortment of ready-to-wear pieces of clothing and elegant accessories, inspired by the rich and diverse layers of Saudi culture and heritage, offering visitors a global shopping experience.

The Saudi 100 Brands initiative, launched by the Saudi Fashion Commission in 2021, is a professional development program that helps emerging local talent reach maximum potential by giving those participating in the program international exposure.

The pop-up was hosted for the first time by the Fashion Commission in Paris Fashion Week and achieved great success, attracting over 2,000 visitors from 30 countries.

Fashion

Far From Home, Ukrainian Designers Showcase Fashion Created Amid Air Raid Sirens

A model presents a creation by Ksenia Schnaider during the Ukraine Fashion Week presentation of London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 19 September 2023. London Fashion Week runs 15 to 19 September 2023. EPA/NEIL HALL
A model presents a creation by Ksenia Schnaider during the Ukraine Fashion Week presentation of London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 19 September 2023. London Fashion Week runs 15 to 19 September 2023. EPA/NEIL HALL
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Far From Home, Ukrainian Designers Showcase Fashion Created Amid Air Raid Sirens

A model presents a creation by Ksenia Schnaider during the Ukraine Fashion Week presentation of London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 19 September 2023. London Fashion Week runs 15 to 19 September 2023. EPA/NEIL HALL
A model presents a creation by Ksenia Schnaider during the Ukraine Fashion Week presentation of London Fashion Week in London, Britain, 19 September 2023. London Fashion Week runs 15 to 19 September 2023. EPA/NEIL HALL

For Ksenia Schnaider and her fellow Ukrainian fashion designers, the show must go on despite the war in their country — or precisely because of it.
For much of the past year, Schnaider and her team of seamstresses toiled away in their Kyiv studio, crafting her new collection of designer denim and luxury daywear even as air raid sirens, drone attacks and power cuts took over their lives and made production almost impossible to continue, The Associated Press reported.
Schnaider, 39, fled Ukraine with her husband and young daughter when Russia invaded her country in 2022. They found a temporary home with a British family in a peaceful corner of southern England. But she hasn’t put down the fashion business she founded 12 years ago, and continues to divide her time between the UK and Kyiv, where all her garments are still being made against the odds.
“My team needs this sense of normality — they told me they want to go to work and have something to do, to support each other, rather than staying home hiding,” she added. “We want to show the world we don’t give up.”
On Tuesday she and two other Ukrainian fashion designers showcased their latest creations in a joint catwalk show at London Fashion Week, which is adopting Ukraine Fashion Week for the second time this year as the war drags on and Ukraine’s fashion industry has nowhere to call home.
At the finale, they took their bows wearing a Ukrainian flag signed by soldiers from three different military units. Some of those men have died since signing the flags, she said.
It’s a poignant moment that the designer both looked forward to and dreaded because it’s so emotionally overwhelming.
“It’s very hard ... but of course, it is important to show our unity. We’re not competitors anymore, we’re all united in working for our victory,” she said.
Since the start of the war, more than 60 Ukrainian fashion brands have showcased their wares in cities including London and New York to “create, in contrast to the destruction brought by Russian aggression,” according to Iryna Danylevska, the founder and head of Ukrainian Fashion Week.
“Ukraine continues to live. Ukraine breathes, fights and creates,” reads a note found on every seat at Tuesday's catwalk display. “Our London Fashion Week runway show is another chance to speak to the world about the value of freedom and the price that must be paid for it.”
Schnaider, who has dressed celebrities including Dua Lipa, wonders how they keep going. "But for me, it’s important to keep producing in Ukraine, to support its people, its economy.”
The catwalk may seem a million miles from the battlefield, but fashion is just one of many facets of a huge national effort to keep the world talking about Ukraine and raise funds and awareness for what its people are going through, AP said.
Another Ukrainian designer, Ivan Frolov, brought the flag of United24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's official fundraising platform, to his fashion show in London's swanky Bulgari Hotel on Saturday.
Frolov, who has shot up in prominence after Beyoncé chose his theatrical designs for her recent “Renaissance” tour and her Dubai concert, knows the power of a celebrity fashion moment and how that could help Ukraine's cause.
“For me, fashion is not only about the clothes — it's like a very powerful media platform that can sometimes spread messages better than any other industry,” said Frolov, 29.
For his latest show, black and white footage of old-time Ukrainian singers and historic video of Kyiv in bloom in the summer served as a backdrop for a collection of barely-there dresses, lavish silk and lace gowns and corsets encrusted with crystals.
Frolov acknowledged the seeming incongruity between his romantic vision and the war ravaging his country.
“It's a big challenge, to continue to do my work in the same moment when our soldiers are dying every day on the front line,” he said.
“We cry every day, and we continue to sew evening gowns for celebrities and for our clients. Of course we are waiting for victory for Ukraine, when we can wear these gowns,” he added. “But right now this is the only way we can show how strong we are. Ukraine is a young and beautiful country with big talents."
To bring home just how challenging the conditions have been for producing her clothes, Schnaider has attached special labels to every finished piece. Her customers can scan the label with their mobile phones to hear an air raid siren sound.
When war broke out Schnaider had a team of about 50. About 20 remain, some staffing her central Kyiv shop, others packaging, producing and shipping her garments to customers. When the sirens blast, her team puts down their tools and runs for shelter. Work would be interrupted for hours, or for the whole day.
Last winter was especially tough when electricity would be cut to just two hours per day, she said. She and her colleagues would try to cram all the work and daily tasks into those precious hours, before going home to “sit in the cold and in complete darkness.”
“It was very depressing, but we kept going, and we were joking it was the best time management," she said.
Other workers and small businesses in Kyiv are as determined as she is to keep normalcy going, she said.
“In the coffee shops, the mornings after the drone attacks, everyone would say ‘let’s drink more coffee' and swear at Russia,” Schnaider said. “They are all like ‘let’s do it, let's get back to work.'"

Fashion

Sabato De Sarno to Hit Milan Catwalk on Friday with High Stakes Gucci Debut 

A Gucci sign is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, January 27, 2023. (Reuters)
A Gucci sign is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, January 27, 2023. (Reuters)
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Sabato De Sarno to Hit Milan Catwalk on Friday with High Stakes Gucci Debut 

A Gucci sign is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, January 27, 2023. (Reuters)
A Gucci sign is seen outside a shop in Paris, France, January 27, 2023. (Reuters)

Gucci creative director Sabato De Sarno takes to the runway in Milan on Friday, in a high-stakes designer debut for the Italian label's owner, French luxury group Kering.

De Sarno’s Gucci catwalk presentation - one of the industry’s most highly-anticipated shows this year - will serve as an aesthetic reset for the brand, aimed at reigniting sales, but it is also the first major test of a sweeping overhaul at Kering.

Efforts to regain momentum at the label, which accounts for the bulk of sales and profits at Kering, have prompted broad change in the group's top management.

The group has also taken steps to broaden its revenue sources, announcing plans to buy high end perfumer Creed in June and a 30% stake in fashion label Valentino in July.

Although it was one of the biggest success stories in fashion in recent years, Kering's star label struggled to capitalize on a post-pandemic rebound that fueled surging sales at rivals, such as LVMH-owned Louis Vuitton and Dior.

Group managing director Jean-Francois Palus is now stepping in to run the brand while the company seeks a more permanent replacement for chief executive Marco Bizzarri, who leaves following De Sarno's first show on Friday.

Bizzarri and the label's previous creative director Alessandro Michele had been credited with the brand's soaring success, doubling sales between 2015 and 2019 to nearly 10 billion euros, but lost ground to rivals, who invested heavily in marketing during the pandemic.

In the run-up to De Sarno's debut, executives at Gucci have been focused on timeless fashions and higher-priced products - and showcasing them in specialized shops catering to ultra wealthy clients - while increasing marketing and the number of collections.

"We believe the quiet progress being made on product, price and merchandising sets the right foundation for Sabato De Sarno's new chapter at the brand," said analysts at RBC, flagging company moves to reduce the label's entry price offer while adding new products at higher prices.

Kering may need to invest more to catch up with rivals like LVMH and Hermes, potentially prompting a revision of margin expectations, analysts say.

"We don't think that a margin reset would be badly received by the market," said Carole Madjo, analyst with Barclays.

De Sarno's new design style will be key to reigniting brand heat, not only for drawing shoppers into boutiques, but can also serve as a template to follow as stores are refurbished.

The designer's first major advertising campaign for Gucci, made public in August, features Daria Werbowy, a model who had retreated from the fashion scene after dominating the runway in the early 2000s, appearing in a slim bathing suit and chunky, gold "Marina Chain" jewellery.

A fall fashion campaign from the label, which recently wiped all posts from its Instagram account, meanwhile, maintained a "recognizable Gucci aesthetic" while not committing "too much to any one direction," said industry publication The Impression.

"It becomes now very important that the new Gucci team will score some goals and win some matches, to give investors confidence that we are indeed on the right path," said Luca Solca, analyst with Bernstein.

Fashion

Balmain Designer Says Robbers Made off with 50 Items for His Upcoming Paris Fashion Week Show

Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)
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Balmain Designer Says Robbers Made off with 50 Items for His Upcoming Paris Fashion Week Show

Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)

Balmain artistic director Olivier Rousteing says robbers have made off with more than 50 pieces of the new collection that his Paris house intends to show at Fashion Week later this month.

Posting overnight Sunday on Instagram, Rousteing said a group of people hijacked his delivery driver on the way from an airport to Balmain's Paris headquarters. He said they made off with the last pieces he'd been expecting for the Sept. 27 womenswear show — more than 50 items in all. He didn't detail the pieces.

"Our delivery was hijacked," he wrote. "Thank God, the driver is safe."

"So many people worked so hard to make this collection," he added. "We are redoing everything but this is so so disrespectful."

"We won’t give up."

He didn't specify which airport the delivery driver was coming from. Paris has two main international airports. Rousteing wrote that he'd been waiting in his office Saturday morning when "our driver called us and said that he was hijacked by a group of people."

"This is so unfair. My team and I worked so hard," he wrote. "We will work more, days and nights. Our suppliers will work days and night as well."

Paris police directed Associated Press questions to prosecutors who couldn't immediately be reached for comment on the weekend.

Fashion

Dr Martens to Offer Repairs in Sustainability Step

FILE PHOTO: People walk past a Dr. Martens store in Manchester, Britain, May 26, 2023. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk past a Dr. Martens store in Manchester, Britain, May 26, 2023. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff/File Photo
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Dr Martens to Offer Repairs in Sustainability Step

FILE PHOTO: People walk past a Dr. Martens store in Manchester, Britain, May 26, 2023. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk past a Dr. Martens store in Manchester, Britain, May 26, 2023. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff/File Photo

Dr Martens plans to launch a shoe repair service in Britain next month as it seeks to polish its sustainability credentials, encourage customers to extend the life of their boots, and create a new revenue stream.
The London-listed maker of leather boots, shoes and sandals is currently testing the service with its employees, CEO Kenny Wilson said in an interview. The British launch is a pilot, with a view to expanding the service to continental Europe, Reuters reported.
Even if the repair service displaces some demand as people opt for repairing their boots over buying a new pair, Wilson said the service would bring benefits overall.
"Could it potentially lose us some business short term? Yes, but we think about it long-term, therefore we think it will breed customer loyalty, and it's the right thing to do," he said.
"I get letters from people every week saying can I get my DMs repaired," he added.
Dr Martens is working with The Boot Repair Company in the northern English city of Leeds to offer repairs.
To replace worn-out soles on a pair of boots - a procedure that requires taking the whole boot apart - customers would pay 81 pounds ($100.50), Wilson said, while other repairs would likely be less expensive. That compares with 169 pounds ($209.68) for a new pair of Dr Martens 1460 boots.
Overall, Wilson said he sees a big opportunity in the second-hand market for Dr Martens, with the potential to grow to a tenth of group revenue. In May last year, the company launched a resale service with second-hand marketplace Depop.
Clothing and footwear brands around the world, including Zara and H&M, are seeking a toehold in the resale market as more sustainability-conscious young shoppers opt for second-hand over new.