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NIKE - exploit workers by paying below the minimum wage, excessive working hours, and failing to provide safe working conditions
ADIDAS - Adidas received a score of 61-70% in the Fashion Transparency Index this year for disclosing its suppliers and subcontractors.
Overall Adidas is a better option at this stage, with some solid environmental practices

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Our editors curate highly rated brands that are first assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Buying through our links may earn us a commission-supporting the work we do. Learn more.
Nike and Adidas are two of the largest sportswear brands in the world, and they have both come up against criticism over the years for their ethicality. It's a close call, but let's take a closer look and answer that burning question: is Adidas better than Nike?
The battle of the sportswear giants

So, your beloved trainers have reached the point of no return. Or maybe you need an extra pair of runners for the new exercise regime (which you will definitely stick to juuuust as soon as you have the perfect footwear).

While you're running around trying to decide whether to buy those Adidas all-white Stan Smiths or the blackout Nike Free Runs, we crunched the ethics and sustainability numbers to find out which company treats people, the planet, and animals better than the other.

Let's answer once and for all: is Adidas better than Nike? Long story short: this match is too close to call, and neither brand is really a shining star. Read on for a deeper dive into both brands' track records on the issues that matter most.

Nike-on again off again

In the 90s, Nike became notorious for its terrible human rights treatment. The brand says it has changed, but can it outrun the past?

It's generally agreed Nike has improved, but there is still a way to go. The activewear giant has been criticised for allowing its suppliers to exploit workers by paying below the minimum wage, enforcing excessive working hours, and failing to provide safe working conditions. Nike also hasn't signed the Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord, an important initiative to improve factory safety that came into play after the death of over 1,000 garment workers in the Rana Plaza factory collapse. On the plus side, Nike has committed to not knowingly using Uzbek cotton -where forced labour and child labour has been rife-after being called out for it in early 2020. The brand also now ensures payment of a living wage in a small proportion of its supply chain.

Nike hasn't signed the Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord, an important initiative to improve factory safety that came into play after the death of over 1,000 garment workers in the Rana Plaza factory collapse.

In March 2017, Nike took a big step backwards when it ceased allowing the independent NGO Workers Rights Consortium access to factories to check on labour standards. But in 2021, Nike received a score of 51-60% in the Fashion Transparency Index (in the same scoring range as the previous year), showing it has started going in the right direction again. It's like an on-again-off-again high school romance begging for some stability.

All things considered, Nike scores a middling "It's a Start" for people. Thanks to its use of some eco-friendly materials and setting of science-based targets, it also rated "It's a Start" for the planet. But for animals, Nike's use of various cruel animal-based fabrics like down and exotic animal skin as well as its lack of traceability here means it is rated "Not Good Enough".

Although Nike makes comfortable footwear, we think some of the big-time execs should try walking in their worker's shoes for a while, and we hope to see continual improvements from a big brand that can certainly afford to make them.
Nike gets an "It's a Start"' rating overall.
Adidas-losing its lead

Adidas has been subject to many of the same criticisms as Nike in relation to worker exploitation, including in a report by War on Want on conditions in Bangladesh in 2012.

More recently, both brands have been strongly criticised for failing to take concrete steps towards paying a living wage to workers across their supply chain despite increasing profits and increasing sponsorship payments to sports stars and teams. The 2018 Foul Play report by the Clean Clothes Campaign and Collectif Ethique sur l'Etiquette highlights the difference between the ever-increasing amount of money paid on sponsorships to sports stars and other marketing expenses, compared to the reduction of the share of the final price of your sports gear paid to workers in the supply chain.

The report calls on the brands to commit to paying living wages across their supply chain by a specific date and other supporting action. Adidas now has a project to improve wages in part of its supply chain and has made a public commitment to improve wages overall, which is a good step, and following up the promise with tangible results would be a big tick for the brand. But right now, they still don't pay a living wage. Commitments are good, but we're most concerned with what the brand is doing right now.

Adidas received a score of 51-60% in the 2021 Fashion Transparency Index, down from 61-70% in the previous year. This score reflects the brand disclosing its suppliers and subcontractors (a win for transparency), supporting freedom of association, and signing the Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord. Moreover, in June 2017, Adidas was singled out for praise in a report on forced labour by Know the Chain. It noted that Adidas has strong disclosure throughout its supply chain. In particular, it was the only one of five major footwear brands to disclose activities to address forced labour in specific countries.

What sets Adidas apart on the labour front is its leadership with crucial inclusivity and culture strategies and policies. Their approach includes auditing suppliers on a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) level. Adidas is responsive and happy to be held accountable, essential for global brands to set the stage for a more transparent, ethical, and sustainable fashion industry going forward.

In February 2022, Adidas' rating dropped from "Good" to "It's a Start". Our mission at Good On You is to provide consumers with the most reliable, accurate, and up-to-date information and recommendations across fashion, which means our comprehensive ratings methodology evolves to accommodate crucial movement in issues across ethics and sustainability in the industry. What we see reflected in Adidas' rating drop is a brand not making good on its existing promises and not keeping pace with industry-wide actions for people, planet, and animals.

While Adidas is still ahead of some of the most notoriously harmful brands in the athletic apparel sector, it still has work to do in crucial areas like biodiversity and transparency.

While Adidas is still ahead of some of the most notoriously harmful brands in the athletic apparel sector, it still has work to do in crucial areas like biodiversity and transparency. It was also caught up in a greenwashing scandal in late 2021 when it was found to be misleading consumers with its wording around recycled content in a new pair of Stan Smith sneakers. This is a prime example of the notorious fast fashion claims and campaigns being constantly exposed as greenwashing, for which brands must be held accountable.

Take a closer look at the reasons behind the change in our deep dive into Adidas' rating, noting that Adidas scores the same as Nike across the board with "It's a Start" for people and the planet, and "Not Good Enough" for animals.
Adidas gets an "It's a Start" rating overall.
The verdict

So, it seems that both companies have a bit of a trek in front of them on the labour rights front-we hope they don't get too many blisters along the way. Is Adidas better than Nike? Overall, the brands are neck-in-neck with identical scores across the board, with both brands making a start for the environment and workers and lagging on animal welfare.

Step up your ethics

As ever, the most sustainable item is the one in your closet. If you own a pair of Nike or Adidas sneakers but would rather not support the brands in the future, the best option is to use them until they're worn out and then thoughtfully dispose of them. If you're in the US or Europe, you can drop off old sneakers from any brand to a participating Nike store for recycling.

In need of new sneakers or activewear that better match your values? Check out these ethical alternatives below, beating both Adidas and Nike at their own game, with more solid results for people, the planet, and animals. Or simply opt for second hand Adidas or Nike, prolonging the life of products already in circulation.

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Nike vs Adidas: Who's More Ethical and Sustainable? - Good On You

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Our editors curate highly rated brands that are first assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Buying through our links may earn us a commission-supporting the work we do. Learn more . Nike and Adidas are two of the largest sportswear brands in the world, and they have both come up against criticism over the years for their ethicality.

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Adidas and Beyonce to launch gender neutral campaign

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Adidas and Beyonce to launch gender neutral campaign

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- Beyonce and Adidas working together to launch Ivy Park.
- Very competitive market place, especially when Rhianna and Nike are also doing a similar collaboration.
- Quite topical now as fitness is becoming more trendy.

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Adidas and Beyoncé to Launch Gender-Neutral Collection

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Adidas has eroded Nike's dominance of the US market in recent years, helped by partnerships with celebrities like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

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Whats the real impact of gender in fashion

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Whats the real impact of gender in fashion

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- How designers and big brands such as Charles Jeffery are speaking more about gender and changing the way in which society perceives it.
- More brands are using gender fluid or transgender or non-binaries to model their clothes.
- Brands focus more on the body shapes and the people rather than who and what they are.

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Ever since Jaden Smith wore that Louis Vuitton skirt, I've read more articles about fashion's so-called "gender-fluid movement" than I can count. I've read listicles that proclaim gender-bending style as fashion's future, interviews in which designers proudly describe their binary-busting bona fides, op-eds pointing to gender fluidity as an antidote to toxic masculinity, as well as plenty of reviews playfully hailing the disruptive potential of men wearing this and women wearing that. Having read enough of these pieces, it would seem we are living in an unprecedented period of gender upheaval, a time when traditional expectations of what constitutes men's and women's dress are being blended, blurred, even reimagined altogether. Of course, this isn't entirely the case.
Read more: Laverne Cox Is British Vogue's First Trans Cover Star
What we now call gender-bending fashion has existed as long as there have been gender norms to bend - which is to say long, long before Jaden's 2016 moment. Yet, even if not necessarily new, something about today's fixation with fluidity feels different - at once more substantial and politically engaged. More than ever, the gender-bending we've grown accustomed to seeing on the runway is accompanied by a growing awareness of and sensitivity to the experiences of trans and gender non-conforming (trans&gnc) individuals - people for whom the bending of gender is not merely a style, but an identity.

In fact, I identify as such a person; more specifically, as non-binary and transfeminine, terms I've chosen to describe myself as someone who generally presents more femme, though prefers not to locate their selfhood in terms of the traditional male/female divide. Because fashion has always been one of the most useful tools for carving a space for myself to experiment with my identity, I've been thrilled to see more brands thinking critically, publicly, and creatively about their relationship to gender. But, as with any instance in which queerness is rendered to serve commercial purposes, I've wondered: What's at stake? And what might be gained for my community through mainstream fashion's involvement in the larger cultural "gender-fluid movement"?

To answer this question, I spoke to some of the most influential queer and trans&gnc folks in fashion, including Pierre Davis of No Sesso, Eden Loweth of Art School, Charles Jeffrey of Loverboy, model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, actor Ezra Miller, and model and actress Ava Grey. Through these conversations, the first thing that became clear was the need to distinguish gender-fluid fashion from what is often called gender-neutral, androgynous, or unisex fashion. Where the latter aims to disrupt established norms through dull, often billowing garments meant to transcend suits and skirts, the former strives toward the same goal by disentangling the normative association between skirts and women, suits and men.

As for the extent to which gender-fluid versus gender-neutral fashion benefits the trans&gnc community, there's really no competition. Gender-neutral fashion, even if well-intentioned, almost immediately wilts as a means of furthering a progressive gender politics. To collapse gender expression into a wash of baggy black jumpers inevitably overlooks trans people who wear skirts and suits to affirm their identities. As Ezra Miller tells me: "Gender itself is not our enemy and it will never really be over because it's a vital aspect of existence... but if you want it, we can see a world in which we are liberated from the bonds of it and nourished by the joys and beauty of it." The point, then, is not to act as if gender doesn't exist, but rather to reorient ourselves toward embracing the myriad and beautiful ways in which it does.

According to model and trans activist, Ava Grey, one way the gender-fluid movement in fashion could help our culture engage this necessary reorientation is through emboldening more trans&gnc representation. "When queer-identifying youth see queer representation on the runway and in media, we become symbols of hope for them," says Grey. "We show them lives that have been able to move past the constant bullying and negative statistics."

Echoing the appeal to the benefits of increased representation is Charles Jeffrey, designer of the fearlessly avant-garde label, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy. Jeffrey, who doesn't identify as trans himself, nevertheless brings to his work one of the most ruthless attitudes toward binary definitions of gender in current design. "I think the positives of a bigger global conversation about gender outweigh any negatives," he told me via email, adding: "From what I've seen in culture, in and outside of fashion, there's indisputably more diversity, inclusivity and also information about trans and gender-non-confirming people. It's real - real people, being able to give themselves their own platform to communicate their journeys."

But as Munroe Bergdorf points out, trans-inclusive casting is just the beginning. "What we need to be doing is making sure that fashion is as inclusive behind the scenes as it is in front of the camera or on the runway." According to Bergdorf (who recently founded GODDESS, an online platform geared toward community building among women, trans and non-binary folks, and people who are intersex) ensuring that the recent mainstream interest in gender fluidity outlives its trendy status requires an appreciation that "trans people are more than just trans and can be part of a team, can be part of a project without their transness being the focal point, or even an issue for other people".

Even while creating opportunities for greater representation, large companies' involvement in today's gender-fluid movement risks overshadowing the work of more authentic, more community-oriented labels. Art School's Eden Loweth goes so far as to contend that there are two gender-fluid movements: one constituted by the bandwagon-hopping large and small houses, and another composed of labels like their own, or Davis's No Sesso, brands that emerged from the trans&gnc community and involve them from the studio, to the runway, to the store.

For Loweth, gender-fluid fashion is anything but a trend. It's their work. It's also their life. It is about honoring and supporting their community, not, as they tell me, "monetizing something that is almost day-to-day hate for people like me on the streets. When I moved to London, trans women were a major force in my life that really protected me as quite a naïve young person living in a really big city," they add. "Having those women involved in the actual process of us doing fittings is so informative, because they all have their own requirements. Their bodies are changing almost daily if they're on hormone treatment, and that's the basis of where we started working out what we wanted to do."
Read more: "She Was Our Seer, Our Oracle, Our Liberator": Writer Kuchenga Pays Tribute To Toni Morrison
The effect of this authentic approach is clearest in the clothes, according to Munroe Bergdorf, who's walked for Art School and has joined the designers in advocating for a non-binary option on official British documentation. "It's more about the wearer and making sure that the clothing fits the body, not the body fits the clothes," she says of the label. "Usually a dress would be made on a body to fit a mannequin essentially. And that's why a lot of models look the same," Bergdorf explains. "But they've taken into consideration the differences of trans bodies."

It is this level of concern - not only for how the clothes look, but also for what they mean to a wearer - that often seems lost on brands from Zara to Thom Browne, companies whose forays into questions of gender expression and identity pierce no deeper than a collection of wearable picnic blankets, or runway shows that present gender fluidity as the stuff of the avant-garde rather than the everyday. "Are these brands donating to these communities that inspire their runways?" No Sesso's Pierre Davis asks, underscoring the opportunistic relationship between labels that benefit from the illusion of progressive politics without more robustly supporting the communities that influence their designs. "A lot of these big brands say that they're designing gender-friendly clothing, but the margin that's able to buy these pieces is just rich people," she continues.

And that's assuming these brands intend to sell their more gender fluid pieces at all. Of course, the runway has always been a place for experimentation, yet there's certainly something disingenuous when brands show collections that refute the binary before selling their clothes within the same divisive categories of men's and womenswear that they've used for years. "For brands that want to almost use gender as a way of being provocative or exciting and contemporary, they're not actually talking about the issues that matter," says Bergdorf. "They're taking the top line, which is trend, and not speaking about the realities, which is not fabulous all the time. It's not fashion all the time. It's survival."
Read more: Christy Turlington Burns On How To Become A (Quiet, But Devastatingly Effective) Activist
Bergdorf is right. According to Stonewall, more than four in five trans youth have endured verbal abuse; three in five have endured threatening behavior; and nearly 40 per cent have experienced physical assault. In many ways, to be trans in the world today is to live in danger and, understandably, in fear - a truth that strikes a sour note when told against the backdrop of a fashion industry that encourages pushing gendered boundaries without more robustly speaking out regarding the pervasive dangers associated with doing so. Indeed, one of the more concerning aspects of the fashion industry's involvement in the gender-fluid movement is its propensity for conflating expression and identity, erasing trans&gnc people who don't, or can't, express their authentic selves safely.

Mainstream fashion's involvement in today's gender-fluid movement has no doubt helped expand countless people's perception of how men and women can dress. It has even exposed the public to a fuller picture of the whole constellation of genders with which one might identify. But if it is to earn a fraction of the political potency it has already seemed to claim for itself, the industry must not only continue to employ and celebrate its trans&gnc members, but also make a more substantial investment in the lives - and not simply the looks - of the broader trans&gnc community. "This is not just fashion," says Pierre Davis. "This is a lifestyle and it needs to be taken seriously."
More from British Vogue:

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There's More At Stake With Fashion's Gender-Fluid Movement Than You Realise

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"The industry must make a more substantial investment in the lives - and not simply the looks - of the broader trans&gnc community," says Wren Sanders

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- There will be menswear, womenswear and gender neutral collections.
- This helps make fashion more inclusive for everyone.
- Fashion is heading to be more unisex anyway and so by actually having a collection which can be worn by both genders is perfect and makes sure thee is a huge market for it. Its a mixture of baggy clothes for all body types.

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London Fashion Week is historically a quarterly event divided into men's and women's weeks for specific seasons.

The event has been hosted by the British Fashion Council (BFC) since 1984.

What was originally supposed to be London Fashion Week Men's in June will now be a digital and gender-neutral event.

London Fashion Week in September will also be gender-neutral, allowing menswear, womenswear, and gender-free designers to showcase their styles together, a BFC representative confirmed to Vogue.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, London Fashion Week will be digital and will include womenswear, menswear, and gender-neutral fashion labels.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused the Olympics to be postponed and countless cultural events to be put on hold, London Fashion Week will be a virtual event held from June 12 through June 14, according to a press release obtained by Vogue.

Designers are invited to showcase fashions through lookbooks, online showrooms, videos, podcasts, and other digital exhibits, the statement said.

London Fashion Week has been held since 1984 and is historically held for menswear and womenswear designers separately

The fashion week has been hosted by the British Fashion Council (BFC) since 1984 and is held on a quarterly basis, with events for each season and divided by menswear and womenswear.

This year, London Fashion Week will be gender-neutral. According to a statement published by ELLE, the BFC defines this as allowing womenswear, menswear, and gender-free design labels to participate in the same week of fashion events together for the first time.

London's fashion week in June, as well as the previously scheduled September event, will include menswear, womenswear, and gender-free designs, a BFC representative confirmed to Vogue.

Traditionally, both London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week have stuck to reserving separate events for men's and women's fashions. In 2018, the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) in the US added a "unsiex/nonbinary" category to New York Fashion Week to include designers who make clothes without labeling them as being for women or men.

"It is essential to look at the future and the opportunity to change, collaborate and innovate," British Fashion Council Chief Executive Caroline Rush said in a statement published by ELLE.

"Many of our businesses have always embraced London Fashion Week as a platform for not just fashion, but for its influence on society, identity, and culture," Rush continued. "The current pandemic is leading us all to reflect more poignantly on the society we live in and how we want to live our lives and build businesses when we get through this."

In her statement, Rush added that the positive side to having a digital event may make the fashion community more accessible to the masses.

"Designers will be able to share their stories, and for those that have them, their collections, with a wider global community; we hope that as well as personal perspectives on this difficult time, there will be inspiration in bucketloads. It is what British fashion is known for," Rush said.

The BFC isn't the first global fashion authority to experiment with virtual runway shows or exhibits. Shanghai Fashion Week, which was held from March 24 to March 30, was the world's first completely digital fashion week. Earlier in March, Tokyo Fashion Week was held in the form of livestreamed videos, where designers showcased their collections for Fall 2020.

Representatives of the British Fashion Council did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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London Fashion Week will be a gender-neutral event for the first time in its nearly 40-year history

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London Fashion Week is historically a quarterly event divided into men's and women's weeks for specific seasons. The event has been hosted by the British Fashion Council (BFC) since 1984. What was originally supposed to be London Fashion Week Men's in June will now be a digital and gender-neutral event.

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- The first gender-free store in New York, The Phluid Project in Manhattan’s Soho is a huge part of the LGBTQ+ community and helps make everyone feel included.
- Gen Z is the drive to make this happen, not only in New York, but globally as they are a more open minded generation.

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By Bloomberg December 6, 2019 17:32

NEW YORK, United States - While gender-free clothing has been on runways and in fashion magazines for years, building a retail space around the concept was until recently seen as financially risky. Now, some companies are out to prove that the cultural fulcrum has shifted enough to give it a try.

According to Pew research, 35 percent of Generation Z knows someone who identifies as non-binary and prefers gender neutral pronouns - and millennials and even Generation X aren't far behind. Retailers, and in particular clothes sellers, have taken notice.

"I do believe gender-neutral fashion is the future," Fashion Institute of Technology Professor Dawnn Karen said. "I feel like we're moving towards that."

Holding itself out as the first gender-free store in New York, The Phluid Project in Manhattan's Soho neighbourhood is part of this nascent segment. The space is a combination store, café and event space geared toward the LGBTQIA+ community.

Phluid Project founder Rob Smith, 54, spent 30 years as a retail executive before opening the store. While Phluid has been up and running a few years now, only recently has the concept of making a commercial go of gender-free clothing spread to bigger corporate retail.

The ascent of Generation Z, Smith explained, is the moving force.

"There is a paradigm shift that is currently happening in our society. An unlearning and a relearning," Smith said. "By next year, Gen-Z [will account] for one-third of the national population, which accounts for 40 percent of US spending power. It's time to change with the times and generations, because their voice and power is undeniable."

It's time to change with the times and generations, because their voice and power is undeniable.

"It became clear to me," Smith said, "that there was a need to shatter the historic infrastructure of companies we're operating under."

On a visit to the Phluid Project earlier this year, there were none of the traditional signs to send you to specific clothing departments. Non-gendered mannequins stood atop tables, sporting dresses, pants, shirts and graphic tees that say, "They Power," a reference to the pronoun preference of many non-binary individuals.

The company said that, after spending its first year focusing on establishing the brand and a unique open sales floor experience, it's now looking to better develop its social media and e-commerce platforms, as well as strategic partnerships.

This summer, Phluid partnered with HBO and its series "Euphoria," a drama about growing up in Gen-Z America, and set up several pop-ups across the country, offering shoppers a capsule collection and panel discussions. Phluid also has a partnership with French clothing label Equipment on a gender fluid collection.

Big clothing retailers like H&M are starting to incorporate gender fluidity into a larger retail strategy, launching collections such as Denim United and last year's collaboration with . Still, H&M doesn't plan to completely eliminate gendered clothing or gendered clothing sections. LVMH-owned Sephora also started a campaign this summer aimed at an image of broader inclusiveness.

Big clothing retailers like H&M are starting to incorporate gender fluidity into a larger retail strategy.

Fifty-six percent of Gen-Z consumers already shop outside of their gender, ignoring clothing that's labeled and categorised into gendered sections, according to a study by advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. Smith is very much acquainted with how those decisions are made. Before the Phluid Project, he worked for Nike, and eventually moved on to become an executive vice president at Macy's, and then Victoria's Secret. He also served on the board of shoe-seller Steve Madden.

"I started to share the idea with friends and business partners and got a cold reaction," Smith said of the Phluid Project's beginnings. "It is difficult, and understandable, to go to investors with an unproven concept."

"Other brands have to worry about losing customers because their concepts and missions are often antiquated," Smith said. "We are a blank canvas."

His store not only sells gender-neutral clothing: it seeks to guarantee that its clothing comes from designers who support the gender-free clothing mission. The store's original clothing only makes up 50 percent of its inventory. The rest is made by designers aligned with the company's mission and concept. The store doesn't shop vintage or buy from wholesale.

The Phluid Project isn't the lone retailer in this space. Labels such as Radimo and Official Rebrand - which emphasises sustainability - are on the same path.

According to The Business of Fashion 's 2018 State of Fashion research, 66 percent of millennials worldwide are willing to spend more on brands that are sustainable. In response to this data, Official Rebrand is "turning unsold goods into new, one-of-a-kind collections," said MI Leggett, its founder. Official Rebrand modifies donations with design and alterations, including by painting clothing with phrases and figures.

"The first pieces came from my own closet," Leggett said. "Now I take clothing donations from friends, family, and clients commissioning custom work."
By Alexis Benveniste; editor: David Rovella.

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By Bloomberg December 6, 2019 17:32 NEW YORK, United States - While gender-free clothing has been on runways and in fashion magazines for years, building a retail space around the concept was until recently seen as financially risky. Now, some companies are out to prove that the cultural fulcrum has shifted enough to give it a try.

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- How different cultures and communities dress which may relate to different stereotypes in other cultures. For example, in Indonesia, West Africa and  traditional Scottish men wear an article of clothing that closely resembles a Western definition of a skirt.
- This article looks into what gender and sex actually means and how it is shown across the world in different ways. They look into how different factors such as religion, cultures, roles all can relate to how people dress.

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Clothing for both men and women is culturally defined. Cultural norms and expectations are related to the meaning of being a man or woman and are closely linked to appearance. In Indonesia, parts of West Africa, and in traditional Scottish dress, men wear an article of clothing that closely resembles a Western definition of a skirt. In Indonesia, both men and women wear the sarong, a length of cloth wrapped to form a tube. The wrapper, a rectangular cloth tied at the waist, is worn by both sexes in parts of West Africa. The Scottish kilt, still worn at many social gatherings to establish a social and cultural identity, represents the height of masculinity (Kidwell and Steele 1989). In North American culture, the sarong, wrapper, or kilt would rarely be seen on men except within the theater, film, or in the context of couture or avant-garde fashion. For example, the grunge style of the early 1990s had fashions for men designed to be worn with skirts. However, there was nothing particularly feminine about these styles; rather, they were purely a fashion statement.

Sex, Gender and Socialization

What is meant by the terms "sex" and "gender"? Although many people use the terms interchangeably, the two words do not have the same meaning. While gender is a social, psychological, and cultural construct, our reason to polarize gender is influenced by sex, that is, the biological dichotomy of male and female. The biological continuum of genes, chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive physiology helps produce a script for appearing and behaving male and female. Viewing gender as a fluid concept allows scholars studying clothing and appearance to understand gender relations as more than men and women "dressing their parts" (Michelman and Kaiser 2000). Gendered dressing is more than complementary role-playing; power relations are inextricably involved. Otherwise, women's adoption of trousers represents an important readjustment of the definition of femininity, but not necessarily a change in the existing balance of power (Paoletti and Kregloh 1989).

A person's sex is determined on the basis of primary sex characteristics, the anatomical traits essential to reproduction. One may assume that determining biological sex is a clear-cut process, but a significant number of babies are born intersexed. This is a generic term used by the medical profession to classify people with some mixture of male and female biological characteristics (Newman 2002). For example, a true hermaphrodite is a person born with ovaries and testes. Parents, with the help of professionals in the medical field, make the decision to assign their child to be recognized as either male or female. One of the critical cues that these parents would use is dressing the baby in clothing appropriate to its assigned gender.

Secondary sex characteristics distinguish one sex from another. These are physical traits not essential to reproduction (for example, breast development, quality of voice, distribution of facial and body hair, and skeletal form). Gendered appearance and how we construct our identity are closely tied to these sex characteristics. A body ideal is a size, age, and a combination of physical attributes that society deems to be the most desirable for each gender. For example the early-twenty-first century popular ideal for Western women emphasizes a youthful, slim, athletic, and well-toned physique. Fashion requires women to slavishly conform to this image despite the fact that recent studies have found that the average American woman is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 142 pounds, and wears a size 14.

Color is a cue that effects how people interact with a child. The response of others to gender-specific colors of attire encourage what is socially designated as gender-appropriate behavior by that child (Stone 1962). Stone observed that dressing a newborn in either blue or pink in America begins a series of interactions. Norms governing gender-appropriate attire are powerful. Gender-specific attire enhances the internalization of expectations for gender-specific behavior. Through the subtle and frequently nonverbal interactions with children regarding both their appearance and behavior, parents either encourage or discourage certain behaviors often related to dress that lead to a child's development of their gender identity. When a boy decides he wants to play dress-up in skirts or makeup or a daughter chooses to play aggressive sports only with the boys, it would not be surprising to find the parents redirecting the child's behavior into a more socially "acceptable" and gender-specific activity. Even the most liberal and open-minded parents can be threatened by their child not conforming to appropriate gender behaviors. Research has shown that children as young as two years of age classify people into gender categories based on their appearance (Weinraub et al. 1984).

A person or behavior that deviates from these scripts of gender can be defined as unnatural or pathological (Bem 1993, p. 81). For example, in the movie Mrs. Doubt-fire, Robin Williams is discovered cross-dressing as a woman. It is at this point in the movie that he is regarded as being suspiciously deviant for such a behavior. What starts as a comedy quickly turns to more serious issues regarding his psychological stability. He is punished for his success at transcending proper gender appearance and behavior.

Gender as a Social Construction

Gender is a socially constructed phenomenon, and not all cultures aspire to the same physical ideal for men and women as those in Western societies. Likewise, dress can symbolically convey meanings about gender specific to a culture. For example, research on the Kalabari people of Nigeria (Michelman and Erekosima 1992) found that indigenous Kalabari men's attire demonstrates social and political achievement and does not emphasize the procreative aspect of social development, as does women's dress. Men's dress emphasizes social power and responsibility, and women's dress draws attention to moral and physical development. An example of dress emphasizing power is shown by the vertical lines and emphasis on the head in men's dress. Kalabari females progress to full womanhood wearing distinctive styles of dress with ascending values of complexity that mark physical and social maturity. Also of note, is that the ideal adult Kalabari female body is substantial, thick, and plump (Daly 1999) in contrast to an American thin ideal. Researchers have used several critical frameworks to analyze body ideals and dress.

Cultural Ideals of Body and Dress

One approach to critically analyzing gender and dress is to examine cultural ideals of beauty. In Western culture, a slim waist for women and men is emphasized, along with large breasts and hips for women and broad shoulders and slender hips for men. Greek ideals of beauty are still present in Western culture. The Greek ideal of perfect body proportions has stood the test of time in Western culture (Etcoff 1999). Minoan artifacts, which date from 2900 to 1150 B.C.E., illustrate men and women with extremely tiny waists. Some scholars speculate that this was the result of artistic convention while other authorities suggest that young men around the age of twelve or fourteen wore belts that constricted the waist (Tortora and Eubank 1998, p. 48). There have been periods in history when men adopted the corset to achieve the fashionable silhouette of the time (Kidwell and Steele 1989). As a result, neither Western men nor women have escaped Greek beauty ideals.

Given this long-standing Western ideal of body proportions, the continuation of America's obsession with the body comes as no surprise. Common phrases regarding the body include: One can never be too rich or too thin; no pain, no gain; thin-but-toned; and tall, dark, and handsome. Bodies depicted in magazines are often modified by using computers or airbrushing, allowing models to appear unrealistically beautiful and thin. Body doubles in popular movies mean that viewers might see two or more people standing in for an actor in a leading role. In magazines, the hand putting on the mascara of a beautiful model in an ad might be that of a hand model and not the model herself. The models themselves cannot attain the ideal, as can almost no one else. Some models have admitted to eating-disordered behaviors in the early 2000s. This is largely because clothing, in order to sell, must have "hanger appeal," and fashion models must be walking hangers. Many individuals try to approximate ideals through diet, exercise, and sometimes plastic surgery. Although these ideals are prevalent in American culture, at least one study has indicated that white and African American adolescent girls respond differently to these social pressures (Parker et al. 1995). African American girls get community feedback for developing a style of their own, while the white group gets support for their success in copying the unattainable ideal.

Codes of Dress and Gender

Through an examination of historical changes in Western men's and women's dress during the twentieth century, it is possible to gain a greater understanding of the changes in the social meanings of clothing and its relationship to gender. Through the 1950s, men followed a restricted code for appearance, limited to angular design lines, neutral and subdued color palettes, bifurcated garments (for example, pants) for the lower body, natural but not tight silhouettes, sturdy fabrics and shoes, and simple hair and face grooming (McCracken 1988). This simple and restricted dress "code" related well to a focus on work and on social, economic, and political accomplishments rather than attention to changes in fashion (Davis 1992). Dress (except for the necktie) did not impede physical activity. The negative impact of this uniformity and conformity is that men may dress to conceal aspects of their identity, which Spindler feels is not always true of women (1994). Men's business attire has been linked to a display of power facilitated by the uniform nature of dress. Joseph (1986) pointed out that uniforms exert a degree of control over those who must carry out the organization's work, encouraging members to express the ideas and interests of the group rather than their own, thus promoting the group's ability to perform its tasks. The opportunity for men to relax at work on "casual Fridays" has not released them from burdens of conformity, as they frequently adopt a Gap or Levi's uniform of polo shirt and khaki pants. This symbolic allegiance to work and career also signals a privileged access to economic and political power in postindustrial society, namely, occupational success. Women's conservative dress-for-success appearance of the 1980s can be analyzed as an appearance cue that announced women's intention to ascend the corporate ladder.

Women, in contrast, have had a more elaborated fashion code, which meant that they could wear some of what men wore, and a lot more. For example, although men always wear pants, women wear both pants and skirts. They have an unlimited choice of fabrics, colors, design lines, and silhouettes. Women also have worn corsets, tight or flowing skirts, high heels, and nylons that have restricted their freedom of movement. Historically, women have been more engrossed than most men in an emphasis on beauty rituals, including fashion, hair, weight control, and makeup, although recent studies indicate that men are catching up with women in their overall concern with their appearance (Garner 1997).

As early as the turn of the twentieth century, both Simmel (1904) and Veblen (1899) noted that with the rise of the urban bourgeois, women without title or other claims to social status were denied access to business, politics, and government. They demonstrated their rising status through clothing, interior decorating, and other consumer activities (Davis 1992). In other cultures, layering of body supplements frequently can indicate an elaborated code related to gender, but it can also serve to demonstrate social rank (Eicher, Evenson, and Lutz 2000). For example, in India, most married women wear bangle bracelets on each wrist. The type of bracelet (plastic, glass, conch shell, silver, ivory, or gold) is appropriate gendered dress as well as an indication of that woman's place in the social hierarchy.

More recently this "code" for men and women was examined in an intra-societal and cross-cultural context (Lynch, Michelman, and Hegland 1998). This research explored the potential of using a system of visual analysis of dress (DeLong 1998) to explore social construction of gender. In three research projects, the investigators found relationships between aesthetic choices and culturally determined gender roles. Lynch found that form and meaning worked together to express either commitment to tradition or openness to change in dress worn by Hmong American women to the New Year's celebration. Michelman concluded that dress worn in the context of traditional women's societies of the Kalabari of Nigeria was linked to cultural ideals of beauty. In contrast, dress worn by women in Nigerian national and international organizations provided a visual challenge to women's constructed gender through the incorporation of visual effects typically found in Kalabari men's dress. Hegland was able to discern degrees of difference in dress among transvestites, transsexuals, and drag queens who are typically placed in one broad category.

Historic Perspective

Historically, dress and gender have not always been fixed and have enjoyed some latitude. Researching dress and gender from a historical viewpoint stimulates awareness of the shifts regarding appropriate dress for males and females. For example, the expectation of blue is for boy babies and pink for girl babies has not always been the case. Paoletti and Kregloh (1989) discussed how the color "rule" in 1918 was pink for the boy and blue for the girl. Pink was interpreted then as a stronger and more assertive color and blue as more dainty and delicate.

After World War II, the color preferences for boys and girls reversed. Parents often put elastic pink satin headbands on their hairless girl babies, so that no one is confused about their gender. Babies are also often "color coded" prior to their arrival. Once parents know the sex of their baby, nursery rooms are painted in blue colors for boys and pink for girls. If wallpaper is selected, the themes are often coded by gender, for example, frog, snake, and turtle designs for boys and flower, unicorns, and fairy princess designs for girls. Parents describe their newborns in terms of gender (Cahill 1989). In a study of girl and boy babies of the same weight and length, twenty-four hours after birth, parents were asked to describe the newest addition to their family (Rubin, Provenzano, and Luria 1974). Boys were described as strong, having large hands or feet, and demanding. Girl babies were described as sweet, cuddly, and cute.

In American culture of the twenty-first century, adolescents are often allowed leeway in experimentation with gender and dress, as some adolescent girls may shave their heads and some adolescent boys may have shoulder-length or longer hair. Adults are generally expected to adhere to their societies' rules regarding appropriate gender dress. But gender dress has not always been polarized. For example, during the seventeenth century, adult men's and women's dress shared many of the same elements. A painting of Henri, Duc de Guise by Van Dyck (c. 1634) gives us a glimpse of how aristocratic masculine dress was defined during the first half of the seventeenth century. De Guise's hair is past shoulder length and styled with a "lovelock." He is wearing a profusion of lace at the collar and cuff areas of his doublet and below the knee of his breeches, his doublet opening is held together with a bow, and he carries a wide-brimmed hat decorated with a large plume. His knee-high boots are also elaborately decorated. De Guise's portrait appears especially feminine when compared with contemporary American male dress.

Queen Henrietta Maria in a portrait by Van Dyck ( Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson, 1633) has similar details to her costume as de Guise's in that she is wearing her hair in a "lovelock" style, a large brimmed, plumed hat, and her collar and three-quarter-length sleeves are decorated with a profusion of lace. However, Queen Maria's portrait in some respects is more streamlined and less fussy than de Guise's in that the line of her skirt is not broken up and her legs and feet are hidden while de Guise's lacy knee breeches and decorated boots break up the line of his lower body.

According to Davis (1992), the dress of the European aristocracy changed in the 1800s when men's dress became a means of communicating economic success and women's dress continued to follow an elaborate dress code. As a result, men assumed a highly restricted dress code as the European aristocracy began to decline and the advent of industrial capitalism began. Therefore, we see fewer similarities between men's and women's dress in modern culture at the start of the twenty-first century compared with the seventeenth-century dress of European aristocrats.

Gender, Dress and the Self

Eicher (1981) proposed a model for viewing dress and the different aspects of the self. She stated that the public self is the part of the self we let everyone see, the private self is the part of the self we let only family and friends see, and the secret self we let no one or only intimates see. One hypothesized disparity between men and women in American culture is that dress for the secret self (what Eicher calls fantasy dress) is more restricted for men than women. In other words, women are allowed to purchase fantasy dress for the secret self more so than men. In order to test Eicher's hypothesis, Miller (1997, 1998) surveyed historic reenactors regarding their use of costume during living history events and reenactments.

In 1997, Miller found that women reenactors have more sexual fantasies about dress than men, supporting Eicher's (1981) hypothesis that American women feel more freedom to dress out fantasies than men. Female reenactors also reported more childhood memories about dress than men, indicating that boys and girls are socialized differently about dress (Vener and Hoffer 1965).

In 1998, Miller reported that among costumed reenactors surveyed, females dress in costume primarily to assume another persona, whereas males dress in costume primarily because of their love of history. In written responses to open-ended questions, male reenactors distanced themselves from such descriptions of their hobby as "fantasy," "costume," and "dress-up." Women on the other hand embraced these terms and indicated that people don't dress in costume only on the weekends (for reenactments), but for every day. As a result of these two studies by Miller (1997, 1998) and in collaboration with Eicher, a new grid model was developed for dressing the public, private, and secret self (Eicher and Miller 1994).

Gender Markers

Some aspects of dress mark the gender of an individual more than others, for example, a corset, footbinding, interest in fashion, a codpiece, and maternity apparel. Corsets have been associated with female morality, with the tight-laced woman as moral and the unlaced woman as "loose" and immoral. In addition, corsets have been blamed for displacement of internal organs and disfigurement of the female body during the 1800s; however, these accounts are generally considered few in occurrence and possibly overstated (Steele 1999). One cannot deny the erotic appeal of corsets, and Steele (1999) has used representations of the corset in art, illustrations, and advertising to discover that the corset shares a close association with female erotic beauty.

Corsets have also been worn by men, although less frequently than by women. For example, during the nineteenth century, the ideal for a fashionably dressed male included a rounded silhouette. These illustrations show the areas of the body that were to be rounded by padding (shoulder, chest, hip, and calf). Tight corseting created a small waist and emphasized the padded areas of the body by contrast.

Footbinding, once performed in China, was a disfiguring and socially acceptable practice performed exclusively on females and was closely linked with eroticism (Jackson 1997). Women in China followed a centuriesold tradition of breaking and binding their feet to achieve a lotus bud shape. This shape was purportedly sexually attractive to males and created high social status while increasing the likelihood of marriage among Chinese women.

Women are often accused of being excessively interested in fashion. But throughout history one can find examples of men who were also extremely interested in fashion. During the late 1700s, the king of France, Louis XVI, was very interested in fashion; he wore hose and high heels to call attention to his calves, and he wore a high wig to increase his height. Attention to fashion among men reached its zenith between 1796 and 1816 when Beau Brummell became the undisputed arbiter of men's fashions in England: "Brummell was famous for his impeccable dress.... [H]e personified the Regency 'dandy,' a fashionable man who dressed well, circulated in the 'best' society, and who was always ready with a witty comment" (Tortora and Eubank 1998, p. 265).

The codpiece is one gender marker exclusively for men. In the sixteenth century, a small pouch of fabric was needed to join separate legs of hose to create trousers. This small piece of fabric was used to place emphasis on the male genitalia. From 1500 to 1560 the codpiece would grow in size, be padded, slashed, decorated, and used by men to carry coins, keys, and tobacco.

Maternity apparel, like the codpiece, is gender specific, and illustrations of pregnant women over time show that the public perception of pregnancy has greatly influenced the style of maternity apparel available. For instance, maternity career apparel became available during the last half of the twentieth century largely because popular opinion found it acceptable for women to work while pregnant (Belleau, Miller, Elliott, and Church 1990). This approach is in contrast to the Victorian era when pregnant women were said to be "in a family way" and were expected to remain at home and out of public view. Juxtapose the Victorian image of a pregnant woman with a more recent image of Demi Moore, nude and pregnant, on the cover of Vanity Fair in the early 1990s and you begin to see how society's perception of pregnancy has changed over time (Damhorst, Miller, and Michelman 1999).

Social Resistance

Dress can be a powerful, nonverbal indicator of political beliefs. Examples demonstrating this relationship include uniforms, religious garb, and fashion. Political dress can convey a clear and positive message regarding the wearer's beliefs and affiliation. Sometimes this dress can also be closely associated with the "politics of gender." Feminism has challenged what is taken for granted about gender with a political goal of changing the world and transforming gender relations so that women and men alike can fulfill their human potential (Ramazanoglu 1989, p. 8). Feminists examine gender as a fluid concept that shifts in its meaning and expression according to time, place, social class, race/ethnicity, sexuality, age, and other variables. Issues of gender and power are part of the feminist analysis of dress and fashion. The fashion and image industries build their sales by playing with the boundaries of gender and power. For example, the semi-masculinized fashions designed for women by Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, and Calvin Klein can be interpreted as sexy, assertive, urbane, and most decidedly upper class but never something that would be worn by a man.

Athletic Dress

Dress can be an important way to express political resistance and frequently is associated with the power relations of gender. Examples can be found in many cultures around the world. The history of women's athletic dress from gym suit to the current athletic fashions provides a study in the power of the gendered resistance of dress. The early gym uniform was more than just attire for physical education; rather, it symbolized the long, slow process of adoption of the trouser form for women. Warner believes that the clothing for women's athletics has had a wider influence on women's clothing in the twentieth century than any other, except dance (1993, p. 191). In 1972, Title IX legislation demanded equal funding of athletic programs for females and males in schools across the United States. Since then, increasing numbers of girls and women participate in sports that have traditionally been seen as out of bounds for them, including lacrosse, wrestling, soccer, rugby, and ice hockey. As women's opportunities in athletics have multiplied, so has their chance to expand the "boundaries" of their dress. Serena Williams, the American tennis star, exemplifies resistance to the boundaries of gender and femininity. She is comfortable in designer dresses that display her muscular arms and legs as well as tennis clothing and a physical appearance that was once reserved for only the most accomplished male athletes. She is highly feminine and simultaneously supremely athletic, an appearance resistant to a frail, feminine ideal of beauty.

Religion and Resistance

Recent events in other cultures provide examples of dress as resistance. From a Western perspective, Muslim women's veiling appears a form of great social repression. Indeed, in some cases, this may be true, such as the 1990s rules of public appearance for women under the Taliban rule of Afghanistan. The burqa, a total body covering, clearly represents a type of oppression to many Afghani women, although its longstanding place in Afghan culture is complicated. What may have been more distressing were the Taliban rules that prevented women from working or attending school. In the Muslim countries of Algeria, Egypt, and Iran, the return to veiling practices indicates a return to more traditional values of modesty, religious values, family virtue, and an aversion to Western consumerism-that is, fashion. For many women, veiling is resistant to certain prevailing social norms and an assertion of their personal and social identity (El Guindi 2000).

Conservative Holdeman Mennonite women also use dress to combat patriarchal control. Young women are allowed some leeway when it comes to the strict dress code of the Mennonites, and the older women who police the behavior of the younger women often overlook deviations in young women's dress. Arthur (1993) found that young Mennonite women used lightly applied makeup, worldly clothing hidden in school lockers, and dyed high-heel shoes in black or brown to bend rules established by the male ministers. Even though Mennonite communities maintain strict dress codes, most men defer to their wives when raising daughters. Women help keep each other in line while overlooking some deviations. Both behaviors were considered "a double nature to the agency of Mennonite women" (p. 83).

Conclusion

Clearly, gender as a social and cultural construction needs-demands-the appropriate props to successfully convince the audience that one's gender presentation is authentic. The dress we wear is layered with many meanings, such as culturally appropriate gender behavior, gender socialization via dress, codes of dress and gender, historical perspectives of dress and gender, dressing parts of the self, social resistance, and gender markers.

See also: Codpiece; Cross-Dressing; Fashion and Homosexuality; Maternity Dress; Reenactors; Religion and Dress; Unisex Clothing

Bibliography

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Clothing for both men and women is culturally defined. Cultural norms and expectations are related to the meaning of being a man or woman and are closely linked to appearance. In Indonesia, parts of West Africa, and in traditional Scottish dress, men wear an article of clothing that closely resembles a Western definition of a skirt.

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- This article is talking about how both men and women wear t-shirts and trousers. They are saying that gender neutral clothes are becoming the new normal.

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Is Fashion Becoming Gender Non-Binary? | i-D

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Rise door, Nike Guangzhou, curates a 1-to-1, personalized shopping journey that connects consumers to sport, their communities and one another.

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- Adidas' light display is very cleaver.
- Makes it look as if the footballer is moving towards you.
- Could make friends tell each other to encourage them to actual go to the store, or share on social medias which could be trending or go viral as it is very unique.

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Trainers are big business, the global athletic shoe market was worth $58 billion in 2018 and is predicted to rise to $88 billion by 2024. With such a market size it's a lucrative market for sports brands and is keenly contested for market share. *

Despite a number of new entrants into space in recent years, APL to name but one, the market is still dominated by a small number of heavyweights. Nike and Adidas have been slugging it out to be the world champion in sport's shoes for a very long time and for anyone who has read Phil Knights fantastic book, Shoe Dog, you'll see the competition between the brands is a driver for both of their successes.

But who is currently winning this never-ending battle? Who is the top dog in the trainer market?
Revenues
Let's start by looking at revenues for the two brands. Nike is the larger business overall and the market leader in the global sports footwear industry with revenues from their footwear of over $ 24.2 billion in 2018, compared to Adidas footwear revenue of $15 billion. These figures include not only Nike and Adidas branded footwear but also Converse (owned by Nike) and Reebok (owned by Adidas).

In terms of revenue growth, Adidas footwear has added $5.8 billion since 2015 growing at an average rate of 17.6% whereas Nike footwear has only added $4.3 billion at an average rate of 6.8%.
Share Price
Clearly, a defining factor when considering who is winning in this market is the capitalization. Nike's market capitalization as of July 2019 stood at $140 billion - more than double that of Adidas's $65 billion - illustrating the scale of both businesses.

Adidas has been demonstrating a stronger share price performance in 2019 as Adidas shares are outperforming the market whereas Nikes' have been growing in line with industry performance.
Cool Factor
Again Adidas appears to be winning on this metric - having adopted a marketing approach which focuses more on streetwear sneakers through 'cooler' collaborations with music and celebrity influencers such as Kanye West and Beyonce as compared to Nike's more sports-focused approach. Clearly, with the athleisure trend moving sportswear from the gym to the office Adidas is betting that they can take even more of the market with this approach.

One man who knows about the Adidas/Nike rivalry more than most and has made a fortune collaborating with both is rapper Kanye West, named recently in Forbes' 2019 list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities, in third place.

Kanye's celebrity status is undisputed - one of the most popular (and successful) rappers of his generation, he is also one-half of one of the most recognizable couples in the world through his marriage to Kim Kardashian. Only three years ago Kanye tweeted that he was $53 million in debt yet now the singer is reportedly enjoying an annual pre-tax income of at least $150 million. This turn around in his fortune is largely through his building of a $1 billion fashion empire through his sneaker brand Yeezy.

Originally partnering with Nike to sell his Yeezy trainers-releasing three styles over a five-year partnership, Kanye made a shock announcement in 2014 that he was doing the unimaginable and moving to Nikes' rivals Adidas

The first Adidas Yeezys were launched in February 2015 and the partnership has gone on to become one of the most successful partnerships of all time.

Yeezy sales are predicted to top $1.5 billion by the end of this year and their growth in popularity shows no sign of slowing.

Whereas Nikes' main collaboration is with a very different genre of celebrity; veteran basketball player Michael Jordan whose Air Jordan line of trainers for Nike currently holds the top spot for celebrity sneaker brands, generating approx $3 billion in sales each year. The first Air Jordans were launched in 1985 therefore whilst they remain popular they are now an established sneaker name and can no longer be described as having the cool factor.

Nike clearly recognizes this and in 2018 moved to tackle this conception through their sponsorship of Paris Saint Germain Football Club. This saw the football club be the first to wear Jordan merchandise and focused the advertising around their global superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe!

For Nike and Adidas the battle for footwear supremacy is continually ongoing and one that is the foundation of success for both businesses, especially with both pushing to grow their direct to consumer relationships. Nike might be the bigger company but through sponsorship and an improving 'cool' factor, Adidas is clearly closing the gap.

... Read More

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Adidas or Nike? Which Retail Giant is Winning The Sneakers War?

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Trainers are big business, the global athletic shoe market was worth $58 billion in 2018 and is predicted to rise to $88 billion by 2024. With such a market size it's a lucrative market for sports brands and is keenly contested for market share.

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- This helps advertise their app.
- The moving light advert is very eye-catching and is more interactive.

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- This helps Adidas' store become more of an experience.
- As they are a sport brand, the drinking fountains fit in perfectly as it gives a gym-like vibe to the shop.

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- This is a cleaver way for their shopping experience to be more immersive.
- It makes the customers stay in the shop for longer and therefore are more likely to buy items.
- It also helps nike know what kind of customer they are by using cookies on their WiFi, this helps to subconsciously sell them items from Nike.

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- Nike is become much more eco friendly as they now recycle shoes. This helps encourage their customer to give in their old shoes to be made into new ones.
- This also helps the younger generations to be more conscious about the fashion cycle and to be more aware about how they get rid of their old shoes.

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- Nike is becoming more technically advanced with they QR Codes which either link to their app, or it links to their website which tells their audience more information.
- This helps engage their audience more and makes it more of an interactive experience.
- This is perfect for their target market which are the younger generations who are constantly using technology.

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- Brands such as Prada, Burberry, Versace, Michael Kors, Armani, and Stella McCartney have all taken a stand against using real fur.
- More than 100,000 marine animals die as a result of micro plastics
- By 2050, the ocean is expected to contain more plastic than fish.

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Is Faux Fur Better for the Environment Than Real Fur?

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As real fur makes its way out of mainstream fashion, experts and activists weigh in on just how sustainable faux really is.

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- Each time we wash our clothes, hundreds of thousands of tiny microfibers of plastic come off of them.

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You probably clicked on this article because you care about the ocean. And good for you. (Seriously - that's great.) But, in case you don't have the whole recycling thing down to a science yet, we're here to tell you how you can shop consciously without funky packaging, itchy fabrics, or a "Save the Whale" t-shirt.

At The Business of Fashion's VOICES conference in November, consultant and sustainability advocate Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff reminded us that 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans each year, and that we use 1 million plastic bags per minute. More alarming stats: Of those 8 million tons, 236,000 tons are micro-plastics, which are smaller than your fingernail; by 2050, it's expected there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish; there are several masses of plastic that float across the oceans, like one between Hawaii and California that is twice the size of Texas. And, at some point in our lives, we'll consume fish that has digested plastic microfibers.

Now that we've gotten your attention, we're also here to remind you how big a role fashion plays in this mounting crisis, and which brands are trying to fix it. Various forms of plastic, like polyester, acrylic, and nylon, make up about 60% of our clothes. And each time we wash our clothes, hundreds of thousands of tiny microfibers of plastic come off of them - like lint - and make their way to the sewage system, which is then dumped into the ocean. Plastic, by the way, takes hundreds of years to degrade. But there are solutions.

It's a big undertaking, then, for any fashion brand to focus its sustainability efforts on the ocean. But more and more labels are choosing to regardless. Take PrimaLoft, Inc., for example, a company that produces insulation and fabrics used in outdoor clothing and workout gear that has developed an award-winning biodegradable fiber. It can biodegrade within a year, while polyester remains nearly completely intact. And then there are brands like Everlane, who just this year announced their ReNew collection, a line of virgin plastic-free clothes, along with its commitment to stop using virgin plastic (the opposite of recycled plastic) in their supply chain by 2021.

For your consideration, we've rounded up some of our favorite fashion brands that've made giant leaps toward cleaning up their production processes and protecting our oceans from harmful, and mostly invisible, fibers. Yes, these brands are cool (and sure, some are a little bit expensive) but the difference between these labels and mainstream retailers is that they also draw creative inspiration from the ocean - they just don't hurt it in return.

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Care About The Oceans? Shop These Brands

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You probably clicked on this article because you care about the ocean. And good for you. (Seriously - that's great.) But, in case you don't have the whole recycling thing down to a science yet, we're here to tell you how you can shop consciously without funky packaging, itchy fabrics, or a "Save the Whale" t-shirt.

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- "Consumers are being duped into buying real animal fur."
- How to tell the difference
- Customers are being sold lies

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Fashion's obsession with fur means it's everywhere - luxuriously soft pom-poms perching on top of woolly hats, dangling from scarves and handbags, even hanging off keyrings. But can you tell whether the bobble on your new hat is made from fake fur or the real thing?

Most embellishments are made from faux fur - synthetic fibres designed to look and feel like animal fur - and sold as such.

But the "tragically cheap" cost of real fur means that is not always the case and people who think they are wearing fake fur may not be.

There has not been a fur farm in the UK since they were banned in 2003, but it's not illegal to wear fur.

Some shoppers however, cite ethical reasons for not buying it.

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"We know the vast majority of British people don't want to buy fur ethically and morally, but we are seeing an increase in it on our streets,' says Claire Bass, director of Humane Society International UK.

"Consumers are being duped into buying real animal fur."

She adds: "Fur is tragically so cheap. It can be produced for the same or less than the cost of fake fur."

As part of an awareness campaign, the charity carried out laboratory tests on three items being sold as faux fur this winter, and found them to be made of mink, fox and rabbit.

Most high street stores have fur-free policies, but adornments and trims from rabbits, dogs, raccoons, foxes and minks are appearing on clothes sold on market stalls, by smaller independent retailers and online.

Often the sellers themselves do not know it is real fur, says Ms Bass, and it is assumed to be fake.

How to spot the difference...

Separate the fur at the base. If it's fake, you will see the fabric webbing. If it's real, it will be attached to skin

The burn test: Clip off the tip of the fibres and set light to them. If they melt like plastic, it's fake. If they singe and smell of burning hair, it's real

And how NOT to spot the difference

The price: It is so cheap to produce real fur in China, for example, that it can be cheaper than the fake stuff

By touch: Today's fake fur can be of such good quality that it can be difficult to tell them apart

Read the label: Complicated labelling rules are often flouted and the label only has to reflect 80% of the item's composition so a fur trim may be omitted. Labelling laws do not apply to accessories such as shoes and handbags

'You don't want a raccoon pom-pom on your daughter's head'

David, a management consultant from Kent, bought a bobble hat for his 19-month-old daughter from Amazon Marketplace.

He and his wife, pregnant with their second child, had seen the cute pom-pom hats at Christmas fairs so when they spotted one online, they clicked 'buy'.

"It was £9 so I thought it's got to be fake fur for that price."

But, when it arrived, directly from China, their pet terrier "went wild for it", he said.

"You can see the skin at the base of the pom-pom, and the hair at the root was fluffy."

The labelling held no clues, but a closer look at the small print in the online product description revealed it was raccoon fur.

He complained to Amazon that it had been categorised as faux fur, and received a full refund.

"We are not fussed about the cost," he said.

"It's annoying - the dog goes wild, my wife is allergic to some furs and you just don't want a raccoon pom-pom on your daughter's head."

The Humane Society International UK wants to see 100% accurate labelling and description on products, and a ban on all fur imports.

"If we consider it cruel to produce it here, we should not be paying fur farms overseas to produce it," says Ms Bass.

The charity believes that leaving the EU may be an opportunity for a total ban. Until now the UK - under World Trade Organisation rules - has not been able to ban imports of products still produced by some EU member states.

But in post-Brexit Britain the government could write into UK law a ban on all fur, not just cat, dog and seal, as current EU law states.

The British Fur Trade Association, which represents the UK's fur sector, supports HSI's call for correct and truthful labelling.

"It's a bit curious that anyone would want to hide the fact that they are using this beautiful product [animal fur], that adds luxury and value," the association's chief executive Mike Moser said.

He said real fur was more popular in the UK than it had been for decades, citing a study by Copenhagen University which found UK fur sales had doubled in the last five years.

The industry was pushing for better animal welfare in European fur farms, he said, and people were beginning to realise that some of the propaganda around the fur trade might not be true.

Labour MP Kerry McCarthy said there was "a lot of public concern that we are importing cruelty and that fur can be mislabelled".

"Customers have a right to know what they are buying, and want assurances that the UK will not be complicit in such unnecessary suffering," she added.

What to do if you have been mis-sold fur

Alert the store where you bought it. Most high street shops do not sell real fur but if the proper checks are not made, it can slip through the net

Take it to your local trading standards office which can investigate the seller for unfair trading

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Faux fur or real - do you know what you're wearing?

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Fashion's obsession with fur means it's everywhere - luxuriously soft pom-poms perching on top of woolly hats, dangling from scarves and handbags, even hanging off keyrings. But can you tell whether the bobble on your new hat is made from fake fur or the real thing?

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- Iconic 1920s coat, the fur collar wrap coat
- Oversized details: big collars, big cuffs, large buttons, huge pockets, and matching belts
- Neutral dark colours such as blue, brown, maroon, grey and hunter green.

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1920s Coats, Furs, Jackets and Capes History

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The history of women’s fashion coats and jackets. Fur collars, cocoon shapes, blazer jackets, leather jackets, capes, and matching dress jackets.

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- The inner layer has the fur turned inwards towards the body, while the fur of the outer layer is turned outwards. Warm air is trapped between the two layers of clothing and the body, providing excellent insulation against the cold.

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Inuit clothing | The Arctic (article) | Khan Academy

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If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

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"A serious lesson," Mary J. Blige said in her Billboard cover story a couple of years ago, is "learning how to love yourself even more to another level, where you don't expect or need anybody to make you feel good about yourself."

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- Some view fur as luxurious and warm
- Controversy exists regarding the wearing of fur coats, due to animal cruelty concerns
- popular fur in the 1960s were blond mink, silver striped fox and red fox.

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Fur clothing is clothing made of furry animal hides. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used as hominids first expanded outside Africa. Some view fur as luxurious and warm; however, others reject it due to moral beliefs.

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Give (fake) fur a chance
More. Animal. Prints. NOW.

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Image: michael putland/Getty Images

Step onto any train during a New York winter and you're likely to see a frozen mass of sad humans, silent as they're consumed by their ravenous, head-to-toe black puffers.

It wasn't always this way. Back in the '80s, people were miserable and fashionable. Teenagers as well as their rad moms weren't scared of using color or trashy animal prints. In the Reagan era, you could still somehow see glimpses of real human bodies behind layers of coat and fabric.

This was the decade of the polka dot earmuffs, and we are all the better for it today.

The '80s left a legacy - you can thank that generation for the fake fur on the hood of your coat. It's now time for us to indulge our deepest nostalgic desires and bring back the best of '80s winter wear.

Our eyeballs are depending on us.

1. Let's reintroduce the 1980s Triple Fat Goose

Triple Fat Goose jackets from the '80s were so much more fun than modern day geese. They puffed, but within reason, and featured bodacious primary colors, perfect for grody to the max winter landscapes.

2. Give (fake) fur a chance

Fur peaked in the '80s - that is, before PETA stepped in and (rightly) told us that we were all committing murder. Cultural excess and trashy new money luxury are wonderful. Full faux fur coats should be a winter wardrobe requirement.

3. More. Animal. Prints. NOW.

Image: Ted Polhemus/PYMCA/REX/Shutterstock

Killing animals = bad. Copying and pasting their patterns = incredibly good.

4. ¡Sí se puede acid washed jean jacket!

Acid washed jean jackets only make sense as winter jackets if you live in a superior climate. Still, sew some warm fleece lining in there and you'll immediately transform into the 1980s working class rebel you always dreamed you should be.

5. Bright colors, big windbreakers, that's where I want to go ...

Windbreakers are much more of a fall jacket, but in the pre-global warming/extreme weather era, they could also function occasionally during winter. They were obnoxiously loud and way more interesting to look at than any one of the gray peacoats you inherited from your mom.

5. Come back, come back, wherever you are mini-trench coats!

Trench coats were a hallmark of the '70s and the '80s. No other coat was so uniquely skilled at storing black market Rolexes.

6. Anyone who's anyone must obtain a Snorkel Parka

Orange lining and fake fur trims were the defining characteristic of the 1980s snorkel parka. 2018 would be a whole lot less depressing if we had far flashier lining (and a way less fascist president), IMHO.

7. Time to bust out that sweet '80s ski jacket lewk

Your seasonal depression will melt away once you've blinded yourself with an '80s neon turquoise ski jacket.

8. We demand leather bombers

You don't have to go that hard on the patches to make leather bombers work, but a little corniness goes a long way toward your happiness.

9. Member's Only jackets, it's time to come to our rescue

Stranger Things' Steve knows exactly how to dress for the cold, and that's with a super faddish 1980s Member's Only jacket.

Do not question Steve. Do not challenge his sartorial prescience. He is a creature of the '80s and binge-able television and is therefore, by definition, good.

Let's follow Steve's lead, throw on some Ray-Bans, and do everything we can to resurrect our shameless, indulgent, fluorescent, sparkling '80s selves.

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The 1980s were the golden age for winter coats

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Step onto any train during a New York winter and you're likely to see a frozen mass of sad humans, silent as they're consumed by their ravenous, head-to-toe black puffers. It wasn't always this way. Back in the '80s, people were miserable and fashionable.

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- Characters such as a Cruella Deville made a massive impact in society and made that style of coat popular.
- Other film stars made different shapes popular.
- Celebrities wearing fur coats in their down time made fur coats more casual.

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From Anna's cape in 'Frozen' to Kate Hudson's fur coat in 'Almost Famous,' these 12 pieces of outerwear made their leading ladies that much more unforgettable-plus, find out where you can snag the look yourself.

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- How the shape, material and trims have changed through time.

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1950s coats were beautifully constructed and varied slightly in styles, fabrics and design. Most coats were long, some coming all the way to the ankle and others just below the knee and others sat right around the hip. Typical fabrics included camel hair, wool velour, wool fleece, tweed, and fur or cashmere if you could afford it. Coats were often decorated with large buttons, belts or fur collars to add a little glamour to an otherwise simple design. Fur trimmings like beaver, lamb fur, astrakhan, and mink were all popular and a contrast lining on the inside was used to introduce interesting fashion features. 1950s coats and jackets usually were color coordinated with the rest of a woman's ensemble. Shop for 50s style coats here.

1950s Style Coats

Coats were usually either very fitted, semi-fitted, or full and swingy. The full coat was the most common style, although there was not a strict name for this style. For that matter, coat was not a common name in the '50s. Instead, they were called toppers or top coats. Duster coat, Pea Coat, Long Coat, Swing Coat, Pyramid coat, Princess Coat, and Bell Coat were all used to identify '50s full fitting coats. Full coats had wide sleeves, a triangular shape, large cuffs, and collars and usually large buttons, too. They came in long (to mid shin) or short (hip lengths). As we know, the fifties are synonymous with full skirts, and dresses and skirts with a fuller bottom were easily worn with a coat that had a straight slim style. Also, after the war we saw a boom in births, so coats that were swing style were very roomy and worked well for women who were pregnant. This was one more step a woman could take to be out in public without "showing" too much. This was a radical step at the time.

Much like the desired figure of the fifties, many vintage coats had belts that accented the waist and flared at the bottom. Sometimes known as the princess style, these coats were feminine and figure-hugging. Popular colors were royal blue, dark red, gray, hunter green, dusty rose, black, and tan. Some coat sleeves had wide cuffs at the end or large covered buttons to add some decoration. Coats had buttons up the front, usually from the waist to the neck or just from the chest to the neck, and collars came up high to protect the back of the neck. Coats without buttons were a wrap over style similar to a trench coat.

Many coats added pretty details with contrast stitching or embroidery, self-fabric belts, and decorative elaborate buttons. Most coats conveniently had hidden pockets. Coat collars came in all shapes and sizes, and some were made of fur. The round over-sized "peter pan" or "puritan style" collar was especially popular on 1950s coats. It helped make coats appear childlike or doll-like, which was the goal for women's 1950s fashion.

As for any well-groomed woman of the fifties, it's all about completing the look. That meant winter stockings, coordinating gloves, a matching hat, and usually a leather purse. A fur muff was borrowed from Victorian and earlier times and became a fashionable accessory to wear with furs or fur-trimmed coats (See photo under 1950s Fur Coats).

1950s Swing Coat

The swagger coat was neatly tailored and fit close to the body through the waist before widening at the bottom. It is the most common style available in repro and inspired 1950s clothing. Depending on the desired look, it usually had buttons from the chest to the waist or could be double breasted. Large pleats on the back added extra room for movement that "swung" as a woman walked, hence the swing coat name. Sometimes with a belt and sometimes without, this style of coat was very flattering and mimicked the same hourglass shape that was popular at the time. The idea was to mimic the dress that was worn underneath the coat. It was also a style borrowed from Victorian ice skating coats.

In reverse, the coat dress was inspired by the swagger coat. It was a dress with double-breasted rows of buttons on the bodice and a full swing skirt. This style was only worn in the fall and winter. Read more about the coat dress here.

1950s Box Coat

Another style is the box coat or half coat, which is arguably one of the most iconic styles of the 1940s and '50s. It hung very wide and straight, much like the shape of a box. They either hit at the bottom of a woman's hips or went all the way to mid-shin. The 1950s versions often had a fuller shape than the 1940s box coats. Large pleats at the back shoulder line created a swing coat-meets-box coat look.

Collars, pockets and buttons were large. Most came in solid colors: ivory/cream, black, blue, red, or brown. The only popular pattern available was checks.

1950s Lightweight Spring Coats

Many coats that came as coordinated sets with dresses were not heavy winter coats. Instead, they were lightweight Spring and Fall top coats that came in many names such as Clutch coat or Tuxedo coat. They often did not have pointed collars, but instead folded shawl collars that ran the length of the long coat. They were made of lightweight wools, cotton blends, and new synthetics.

Unlike winter coats, sleeves were cut full but not wide, folded up to mid arm, and the amount of "swing" at the back was minimal so that the coat hung straight over a dress. They hardly ever had buttons to hold them close, exposing the dress underneath and the matching lining found inside the coat. Decorative embroidery was more likely seen on fashion coats than on winter coats.

1950s Fur Coats

Fur coats were glamorous and dressier than the everyday coat (for most people). They were cut in the same shapes as other coats of the fifties. The box coat and swagger style looked best with thick fox, sable, and seal fur. Faux furs were an option for the less affluent, as was cheap squirrel and marmot dyed to look like sable. Sleeves were wide and open and collars were high and closed with a longer hair fur piece trimming the collar. To keep with the simple and polished style of fur coats, only two or three buttons or clasps kept the coat closed. Some box styles only had a single clasp at the neckline. Pockets were hidden slashes on the coat sides. The beauty (and wealth) of the woman must be showcased through her 1950s fur coat!

While most fur coats were full length or at least hip length, a few came in shorter waist length styles. The cape coat, popular in the 1940s, remained common into the 1950s as well. Coats like this short fur Diamond brand coat (right) became increasingly popular in the late '50s and '60s when styles favorited the slim sheath dress rather than the full circle dress.

For those who could not afford a full coat, fur stoles, muffs and shawls were a popular alternative. Fur trim on short or long jackets also added a touch of richness without the shocking price tag.

1950s Rain Coats

1950s raincoats were no longer just utilitarian and plain. They now came in fun patterns, such as the rain umbrellas in the below ad. They were made of a cotton + synthetic blended fabric for light waterproofing. Some were made of plastic (clear, color or patterned) that fit like a poncho hood and an elastic or wrap belt. Non-rubberized raincoats existed in the form of waterproof tweed, corduroy and gabardine fabrics with an optional zip-in lining for warmth.

1950s raincoats mostly came in trench coat style with a single or double breast and belt. They often had matching hats, too. The above are Jockey style hats, while most others were detached hoods with the brim folded back (or not when raining). Popular colors were bright red, navy blue, medium blue, turquoise, and grey.

For the rebellious youth and especially art students, the trend was to wear black raincoats. These also became associated with prostitutes, although I don't know why. "Good women" chose brighter colors (pink, turquoise, red, yellow) and avoided dark colors, which were hard to be seen in the rain anyways. Read more details about vintage raincoats.

1950s Winter Jackets

While the most fashionable coat was the long coat or half coat, there were numerous needs for less formal, but very practical winter jackets called surcoats. Surcoat jackets were worn paired with long skirts or pants and were reserved for cold climates with excessive rain and snow. While useful, they were not entirely void of styles. Hip length, with tie belts and point or round collars, were trademarks of the '50s. They came in warm quilted lined flannel, cotton or fur insides with leather, faux leather, tweed or corduroy exteriors.

Less winter friendly jackets had a fashionable style all of their own. Many were influenced by western styles and featured fringe leather, plaid patterns, and leather or suede looking materials. The corduroy western blazer was adopted from menswear as well as some 40s styles. It was smart, casual, and paired well with slacks or a plain skirt.

The yellow " motorcycle " jacket below, top, right, was another style borrowed from menswear. It usually came in a colorful leather but could also be made of cotton poplin or gabardine, just like a men's bomber jacket. It was lighter in weight and usually worn in spring in classic men's colors: navy, red, blue, or green.

The poodle jacket was a fuzzy winter crop jacket with a wrap over design. It had large dolman sleeves and a narrow waistband. It looked best paired with suits and pencil dresses.

Coat shopping advice from the 1950s - Buying women's coats and suits (circa 1954) eBook online.

1950s Style Coats for Sale

Every winter, a handful of vintage reproduction jackets and long coats are sold. They are more fashionable than warm for very cold climates, so I prefer looking for vintage or classic coats and jackets in more durable materials such as trench coats, tweed jackets, wool overcoats, and suede bomber jackets. Adding a faux fur collar can instantly transform a classic coat into a vintage treasure. Shop 50s style coats and jackets.

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1950s coats were beautifully constructed and varied slightly in styles, fabrics and design. Most coats were long, some coming all the way to the ankle and others just below the knee and others sat right around the hip. Typical fabrics included camel hair, wool velour, wool fleece, tweed, and fur or cashmere if you could afford it.

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LONDON, United Kingdom - Last year, the global fashion industry produced 114 billion pieces of clothing. Americans consume more than 20 billion garments per year, or 64 items per person every year. These are mostly cheap, disposable clothes, manufactured in enormous quantities, using a vast amount of natural resources, often by workers toiling away in unconscionable conditions at a huge social and environmental cost.

This fundamentally extractive model, decades in the making, is now being put to the ultimate test by the coronavirus crisis, which has crushed consumer demand and already put millions of workers out of work, from the factory floor to retail stores, making plain their longstanding suffering, all against the looming threat of a climate emergency rendered so vivid in catastrophic wildfires in California and Australia just a few months ago.

Fashion is now one of the world's most destructive business sectors, alongside energy and transportation. No longer able to hide behind aspirational marketing campaigns, its secret is out in the open, catching the attention of government regulators, consumers and a growing group of stakeholders who are holding the industry to account.

While the pandemic didn't create the current crisis in fashion, it most definitely accelerated it. Plenty of fashion companies and retailers will not see the other side. But for those planning for long-term survival, they must take greater responsibility in overhauling a business model that is fundamentally rooted in the exploitation of both people and our planet.
A People Business, a Finite Planet
Fashion is one of the largest employers in the world, with more than 100 million people working in factories, creative studios, boardrooms and shop floors. The majority of these workers are women and girls, many of whom are working as artisans, garment workers and textile weavers in the Global South. The Global Slavery Index estimates that 40 million people are living in modern slavery and many of these work in the supply chains of international fashion brands.

But the problem doesn't stop there. For years, fashion companies have relied on outmoded business models with a linear "take-make-dispose" approach, where value creation is maximised by producing and selling as many products as possible. And this model applies at all ends of the fashion spectrum, from luxury to fast fashion.

Continuing to produce this many garments, and then throwing them away, is beyond what finite planetary boundaries will allow. More than 70 percent of clothes still end up in a landfill. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, "an estimated $500 billion value is lost every year due to clothing being barely worn and rarely recycled. If nothing changes, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world's carbon budget."
How to Build a Responsible Fashion Business
They say it is during a crisis that our values are really tested. Over the past few months, scores of international fast fashion brands have cancelled orders and frozen payments to sub-contracted factories in India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, leaving millions of people destitute. Brands including Arcadia (Topshop), , JC Penney, Primark and Urban Outfitters are being tracked by the Workers Rights Consortium, which says they have not committed to pay in full for orders completed and already in production.

The ensuing economic and social crisis is breaking open stark inequalities in the fashion system, one in which huge global corporations are placing the burden of a once-in-a-lifetime crisis on those who are least able to afford it. As the Financial Times' Tim Harford argues, we must find solutions to "reduce emissions, restore natural ecosystems and sustain human flourishing and freedoms."

Part of the answer may lie in what some business leaders call " stakeholder capitalism," the idea that responsible businesses should serve the interests of a wider set of stakeholders. They invest in their employees, protect the environment and deal fairly and ethically with their suppliers.

The Business Roundtable of almost 200 CEOs of publicly-traded US companies recently redefined the purpose of a corporation. "Many Americans are struggling. Too often hard work is not rewarded, and not enough is being done for workers to adjust to the rapid pace of change in the economy. If companies fail to recognise that the success of our system is dependent on inclusive long-term growth, many will raise legitimate questions about the role of large employers in our society," they wrote in a statement released last August.

Only one American fashion or retail executive, Macy's Inc CEO Jeff Gennette, has signed on to the letter, but apparel companies like Patagonia have pioneered this approach in fashion, demonstrating that this stakeholder-focused model can work. Not only does it create economic value, it lowers costs, spurs innovation and drives employee engagement and retention.

I hope you enjoy our new BoF Professional special edition, Can Fashion Clean Up Its Act?, which in these unprecedented times, comes in place of our regular Spring print issue.

Over the coming month, follow our series of in-depth analyses, podcasts and digital events laying out the scale of the challenge ahead of us.

It will take visionary leadership, imagination and collaboration to create a more just, inclusive and sustainable fashion industry. This will require allocating investments even now, when budgets are tight. We also need effective government policy, alignment from fashion educators, concerted commitments and actions by fashion companies to address carbon impact and workers' rights across the entire value chain, and a new lexicon for engaging with customers in an honest way that excites them about a more responsible fashion industry. Nothing will be easy or straightforward, but we need it now more than ever.

Imran Amed, Founder and Editor-in-Chief

BoF Professional Special Edition: Can Fashion Clean Up Its Act? As the world grapples with an unprecedented public health and economic crisis, exposing deep-rooted social inequality as a climate emergency looms, the fashion industry must learn to respect both people and the planet. It's time for fashion to build a more responsible business model. Explore the full special edition here.
1. Can Fashion Clean Up Its Act?
2. Will Fashion Ever Be Good for the World? Its Future May Depend on It
3. How to Avoid the Greenwashing Trap
4. Luxury Brands Have a 'Respect Deficit' with Indian Artisans
5. Investing in the Sustainability Sisterhood
6. Why Luxury Came to the Rescue
7. The BoF Podcast | Jochen Zeitz on the Power of Fashion to Drive Sustainable Change
and more.
The BoF Professional Summit: How To Build a Responsible Fashion Business
On June 17 2020, we will gather leading global experts, entrepreneurs and activists in sustainability, ethical supply chains and workers' rights for a half-day programme of interactive conversations, panel discussions and workshops on building a responsible business, led by BoF's expert editors and correspondents. Space is limited. Register now to reserve your spot.

If you are not a member, you can take advantage of our 30-day trial to experience all of the benefits of a BoF Professional membership.

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Special Edition: Can Fashion Clean Up Its Act?

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As the world grapples with an unprecedented public health and economic crisis, exposing deep-rooted social inequality as a climate emergency looms, the fashion industry must learn to respect both people and the planet. It's time for fashion to build a more responsible business model.

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Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer Hirdaramani stitches a Smart Quality Management System

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38,000+ Jobs in North West Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom (2,192 new)

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Today's 38,000+ jobs in North West Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom. Leverage your professional network, and get hired. New North West Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom jobs added daily.

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Right Item, Right Place, Right Time: NCR Inventory & Replenishment Solutions

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Fabrics Made From Fruits and Vegetables | Eco-Age

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From orange skin silk to plastic buttons from potatoes, discover the most innovative materials on the market made from fruit and vegetable fibres.

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Finding the perfect pair of jeans can be an arduous journey⁠-from fit and cut to length, there are many boxes to be checked. But once the Goldilocks has been found, there is no going back. It will stay with you for many years, seasons, and stains. Needless to say, there's nothing like a good pair of denim jeans. And what about finding sustainable jeans and ethical denim? Here's why it's worth the hunt.

The cotton-based fabric is one of the most used materials in the world. It is estimated that the value of the jeans market worldwide is approximately $110 billion USD. Sadly, denim can have a substantial environmental and human cost. Cotton is known to be a thirsty crop⁠-according to one report, blue water (irrigation) consumption of cotton lint sits at a global average of about 1,900 litres per kilogram. On top of that, pesticides and synthetic chemical dyes can lead to extensive water pollution. It is estimated that 70% of Asia's rivers and lakes are contaminated by the 2.5 billion gallons of wastewater produced by the textile industry which disproportionately affects local communities who rely on these rivers for drinking and bathing.

Although many brands continue to participate in this detrimental process, others are stepping up and innovating. There are ethical brands going above and beyond to create better, more sustainable denim options. So without further ado, here is our guide to sustainable jeans and ethical denim.

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The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Jeans and Ethical Denim

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Finding the perfect pair of jeans can be an arduous journey⁠-from fit and cut to length, there are many boxes to be checked. But once the Goldilocks has been found, there is no going back. It will stay with you for many years, seasons, and stains.

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The State of Fashion 2021 Report: Finding Promise in Perilous Times | The Business of Fashion

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Rubicon: Software Company Offering Smart Waste and Recycling Solutions

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We've all looked back at photos and thought... what was I wearing? What was once trendy quickly becomes a fashion faux pas we regret later in life. Leisure suits and layered t-shirts. Dresses and skirts were worn over jeans. And don't forget that awkward era of bucket hats and head-to-toe denim.

Season after season trends change. And so do our clothes. On average, Americans toss out an average of 81 pounds of clothing every year. While you may have gotten that new sweater on a discount, we're all ultimately paying a much higher price.

Keep reading to learn more about the fashion waste cluttering our closets and our garbage bins, as well as 14 facts about sustainable fashion that will surprise you. It's time we make sustainable fashion the trend for every season.

Why Sustainable Fashion Matters

Fashion waste comes from a variety of issues, but one of the biggest culprits is the movement toward " fast fashion ." This term refers to clothes made cheaply and quickly to meet demands around new styles. These clothes are typically so poorly made that you'll toss them out right along with the trend. This leads to long-lasting environmental issues.

When we focus on sustainable fashion, we'll see benefits across the world.
Effects of Fashion Waste

Microfibers from fabrics wind up in the ocean and threaten aquatic life

Clothes made of synthetic fibers don't break down - adding to our landfills

Making clothes generates an increased use of toxins and pesticides

The push to be trendy and on-style leads to quickly and poorly made clothing

14 Fashion Waste and Sustainability Facts

Fact 1: The apparel and footwear industries account for a combined estimate of 8% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions , and fashion is the third highest-polluting industry in the world.

Fact 3: If we keep this up, by 2050 the fashion industry could use more than 26 percent of the "carbon budget" associated with a 2 o C pathway (a long-term goal to limit global warming to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels).

Fact 5: It's estimated that less than 1 percent of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into something more. That's about a loss of 100 billion USD worth of materials every year.

How You Can Make Sustainability Stylish

One of the biggest drivers of fast fashion - and its associated waste - is the consumer. After all, no one wants to be stuck wearing outdated outfits. But if you extend the life of your clothes by just months, you can reduce the environmental impact by as much as 30 percent. By getting creative with your closet, you can make a difference.

What You Can Do To Reduce Fashion Waste

Host a Clothing Swap: Get your neighbors, coworkers, and friends to bring over clothes they're no longer interested in wearing and do a "swap." This helps extends the lifecycle of the clothing (and it's fun).

Shop Smart: When you do go shopping, start at consignment and thrift stores before buying new. Find ethical and sustainable brands to support new wardrobes.

Tailor to Your Style: Focus less on what's trending or what's on discount. Take the time to figure out your own personal style and find clothes you'll love to wear again and again.

Rent, Reuse, Recycle: More and more brands are moving to clothing subscriptions so you can rent new clothes rather than purchase. This allows you to change up your style without adding to the landfill.

Quality over Quantity: Downsize your wardrobe and be sure to donate or sell the items you no longer need! Having a minimalist closet can help you focus on buying less and choosing well-made and longer-lasting clothes.

Want to learn more about sustainable fashion? Listen to our Town Haul Podcast episodes with Eco-Fashion Pioneer Marci Zaroff and Brooklyn's Zero Waste Daniel !

And if you're looking for more information on sustainable brands, check out Fabrik's guide on green branding.

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14 Facts About Sustainable Fashion That Will Blog Your Mind | Rubicon

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We've all looked back at photos and thought... what was I wearing? What was once trendy quickly becomes a fashion faux pas we regret later in life. Leisure suits and layered t-shirts. Dresses and skirts were worn over jeans. And don't forget that awkward era of bucket hats and head-to-toe denim.

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For lovers of luxury, there's no need to avoid resale sites. Cudoni are the UK's leading premium luxury fashion and goods resale service, who treat every client as a VIP and make the entire process a breeze - from complimentary collection from a location of your choice, to opening up a discourse with you about data-driven valuation, photographing the product and going on to sell it. They also achieve a sales price that is on average 30% higher than if you were to sell the same item independently.

Teaming up with non-profit organisation Parley, Adidas last year sold more than 1 million pairs of shoes from recycled ocean plastic, with each preventing about 11 plastic bottles from the possibility of entering our oceans. They have created a material trademarked 'Ocean Plastic', which is made entirely from plastic intercepted on beaches and in coastal communities.

Another shoe brand doing brilliant things is sustainable label Allbirds. The first fashion brand to have labelled all its products with a carbon output - taking into consideration materials, development, manufacturing, and end of life - Allbirds encourages accountability and inspires businesses, as well as consumers, to commit to a low carbon future.

How can I champion sustainability?

For such an important question, the answer is very simple - shop from labels and collections that support sustainability. That way you can fuel your love for new trends without supporting the production of damaging, unrecyclable materials.

Other ways would be to adopt a charity shop habit and buy pre-loved clothing (a great way to snap up 'vintage' pieces without the price tag of London's edgiest vintage stores).
So now you've read up on the brands to know, scroll down to shop our favourite sustainable buys to get your hands on right now...

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This is why you need to pay attention to sustainable fashion (and the brands you should know about)

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For lovers of luxury, there's no need to avoid resale sites. Cudoni are the UK's leading premium luxury fashion and goods resale service, who treat every client as a VIP and make the entire process a breeze - from complimentary collection from a location of your choice, to opening up a discourse with you about data-driven valuation, photographing the product and going on to sell it.

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Digital Magazine: February 2021 - Drapers

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With a third physical buying season all but cancelled, our bumper February issue contains a 40-page buying guide for autumn/winter 21. As we look forward

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- JLP has realised what they need to do to keep their customers and stay up to date. They have got a clear set goal on how to achieve the targets by 2035.
- One of the main areas they are working on is the customer experience as that is what they are known for.
- Another thing they are working on is their VR and making their online presence much bigger and known.

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John Lewis Partnership - Waitrose and John Lewis set out bold plans to reach more customers

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- How they are going to be zero carbon by 2035. This includes Waitrose - where they get their food from.

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ASOS profits surge due an increase in customer demand 

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ASOS profits surge due an increase in customer demand 

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- As ASOS offers such a huge range of products for a wide range of customers, families might be ordering all their clothes from ASOS as it is a one stop shop.
- Their next day free delivery helps increase demand as people are impatient, especially when customers don't have the choice to go out to the shops to buy immediately.

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Asos profits surge thanks to lockdown spending

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Total sales at Asos Plc grew by 19 percent to 3,263.5 million pounds and profit before tax increased to 142.1 million pounds, an increase of 109 million pounds for the year to August 31, 2020. The company said in a statement that active customer base grew by 3.1million to 23.4 million, up 15 percent from the previous year. EBIT for the year increased 116 million pounds to 151.1 million pounds and equated to a margin of 4.6 percent, up 330bps year on year.

Commenting on the annual trading results, Nick Beighton, Asos CEO, said: "After a record first half which saw us make progress in addressing the performance issues of the previous financial year, the second half will always be defined by our response to Covid-19. I am proud of the way ASOS met this challenge head on, putting our duty to act as a responsible business at the heart of our approach and working to balance our performance in that context."

Asos posts growth across markets

The company's retail sales in the UK grew by 18 percent to 1,175.9 million pounds during the year and Asos now has over seven million active customers in the UK and saw growth of over 30 percent in premier subscriptions this year.

In the EU, retail sales growth for the year was 22 percent as active customer base grew 18 percent. In the US, the company added 0.3 million customers in the first half and sales growth of 25 percent was supported by better conversion and strong order growth. Performance in the second half slowed as this region experienced the most severe disruption from Covid-19.

Retail sales in Rest of the World territory grew 18 percent in the year. Australia grew at over 20 percent this year despite the disruption from bush fires and the challenges experienced with fulfilment owing to airfreight restrictions. The MENA region continued to perform extremely well during the year, with Saudi Arabia witnessing growth of over 50 percent.

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Total sales at Asos Plc grew by 19 percent to 3,263.5 million pounds and profit before tax increased to 142.1 million pounds, an increase of 109 million pounds for the year to August 31, 2020. The company said in a statement that active customer

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M&S 'will not become a department store’

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- Reading this made me realise how fashionable conscious & other Stories is. They are really trying to keep their environmental impact low by using material such as organic cotton. I will definitely try to use this in my project.

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Green Machine recycles polycotton

Cracking the code for recycling mixed fabrics like polyester and cotton blends on an industrial scale has long baffled the experts. Until now. The ground-breaking Green Machine - devised by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), supported by the non-profit H&M Foundation - is showing fashion brands how recycling polycotton can work for them. As part of the Foundation's mission, the technology is made to share and will be licensed free - helping the whole fashion industry go circular.

Circular & Climate Positive

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Cracking the code for recycling mixed fabrics like polyester and cotton blends on an industrial scale has long baffled the experts. Until now. The ground-breaking Green Machine - devised by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), supported by the non-profit H&M Foundation - is showing fashion brands how recycling polycotton can work for them.

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Click here to get this post in PDF
Although many businesses are facing struggles on the high street, QUIZ seems to be stronger than ever. Could this be down to the number of its concessions rather than physical stores? Read on, as we compare the success of concession stores with regular standing shops and discuss if one is more successful than the other and why.

Understanding high street stores

When you're setting up a business, many people will immediately consider high street stores. They're in some of the biggest towns and cities and are therefore accessible to thousands of people each day. But, almost 6,000 stores closed on high streets in 2017 across the pond, with many brands blaming the rise of internet shopping for their demise. Analysis of the UK's top 500 towns, carried out by the Local Data Company (LDC) for PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that, while an average of 11 stores opened each day in 2017, 16 per day closed down (not including independent shops). The report determined that it was the fashion and footwear stores that were hardest hit in 2017 and that spending in these areas had fallen by around 2% over the last two years.

Investigating concessions

In the past, concessions were solely used by high-end brands - but now, everyone is getting involved. A retail concession is basically a shop within a shop and it usually involves the process of one company selling its products in a host department store. Talking about the switch towards the concessions model, former President and CEO of The Body Shop and Monsoon, Peter Ridler, explained: "What's accelerating this change is that the standalone store model is no longer sustainable due to increases in payroll/rents and the lack of footfall on our high streets. And of course, the flight to online has left retailers with an excess of space. What do you fill it with? Complementary brands. "

There is little risk when it comes to operating a concession. Rents are lower and there are fewer costs associated with dressing a concession stand than kitting out a full store. There are lower numbers of staff and footfall can increase because of the reputation of the department store or surrounding concessions. Ted Baker's wholesale licensing and international model means that it has significantly more concessions than high-street shops. In 2017, it announced a lift in sales and profit, whilst reporting to have 237 concessions around the world.

As well as this, it's easier to market new products to consumers. When customers come over to the concession, their impressions of the new service can be judged before it is rolled out on a wider scale. One example of this was the Smartech concession in London's Oxford Street Selfridges. Smartech expanded its concession space to showcase new tech products such as a robot that can serve coffee to visiting customers. Smartech is also a great example of how concessions can expand, similar to physical stores. This business started as a 7sqm Selfridges' concession in 2016 before increasing its space to 100 sqm in 2018.

Quiz Clothing, despite the rise of online shopping, is opening new stores frequently. The chief commercial officer at the fashion retailer, Sheraz Ramzan, said: "Stores and concessions in the UK continue to play an important part in our strategy to expand QUIZ by driving sales, building awareness and showcasing the brand. Our stores not only showcase the brand and the product but as a true omnichannel business model, the customer can shop in a way that suits them, whether that's online, in-store or via concessions." QUIZ operates an omnichannel business where it sells its products through a range of platforms including stand-alone stores, department stores, international franchises, and online channels. It looks like this multi-faceted strategy could be the way forward.

Some brands may find it difficult to set up a concession though. The customer of both the host department store and the concession must be similar and the product range must be appropriate. Visual merchandising is important to bear in mind too, as companies strive to get their concession noticed over others in the department store - although, it's rare that these will be in direct competition with each other. Although we've said that the relationship between the concession and the host must be appropriate, it may not be obvious. Iceland announced in August 2018 that it would begin to sell its frozen foods through concessions in The Range, for example. Talking about the partnership, The Range founder Chris Dawson said that the "exciting" partnership will give customers "access to over 80,000 different products under one roof". It's clear to see that the customers are still at the forefront of any strategic alliance.

Suitable research and plans must be in place so that the business can operate on a smaller level and within a more limited space. It's not only beneficial to the brand implementing a concession, though. The model can also benefit the host store, as the process can help with rental costs and improve overall footfall.

Sources
http://www.unibox.co.uk/news-inspiration/retail-concessions https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/apr/11/tough-year-high-street-internet-shopping-weak-pound https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/03/23/ted-baker-defies-retail-gloom-rising-sales-profits/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/concession-stores-future-retail-stuart-hogg https://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/shares/2017/09/25/boardroom-talk-quiz-clothing/ https://www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/press-releases/store-openings-at-lowest-level-in-seven-years-as-digital-demands-and-appetite-for-experiences-continue-to-redefine-british-high-streets.html https://www.essentialretail.com/news/the-robots-are-coming-to-london/ https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2018/08/iceland-open-concessions-range/

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An Insight to Concessions vs High Street Stores - Business Partner Magazine

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Click here to get this post in PDF Although many businesses are facing struggles on the high street, QUIZ seems to be stronger than ever. Could this be down to the number of its concessions rather than physical stores?

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Growing wholesale distribution via department stores has been the most valuable path to brand growth for many years. Is that changing with multi-brand retailers in crisis across Europe and the US? How do retail concessions hold up as alternative?

Every week we are faced with a new bankruptcy of a retail chain that, only a decade ago, people could not believe the world could exist without. But with all the big names failing and with rising financial losses, is building retail concessions the more viable way to grow?

Wholesale Distribution vs. Retail Concessions

For many years there was no doubt that the best way to sell to department stores was wholesale. Department stores' buyers purchased pre-season from the brand's collection and, unless managed very poorly, many brands made a good gross margin in their department store deals. The retailer was responsible for the handling and selling of the merchandise.

Another option for the brand to get into a department store are retail concessions. In retail concessions, the brand operates like a tenant - they rent a specific space and pay the department store a percentage of their sales for the floor space. For many years this model was practised mostly in the UK and in Spain, and most often by luxury brands or rather new market-entry brands that were trying to buy themselves into a new country via an important local department store.

But with more and more multi-brand retailers going into financial crisis, the retail concession model became a popular brand growth strategy with its own attractiveness, but also risks.

Are Retail Concessions the Right Choice for Your Brand?

Jumping into a retail concession is not an overnight decision. It needs to be part of your strategic plan, as you will need to invest into a location and own personnel. Likewise, a brand won't want to operate retail concessions with a multi-brand retailer with a mediocre strategic perspective.

Growing via retail concessions comes with higher gross margins, but also at significantly higher cost, similar to the cost of your own brand stores in terms of staffing, furniture, and so on. And here comes the challenge. Retail concessions are most often smaller than own stores, and more complex to operate. A concession may also come with some restrictions by the hosting retailer, for example where dedicated window space, markdown management, store personnel or your own loyalty programme are concerned. Such restrictions may come into conflict with the brand's interests and would not occur in a stand-alone store.

And not least, retail concessions come with a binding legal obligation. In any case, the concession should be a win-win for both the retailer and the brand: a concession can bring the brand a more stable position within a department store, instead of awaiting a wholesale order every season.

How to Begin Building A Retail Concession

First, think carefully about how a symbiotic relationship with a multi-brand retailer can benefit your brand. This isn't a purely financial calculation, but also very much a strategic one. Consider, for instance, whether the retailer's strategy is aligned with your own brand's strategy and positioning. Will your brand flourish and attract more footfall in a retail concession?

Commodities are an ideal fit for the traditional wholesale model. They are easy to replenish and don't require much storytelling. But for most other categories it's much less straightforward. Moving away from the wholesale model means more control over distribution and pricing, strategy, as well as brand identity. But it also means a higher investment and thus an elevated risk. You will need to negotiate staff, location, data and branding. With retail concessions, the brand has more say on whether it wants to participate in loyalty programmes offered by the department store. While brands thus have more freedom than in the wholesale model, the retailer's audience needs careful consideration in making such decisions, as its perceptions can in turn affect how well a brand does within the store.

Although the reasons to enter into a retail concession are often very brand specific, the main ones include:

Entry to desirable retailer: Enjoying the foot traffic of a multi-brand environment while minimising the risks associated with operating own brand stores.

Better brand appeal: Increased profitability by improved brand presentation, wider assortment and knowledgeable staff.

Lack of expertise: Concessions in categories where the retailer lacks the necessary expertise, for example in fine jewellery or watches.

Introduction of experimental brands: Who can better relate the brand story to customers than the brand itself?

The future of current brick and mortar department store may be uncertain. But the multi-brand environment in its new form, a blend between online retail and the physical store, is definitely here to stay. With increasing rents and landlords asking for long-term commitments, brands are looking for alternatives, and 'online department stores' like Zalando are also embracing the concession model now.

A retail concession can offer brands a huge upside with all its features, but also includes risks. The agreement comes with a lot of fine print. Building a retail concession solely to avoid the much higher costs associated with opening an own brick and mortar store is a recipe for failure. It's all about creating partnerships for the right reasons.
About the Author Roosmarijn de Rooij is a strategy consultant in the fashion & lifestyle industry and focusses on process optimisation. She started off her career in finance and then worked in leading positions at a department store for several years before starting her own business. She is very passionate about restructuring brands and retailers to get them ready for the future. Read Roosmarijn's posts here or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Retail Concessions: Still Only Second Best To Wholesale Distribution?

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Every week we are faced with a new bankruptcy of a retail chain that, only a decade ago, people could not believe the world could exist without. But with all the big names failing and with rising financial losses, is building retail concessions the more viable way to grow?

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- Glamour magazine says it is selling out everywhere.
- It's so easy style with different looks.
- I have taken inspiration from this popular piece, but made it more appropriate for spring/summer, so instead of it being made from wool, it is made from cotton.

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Autumn has officially arrived, and with that comes a certain item of clothing we're seeing all over our social media feeds at the moment: the humble blazer.

Specifically, we can't seem to avoid this structured, woollen blazer in an oversized boyfriend fit with front pockets that seems to go with absolutely everything. We've seen it styled with baggy cargo pants, cropped jeans and tailored suit trousers and layered over midi dresses. It is the simplest and easiest way to instantly elevate your outfit and add polish.

And unsurprisingly, it's by everyone's favourite high street store, & Other Stories, whose 2020 update on last year's sell-out blazer might be their best layering piece yet. Translating the trends from the catwalk into easy-to-wear, effortless wardrobe staples, this hotly anticipated blazer is swiftly taking over Instagram so don't waste any time hopping on board the bandwagon.

Zara just launched its first-ever lingerie collection and our Fashion Editor wants every single piece

The & Other Stories Wool Blend Oversized Blazer, £135, was a big hit with fashion editors and influencers last season. This year, the same piece is back and has been given an update for 2020. More importantly, its price has dropped since last year so what are you waiting for?

We'll be wearing it this Autumn with our favourite boot cut jeans, a plain white tee and some box-fresh trainers, but it would also look great over a floral midi dress and some chunky boots. Or why not start stocking up on your spring/ summer dresses, and take inspiration from our fashion editor's pick of the top trends at fashion week? We think the & Other Stories green blazer would be a great contrast with this season's surge in bright-pink dresses, while its boxy silhouette would add structure to the new wave of puffball hems.

You better be quick though, as last time we checked the blazer is selling out fast.

Find out which other trends we'll all be obsessed with this Autumn here.

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Everyone is wearing this & Other Stories blazer on Instagram because it goes with literally everything

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Autumn has officially arrived, and with that comes a certain item of clothing we're seeing all over our social media feeds at the moment: the humble blazer. Specifically, we can't seem to avoid this structured, woollen blazer in an oversized boyfriend fit with front pockets that seems to go with absolutely everything.

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- This article says floral patterns are back in this season to remind people of the going back to nature trend. It seems that due to the pandemic people are getting used to having a more simpler life and therefore are going back to the basics and at one with nature.
- This article has helped push me to use floral patterns.

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rend scout Klaus Wagener: "In times of abundance, where almost everything was possible, the COVID 19 pandemic hit us and slowed down our usual life. Suddenly we had to accept restrictions and show consideration. This was not easy, and over time we realised that the meaning of life was often lost from view - we asked ourselves more often now, what do I really need to be happy? Is 'less' sometimes not even 'more'? We learned to live and consume much more consciously on the side. We suddenly have to be mindful of our fellow human beings, but also of nature, which is now suffering extremely and is threatening to slip out of balance. In the future, sustainability and honesty will play a major role in products and services. Tomorrow's consumers will scrutinise their consumption decisions much more than they have done in the past. This will increasingly shape the communication of companies. Fortunately, the floral and green sector with its nature-oriented assortments has the products of the future in its hands. We should recognise this as an opportunity and take it to the world with a well thought-out concept. The following 10 Floral Trends 2021 are a thematically prepared overview to all those who work in this sector and want to help shape it. I am looking forward to what lies ahead. Let's do this together!"

1. Sunny Days

Sunny yellow immediately brightens our spirit and it is the ideal mood-maker. Florists can make the sun rise with such room objects. It is quite demanding in terms of craftsmanship, but with the right materials, you can create the perfect design. Craspedia is one of them. These spherical blossoms dry perfectly. Many mini suns radiate permanently from this room installation. This way you can have a sunny day even when the sun is hiding behind the clouds.

2. Relax Zone

Taking a little time out, enjoying a cup of tea and letting our thoughts wander is what beautifully designed retreats at home offer us. Flowers are essential for such retreats and the feminine-looking clematis in particular is a prime example of beauty. And there are many other flowers that gently caress the soul and have a feel-good effect. Let the flowers do the talking!

3. Happy Home

The world of flowers is full of colour and in the "Happy Home" trend they dance full of joie de vivre through the space creatively created by florists. They love conviviality and are bursting with vitality. Everything seems very light and informal. It is a cheerful trend theme that fits perfectly into early summer. Let the flowers laugh and they will give us that little bit of happiness in the daily grind of life.

4. Earth Connected

New life always grows out of Mother Earth. An evolutionary cycle that brings forth an infinite variety. The earth's brown is the perfect background for luminous orange tones. In creative floral design, the materials sometimes nestle up against the basic forms of clay and loam and thus have an earthy effect. In this trend, arrangements full of harmony and humility are created.

5. Mystic Spring

Opposites are charming. Dark mystic tones are actually untypical for spring, but spring 2021 shows polarities. Perhaps it is also due to the "crazy pandemic year", where people were regularly shaken up and had to show a lot of flexibility. In times of crisis, the world becomes creative and one is more daring for new impulses. A little drama is necessary now.

6. Respect Nature

Nature is the most precious treasure there is in this world. Unfortunately, we humans do not always treat it with care. Yet our existence depends greatly on the well-being of nature and the plant world. It shows enormous flexibility and diversity, often even appears mysterious. Floral designers are particularly inspired by this and develop expressive green unique pieces in the trendy "botanical style". Allow us to see the green world with more appreciation.

7. New Ikebana

Floral design offers the opportunity to break out of the hectic pace of everyday life and to devote oneself to the creative process of a handcrafted piece. This is the direction in which people are longing nowadays. It is becoming more and more important for us to recharge our batteries and consciously take time out. The retro trend "New Ikebana" offers exactly that. Far Eastern floral design stands for balance and vitality.

8. Total Whitening

In summer, sun light floods our rooms and brightens our days. Everything seems pure and fresh. Add white blossoms and the result is a fascinating timelessness reminiscent of dreamlike places like Santorini. A florally decorated home thus offers little oases of escape in everyday life. Here, even the bouquet of flowers is allowed to rise from the vase and take over the room. Light and airy materials underline this character.

9. Pure Style

The trend scouts of this world agree: in future, 'less' will be 'more'. Many people are already making their consumption decisions very consciously and want to free themselves from the too much that has often accumulated in an overwhelming way. We only want to own what we really need, but it should also be authentic, honest and absolutely durable - thus more sustainable. Quality in style and workmanship is particularly important.

10. Everlasting Dry

The mega-trend "naturalness" has caused dried flowers to celebrate a grand comeback. Extra attention is being paid to materials that can dry up without any complications. The wreath form is very popular and can be played with in many different ways and thematically in all directions. The African sun produces particularly beautiful florals for this trend.

This trend article is written by trend scout Klaus Wagener.

Photo credits: BLOOM's / Marginpar

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rend scout Klaus Wagener: "In times of abundance, where almost everything was possible, the COVID 19 pandemic hit us and slowed down our usual life. Suddenly we had to accept restrictions and show consideration.

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- When looking for where the embroidery garments should be made I read this article opened my eyes to more than the classic traditional place. As & Other Stories doesn't source from these countries, I decided against using them, however it was interesting to read.

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Embroidery is a beautiful art form that uses different colored threads to create intricate and detailed patterns.

Embroidery has been around for ages and varies based on time period as well as region. There are many countries around the world that used embroidery as an expression of art in many different ways.
I have included some examples below:
1. Ukraine:

The style of Ukraine embroidery is normally described as simple but elegant. The designs are often described as being floral as well as noble and beautiful.
Embroidery in Ukraine can vary based on region or even between villages. But there is a common thread when you look at the embroidery as a whole.
The Ukrainian national style of embroidery includes strong royal patterns.

Some different styles of Ukrainian embroidery include:

Geometric Designs:

While many elements of Ukrainian embroidery differ from region to region, one common thread is the pattern.

From region to region one common design that is included when it comes to Ukrainian embroidery is that they use strong geometric patterns mixed with floral elements.

Colors:

Color patterns are less uniform when it comes to Ukrainian embroidery and can vary from region to region.

In Central and Eastern Ukraine they tend to use more pale colors than the rest of the region. Some colors included in this color palette include pale blue, pale green, grey tones, light ochre, and white.
Western Ukraine sticks to traditional coloring including red and blue coloring. Eventually, they did incorporate blue, green, and yellow.
2. Palestine:

Similar to Ukraine, Palestine has featured embroidery for hundreds of years.

Palestinian embroidery has a great meaning in their traditional clothing.
Color, stitch type, and other features of Palestinian embroidery vary based on the time period and geographical location that the embroidery was completed in.
Styles:

There are two main stitch types that are used in Palestinian embroidery.

These two types include cross-stitch embroidery that they call "tatreez," and couching-stitch embroidery that they call "tahriri."

Cross-stitching is the most commonly used stitch in Palestine and the stitch that is most commonly associated with Palestinian embroidery. Cross-stitching is when you make x-shaped stitches that come together to form a complete picture.

When cross-stitching, you will want to count the threads going in each direction so that your image is uniform in size and appearance.
Couch-stitching is a different, lesser-known technique where you stitch yarn to your background fabric with very small stitches. You can stitch the yarn using the same color or different colors, depending on the aesthetic that you are trying to achieve.
Designs tended to be more geometric and form patterns such as pointed start, chevron, and squares.

They also liked to create designs that were inspired by nature including flowers and trees.

Colors:

As previously mentioned, the location the embroidery was completed made a lot of difference when it came to patterns and colors that were commonly used.

You could also count on gold or silver thread being used on wealthier citizen's clothing.

3. Tunisia:

Tunisia is known for a very elaborate form of embroidery.

They pour a lot of meaning into their embroidery and each specific choice is a representation of something.

Designs:

Tunisian designs are known to include additions such as gems, sequins, silver plates, pearls, and other decorative embellishments.

The design of Tunisian embroidery can tell you a lot about the wearer. Just by looking at one embroidered article of clothing, you can tell whether or not the owner is wealthy or poor, their occupation, where they live, whether or not they are single or married, and much more.

Either way, they are striking and follow traditional meanings.

Materials:

The most striking identifier of Tunisian embroidery is the gold thread that is used.

Another sign of wealth is that the material used is often velvet or silk. This expensive material combined with gold thread and the variety of embellishments means that whoever owns these pieces are wealthy and important.

4. Serbia:

Serbian embroidery is the main technique that is used to decorate their folk clothes.

Designs:

Similar to the other countries listed, Serbian embroidery has a variety of pattern types.

You can see geometric patterns in Serbian embroidery as well as floral patterns.
Serbian embroidery is a mixture of a few different types of embroidery styles that were adapted together such as the Ottoman, Balkan, Byzantine, and Slavonic aspects.
These different cuts combined with different pattern types make each piece individual and unique.

Colors:

There are different colors used in Serbian embroidery but the most common color used is red.

Serbian embroidery is often rich and bright but in a way that does not look tacky and instead looks royal and elegant.

Conclusion:

Embroidery is an ancient and meaningful way to decorate clothing and other fabric items and has been used all over the world.

Embroidery is still popular today and pulls inspiration from both traditional embroidery and modern twists on embroidery designs.

Embroidery is a great way to use thread to elevate any project that you are working on, and whether your design is floral, geometric, or using a different aesthetic, it can really bring your fabric to a new level.

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4 Countries that are Famous for Embroidery

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Embroidery is a beautiful art form that uses different colored threads to create intricate and detailed patterns. Embroidery has been around for ages and varies based on time period as well as region. There are many countries around the world that used embroidery as an expression of art in many different ways.

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- To help me decide eon what sort of materials I wanted to use. I got inspiration from them saying that lace is often thought of a luxury material which is perfect for & Other Stories as it is a luxury brand and their customers will pay more for it. I also think that the lace will fit in perfectly with my Pretty Feminine trend.

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- To gain an understanding on the type of dress silhouettes I could use for ss21. I loved the frills and ruffles, and I thought it would go perfectly with the Pretty Feminine trend.

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- Looking at this trend, it made me reflect that post the pandemic people will be used to dressing in their comfy clothes all day and I think they will want to carry on that way. Taking inspiration from this, I have made sure to have loose fitting clothes which easily move and aren't restrictive. I also think I want to make the clothes in a soft material, again so that they are

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- Loose fitting garments
- Using materials such as lace create more texture
- Accentuating features such as shoulders with puff sleeves to make the shape more interesting
- Using ruffles to make garment s more feminine and cute

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- Environmentally conscious clothing, accessories and living item
- Recycled goods, where waste, plastic and textiles have been recreated as new products
- Sustainable fibres and fabrics, which use less water and exert less waste 36% of fibres come from sustainable sources
- 76% are vintage or pre-worn items - >10,000Products listed through the responsible edit

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- Designed to be more environmentally sustainable
50% organic cotton, 50% sustainable viscose or 20% recycled material. HOWEVER, To ensure products are of the highest quality, we can’t always include more than 20% recycled material

- CONSIDERED vegan footwear is completely free from animal products.

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Topshop Clothing, Shoes & Accessories | ASOS

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Topshop at ASOS. Discover more about this iconic brand, including its much loved denim range and new season must-haves, with ASOS.

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- Clothes from the range are made from at least 50% sustainably sourced materials.
- Second largest global clothing retailer By 2025, H&M Group will reduce: Electrical intensity by 25% Transport-related emissions by 30% - Only source 100% sustainable cotton.
- Only source virgin wool
Reuse or recycle 100% of packaging waste from our own sites.
- Reduce water usage in production by 25%

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In late October, Helena Helmersson, CEO H&M Group, and Jesper Brodin, CEO Ingka Group / IKEA, finally had the chance to meet IRL after many digital meetings.

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- "WE WORK WITH MONITORING PROGRAMMES THAT HELP US TO GUARANTEE THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF OUR GARMENTS AND REDUCE THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT"
2025 - 100% MORE SUSTAINABLE COTTON
- 100% MORE SUSTAINABLE LINEN
- 100% RECYCLED POLYESTER
- 80% CONSUMPTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
- 100% FREE OF SINGLE-USE PLASTICS FOR CUSTOMERS
- 0% LANDFILL WASTE
- 100% SUSTAINABLE VISCOSE

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- Zara has the biggest range of tops which helps give the customers more choice
- But they don't offer as many garments as their competitors which could be something they could improve on but they have the biggest price range from £1.99 to £479.00
- Zara offers the biggest accessory range
- Zara's pricing is in the middle of its competitors

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Influencer Profile - Anne-Marie - Fashion Monitor