Nomad Fashion Show Mixes Ancient, Modern

Members of the Russian Folk Dance Ensemble of Adygea perform during the World Nomads Fashion festival Issyk-Kul 2022, at Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, 207 kilometers (129 miles) east of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Friday, July 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)
Members of the Russian Folk Dance Ensemble of Adygea perform during the World Nomads Fashion festival Issyk-Kul 2022, at Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, 207 kilometers (129 miles) east of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Friday, July 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)
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Nomad Fashion Show Mixes Ancient, Modern

Members of the Russian Folk Dance Ensemble of Adygea perform during the World Nomads Fashion festival Issyk-Kul 2022, at Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, 207 kilometers (129 miles) east of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Friday, July 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)
Members of the Russian Folk Dance Ensemble of Adygea perform during the World Nomads Fashion festival Issyk-Kul 2022, at Cholpon-Ata, a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, 207 kilometers (129 miles) east of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Friday, July 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)

On the shore of one of the world’s deepest lakes, high up in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains, models strutted and sashayed in outfits mixing the ancient and modern at the World Nomads Fashion festival.

The event, now in its third year, drew designers and fashion-industry figures from about 20 countries to shimmering Lake Issyk-Kul to admire outfits drawing on Kyrgyzstan’s millennia-old nomadic culture, The Associated Press said.

The stiletto heels worn by some models wouldn’t be suitable for a proper nomad, but some of their elaborate headdresses that seemed to mimic the horns of cattle were takes on traditional nomad costume. Swirling, voluminous skirts featured in many of the outfits, either elaborately patterned or in blocks of vivid color.

Along with the couture, the show offered visitors the chance to see an array of yurts — the wood-framed tents of skin or felt characteristic of nomads — and brightly colored carpets.



Zalando Sales and Profit Margin Rise on Stronger Demand

Zalando packaging from an online delivery is seen discarded in a cardboard box in Galway, Ireland, August 27, 2020. Picture taken August 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Zalando packaging from an online delivery is seen discarded in a cardboard box in Galway, Ireland, August 27, 2020. Picture taken August 27, 2020. (Reuters)
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Zalando Sales and Profit Margin Rise on Stronger Demand

Zalando packaging from an online delivery is seen discarded in a cardboard box in Galway, Ireland, August 27, 2020. Picture taken August 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Zalando packaging from an online delivery is seen discarded in a cardboard box in Galway, Ireland, August 27, 2020. Picture taken August 27, 2020. (Reuters)

German online fashion retailer Zalando on Tuesday reported a higher profit margin for the third quarter thanks to stronger consumer demand, as it focuses on pricier brands to fend off fierce competition in the mass market.

Zalando has also been scaling up its logistics business, through which it sells its platform and network to other retailers and brands, as it pursues new growth drivers.

Quarterly revenue from its online fashion platform rose 4.3% to 2.2 billion euros ($2.4 billion), and revenue from its logistics business, which added British retailer ASOS as a customer, grew 11% on the year to 239.7 million euros.

Zalando's operating profit margin increased by 2.9 percentage points to 3.9%, and the average order value on its platform was 61.1 euros ($66.50) in the third quarter, up from 58.8 euros a year ago.

Bryan Garnier analyst Clement Genelot said Zalando benefited from a rainy September in Europe that helped boost sales of autumn/winter garments across the sector.

"Zalando will have to prove its ability to continue to accelerate growth, beyond temporary weather-related tailwinds, in the coming quarters to please investors," he said.

Zalando confirmed its growth and profit outlook for the year, which it hiked in early October. It expects gross merchandise volume - a key revenue metric for the total value of all goods sold on the platform - to grow between 3% and 5% this year, and revenue to increase between 2% and 4%.

Zalando's shares were up 2.8% in pre-market trading. The stock, up 30% since Jan. 1, has had a bumpy few years, surging during the pandemic when online shopping boomed and falling rapidly after COVID restrictions eased.