Versace’s Milan Show Aims for ‘Optimism and Joy’ with Colorful Prints

 A model wears a creation as part of the Versace Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP)
A model wears a creation as part of the Versace Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Versace’s Milan Show Aims for ‘Optimism and Joy’ with Colorful Prints

 A model wears a creation as part of the Versace Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP)
A model wears a creation as part of the Versace Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP)

Presenting a playful and colorful collection of mismatched prints, Italian designer Donatella Versace said she had set out to bring "optimism and joy" to the catwalk with her show at Milan Fashion Week.

Friday evening's Versace show, held at the medieval Castello Sforzesco, kicked off with models wearing clashing prints: zigzag tops and floral skirts, an aesthetic that dominated the spring/summer 2025 line for both womenswear and menswear.

The mixed prints featured on silky dresses and skirts, shirts and knitwear which came in brown, blue, lilac and yellow, with hints of the Versace Medusa head print on some designs.

Outfits nodded to 1990s' styles, with shirts sticking out from under short, unbuttoned cardigans, and there was also a selection of tailored suits and trousers in lemon.

"When there is so much darkness in the world - with this collection, I wanted to bring color, light, optimism and joy - we have never needed it more," Versace, the design head at the Italian fashion house, said in a statement.

Some pieces were cut in shimmering gold - a corset, skirt and strapless dress.

Models also wore colorful tights as well as slinky heels or platforms in bold hues, while menswear models wore suits with trainers or socks and sandals.

Milan Fashion Week runs until Monday.



Uniqlo Owner Seen Posting 24% Annual Profit Surge on Brand’s Overseas Push

Fast Retailing's Uniqlo sign boards are displayed at a casual clothing store in Tokyo, Japan January 11, 2023. (Reuters)
Fast Retailing's Uniqlo sign boards are displayed at a casual clothing store in Tokyo, Japan January 11, 2023. (Reuters)
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Uniqlo Owner Seen Posting 24% Annual Profit Surge on Brand’s Overseas Push

Fast Retailing's Uniqlo sign boards are displayed at a casual clothing store in Tokyo, Japan January 11, 2023. (Reuters)
Fast Retailing's Uniqlo sign boards are displayed at a casual clothing store in Tokyo, Japan January 11, 2023. (Reuters)

The Japanese owner of casual wear giant Uniqlo is projected to beat its own forecast in what would be a third straight year of record profits as its brand makes inroads in western markets and its business in China recovers.

Fast Retailing's operating profit in the 12 months through August likely rose 24% from a year earlier to 478.3 billion yen, based on the average of 15 analyst estimates compiled by LSEG ahead of the company's earnings on Thursday.

That's marginally higher than the company's 475 billion yen forecast, which it lifted in July citing a strong performance in the second half.

Fast Retailing's shares have been on a tear, reaching a record high this week. Key factors going forward will be sales of fall and winter items in Japan and whether the company can reinvigorate its business in China, according to independent analyst Mark Chadwick.

"Investor attention will turn to whether Fast Retailing's measures in Greater China successfully reverse the earnings decline caused by weak consumer sentiment and increased competition," Chadwick wrote on the Smartkarma platform.

With more than 900 stores in China, Fast Retailing has long been seen as a bellwether for the retail sector in the world's second-biggest economy. COVID restrictions weighed on results there for years, but now the challenge is a sluggish economy that has weighed on consumer confidence.

Greater China CEO Pan Ning acknowledged in July that the market is maturing, with the company scaling back store openings and adopting a scrap and build strategy for underperforming locations.

When COVID lockdowns depressed sales in China, the company focused more on expansions in North America and Europe. Both sectors delivered strong sales and profits through the first nine months of fiscal 2024.

Company founder Tadashi Yanai aims to make Fast Retailing the world's biggest fashion retailer, with the operators of Zara and H&M standing in the way. He believes consumers are more focused on value than luxury in a post-COVID world, a trend that works in Uniqlo's favor.

Yanai, Japan's richest man, is scheduled to speak at the company's earnings briefing on Thursday, as well as Uniqlo president Daisuke Tsukagoshi, whom Yanai has spoken of as a possible successor.

Fast Retailing's shares have climbed 43% so far in 2024, outperforming a 16% advance in the benchmark Nikkei index.