Catwalk on a Sand Dune's Crest - Saint Laurent Takes Distancing in its Stride

Saint Laurent’s presentation of its 2021 Women’s Summer collection showed models walking on the crest of a tall sand dune in the middle of a honey-colored desert. (Saint Laurent)
Saint Laurent’s presentation of its 2021 Women’s Summer collection showed models walking on the crest of a tall sand dune in the middle of a honey-colored desert. (Saint Laurent)
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Catwalk on a Sand Dune's Crest - Saint Laurent Takes Distancing in its Stride

Saint Laurent’s presentation of its 2021 Women’s Summer collection showed models walking on the crest of a tall sand dune in the middle of a honey-colored desert. (Saint Laurent)
Saint Laurent’s presentation of its 2021 Women’s Summer collection showed models walking on the crest of a tall sand dune in the middle of a honey-colored desert. (Saint Laurent)

There were no spectators, no influencers, no fashionistas, at Saint Laurent’s presentation of its 2021 Women’s Summer collection, only drone footage of models walking on the crest of a tall sand dune in the middle of a honey-colored desert.

Every year, France’s top fashion houses compete to find the most spectacular locations in Paris to host their women’s wear shows, but with catwalks closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, brands now try do outdo each other with spectacular locations for their online-only shows.

Already in the first wave of the pandemic in April, Saint Laurent, owned by the Kering conglomerate, broke away from the usual twice-yearly calendar of women’s catwalk shows in Paris.

It revealed its latest collection on Tuesday, designed by Anthony Vaccarello, with a 10-minute Vaccarello fashion film called “I wish you were here”.

Models, some of them struggling to walk in the sand with high heels, showed off sensuous evening wear, others boardroom-ready conservative pantsuits.

The models also donned tight-fitting ribbed skirts under black leather jackets, figure-hugging black dresses with a top-to-bottom zipper, sheer halter dresses and gold-and-black brocade jackets.

The looks were interspersed with some flowing dresses with floral motives. Many models sported YSL-branded mini beltbags to match.

As night fell over the desert - Saint Laurent declined to reveal the location, only saying it was “a desert in the north” - models walked along a ridge of fire burning on the dune’s crest, the flames reflected in the evening sparkle, gold embroidery and Claude Lalanne-designed jewelry.

Saint Laurent said the film was “an invitation for escapism”, without specifying from what. From COVID-19, presumably, and from the year 2020.



Sources: Shein and Reliance Aim to Sell India-made Clothes Abroad Within a Year

(FILES) This photograph shows the Shein e-commerce app on a mobile phone. (Photo by Emma Da Silva / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows the Shein e-commerce app on a mobile phone. (Photo by Emma Da Silva / AFP)
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Sources: Shein and Reliance Aim to Sell India-made Clothes Abroad Within a Year

(FILES) This photograph shows the Shein e-commerce app on a mobile phone. (Photo by Emma Da Silva / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows the Shein e-commerce app on a mobile phone. (Photo by Emma Da Silva / AFP)

Fashion retailer Shein and partner Reliance Retail plan to rapidly expand their Indian supplier base and start overseas sales of India-made Shein-branded clothes within six to 12 months, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

The China-founded, Singapore-headquartered e-commerce firm has been discussing plans with the Indian retailer since before the US imposed tariffs on Chinese imports that intensified the need to diversify sourcing, the people said.

The aim is to raise Indian suppliers to 1,000 from 150 within a year, they said.
In a statement to Reuters, Shein said it licensed its brand for use in India. Reliance did not respond to queries.

Shein sells low-priced apparel such as $5 dresses and $10 jeans shipped directly from 7,000 suppliers in China to customers in around 150 countries. Its biggest market is the US where it is adjusting to tariffs on low-value e-commerce packages from China which were previously imported duty free.

The retailer launched in India in 2018 but its app was banned in 2020 as part of government action against China-linked firms amid border tension with its northeastern neighbor.

It returned in February under a licensing deal with the Reliance Industries unit which launched SheinIndia.in selling Shein-branded clothes produced in local factories. In contrast, Shein's other websites mainly list goods from China.

Reliance, controlled by Asia's richest person, Mukesh Ambani, has contracted 150 garment manufacturers and is in discussion with 400 more, said the two people, declining to be identified due to confidentiality concerns.

The goal is 1,000 Indian factories making Shein-branded clothes within a year for both the Indian market and to service some of Shein's global websites, the people said.

Shein initially wants to list India-made clothes on its US and British websites, one of the people said. Discussions have been ongoing for months and the launch time of six to 12 months could change depending on supplier numbers, the person said.

The scale of supplier expansion and export time frame is reported here for the first time.

Shein has licensed its brand for domestic use to Reliance which "is responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, sales and operations in the Indian market," Shein said in a statement.

In December, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal told parliament that the Shein-Reliance partnership aimed to create a network of Indian suppliers of Shein-branded clothes for sale "domestically and globally".

ON-DEMAND MANUFACTURING

Shein is a fast-fashion behemoth earning annual revenue of over $30 billion through low prices and aggressive marketing. Most of its products are from China with some made in countries such as Türkiye and Brazil.

Its expansion in India mirrors interest in the country from the likes of Walmart and others throughout the global fashion and retail industries, particularly those looking for suppliers outside China due to the Sino-US trade war.

The Shein India app has been downloaded 2.7 million times across Apple and Google Play stores, averaging 120% on-month growth, showed data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

Offerings during its first four months have reached 12,000 designs, a fraction of the 600,000 products on its US site. In the women's dresses category, its cheapest item is priced 349 Indian rupees ($4) versus $3.39 on the US site as of June 9.

Shein's Indian partner Reliance, which operates the app, is working with suppliers to assess whether they can replicate Shein's global best-sellers at lower cost, the two people said.

Reliance aims to emulate Shein's on-demand manufacturing model, asking suppliers to make as few as 100 pieces per design before increasing production of those that sell well, they said.

Executives from Reliance recently visited China to understand Shein's "innovative" supply chain operations, "data driven" design processes and "disruptive" digital marketing, Manish Aziz, assistant vice president Shein India at Reliance Retail, said in a LinkedIn post in which he called Shein's scale and speed "truly incredible".

The partnership is one of dozens Reliance has with fashion brands, such as Brooks Brothers and Marks and Spencer. The firm also runs e-commerce site Ajio and its retail network competes with Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart as well as value retailers such as Tata's Zudio.

Reliance plans to work with new suppliers to source fabric - especially fabric made using synthetic fibres where India lacks expertise - and import required machinery, the people said. The firm will invest in suppliers and help them grow which in turn will help the Shein-Reliance partnership go global, they said.