Pharrell Williams Kicks Off Paris Fashion Week with Louis Vuitton Show

A model presents a creation for the Spring/Summer 2025 Menswear Collection by the US designer Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton fashion house during the Paris Men's Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 June 2024. EPA/ANDRE PAIN
A model presents a creation for the Spring/Summer 2025 Menswear Collection by the US designer Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton fashion house during the Paris Men's Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 June 2024. EPA/ANDRE PAIN
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Pharrell Williams Kicks Off Paris Fashion Week with Louis Vuitton Show

A model presents a creation for the Spring/Summer 2025 Menswear Collection by the US designer Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton fashion house during the Paris Men's Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 June 2024. EPA/ANDRE PAIN
A model presents a creation for the Spring/Summer 2025 Menswear Collection by the US designer Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton fashion house during the Paris Men's Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 June 2024. EPA/ANDRE PAIN

Louis Vuitton men's creative director Pharrell Williams took to an outdoor, turf-lined runway at UNESCO headquarters on Tuesday, opening Paris Fashion week with an evening show.

The world's biggest fashion label, known for its checked damier patterns and monogrammed trunks, drew on a travel theme for the spring summer 2025 men's collection, with a towering globe sculpture, rows of international flags and -- in the distance -- the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, Reuters reported.

Models strode down the grass catwalk in crisply-tailored suits, slick bomber jackets and fur coats, with rhinestone-encrusted sunglasses and chunky, airplane-wing brooches, while an orchestra and choir performed music produced by Williams.

The LVMH-owned label drew an audience of 1,500, as well as screaming crowds on the street outside, angling to catch arrivals of celebrity guests, who included NBA basketball player Victor Wembanyama, actor Michael Fassbender and K-pop star Jackson Wang.

The Paris men's fashion shows, which will be followed by Haute Couture week, come as France gears up for the summer Olympics, as well as two rounds of elections in the coming weeks, which have thrown the country into political disarray.

Globally, high end labels face waning appetite for fashion and accessories, with the key Chinese market a particular source of concern.



L’Oreal Shares Bounce on Third-Quarter Sales

A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
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L’Oreal Shares Bounce on Third-Quarter Sales

A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
A L'Oreal sign is displayed at the beauty products section of a department store inside a shopping mall in Beijing, China June 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Shares in L'Oreal rose 4% on Friday, hitting their highest in more than two years, after the French cosmetics giant reported third-quarter sales well ahead of expectations on strong demand for premium products in China and elsewhere.

Sales from July ‌to September rose ‌7.7% on an adjusted like-for-like basis ‌to €11.56 ⁠billion ($12.95 billion), topping a ⁠consensus analyst forecast of 5.9% growth in a Visible Alpha poll, L'Oreal said late on Thursday.

The maker of Lancome creams and Prada perfumes beat estimates for growth in all regions apart from Latin America, with North Asia, which is ⁠predominantly China, significantly ahead. All of its ‌divisions apart from ‌its mass market unit exceeded expectations.

"L'Oreal, once again, beat a ‌high bar," Barclays analysts said in a note.

Analysts ‌at Jefferies called the report "an impressively strong update", highlighting a "momentum shift in China and Europe" that lifted the growth rate in its Luxe division.

The group generates ‌a third of its revenue from its luxury division, but in China that ⁠business ⁠accounts for about two thirds of its sales in the market, positioning it well for a pick-up in Chinese demand. L'Oreal says it is growing three times faster than the market in China.

Shares were up 4.4% at €431.2 ($482.60) by 0917 GMT, the highest since June 2024. The shares are up by more than 17% this year.

"We see scope for the shares to test €450 as investors increasingly recognize the durability of its superior growth profile," the Barclays analysts added.


Gucci Owner Kering Drops 12% as Luxury Braces for Tough Winter

The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)
The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)
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Gucci Owner Kering Drops 12% as Luxury Braces for Tough Winter

The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)
The logo of French luxury group Kering is pictured on the day of the Kering General Assembly meeting at the company's headquarters in Paris, France, May 28. (Reuters)

Shares in Gucci owner Kering tumbled 12% on Friday after the group reported further sales declines, but said it would stick with CEO Luca de Meo's turnaround plan and accelerate store closures, aiming for 125 by year-end.

The recovery long promised by luxury brands seems nowhere in sight, as the expansion of war ‌in the Middle ‌East, along with China's tax crackdown on ‌the ⁠wealthy, piled further ⁠pressure on the world's biggest luxury conglomerates in the third quarter, and executives buckled in for a tough winter.

Riots in Paris, leaving Louis Vuitton shop windows smashed and electric-bike bonfires near luxury shopping hub Place Vendome, threw into sharp relief the political risk faced by luxury brands not just abroad but also ⁠at home.

Shares in LVMH and Hermes were ‌also down 1% to 1.5% on ‌Friday, as crude prices hit their highest level since early May, worsening ‌the squeeze on households that has curbed consumers' ability to ‌splurge on handbags and clothes.

Gucci's decline has continued despite de Meo's plan to make the brand's prices more enticing to middle-class consumers and creative director Demna's new collections hitting stores.

"The progress made on ‌improving brand desirability remains in its very early stages," JPMorgan analyst Chiara Battistini said in a ⁠note. Gucci ⁠sales improved in wholesale, but were down 6% overall as fewer shoppers visited its stores.

While Kering struggles to execute a turnaround against a weak economic backdrop, even high-end Hermes is showing signs of slowing, with its ready-to-wear division falling 2% in the third quarter due to weak Chinese demand. Overall, Hermes reported its weakest quarterly sales growth since 2020.

Across the sector, valuations have taken a beating as investors reassess future growth prospects. After a 40% slide in share price since January 1, Hermes' valuation is its lowest since 2014, while LVMH's is at a 10-year low.


UK's Debenhams Returns to Profit after Five Years, Expects Further Cost Cuts

FILE PHOTO: Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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UK's Debenhams Returns to Profit after Five Years, Expects Further Cost Cuts

FILE PHOTO: Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

British fashion ‌retailer Debenhams , also known as boohoo, reported a profit for the first time in five years on Friday and expects further cost cuts as a turnaround plan gathers pace, said Reuters.

Here are some more details:

-The company reported pretax profit of £28.3 million ($37.89 million) for the six ‌months ended August ‌31, compared to a ‌loss ⁠of £17.9 million a year ⁠ago, its first profit before tax since August 2021.

-Expects to reduce costs related to depreciation, lease and interest in fiscal year 2028, while a new financial ⁠facility should further cut costs.

-Debt ‌to be ‌negligible by the end of the ‌year thanks to the disposal of ‌Sheffield automation and lease assignment and sale of Nasty Gal brand, the retailer said.

-The company reported steady growth ‌in September and reiterated its previous annual forecast of gross merchandise value (GMV) ⁠growth ⁠and adjusted core profit no less than £59 million.

-It expects to deliver more than £100 million in profit before tax in the medium term and become a multi-billion-pound GMV business.

-The group's turnaround plan has been focused on streamlining its operations to tackle mounting debt and slow demand at its youth brands.