From the Sector

Based in Porto, Portugal, Rodrigo Siza will focus on nurturing new regional collaborations to benefit the needs of Lectra’s customers, and faciliate their success in the Industry 4.0 era. Rodrigo will rely on Lectra’s highly experienced teams located in the region.
“Rodrigo has very effectively established long-term partnerships with our fashion and apparel, automotive and furniture customers in Portugal. He has helped our customers to emerge stronger from the world crisis which heavily impacted them. After 10 successful years as head of Lectra Portgual, Rodrigo is now also in charge of meeting the expectations of our Spanish customers,” stated Daniel Harari, Lectra Chairman and CEO.

Players in the region are witnessing a strong dynamic, notably fashion brands in Spain and fashion and automotive industrialists with heightened added-value in Portugal. With the recent announcement of a new strategy to focus on Industry 4.0, Lectra is in a strong position to support these businesses in the digitalization of their processes.
For industries faced with more demanding consumers and ever-shorter product development and manufacturing cycles, integrating all steps along the extended supply chain, from design to cutting, is now a top priority. This is particularly apparent in Spain and Portugal, two countries positioned, in their own way, at the heart of Europe’s fashion and automotive industries.
Rodrigo started his career at Tradetex, a trading company of textiles for clothing, as a textile designer. From 1991 to 1999, he was an associate of V-Sistemas Informatica, specialized in the development and distribution of technical solutions for the textile industry. In 2000, he joined Lectra Portugal as a design and merchandising manager, and then evolved into the position of international consultant in 2004. He left Lectra in 2005 to take the position of Sales Director of RPB Têxteis e Vestuario, a company that makes clothes, before returning to Lectra in 2007 to take over the management of the Portuguese subsidiary. Rodrigo has a masters in marketing from Minho University and a degree in design and communication from Porto University, both located in Portugal.

Fashion forecaster MintModa and Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, announce a new strategic partnership leveraging the respective strengths of both companies in color creativity. Combining Archroma’s scientific color expertise with MintModa’s clear, narrative-driven color forecasts provides fashion and design-related industries with an actionable and trend-right color resource.
Launched last year, Color Atlas by Archroma offers 4320 new shades, extending their custom color business with a readily available, time-efficient color management system. MintModa’s ColoRevolution offers highly-curated color analysis and direction on its cloud-based subscription trend service. Because color plays a starring role in the visual language of social media, carefully chosen palettes are essential for capturing a new generation of connected consumers.

“People today are constantly exposed to a barrage of vibrant media on multiple devices. The customer is now visually sophisticated, a voracious consumer of ever-changing images depicting highly-styled products, places and people,” states MintModa founder and creative director Sharon Graubard. “The emotional draw of color, hardwired into humans, becomes an ever-more powerful marketing tool.”
“The Color Atlas by Archroma represents a true labor of love,” said Chris Hipps, Global Director, Archroma Color Management. “The idea is to offer our customers options they never dreamed of. We resonate with MintModa’s progressive, focused approach. In fact, we met because they were searching for a specific shade of blue and couldn’t find it elsewhere. This level of color curation dovetails with our passionate drive and relentless commitment towards excellence.”

Zum ersten Mal öffnet das Funkhaus Berlin seine Tore für das Messe-Duo Greenshowroom und Ethical Fashion Show Berlin. Vom 4. bis 6. Juli 2017 stellen internationale Top-Player für Eco-Fashion ihre neuen Kollektionen für S/S 2018 in der Shedhalle auf dem Funkhausgelände vor. Insgesamt sorgen 180 Labels* für ein begeisterndes Modeangebot. „Auf Anhieb ist die Shedhalle hervorragend gefüllt. Die teilnehmenden Labels zeichnen in der neuen und äußerst attraktiven Location ein fantastisches Bild, das uns einen erstklassigen Überblick über angesagte Mode liefert. Hinzu kommt ein prall gefülltes Programm, das wir gemeinsam mit unseren Partnern ausgearbeitet haben und mit dem wir unseren Besuchern einen starken Mehrwert bieten“, sagt Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies der Messe Frankfurt. Mit dem Umzug in die neue Location konnten sowohl der Greenshowroom als auch die Ethical Fashion Show Berlin ihre Ausstellungsfläche vergrößern. 40 internationale Vorreiter für Contemporary Fashion präsentieren im Greenshowroom hochwertige Looks für den nächsten Sommer. Die weiteren Flächen im Erdgeschoss der Shedhalle belegt die Ethical Fashion Show Berlin, die damit das größte Modespektrum ihrer Geschichte bietet. 140 Labels zeigen angesagte Street und Casual Wear. Flankiert wird die Plattform von einer Knowledge Lounge mit namhaften Institutionen und Zertifizierern sowie einem Vortragsareal mit dreitägigem Programm im Obergeschoss der Shedhalle.

On the occasion of the State Visit to Italy by Their Majesties The King and Queen of The Netherlands and a Dutch trade delegation led by the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Mrs Lilianne Ploumen, the Italian and Dutch fashion and textile industry will join hands.
MODINT, the Dutch association for the Fashion and Textile industries and lead of the fashion mission and Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), the Italian association for the Fashion and Textile supply chain in Italy, have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which emphasizes the growing interaction between the Dutch and Italian fashion and textile industries.
During the Best of Both Event on Friday June 23rd in Milan, the Minister and a delegation of Dutch and Italian VIP’s and innovators active in the Fashion and Textile industry will witness the signing of a promising Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU defines actions by MODINT and SMI to help the Dutch and Italian fashion and textile industries work together on recycling, labour standards, sustainable raw materials and domestic production.
Modint and SMI are both members of the International Apparel Federation (IAF), an international organisation that supports industry development by helping to build intelligent connections among its members. In the MoU, Italian and Dutch businesses will explain how they cooperate, how they can support sustainable value chains, how they envision their business growing together in the coming years, and what their respective governments can do to support that growth.

Vom 4. bis 8. Juli 2017 bringt die SEEK zur Fashion Week einen Pop-up-Shop auf die Straße. Die SEEK transformiert den Hotspot Fechtner Delikatessen – bekannt für ein umfassend gesundes Food-Angebot bestehend aus regionalen Produkten höchster Qualität – in ein Retail-Konzept. Fashion In- und Outsider finden hier zusammen, um zu inspirieren und sich inspirieren zu lassen. Die Berliner Torstraße, wo das erste Pop-up-Format der SEEK aufschlägt, ist ein Zentrum der Offenheit, Inspiration und Individualität. Die SEEK als offizielle ‚voice of street culture’ begibt sich mitten hinein ins Leben.
Marke, Einkäufer, Presse, Konsumenten – die Grenzen verschwimmen von Saison zu Saison mehr. Als zeitgemäße Antwort auf die Herausforderungen des Handels präsentiert der Shop eine kuratierte Auswahl von Mode, Food und Lifestyle. Mehr noch: Der Einkauf wird zum Erlebnis, indem ein Konzept entsteht, an dem jeder teilhaben will, und das jeder teilen möchte.
Das Konzept Super Natural ist gleichermaßen das Dachthema der sechsten Ausgabe des SEEK Magazines. Im Pop-up-Shop werden ausschließlich weiße Produkte angeboten, in einem klaren und auf das Wesentliche reduzierten Umfeld. Am 3. Juli wird dann zum Launch der aktuellen Printausgabe in den Pop-up-Shop eingeladen.
Super Natural ist in Zusammenarbeit mit Daniel Padilla Werner (Brand & Retail Consultant/Buyer Denim & Urban bei der KaDeWe Group) entstanden.

Lectras Fashion PLM 4.0 wurde von Grund auf neu entwickelt, um die Geschwindigkeit und Agilität zu ermöglichen, die Mode- und Bekleidungsunternehmen für den Umstieg zur Industrie 4.0 benötigen. Die neue Version vernetzt CAD, industrielle Standardsoftware wie Adobe Illustrator sowie IT-Systeme (wie ERP) und externe Lieferanten. Das System dient damit als intelligente Schaltzentrale für eine digitale Lieferkette – von der Planung über das Design bis zur Produktion. Dadurch wird ein kontinuierlicher Fluss von fehlerfreien Daten zwischen Prozessen, Technologien und Personen gewährleistet, sodass alle Beteiligten der Lieferkette über die Plattform Informationen bearbeiten, speichern und teilen – mit gesicherter Datenintegrität.
Fashion PLM 4.0 ist als permanente Lizenz oder als monatliches Abo erhältlich und sofort einsatzbereit. Die Plattform lässt sich dabei auf die unterschiedlichen Bedürfnisse von kleinen bis großen Geschäften, Marken, Einzelhändlern und Herstellern anpassen. Unternehmen beginnen zunächst mit dem Standardangebot und fügen, je nach Wunsch, bis zu zehn weitere Module hinzu, wie Design-Integration, Produktdetails, Beschaffung, Mustererstellung und Kostenkalkulation.
Best Practices und Know-how aus der Modeindustrie sowie praktische Szenarien dienen als Grundlage für Vorlagen, Standardverzeichnisse und Shortcuts, um sich wiederholende Aufgaben und Verwaltungstätigkeiten zu automatisieren und somit mehr Zeit für die Wertschöpfung zu gewinnen. Das Ergebnis ist eine schnelle und digital vernetzte Lieferkette, mit der Modeunternehmen agil auf Trends reagieren und Produkte passend zu den Erwartungen der Verbraucher liefern.

C&A, one of Europe’s leading Fashion retailers has recently launched in its stores in 18 European markets the world’s first Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM Gold products. These recyclable t-shirts are made of 100% organic cotton, with safe materials and chemicals and produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way. They have been certified at gold level by the Cradle-to Cradle Product Innovation Institute (C2CPII). The dyes used in the coloration of the shirts, which are available in two styles and 17 colors, were selected from the range of DyStar Levafix® and Remazol® reactive dyes which received C2C Gold Level certification for Material Health from C2CPII in 2016.
With a selection of apparel dyes for the fashion industry awarded a Gold-level Material Health Certificate, the DyStar Group strives to be part of a more sustainable future and growing a circular economy as well as reaffirms its commitment to environmental and human health. The styles were developed in close partnership with Fashion for Good. Created with funds granted by founding partner C&A Foundation, Fashion for Good is a global partnership that unites apparel producers, retailers, non-profit organizations, innovators and funders in the shared ambition to transform the apparel industry into a circular one.

As the product development process in the apparel industry continues to speed up, producers are looking for new fabric and accessory options outside of the traditional sourcing seasons. As such, with its added advantage of being located in the core area of China’s fashion industry and nearby Hong Kong, the popularity and importance of July’s Intertextile Pavilion Shenzhen has been growing within the apparel market in recent years. A number of renowned international and domestic brands, such as DKNY, Embry, FILA, Initial, Nine West Group, Peacebird, s.Oliver and many more, have already signed-up to attend this year’s fair, where they will source from around nearly 700 exhibitors.

“Once again this edition we are putting significant effort into inviting VIP buyers and matching them with our exhibitors, so we know that many key brand buyers will source at the fair again,” said Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. “Last year the feedback from these buyers, such as Diesel, DKNY, KINJI and Marc O’Polo, was that they are consistently seeking new materials to develop new products throughout the entire year, therefore, they find Intertextile Pavilion Shenzhen increasingly beneficial to them, particularly because of its timing and high quality of products.”
One buyer already confirmed to attend, DKNY, sent its Fabric Manager Mr Patrick Chan to visit the fair last year, who praised the experience after his trip. “I’m satisfied with the quality of the suppliers and their products. I’ve found some potential suppliers in the Fine Japan Zone and received some samples. They provide high-quality fabrics with good design,” he said.

As part of Messe Frankfurt’s renowned Intertextile brand, Intertextile Pavilion at the Shenzhen International Trade Fair for Apparel Fabrics and Accessories (“Intertextile Pavilion Shenzhen”) has a distinctive focus on the South China market, benefiting from this region’s promising market conditions and providing huge opportunities for exhibitors at this year’s fair.

Given its solid industrial bases and favourable geographic locations, the South China region is at the heart of China’s garment industry, and its one of its two major cities, Shenzhen, has a reputation as the nation’s garment and fashion capital. Currently, the city houses over 2,000 garment companies, 30,000 fashion designers and more than 1,000 fashion brands. In 2016, total sales of the Shenzhen garment industry exceed 200 billion RMB (around 29 billion USD), accounting for over 60% of the market share of shopping malls in China’s first-tier cities . What’s more, with reference to Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s “China Garment Industry” research, due to the growing spending power of both male and female consumers, these two markets are projected to continue their strong growth. While the consumer market for men’s garments is undergoing a growth period with retail sales expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 11.8% between 2015 and 2020, some domestic womenswear brands have started forging into the mid-range to high-end women’s garment market segments. The research also stated that most of the enterprises which own women’s garment brands such as Ellassay, Marisfrolg, Yinger and Koradior, are located in South China.

Die Seidensticker-Gruppe hat zum 1. April 2017 die Position des Head of Retail mit Fabian Amft besetzt. Der 39-jährige Diplom-Betriebswirt legte den Grundstein für seine fast 20-jährige Erfahrung in der Fashionbranche bei der Peek & Cloppenburg KG. Neben seiner Ausbildung zum Handelsfachwirt verantwortete er hier verschiedene Positionen, u.a. als Store Manager. Weitere Erfahrungen sammelte Amft u.a. als Store Operations Manager bei der Esprit Europe GmbH, als Retail Operations Manager für Tommy Hilfiger und Calvin Klein sowie seit 2015 als Head of Retail Operations bei der Holy Fashion Group. "Fabian Amft bringt sehr umfangreiche Erfahrungen in der Branche und speziell im Retail mit. Mit seinem Know-how wird er die Weiterentwicklung und konsequente Aufwertung unserer Marke vorantreiben", erklärt Kevin Ziegler, Head of Distribution and Business Development Seidensticker Shirts. Amft folgt auf Nico Kemmler, der die neu geschaffene Position als Head of Corporate Responsibility (CR) der Seidensticker-Gruppe begleitet und berichtet an Kevin Ziegler.