Retail & Brands
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Wednesday, 25 May 2022Sustainability wavers 'as inflation spikes'
ST LOUIS - Most consumers wish to act sustainably when making purchasing decisions but their willingness to do so is being weakened by the cost of living crisis, according to a new survey. The poll of 4,679 US shoppers, commissioned by Stifel… -
Wednesday, 25 May 2022Marc O’Polo partners with traceability specialist
STEPHANSKIRCHEN – Swedish-German fashion brand Marc O'Polo has teamed up with blockchain specialist Retraced to gain greater insight into its supply chain. Retraced’s cloud-connected technology can track the movement of a fibre from its source to… -
Wednesday, 25 May 2022M&S to fully exit Russian market over war
LONDON – British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced that it is to fully exit the Russian market following the country's military invasion of Ukraine. The company stopped sending shipments to Russia in March but previously said that complex… -
Tuesday, 24 May 2022Stella McCartney launches mycelium-based bag
LONDON – British fashion brand Stella McCartney is to launch what’s said to be the world’s first luxury bag made using mycelium. The company renewed its partnership with material innovator Bolt Threads for the project, using its Mylo brand of vegan… -
Tuesday, 24 May 2022eBay releases environmental impact methodology
SAN JOSE - Online auction company eBay has open-sourced its methodology for estimating the reduced environmental impact of consumer-to-consumer sales of used and refurbished goods on its platform. It says the information will enable its customers to… -
Tuesday, 24 May 2022Brands urged to support Indian workers
TIRUPUR – Workers’ rights organisations have called on fashion brands and retailers to join H&M in signing the Dindigul Agreement, which was introduced earlier this year with the ambition of eliminating gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in… -
Friday, 20 May 2022NGO challenges Zalando on sourcing policies
BONN - The Femnet NGO, which campaigns for women's rights in the global apparel industry, is challenging European online retailer Zalando on its sourcing from Myanmar and Bangladesh. The German organisation points out that, like most online… -
Friday, 20 May 2022Burberry announces ban on exotic skins
LONDON - Fashion house Burberry has announced that it has banned the use of exotic leathers, such as alligator and snake skin, in its products. The announcement, during the company's fiscal year 2022 earnings call, follows a long-running campaign by… -
Friday, 20 May 2022French Connection launches rental service
LONDON - French Connection becomes the first major uk fashion brand to launch its own in-house clothing rental service in partnership with rental-as-a-service platform Zoa Rental. Unlike other brands’ rental services, French Connection Rental will… -
Thursday, 19 May 2022Macy’s collaborates to advance targets
NEW YORK – US retailer Macy’s has outlined a number of collaborations and activities to support its Mission Every One sustainability strategy. Notably, the company has joined the Better Cotton initiative to increase its uptake of more ‘sustainable’… -
Thursday, 19 May 2022Baird Group joins Ethical Trading Institute
HARTLEPOOL - The Baird Group, which owns brands including Racing Green, Limehaus and Antique Rogue, has joined the Ethical Trading Institute (ETI) as a foundation member. Baird Group, part of the Arafa Group, operates across retail, ecommerce and… -
Wednesday, 18 May 2022Next urged to address supply chain issues
LONDON – Workers’ rights organisation Labour Behind the Label (LBL) and environmental non-profit Share Action have expressed concerns regarding the manner in which fashion brand Next has managed worker-related incidents within its supply chain. The… -
Wednesday, 18 May 2022JD Williams launches more sustainable brand
MANCHESTER - UK retailer JD Williams, part of the N Brown Group home shopping business, has launched a new fashion range - Anise - to enable its customers to shop more sustainably. Anise aims to help the N Brown Group meet its commitment to ensuring… -
Tuesday, 17 May 2022US secondhand market to 'double by 2026'
OAKLAND – The US secondhand fashion market is projected to more than double by 2026, reaching a value of US$82 billion per year, according to ThredUp's 10th annual Resale Report. Conducted by third-party retail analytics firm GlobalData, the study… -
Monday, 16 May 2022Recurate secures new finances
WASHINGTON – Fashion resale specialist Recurate has raised US$14 million via a Series A funding round, which it’ll use to refine the integration process of its plug-in technology. The company’s solution enables brands and retailers to swiftly… -
Friday, 13 May 2022Guess announces green finance deal in Europe
LOS ANGELES – US fashion brand Guess has announced a new €250 million (US$260m) European green finance deal linked to the company's performance against its sustainability targets. Guess has entered into the revolving credit facility through its… -
Friday, 13 May 2022Inditex signs €100m deal with Infinited Fiber
ARTEIXO – Inditex, the owner of Zara and Pull & Bear, has announced a three-year agreement with recycled textile innovator Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) to source its ‘sustainable’ Infinna fibre. The deal, worth €100 million (US$104m), follows in… -
Wednesday, 11 May 2022The North Face develops Renewed programme
DENVER – Outdoor brand The North Face has linked up with resale technology start-up Archive and cleantech and logistics company Tersus Solutions to further develop its Renewed resale programme. Renewed allows the VF Corp-owned brand's consumers to… -
Monday, 09 May 2022PVH agrees 'multi-year' Infinited Fiber deal
HELSINKI – Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) has agreed a multi-year partnership with PVH Europe to supply its Infinna recyled fibre for Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein products. The Finnish company, which chemically-recycles textile waste into… -
Monday, 09 May 2022Product repairs platform secures funding
MIAMI – Leather restoration platform The Cobblers, which services both consumers and leading fashion brands and retailers, has secured US$8 million in funding which it’ll use to optimise its marketplace, expand its number of artisans and move into… -
Friday, 06 May 2022Adidas, Puma, Hugo Boss 'linked to Xinjiang'
JULICH - Traces of Xinjiang cotton have reportedly been found in garments made by German brands Adidas, Puma and Hugo Boss - despite all three publicly distancing themselves from the region because of forced labour allegations. Researchers at the… -
Friday, 06 May 2022Primark expands sustainable cotton programme
DUBLIN - Fashion retailer Primark has pledged to add another 125,000 smallholder farmers to its Sustainable Cotton Programme, taking the total number to more than 275,000 by the end of 2023. The company says it represents an 80 per cent expansion to… -
Thursday, 05 May 2022eBay launches handbag authentication tool
LONDON – Online marketplace eBay has introduced an authenticity guarantee on luxury handbags sold for over £500 (US$628) in the UK. Applicable to items from high-end brands including Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada, the service is designed to… -
Wednesday, 04 May 2022
Veepee expands clothes donations service to Spain
BARCELONA – Online retailer Veepee has launched its Re-Cycle secondhand fashion collection service in Spain to afford its users a way of sustainably disposing of unwanted items. Consumers which leverage the service will receive discount coupons to… -
Wednesday, 04 May 2022Kering, Bestseller back cell-grown leather
MILPITAS - French fashion group Kering and Danish retailer Bestseller have helped biotech startup VitroLabs raise US$46 million to build and scale pilot production of its lab-grown leather. The Series A funding round, led by venture capital firm… -
Tuesday, 03 May 2022
Brands sign up to regenerative farming project
BHOPAL - Zara owner Inditex, H&M and IKEA are part of a new partnership of brands, governments, farmers and NGOs to promote regenerative agriculture and sustainable sourcing in India. The Laudes Foundation, IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative and… -
Tuesday, 03 May 2022Mango creates €3m fashion startup accelerator
BARCELONA – Spanish fashion brand Mango has launched a fashion startup accelerator to help develop new innovations aimed - in part - at making the industry more sustainable. The Mango StartUp Studio, a collaboration with the IESE business school,… -
Tuesday, 03 May 2022Puma reports reduced GHG emissions
HERZOGENAURACH - Sports company Puma claims it is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by what scientists say is necessary to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Puma says its own emissions and those from purchased… -
Tuesday, 03 May 2022Kering hits impact goals four years early
PARIS – French fashion conglomerate Kering has published its 2021 Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) results in which it claims to have achieved its environmental targets four years ahead of schedule. Kering, which owns brands including Gucci,… -
Tuesday, 03 May 2022'Ethical' brands fared best during COVID-19
LEEDS - Fashion brands with long-term commitments to ethical trading practices with their suppliers tended to be more resilient to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research. The study, entitled 'Impact of COVID-19 on Indian… -
Friday, 29 April 2022WWF bids to spur corporate climate action
GLAND - Swedish fashion retailer H&M and homeware giant IKEA contributed to a new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which aims to spur corporate action to mitigate climate change. Entitled 'Beyond Net-Zero', the report lists seven… -
Friday, 29 April 2022H&M to trace 200m garments this year
STOCKHOLM – Swedish fashion giant H&M is to expand its collaboration with blockchain specialist TextileGenesis, with the view to tracing more than 200 million items by the end of the year. H&M has worked with TextileGenesis to trial its solution,… -
Thursday, 28 April 2022Shein to launch 'sustainable' collection
NANJING - Ultra fast fashion giant Shein has raised eyebrows by launching a sustainable collection which it says will be an "affordable option for customers seeking to make a positive impact with their product choices". Shein - which launches about… -
Thursday, 28 April 2022First harvest of organic cotton for Bestseller
BRANDE – Danish fashion company Bestseller has revealed that the first organic cotton crop from its partnership with Pakistan-based denim mill Artistic Milliners has passed the criteria to be certified as in-conversion cotton. The Milliner Cotton… -
Thursday, 28 April 2022
Industry found lagging on circularity front
CHICAGO – A new report on the efforts of 150 fashion brands and retailers to improve the circularity credentials of their garments gave them an average score of less than three out of 10. Patagonia, Levi’s and the North Face topped the list, all… -
Thursday, 28 April 2022Brands in bid to help organic cotton farmers
AMSTERDAM - Leading brands including retail giants C&A and H&M are among signatories to a new multi-stakeholder partnership initiative to help Indian cotton producers transition to organic farming. The 'Partnership Initiative Organic Cotton in… -
Thursday, 28 April 2022Primark posts progress on sustainability goals
DUBLIN - Fashion retailer Primark has published early progress against some of its sustainability commitments seven months on from the launch of its 'Primark Cares' strategy. They include 39 per cent of its clothes now being made from recycled or… -
Tuesday, 26 April 2022HanesBrands’ reports sustainability progress
WINSTON-SALEM – Apparel company HanesBrands has published a progress report of efforts to meet its 2030 sustainability targets. The company, which published its strategy in 2020, has established science-based targets (SBTs), reported reductions in… -
Tuesday, 26 April 2022Puma’s Re:Jersey garments showcased in Manchester
MANCHESTER – After showcasing the fruits of sportswear giant Puma’s Re:Jersey recycling initiative at the weekend, Manchester City Football Club is to introduce collection bins at its merchandise store. Fans are encouraged to donate unwanted jerseys… -
Monday, 25 April 2022Investment firm backs India’s circular economy
BENGALURU – Investment firm Kalaari Capital has published a new report exploring the potential for huge growth in India’s circular economy, and believes the fashion, construction and agriculture sectors are amongst those which present the greatest… -
Monday, 25 April 2022LifeLabs secures $6m in series 3 funding round
SUNNYVALE - US sustainable textile start-up LifeLabs has secured US$6 million in a series 3 seed funding round to expand production of its thermally-efficient lifestyle apparel. The company seeks to mitigate climate change by making garments capable… -
Monday, 25 April 2022Joules launches ReWear donations initiative
MARKET HARBOROUGH – British fashion brand Joules has launched ReWear, a new clothing donations service enabling consumers to sustainably discard of unwanted items. The company has teamed up with circular solutions provider Reskinned and charitable… -
Monday, 25 April 2022Resale firm Upty acquires peer, plans expansion
TALLINN – Estonian fashion resale platform Upty has acquired its Finnish peer Rekki in a bid to bolster its own offering and further promote secondhand apparel. The terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but Upty’s CEO, Sergei Brek, says the… -
Friday, 22 April 2022Levi's joins Organic Cotton Accelerator
SAN FRANCISCO - Fashion giant Levi Strauss & Co has joined the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) initiative to increase the industry's uptake of more sustainable cotton. The company said that it had a responsibility to support sustainable agriculture… -
Friday, 22 April 2022
Circular.Fashion offers up circular design criteria
BERLIN – Circular apparel design criteria, developed by German start-up Circular.Fashion, is to be made available to more brands and retailers within the sector to help them comply with the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. The… -
Friday, 22 April 2022
New eBay platform offers defective apparel
LONDON – Online marketplace eBay has launched Imperfects, a new initiative enabling brands and retailers to sell defective items for a discounted price. Items will be listed on eBay’s Brand Outlet hub in instances where items don’t meet a firm’s… -
Thursday, 21 April 2022Hugo Boss to launch new resale platform
METZINGEN – Fashion brand Hugo Boss has announced that it will launch a resale platform, to enable its customers to buy its products secondhand, later this year. The company says the 'Huge Boss Pre-Loved' platform - due to launch in the third… -
Thursday, 21 April 2022Guess launches clothing collection and recycling scheme
LOS ANGELES – Fashion brand Guess has launched an in-store clothing collection service with non-profit organisation Homeboy Recycling across the United States. The initiative will enable consumers to sustainably dispose of unwanted garments and earn… -
Wednesday, 20 April 2022Resale start-up backed by business heavyweights
LONDON – Fashion resale start-up Loop Generation has secured an undisclosed sum of investment from New Look’s founder Tom Singh and retail entrepreneur Touker Suleyman. It follows the recent opening of Loop’s first physical store, which is situated… -
Wednesday, 20 April 2022Manifesto for Regenerative Fashion launched
ASIA – The Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) has launched a Manifesto for Regenerative Fashion that will be headed up by its Fashion Task Force. The Task Force – which is headed up by Yoox Net-A-Porter’s founder Federico…
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