Chanel Revisits Deauville Roots with Cinematic Flair at Paris Fashion Week

Models present creations by Chanel for the Women Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2024/2025 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 5, 2024. (AFP)
Models present creations by Chanel for the Women Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2024/2025 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Chanel Revisits Deauville Roots with Cinematic Flair at Paris Fashion Week

Models present creations by Chanel for the Women Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2024/2025 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 5, 2024. (AFP)
Models present creations by Chanel for the Women Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2024/2025 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 5, 2024. (AFP)

In a cinematic homage blurring fashion and film, Chanel transported its audience at Paris Fashion Week to a fictional Deauville for its latest showcase. The black and white film of the Normandy seaside town, starring Brad Pitt and front-row observer Penelope Cruz, evoked Chanel’s roots. Fusing the 1920s heyday of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel with the drama of the ’70s, designer Virginie Viard recreated the founder’s wardrobe from the “winter sojourns by the sea.” Deauville changed the course of Chanel and arguably the Paris fashion industry.

Here are some highlights of fall-winter 2024 ready-to-wear shows:

DEAUVILLE, THE MOVIE Pitt and Cruz, depicted in the idyllic town, captivated guests who watched the romance unfold on giant plasma screens, with scenes of beach frolics and bonding over an order of medium-rare Chateaubriand steaks. Deauville, which influenced Viard’s fall aesthetic with its floppy beach hats, played a pivotal role in Chanel's journey from licensed milliner to revolutionary designer.

“Deauville is where everything started for the house,” Viard said. It’s where Chanel drew inspiration from the world around her: the salty and striped uniforms of the fishermen, the speed of horses at the racetrack, the chic madames sunning on the sands.

“For this collection, we recreated the Deauville boardwalk,” Viard said, with chunky sailor sweaters, dressing gown-style belted coats and strong-shoulder peacoats. The colors evoked the hues of the town’s romantic skies with pinks, pale blue and oranges.

Despite the poetical musing and finely proportioned coats, the penchant for accessories sometimes distracted from the garments and, at times, muddied the clarity of Viard’s vision. The setting evoked memories of a past spectacle by Karl Lagerfeld, her flamboyant predecessor, known for transforming the Grand Palais into a real beach with actual water. Some attendees felt the décor, and the clothes, this time lacked vibrancy by comparison.

MIU MIU’S GROWING UP Miu Miu’s fall collection took a playful jab at the transition from childhood to adulthood. Miuccia Prada’s tongue-in-cheek little sister brand once again addressed profound themes through the lens of frivolity.

Cropped sleeves, rounded-toe shoes and pajamas with outerwear amid exaggeratedly shrunken proportions evoked the Tom Hanks movie “Big." Adulthood was seen as gloves and handbags, brooches, tailoring. The human condition, the pioneering designer seemed to say, was sometimes a fusion of both.

Miu Miu’s creations consistently embody a youthful spirit, merging elegance with playful defiance. This is evident in unexpected styling choices like pairing sometimes clashing classic pieces with undergarments or athletic wear, challenging traditional fashion norms.



Armani 2025 Revenue Fell 2.8%, CEO Hasn't Met Potential Buyers

FILE - Actress Cate Blanchett, from left, designer Giorgio Armani, and actress Julia Roberts pose for photographers upon arrival at the British Fashion Awards in central London, Dec. 2, 2019. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
FILE - Actress Cate Blanchett, from left, designer Giorgio Armani, and actress Julia Roberts pose for photographers upon arrival at the British Fashion Awards in central London, Dec. 2, 2019. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
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Armani 2025 Revenue Fell 2.8%, CEO Hasn't Met Potential Buyers

FILE - Actress Cate Blanchett, from left, designer Giorgio Armani, and actress Julia Roberts pose for photographers upon arrival at the British Fashion Awards in central London, Dec. 2, 2019. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
FILE - Actress Cate Blanchett, from left, designer Giorgio Armani, and actress Julia Roberts pose for photographers upon arrival at the British Fashion Awards in central London, Dec. 2, 2019. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Italian fashion group Armani said on Wednesday its revenue fell 2.8% at constant exchange rates last year, weighed by a weak performance of its wholesale channel.

In 2025, the company's revenue totaled 2.2 billion euros ($2.57 billion), while total turnover, including direct licensee sales, was 4 billion euros.

"We face a possible structural change in the approach to luxury and fashion ⁠by current consumers ⁠and potential, which must be taken into account," Reuters quoted Armani group CEO Giuseppe Marsocci as saying in a statement.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 3.2% year-on-year to 152.7 million euros, while operating ⁠profit increased 2% to 52.6 million euros.

Trends in the first months of 2026 were in line with the previous year, with unfavorable currency movements weighing on performance.

Giorgio Armani, the group's founder who died last September, instructed his heirs to sell an initial stake in the company to players such as L'Oreal, EssilorLuxottica and French ⁠luxury ⁠giant LVMH.

In an interview with Italy's Sole 24 Ore published on Wednesday, Marsocci said there was no update on the group's shareholding structure, adding that interest in the Armani group remained strong.

"We have not started meetings with the three potential buyers, and there are no tensions among the family members," Marsocci said in a separate interview with WWD magazine.


Ferragamo Expands Leather Mapping Efforts as EU Sustainability Rules Take Shape

James Ferragamo, a chief product officer for the Salvatore Ferragamo group, talks with journalists during an interview with the Associated Press, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
James Ferragamo, a chief product officer for the Salvatore Ferragamo group, talks with journalists during an interview with the Associated Press, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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Ferragamo Expands Leather Mapping Efforts as EU Sustainability Rules Take Shape

James Ferragamo, a chief product officer for the Salvatore Ferragamo group, talks with journalists during an interview with the Associated Press, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
James Ferragamo, a chief product officer for the Salvatore Ferragamo group, talks with journalists during an interview with the Associated Press, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italian luxury brand Ferragamo said it can map the country of origin for much of the leather used to make its coveted footwear and handbags, a first step in traceability according to experts.

The announcement comes during a wave of European Union sustainability rules that are increasing pressure on fashion brands to account for materials in their supply chains.

The family-run and publicly traded fashion house has been issuing sustainability reports for over a decade, but the 2025 report released March 31 is the first that contains figures on material traceability — notably for leather, which experts say is harder to trace than textile fibers such as cotton.

“We have been using leather in a more sustainable way,’’ James Ferragamo, the brand’s chief product officer and grandson of founder Salvatore Ferragamo, told The Associated Press in an interview last week. “I think it is one of the more sustainable materials in my point of view.”

Most of the tanneries working with the brand “control their water, have fair treatment of the workforce, monitor their supply chain ensuring that they’re buying leather from those who are not deforesting, and taking the right approach also in terms of breeding and animal welfare,” he said.

Traceability in fashion sustainability Traceability of materials is considered a first and necessary step for the fashion industry, which is facing a new EU framework that will require brands and their suppliers to ensure the items they produce are sustainable from the drawing board to end-of-life disposal. Precise terms are still being defined and compliance will be phased in over the coming years.

“Traceability is an essential factor, but it’s not sufficient,’’ said Francesca Romana Rinaldi, a sustainability expert and director of the Monitor for Circular Fashion at SDA Bocconi School of Management. “It enables the implementation of sustainability and circularity.”

She said that any company that is not tracing their materials “doesn’t know their supply chain” and “could be also criticized for greenwashing.”

EU regulations and directives are moving toward full circularity of materials to include measures extending the life cycle of garments, accessories and footwear through repairs and end-of-life management, including recycling and upcycling, she said.

The EU is also phasing in restrictions on destroying unsold apparel, accessories and footwear produced by companies with more than 250 employees and more than 40 million euros ($46.8 million) in annual revenues.

From breeding to assembly The family-run fashion house was founded in 1927 by Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence, after his return from Hollywood, where he had established himself as shoemaker to the stars with clients including Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. Material scarcity during World War II pushed Ferragamo to experiment with alternatives, substituting wicker for leather and using cork for soles, the younger Ferragamo said.

In keeping with its origins, Ferragamo remains primarily a footwear and leather goods maker. Together, they comprised 86% of 2025 sales of 976.5 million euros ($1.1 billion).

Ferragamo launched its initiative on leather traceability with the calf leather used for its Fiamma bag, tracing it from breeding to assembly, the group announced in its 2024 annual report.

In 2025, Ferragamo enlisted tanneries supplying 80% of the hides it buys in a project to identify the country of origin of raw materials through supplier declarations. When including textiles such as cotton, silk and nylon, the company says 81% of its materials are certified under third-party sustainability standards.

“Today there is not one single solution, one single technological solution to trace the leather to the birth farm of the cows,’’ said Davide Triacca, Ferragamo’s sustainability director. “We got to that result through a very dedicated and consistent approach and today we are able to trace more than 80% of the entire leather that we supply and the vast majority of which comes from Europe.”

The EU does not require leather to be traceable. Sustainability experts underscore that approaches based on country-level mapping and supplier declarations do not establish a full chain of custody and instead reflect an early stage of traceability.

Ferragamo previously included a capsule collection with silky textiles made from orange fibers in 2017, one of its first research investments. More recently it used nylon from castor oil instead of fossil oil for a men’s tote bag, and its Back to Earth collection featured the brand’s trademark Hug handbag treated with vegetable dyes.

“Research keeps on going. It’s something that we’re doing all the time,'' Ferragamo said.

“We’re trying to find different ways of creating different materials. And sometimes the materials that we produce are not ready for market. But it doesn’t mean that we don’t experiment.”


Adidas Shares Pop After Beating Nike to Sub-Two-Hour Marathon Milestone

Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 26, 2026 Kenya's Sabastian Sawe celebrates with an Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoe after winning the men's elite race and setting a new world record with a time of 01:59:30 (Reuters)
Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 26, 2026 Kenya's Sabastian Sawe celebrates with an Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoe after winning the men's elite race and setting a new world record with a time of 01:59:30 (Reuters)
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Adidas Shares Pop After Beating Nike to Sub-Two-Hour Marathon Milestone

Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 26, 2026 Kenya's Sabastian Sawe celebrates with an Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoe after winning the men's elite race and setting a new world record with a time of 01:59:30 (Reuters)
Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 26, 2026 Kenya's Sabastian Sawe celebrates with an Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoe after winning the men's elite race and setting a new world record with a time of 01:59:30 (Reuters)

German sportswear maker Adidas' shares rose on Monday after Kenya's Sabastian Sawe became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours in an official race, accomplishing his feat wearing the brand's Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 trainers. 

Sawe shattered one of athletics' most elusive barriers on Sunday as he stormed to victory at the London Marathon in one hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds. The sub-two-hour marathon has been one of sport's biggest goals for years. 

After the race, Sawe held up his $500 Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 trainer with "WR" and "sub-2" written on it in black marker pen. He ‌beat the previous ‌world record of 2:00:35 set at the Chicago ‌Marathon ⁠in October 2023 ⁠by the late Kelvin Kiptum. 

The win is a boost for Adidas against arch-rival Nike , after years of lab-backed experiments and near-misses looking to build a so-called "supershoe" to break the record. 

Nike's Breaking2 attempt at Monza in 2017 just fell short though Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge ran under two hours in INEOS's 1:59 Challenge two years later. Yet those efforts fell outside the sport's official ⁠record books. 

Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha finished second in his marathon ‌debut and Tigst Assefa broke her own ‌women-only world record. All three were wearing Adidas' Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 ‌trainers, which are set to go on sale on Thursday. 

Using innovative foam ‌and carbon-plated soles, and ultra-light components, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 weighs an average 97 grams, 30% less than its predecessor, and improves running economy by 1.6%, Adidas said. 

"The Adidas family is incredibly proud of Sabastian and Tigist's historic ‌achievements," Patrick Nava, general manager at Adidas Running, said in a statement. 

"This is a testament to the years ⁠of hard work ⁠and dedication the have made, alongside our innovation team". 

Adidas shares were up 2% in mid-morning although they are down 18% since the start of this year on concerns about the group's exposure to US tariffs and the impact of the conflict in the Middle East. 

Adidas released its Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 trainers in late 2023, after Assefa set a new women's marathon world record while wearing them at the women's Berlin Marathon. 

The third iteration of the shoe will be released for $500 a pair exclusively via the Adidas app, with a wider release in the autumn marathon season, according to the company's website, but the steep price tag puts them out of reach of most runners.