Designer Michael Kors Holds First Live Fashion Show Since Pandemic

Designer Michael Kors waves after presenting his collection during New York Fashion Week in New York, US, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Designer Michael Kors waves after presenting his collection during New York Fashion Week in New York, US, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
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Designer Michael Kors Holds First Live Fashion Show Since Pandemic

Designer Michael Kors waves after presenting his collection during New York Fashion Week in New York, US, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Designer Michael Kors waves after presenting his collection during New York Fashion Week in New York, US, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Designer Michael Kors took over New York City's landmark Tavern on the Green in Central Park on Friday, his first live runway show since the pandemic began.

Although COVID-19 protocols restricted his guest list, Kors said it gave those in attendance an intimate experience.

"To be able to put on a live show to me is thrilling. I love people to be able to experience live fashion," said Kors, Reuters reported.

The brand required all guests to be double vaccinated, while staff, crews and press were given on-site testing before being admitted into the venue.

"Lots and lots of checking boxes and being so unbelievably strict with the protocols," he said.

Actress Kate Hudson, who is a friend of Kors, was thrilled to be at her first show in many months. "I'm so excited. And it's nice and small, intimate, which I think is going to be really lovely. But I haven't done this for a long time so it feels a little odd and wonderful all at the same time."

This season Kors decided to look at romance through a streamlined and urban lens. The New York native said his inspiration was not just romantic love, but love of friends, family, city, seeing people and more.

He said he created a collection that will help celebrate those moments that we've all been craving.

Models including Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner paraded through an outdoor garden, while Broadway star Ariana DeBose performed live.

Kors said the collection was filled with charm.

"Lots of black and white in the collection," the designer explained.

"A lot of gingham, which just puts a smile on my face, I'm not a picnic kind of guy, but I can have the fantasy. A lot of white embroidery, a lot of white laces and eyelet and things like that."

New York Fashion Week will end on Sept. 12.



Uniqlo Operator Posts Higher Q1 Profit Despite Sluggish China Results

(FILES) This general view shows the latest flagship store to open by Fast Retailing clothing brand Uniqlo, in the Shinjuku district of central Tokyo on November 14, 2024 (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)
(FILES) This general view shows the latest flagship store to open by Fast Retailing clothing brand Uniqlo, in the Shinjuku district of central Tokyo on November 14, 2024 (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)
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Uniqlo Operator Posts Higher Q1 Profit Despite Sluggish China Results

(FILES) This general view shows the latest flagship store to open by Fast Retailing clothing brand Uniqlo, in the Shinjuku district of central Tokyo on November 14, 2024 (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)
(FILES) This general view shows the latest flagship store to open by Fast Retailing clothing brand Uniqlo, in the Shinjuku district of central Tokyo on November 14, 2024 (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)

The operator of the Uniqlo global clothing chain reported first quarter results on Thursday that trailed analyst forecasts as a sharp decline in profit in China overshadowed strong sales in its home market of Japan, Reuters reported.

Fast Retailing said operating profit rose 7.4% to 157.6 billion yen ($996.84 million) in the three months through November from a year earlier. That was slightly below a LSEG consensus forecast of 160 billion yen drawn from six analysts.

Fast Retailing maintained its full-year operating profit forecast of 530 billion yen, on course for a fourth year of record earnings.

Known for inexpensive, durable fleeces and cotton shirts, Fast Retailing has long been regarded as a bellwether for consumer spending in Japan and more recently China, where it has more than 900 Uniqlo stores on the mainland.

Domestic sales have gotten a boost from a surge in duty-free shopping amid a tourism boom in Japan fueled by a weak yen.
But sales growth has cooled in China, prompting the company to scale back store openings and adopt a scrap-and-build strategy to turn around underperforming locations with redesigned stores.

Improved profit margins and international brand awareness helped drive the previous year's record results. But the company remains vulnerable to change in weather and fashion tastes.

Japanese sales were boosted by cold weather in December that increased demand for thermals, but in China, unseasonably warm temperatures resulted in flat sales in October and November, the company said.

Results were also strong in North America and Europe where Fast Retailing is mounting an aggressive expansion strategy to fulfil its aim to become the world's No. 1 clothing brand. In the southern United States, it opened five Uniqlo stores in Texas in October alone.
In its home market, it has also become a pacesetter for wages in the service industry.

Keen to retain good workers, Fast Retailing said on Wednesday it will institute an aggressive increase in employee pay in Japan - one that follows on from a hike in 2023 that helped shake up the nation's long moribund wage outlook.

Wages for full-time headquarters and sales staff will rise by as much as 11% from March, while annual salaries for new employees will increase by about 10%, the company said.