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Spain's Mango Clothing Chain Ramps Up Global Expansion

After a slowdown sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mango has in recent months inaugurated several large stores around the globe. Angela Weiss / AFP/File
After a slowdown sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mango has in recent months inaugurated several large stores around the globe. Angela Weiss / AFP/File
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Spain's Mango Clothing Chain Ramps Up Global Expansion

After a slowdown sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mango has in recent months inaugurated several large stores around the globe. Angela Weiss / AFP/File
After a slowdown sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mango has in recent months inaugurated several large stores around the globe. Angela Weiss / AFP/File

Spanish fashion retailer Mango, founded 40 years ago in Barcelona, is ramping its global expansion despite economic uncertainties that have shaken some other global mass-market apparel giants.
After a slowdown sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, the family-owned company has in recent months inaugurated several large stores around the globe, said AFP.
They include a 400-square-meter (1,300-square-foot) space in Los Angeles, a similar-sized one in Manchester, England, and a flagship store in India's tech hub of Bengaluru.
Mango has opened a total of 115 stores over the past year, mainly in the United States where its sales outlets have tripled, the company's global retail director, Cesar de Vicente, said in an interview with AFP.
It has more than 2,700 stores in over 115 countries, compared to nearly 6,000 worldwide for Zara-owner Inditex, Spain's other clothing retail success story.
The expansion has helped boost turnover with Mango expecting to post over three billion euros ($3.3 billion) in sales in 2023 -- a record -- when it announces its yearly results on Monday, De Vicente told AFP as he stood in front of prototypes of new garments at the company's sprawling headquarters in a Barcelona suburb.
It is at this building -- dubbed the "campus" -- that the textile group which employs 500 stylists designs and tests its future collections.
The company sells nearly 160 million items of clothing and accessories a year.
Star ambassadors
Mango traces its origins to 1984 when a young man of Turkish origin, Isak Andic, opened his first shop on the Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona's famous shopping street, with the help of his older brother Nahman which was hugely successful.
Spain had just emerged from a decades-long dictatorship which ended with the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975 and consumers were hungry for more modern clothes.
"He saw that we needed color, style," said De Vicente.
Andic quickly opened dozens of more stores in Spain and then abroad, starting in neighboring Portugal and France, all under the name Mango.
To help boost sales the company has hired big stars such as British model Kate Moss, Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, and French footballer Antoine Griezmann for its marketing campaigns.
Like its main domestic rival Inditex, the world's biggest fashion retailer whose other store brands include Bershka and Pull&Bear, Mango strives to quickly adjust its production to the latest fashion trends while offering affordable prices.
The two groups "have many similarities" because they "developed at the same time" but there are some significant differences, said Marcel Planellas, a strategy professor at Barcelona business school Esade.
Mango has just a single brand and it does not own any factory, outsourcing its production mainly to lower-cost Türkiye and Asia, he added.
500 new stores
The company, which employs some 14,000 people and aims to differentiate itself from low-cost brands such as Shein and Primark by accelerating its move upmarket, will present its new strategic plan on Monday along with its annual results.
It is expected to confirm its international ambitions, with 500 new stores planned by 2026.
These openings will mostly take place in the United States, the UK and France, the group's second-largest market after Spain, said De Vicente.
This dynamism contrasts with the sluggishness seen elsewhere in the sector in Europe where US retailer Gap has closed shops and French retail clothing company Camaieu, which made and sold its own collections of women's fashion, closed down at the end of 2022.
Mango enjoys a "solid situation" unlike some of its competitors, said Planellas, who predicts the company will list on the stock market in the coming years as Inditex did in 2001.

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Valentino’s New Designer Puts on Maximalist Paris Ready-to-Wear Debut

A model presents a creation by designer Alessandro Michele as part of his Spring/Summer 2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Valentino during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)
A model presents a creation by designer Alessandro Michele as part of his Spring/Summer 2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Valentino during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Valentino’s New Designer Puts on Maximalist Paris Ready-to-Wear Debut

A model presents a creation by designer Alessandro Michele as part of his Spring/Summer 2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Valentino during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)
A model presents a creation by designer Alessandro Michele as part of his Spring/Summer 2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Valentino during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)

Alessandro Michele’s eagerly awaited ready-to-wear Paris Fashion Week debut at Valentino was unveiled in a setting that hinted at a transformation— a living room in flux. Stools, ladders, and lamps shrouded beneath white blankets evoked a house renovation, signaling not just change, but a conscious revival of past glories. The scene, poetic and subdued, perfectly set the stage for a “maximalist-lite” spectacle that was equally haunted by history and illuminated by Michele’s unique flair.

Meanwhile, under the soaring ceilings of the École des Beaux Arts, overlooking the Seine, Sean McGirr’s sophomore ready-to-wear show for Alexander McQueen arrived with a palpable sense of relief. The shift in setting — from a bleak industrial warehouse outside Paris to this iconic venue — reflected a fresh start for McGirr, whose uncertain debut had left critics shivering, both literally and figuratively. Now, with the benefit of more time to prepare, McGirr appeared more at ease, though hints of his sometimes overly simplistic approach still lingered.

Here are some highlights of spring-summer 2025 ready-to-wear shows:

Michele's Valentino's debut

The mood was set with haunting music and the steady beat of a drum, creating an ambiance charged with drama and anticipation. Michele, who made headlines earlier this year after being named the new creative director of Valentino, following his successful reign at Gucci, brought with him much of his recognizable style. Yet there was a distinctive evolution in his vision — less overtly ostentatious, but still unmistakably eclectic.

Feathers floated on hats, soft and playful. Lingerie peeked through delicate layers. Flowers, fortune tellers’ hats, sparkling embellishments — all coalesced into an eclectic wardrobe that carried a vintage feel. Michele, it seemed, was teasing apart the DNA of both houses he knows intimately: the exuberance of Gucci and the ethereal heritage of Valentino.

Some of the pieces felt familiar to longtime Valentino admirers: the feminine nipped-waist dress, the floppy floral gown with its tiered skirt, and the iconic Valentino red that made its dramatic entrance. Yet in Michele’s hands, these classics were playfully twisted — feathers replaced fur on a billowing stole, and the result was a softer, more modern take that eschewed excessive luxury.

Jared Leto was among the VIPs who sat in the front row, a testament to Michele’s continued draw among Hollywood’s elite. The designer, who had risen to international recognition by infusing Gucci with his beloved “Geek-Chic” aesthetic, seemed to bring a similar ethos to Valentino, though filtered through a more graceful, couture lens.

Throughout his tenure at Gucci, Michele was celebrated for prioritizing his personal vision over the often suffocating codes of heritage houses, and Sunday’s show echoed that defiant spirit.

McGirr's sophomore outing

The opening tailored suit, its lapels rolled as if to ward off an unexpected London downpour, seemed a pointed metaphor — perhaps a shield against the relentless skepticism that followed his first runway outing. This season, McGirr turned to a reference steeped in both his heritage and McQueen’s early days: the dark romance of the “Banshee” show. In doing so, he anchored his own identity more deeply in the label’s legacy, embracing a Gothic allure that was more commercially viable this time around.

It was a collection of contrasts. The precise tailoring echoed McQueen’s subversion of British suiting, twisting and clutching fabric in ways that seemed as though it had been caught in a sudden gust. However, this wasn’t always effective. One such example — a jagged, off-white tuxedo — felt more like a costume of restraint. This overly simplistic take on tailoring lacked the subtle layering and tension that distinguished Sarah Burton’s previous work for the house.

Where McGirr truly shone, however, was in his eveningwear — an area that has become increasingly vital in the era of celebrity-driven fashion. The shimmering embroideries and featherlight silks, frayed and distressed in lilac georgette, signaled his understanding of red carpet glamour. The brushed white chiffon minidress, paired with a gold beaded and sequined jacket, made a convincing case for the designer’s growing confidence. And when the silver chains traced the body’s lines, their intricate embroidery brought a level of audacity that was finally worthy of McQueen.

The night’s high point was a look of pure excess: an extreme gown embroidered with glistening silver chains that seemed to catch every glimmer of light in the venue. It was an ensemble that Daphne Guinness herself — who watched approvingly from the front row — might have worn in a heartbeat.

Despite his strides, McGirr’s sophomore effort still carried the weight of a designer learning the ropes of a storied brand.

Akris: Where utility meets minimalism

Akris’ Sunday collection had the audience leaning in, not for any over-the-top spectacle, but for the luxurious subtleties that Albert Kriemler so masterfully crafts. The designer, true to form, took the trench coat idea — a staple of the wardrobe — and transformed it into something distinctly Akris. With utilitarian detailing threaded through every seam, this was an exercise in functional luxury, the kind that Kriemler has long perfected. His designs don’t shout; they whisper.

The collection opened with takes on trenches, each reimagined to fuse practicality with fashion-forward flair. Minimalism, too, reigned supreme, with looks that kept embellishments at bay to let the craftsmanship shine. A flat, clean-cut fabric top paired with culottes nodded to the timeless Akris aesthetic — unfussy, luxurious, and quietly powerful. This was minimalism of the highest quality, a testament to Kriemler’s commitment to making clothes that defy the viral trend, focusing instead on timeless appeal.