From the Sector

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.

Düsseldorf, 6. April 2017. Gestern fand die dritte Ausgabe der LM Academy im La Martina DACH-Headquarter statt. Die rund 45 geladenen Gäste aus Mode, Medien und Sport trafen sich zu einem exklusiven Netzwerkabend. Gastrednerin des Abends war die international renommierte Stylistin Laila Hamidi, die kürzlich die “Goldene Maske für Visagistik 2017” gewann. Sie sprach in entspannter Atmosphäre zum Thema “How to be a Fashion Icon”. Gastgeber Bastian Ammelounx, Chef der La Martina Deutschland GmbH, begrüßte unter den Gästen zahlreiche Prominente, wie die Moderatorinnen Nina Moghaddam, Annica Hansen und Jennifer Knäble. Sängerin Kriemhild Siegel sowie Schauspieler Jo Weil verfolgten den Vortrag von Laila Hamidi ebenso interessiert wie Dr. Hermann Bühlbecker, Inhaber der Firma Lambertz. Auch Fußballprofi Maxim Choupo-Moting genoss mit seiner Frau Nevin bei La Martina den Abend abseits des Fußballplatzes.
Unterhaltsam und informativ erzählte die Stylistin aus Afghanistan von ihrer Herkunft und dem eigenen Werdegang, um schließlich aus ihrer Sicht zu schildern, was eine Frau zu einer wahren Stilikone macht. Laila Hamidi ist in der Welt des Celebrity Dressings zuhause und betreute schon zahlreiche glamouröse Events, wie beispielsweise die Filmfestspiele in Cannes, bei denen sie mit einer eigenen Styling-Lounge vertreten war.

“Ich freue mich, dass wir mit Laila Hamidi eine Gastrednerin bei der La Martina Academy hatten, die sich als erfolgreiche Stylistin zahlreicher internationaler Stars, wie Karolína Kurková oder Bar Rafaeli nicht nur perfekt in der Fashion-Welt auskennt, sondern zudem selbst eine spannende und charismatische Fashion Ikone ist”, so Bastian Ammelounx. Den passenden Rahmen bot, wie schon bei den beiden vorherigen LM Academys, die viergeschossige Villa am Rhein, die nicht nur das Headquarter, sondern auch den Showroom von La Martina beherbergt. Die Gäste erhielten hier einen einzigartigen Einblick in die Mode und Tradition von La Martina, wurden in exklusiven Shuttles von Maserati zum Event gefahren und genossen den Champagner-Empfang von Perrier-Jouët.