Asia sales at Italy’s Prada will continue to grow in double-digit rates while any forecast for the American market is hard to make due to the health emergency, said the Chief Executive of the luxury group Patrizio Bertelli,

According to Bertelli, the brand is recording robust sales in Italy as consumers had returned to fast and sustained spending. Prada was founded by Mario Prada in 1913. The brand specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, perfumes and other fashion accessories.

Bertelli is soon likely to be replaced by his son Lorenzo as the brand’s CEO. Lorenzo currently heads the marketing and communications of the fashion house

Beyond Leather Materials, a company that produces plant based, eco-friendly alternatives to animal leather, has raised seed investment fund of €1.1 million with Rockstart and Vækstfonden, led by Angel Investor Steen Ulf Jensen via Jensengroup Investment Fund to further advance its production facilities. The company has developed leather based on fruit waste.

Beyond Leather Materials is a Danish startup based in Copenhagen. It is a B2B supplier of a sustainable alternative textile based on apple pulp, the byproduct from juice and cider production. The product is fully biodegradable, animal free and much more sustainable than animal-derived or synthetic leather.

Rockstart aims to help reduce food loss and waste; Beyond Leather Materials fits perfectly into this mission by upcycling food process by-product into high-end sustainable fashion textiles. It offers a unique product with the potential to drive a real change in our society. The combination of a strong team, a novel product and international investors is why Vaekstfonden has invested in Beyond Leather Material says Jesper Hart-Hansen, investment manager.

Beyond Leather Materials is planning to enter the €70B leather supplier market this year and will start to provide its material to the fashion industry. They will open a new production facility in the Copenhagen area and expand their team.

Root Group of Companies has launched a Swiss technology-based health protective gear known as ‘Corona Killer’ fabrics in Bangladesh. The initiative would make Bangladesh’s textile and apparel industry stand out in the world.

Prof Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan, former Vice Chancellor, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU); Prof Dr Shahidullah Sikder, former Pro-VC, BSMMU; Prof Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, Infectious Diseases Specialist; Prof Goutam Buddha Das, Vice Chancellor, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University (CVASU), among others were present at the event. Mohammad Razzakul Hossen Tutul, managing director, Root Group of Companies; and Bashar Khan, CEO of the company, including buyers from a few foreign brands were also present at the launch event.

Selim Omrao Khan, media advisor of Root Group of Companies and a journalist, claimed with a special combination of advanced silver and vesicle technology, ‘Corona Killer’ has proven to deactivate most viruses including coronavirus in the shortest possible time, the company representatives Mohammad Razzakul Hossen Tutul, Managing Director, Root Group of Companies informed that Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University will conclude a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for research in this regard. Root Group will provide funds for the research. Corona Killer can be applied to health protective gears like PPE, face mask, Isolation gowns, shoe cover, denim, non-denim, pants, shirts, ladies wear, t-shirts, polo shirts, home textiles, hospital uniforms and air filters.

Bangladesh's garment exporters expect a slow rebound of shipment to the US market, as American buyers have been consumed by a confidence deficit amid an economic meltdown lurking round the corner, says OTEXA

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bangladesh’s garment exports to the US plunged by 12.50 per cent year-on-year to $2.32 billion in the January-May period of this year. Though retail stores in the country have started opening up gradually, it will take a lot of time for normalcy to return as consumers are still staying at home amid the fear of contagion.

Though exporters expect to get 70 per cent of the work orders they had received at the same time last year, everything depends on the invention of a vaccine. Apparel exports by Bangladesh were positive in 2019 but after the coronavirus broke out, orders from the US nosedived, said Mostafa Sobhan Rubel, managing director of Dragon Sweaters. Almost half the products of his company are destined to the US.

Many of his customers have complained of stores not logging the expected sales even after the lockdown was withdrawn in most US states. Besides, new orders from existing customers have also dropped by almost 60 per cent due to the current second wave of infections and a lack of confidence among buyers in the throes of fears of an economic meltdown and job losses.

However, Rubel expects the US market to rebound strongly in 2021 as American buyers and importers are looking for an alternative to China because of the political conflict between the two economic powerhouses" he added.

Rubana Huq, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, also expects a faster rebound of apparel shipment to the US market.

Bangladesh's garment exporters expect a slow rebound of shipment to the US market, as American buyers have been consumed by a confidence deficit amid an economic meltdown lurking round the corner, says OTEXA. Due to the pandemic, Bangladesh’s garment exports to the US plunged by 12.50 per cent year-on-year to $2.32 billion in the January-May period of this year. Though retail stores in the country have started opening up gradually, it will take a lot of time for normalcy to return as consumers are still staying at home amid the fear of contagion.

Though exporters expect to get 70 per cent of the work orders they had received at the same time last year, everything depends on the invention of a vaccine. Apparel exports by Bangladesh were positive in 2019 but after the coronavirus broke out, orders from the US nosedived, said Mostafa Sobhan Rubel, Managing Director, Dragon Sweaters. Almost half the products of his company are destined to the US.

Many of his customers have complained of stores not logging the expected sales even after the lockdown was withdrawn in most US states. Besides, new orders from existing customers have also dropped by almost 60 per cent due to the current second wave of infections and a lack of confidence among buyers in the throes of fears of an economic meltdown and job losses. However, Rubel expects the US market to rebound strongly in 2021 as American buyers and importers are looking for an alternative to China because of the political conflict between the two economic powerhouses" he added. Rubaina Huq, President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, also expects a faster rebound of apparel shipment to the US market.

White Milano is embracing a phygital format for its September show that aims to shine a light especially on Italian fashion businesses. Planned between September 24-27 in Milan’s Tortona district the fair will combine the White Milano trade show with the WSM Fashion Reboot event dedicated to sustainability – originally scheduled for June and then postponed due to the pandemic.

The trade show organizer sealed a partnership with Best Showroom, a new network of 50 Italian showrooms to install the ‘Milano Loves Italy’ project aimed at supporting local small-and-medium sized enterprises and brands, in response to the disruptions caused by COVID-19.

The show format will encompass a range of physical and digital presentations spotlighting local and international fashion companies with a focus on Italian firms. Both White Milano and Best Showroom will debut their business-to-business digital platforms offering buyers a chance to review and purchase the collections also remotely. Best Showroom’s digital showcase is called Showbox WX and was developed by Italy’s tech specialist WX Italia.

Denim brands DL1961 and Warp + Weft have collaborated with Swiss performance textile company HeiQ to launch new collections infused with the world’s first antiviral technology to reduce COVID-19 transmission through clothing. The technology has been applied in the denim in liquid form during the laundering process to provide a sanitizing and germ-resistant surface. It includes a silver component that attracts virus molecules and kills them on contact. HeiQ Viroblock stays active on treated garments for up to 30 domestic washes.

The technology is increasingly gaining importance, particularly in the denim category as jeans are a part of an everyday modern uniform and tend to be garments that consumers refrain from washing frequently. In June, another brand Diesel launched a unisex capsule collection of tees and jeans featuring antimicrobial and antibacterial properties with a droplet barrier.

Besides, these brands, denim mill Calik Denim is also launching antimicrobial fabrics with self-cleaning technology into its Fall/Winter 2021 collections. Similarly, fabric developer PG Denim and chemical specialist Rudolf Group are collaborating for a fabric collection to protect its consumers from infectious bacteria.

In view of the growth of online retail market, German luxury fashion house Hugo Boss aims to generate online sales over €400 million come 2022, as compared to revenue of €151 million garnered in 2019. To achieve this target, the brand plans to expand its online operations in 24 new markets this fiscal. The countries to which the label aims to expand include: Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Poland, Portugal, Canada and Mexico in August.

The brand also aims to set up its Indian online store in August too. However, the brand will continue to focus on further extending the concession model in the coming years, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. This year alone, Hugo Boss is targeting the conversion of seven partnerships, which if successful, will contribute at least €200 million to the company’s online revenue by 2022.

Giorgio Armani has been named the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Special Ambassador for Responsible Tourism. Armani has been recognized for his timeless designs and creativity as well as for his profound commitment to social responsibility and respect for the environment. His fashion brand is inspired by the concept of substance and the conviction that sustainability means creating a system capable of enduring through time, with respect for all the resources and the awareness that the future of generations to come depends on the choices of today.

The Ambassadorship was revealed in the wake of the visit of the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, to Italy. It emphasized Armani’s prompt response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported, the Armani Group in March converted all its four Italian production sites to produce single-use medical overalls for the individual protection of health-care providers fighting the coronavirus.

After pledging to donate €1.25 million to Italy’s Civil Protection and a range of Italian hospitals and institutions in the country, including the Luigi Sacco, San Raffaele and the Istituto dei Tumori in Milan and Rome’s Istituto Lazzaro Spallanzani, the designer also decided to contribute to support the hospitals of Bergamo and Piacenza, both badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Versilia hospital in Tuscany, bringing the total of his donations to €2 million.

In March, Armani also published a letter in 60 newspapers in which he applauded all the health-care providers who are strenuously fighting the coronavirus outbreak and mused his own desire as a young man to become a doctor. Armani also decided to show his fall 2020 collection to a limited audience in February.

Italian luxury menswear brand Canali has opened the brand’s first boutique in Italy that is designed around the new architectural concept in the heart of the country’s capital. Covering a surface area of 250 sq m on two floors, the new retail space highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to expanding its retail network.

The store is situated in a strategic position in the city centre, with its main entrance on via del Babuino, the epitome of luxury, a second entrance on via dell’ Orto di Napoli, and display windows that extend into via Margutta. The boutique also has an extensive terrace looking out over via Margutta. The two-level space is divided into theme areas that offer clients the opportunity to discover different ways to interpret elegance. The service offered is at its most exclusive on the upper floor. Here clients can create a Made to Measure suit, purchase exclusive outfits or relax in the VIP Room with direct access onto the magnificent terrace that looks out over the historical buildings in the centre of Rome.

Free-standing furnishings, fine marble cladding and crystal glass and fabric structures are the distinctive features of a luxurious, welcoming and contemporary setting that expresses the tradition of fine hand tailoring for which Canali has been famous the world over for 80 years.