Sarah Burton, Who Designed Kate’s Royal Wedding Dress, to Step Down from Alexander McQueen 

Sarah Burton arrives for the British Fashion Awards 2011 at a central London venue, on Nov. 28, 2011. (AP)
Sarah Burton arrives for the British Fashion Awards 2011 at a central London venue, on Nov. 28, 2011. (AP)
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Sarah Burton, Who Designed Kate’s Royal Wedding Dress, to Step Down from Alexander McQueen 

Sarah Burton arrives for the British Fashion Awards 2011 at a central London venue, on Nov. 28, 2011. (AP)
Sarah Burton arrives for the British Fashion Awards 2011 at a central London venue, on Nov. 28, 2011. (AP)

The fashion designer who created the wedding dress of Kate, the Princess of Wales, is stepping down as creative director at Alexander McQueen after two decades at the brand, luxury group Kering said Monday.

Designer Sarah Burton had led the fashion house since 2010 and previously worked with the brand's founder, Lee Alexander McQueen, for 14 years.

Burton took over as creative director of the fashion house after McQueen took his own life at age 40.

Kering, the luxury group behind brands including Gucci and Saint Laurent as well as Alexander McQueen, said McQueen's spring and summer catwalk show in Paris this month will be the last with Burton at the helm.

Burton was behind the ivory lace wedding gown that the former Kate Middleton wore when she married Prince William in 2011. The elegant gown has since been widely copied and is often named as one of the most popular styles favored by brides all over the world.

Burton was awarded with an Order of the British Empire in 2012 for her services to the fashion industry.

Senior leaders at Kering praised Burton for leaving an “indelible mark” with her vision and creativity.

“She kept and continued Lee’s heritage, attention to detail and unique vision, while adding her own personal, highly creative touch,” said François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, in a statement.

The fashion house did not give details about who will replace Burton.



Zalando to Open Tech Site in China

A woman walks past an Honor sign at the handset maker's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China August 4, 2024. REUTERS/David Kirton
A woman walks past an Honor sign at the handset maker's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China August 4, 2024. REUTERS/David Kirton
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Zalando to Open Tech Site in China

A woman walks past an Honor sign at the handset maker's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China August 4, 2024. REUTERS/David Kirton
A woman walks past an Honor sign at the handset maker's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China August 4, 2024. REUTERS/David Kirton

Zalando said on Tuesday it would open a new tech site in China's tech-hub Shenzhen, but it was not planning to expand its marketplace to China at this point in time.
The Chinese tech center would allow the German online fashion retailer to tap into local expertise in social commerce and integrate that with the company's knowledge of the European e-commerce market, finance chief Sandra Dembeck said on an investor call following Zalando's second-quarter results.
According to Zalando, Reuters said it currently had no plans to expand its e-commerce platform to China.
The company, which serves around 50 million active customers in 25 markets across Europe, has recently focused on higher-priced brands and sportswear as it competes with low-priced retailers such as Shein, introducing its own sports collection and launching sports brands such as Lululemon, Hoka, and On Running in recent quarters.
These premium sportswear brands are seeing robust growth in China, as health and wellness have become a priority for aspirational, middle class consumers since the pandemic, with many people taking up activities such as yoga, hiking and running for the first time.
"We are still focused on tapping into the growth opportunities that Europe has to offer and are sure that our tech site in China will contribute to achieve our goals," Zalando said in an email.