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opens on Mac not sure on Microsoft

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Compshop photos

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You | MaisonCléo, made in France in limited series, mother-daughter duo

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Why DSM Has The Ultimate Pull For Designers

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We caught up with the designers behind the concept store's new installations to find out what it feels like to be one of Rei Kawakubo's chosen ones

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Why Riccardo Tisci Chose Dover Street Market To Launch His First Burberry Collection

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On February 15, the opening day of London Fashion Week, an exclusive edit of Riccardo Tisci's first Burberry collection will go on sale at Dover Street Market.

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Three weeks ago, the outlook for MissPap was bleak. Liquidators were poised to move in to try to salvage some money for its creditors, after its shareholders passed a resolution to wind up the company.

But last week it was a very different picture - literally - as a photo appeared on Instagram of MissPap founder Ashley Ali standing next to Boohoo Group executive chairman Mahmud Kamani. That same evening, Boohoo Group confirmed it had acquired the brand and intellectual property (IP) assets of MissPap for an undisclosed sum.

For many, the acquisition makes sense for Boohoo Group, which owns the Boohoo brand, BoohooMan, PrettyLittleThing (PLT) and US etailer Nasty Gal, whose IP rights and customer databases it bought in 2017 for $20m (£16m). With this latest deal, Boohoo has snapped up a smaller rival at what most assume was a "competitive price".

At the time of the MissPap acquisition, John Lyttle, CEO of Boohoo Group, said: "MissPap is a brand with great potential, which can leverage the group's expertise. This acquisition further strengthens our multi-brand platform, representing an exciting opportunity to accelerate our offering to our ever-growing range of customers globally."

It's a low-margin, high-volume game. Fast fashion only works when you get to scale

Former MissPap supplier

Sofie Willmott, senior retail analyst at GlobalData, comments: "It's not a surprise they have bought MissPap - the product offer, pricing and look of their website fit well with Boohoo and PLT.

"Awareness of MissPap is quite low. Boohoo Group could redefine its proposition and put marketing behind it. Boohoo have learned the lessons of how to build a brand, so they know what works."

Fast fail

Nonetheless, MissPap's collapse remains a cautionary tale for the online fast fashion sector.

House of MP, which trades as MissPap, owes its trade and expense creditors more than £1m, including more than £950,000 to Revenue and Customs, £10,000 to employees, and £300,000 to customers in the form of refunds. House of MP went into liquidation on 26 March. The liquidators have confirmed that the sale of the brand and IP assets to Boohoo Group was carried out before that date.

One creditor tells Drapers: "Nothing has been communicated about what is happening. We know of people who are owed substantial amounts."

Boohoo Group declined to comment further on the acquisition.

Meteoric rise

MissPap, which launched in 2014, boasted turnover of around £24m and EBITDA of £2m in 2017 - all without receiving any outside investment. However, the fight for survival among upstart fast fashion etailers is becoming increasingly cut-throat, and experts speculate that MissPap failed to carve out a strong-enough USP.

Unless they can spend a fortune on content, pureplays need to invest in technology

Ecommerce expert

One former supplier to MissPap tells Drapers: "It's a low-margin, high-volume game. Fast fashion only works when you get to scale, and that's the trouble with a lot of these guys - the pool is getting smaller and smaller, and the big guys are getting bigger."

Indeed, as well as fighting for market share from the big etailers, such as Boohoo, Asos and Missguided, MissPap is on a growing list of smaller fast fashion firms shouting for attention, including In The Style, Oh Polly, Femme Luxe, Missy Empire, I Saw It First and Never Fully Dressed.

Mike Branney, managing director of womenswear etailer Oh Polly, says: "[MissPap] was operating with the same suppliers and product as its competitors. It was sourcing the vast majority of product from Manchester wholesalers, and the rest from Leicester - as do dozens of others. Anyone could go in, buy the product wholesale and put their brand on it."

Investment burden

Others point out that ecommerce is no longer the golden goose of fashion retail, and necessitates heavy investment in technological innovation to stay ahead of the curve.

One ecommerce expert says: "MissPap had other ambitions - for example, its tie-up with Topshop [ the etailer launched a capsule collection in Topshop's Liverpool One store in 2018], but at heart it is a pureplay. However, even Asos is struggling with its costs, and its margins are going in one direction.

"Unless they can spend a fortune on content, pureplays need to invest in technology. Having a simple ecommerce catalogue website and lots of followers on Instagram is no longer good enough."

Willmott agrees, adding that the younger consumer's expectations are high: "Young tech-savvy shoppers expect all the standard things such as fast delivery options, and fulfilment options such as CollectPlus or lockers."

Most of the fast fashion companies are in single- or low double-digit net profit figures, so that doesn't leave massive room for error

Mike Branney, managing director of womenswear etailer Oh Polly

One source close to the situation says MissPap also struggled with the high cost of launching its US business. The etailer unveiled a US website in July 2018 and is understood to have invested in a new warehouse to fulfil the orders.

The source says: "[Ali] tried taking his brand over to America, but the costs are too high. Next-day delivery is more expensive in the US. He thought it would be cheaper to put a warehouse there, but it all backfired."

Ahead of the game

Despite the challenges, Oh Polly's Branney argues that fast fashion etailers are still outperforming the high street.

"Online fast fashion is definitely bucking the trend, compared with general retail. Almost every company I know of is growing, and doing so profitably."

However, he adds: "Most of the fast fashion companies are in single- or low double-digit net profit figures, so that doesn't leave massive room for error. MissPap could have simply had six or nine months of poor buying decisions, which could wipe the profit out. If you make a bad decision, you have that sitting in the inventory, and you have to sell at a loss to keep your business going."

While Boohoo has rescued the MissPap brand, the collapse of the underlying business highlights how difficult it is to operate in this competitive field today.

The Drapers Verdict

The swoop for MissPap makes business sense for Boohoo Group, consolidating its position as a leading fast fashion business. Boohoo can reshape the MissPap brand as it likes, and take advantage of its customer database and social media following.

As the fast fashion market matures, it is inevitable that some of the bigger players will snap up some of the smaller, newer businesses when they run into trouble. The challenge for those remaining will be to carve out a point of difference, and maintain cashflow when times get tougher.

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What MissPap tells us about the fast fashion game

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Three weeks ago, the outlook for MissPap was bleak. Liquidators were poised to move in to try to salvage some money for its creditors, after its shareholders passed a resolution to wind up the company.

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source:Acorn

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An Interview with Marie Dewet of Maison Cléo

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TWENTY6 MAGAZINE / ISSUE N / An Interview with Marie Dewet of Maison Cléo / THE NATURE ISSUE . Interview by Hannah Tan-Gillies

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Maison Cleo sizing chart

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Conditions générales de vente. Pas de stock, fabrication sur commande avec possibilité de sur-mesure sans supplément. Volonté de rendre le made in France..

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Image credit: Neiman Marcus

Global luxury consumers' plans for purchasing more luxury goods in the upcoming year have steadily increased year-over-year, boding well for the business in 2019.

Twenty-nine percent of those who purchased luxury goods in 2018 plan to increase their spending within 2019, compared to 28 percent in 2018 and 26 the previous year. Luxury spending in the United Kingdom is likely to see the greatest spending compared to other countries, according to Luxury Institute's 2019 State of the Luxury Industry report.

"Although economic growth rates around the world have been uneven, there is still cautious optimism among affluent consumers around the globe," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute, New York.

Luxury spending growth
Luxury Institute surveyed 3,926 affluent consumers from the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, China and Japan about their year-ahead luxury spending plans.

The research predicts that leisure travel will see the steepest increase in spend, just ahead of dining, ready-to-wear, shoes, entertainment and technology.
LVMH is acquiring Belmond to take advantage of growing travel spend. Image credit: Belmond
Consumers are split on plans to increase spending within the art, spirits and watch categories.

The U.K. is likely to reach a high of $21,193 for average luxury purchasing per consumer within the next year. Following are Italy with $18,832, China with $17,262 and France and the United States, both at $16,000.

Among the markets studied, Germany is expected to see the lowest average spend for 2019 with $10,671.

Despite China's ongoing economic and trade issues with the U.S., more than half of China's luxury consumers are planning on increasing their spend in 2019.

Italy is expected to see growth in luxury spend, with 37 percent planning on increasing their expenditures. In the U.K., 34 percent plan to do so as well.
Harrods' Fine Wine and Spirits room capitalizes on growth of U.K. luxury spend. Image credit: Harrods.
However, in Japan, only 16 percent plan to increase their purchases of luxury goods and 9 percent plan to curb their spending.

Twenty-eight percent of French consumers plan on buying more luxury in 2019, while 21 percent of both U.S. and German shoppers say they expect to increase their spending on high-end goods.

Consumption trends
Affluent Chinese consumers are projected to account for up to 44 percent of the global luxury consumption across the globe by 2025, according to McKinsey & Company.

This would double their current level of spending to $147 billion (1 trillion yuan).

The consulting company, which issued a Chinese-language industry report on June 13, also expects the total market share of the global luxury market to reach $397 billion (2.7 trillion yuan) in 2025, which will be mainly driven by China ( see story).

Another driving force in luxury spending growth is travel.

The gap between the average traveler's vacation spend and that of an affluent individual is widening, with luxury vacationers outspending the rest by more than six times the typical amount.

According to EyeforTravel's " The Global Luxury Travel Consumer" report, the average traveler spends around $1,690 per trip, but the luxury consumer's budget is approximately $5,365 per vacation. As the cost and frequency of affluent trips increases, the hospitality sector will need to respond by curating exclusive experiences and amenities to ensure affluents continue to be enticed and not become bored by standard stays ( see story).

"[Affluent] individuals are either current or potential clients, and the key to success is to develop long-term relationships that last despite booms or busts," Mr. Pedraza said.

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Image credit: Neiman Marcus Global luxury consumers' plans for purchasing more luxury goods in the upcoming year have steadily increased year-over-year, boding well for the business in 2019. Twenty-nine percent of those who purchased luxury goods in 2018 plan to increase their spending within 2019, compared to 28 percent in 2018 and 26 the previous year.

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Welcome to the Savills Global Luxury Retail 2019 Outlook.

This edition explores the recent trends that are occurring within the luxury retail market; identifying strategic cities that are seen as 'core destinations' for luxury brands, the rising importance of international flagship stores, the dominance of the big luxury groups, and what they are investing in to cater for the evolution in luxury spend driven by Millennial and Gen Z consumers.

Global luxury spend increased in 2018 albeit the number of new store openings declined. Despite this global decline what was apparent in those new stores luxury brands opened was the strength of strategic flagship stores in core luxury areas in global destination cities. This is supporting resilience and growth in headline asking rents across a number of ultra-prime luxury locations. The all-important Chinese consumer may be spending more domestically but the flagship store in destination cities will play an ever more important role in delivering a brand experience that will help drive sales whether they are at home or online.

The democratisation of luxury with the growth in online, preowned and rental luxury and streetwear will also shape the store experience and portfolio strategies of luxury brands as well as generate new types of luxury occupiers. This has already been seen with the growth in luxury spend in the footwear and accessory segments. This has driven increased activity from specialist brands in these segments driving demand for smaller units in and just off luxury pitches.

With our unrivalled knowledge of brand requirements and new entrants into the market, we are best placed to advise and provide in-depth insight into the key established and emerging markets. This is further bolstered through thought leadership and market intelligence from our specialist luxury retail research team. In recent years we have worked with a range of clients within the luxury retail sector and advised on a number of high profile transactions highlighted in this brochure. Our unique global offering positions us to simultaneously advise on locations, values and key property criteria throughout all major cities across the globe.

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The Evolution of Luxury Retail: 2019 Outlook

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Welcome to the Savills Global Luxury Retail 2019 Outlook. This edition explores the recent trends that are occurring within the luxury retail market; identifying strategic cities that are seen as 'core destinations' for luxury brands, the rising importance of international flagship stores, the dominance of the big luxury groups, and what they are investing in to cater for the evolution in luxury spend driven by Millennial and Gen Z consumers.

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The fashion industry is infamous for wasteful production harming the environment, low wages and unsafe working conditions for employees. There is a growing trend for more ethically mindful and sustainable approaches to fashion. Ethical fashion is about changing these norms and implementing eco-friendly, human-centred and sustainable ways to make clothes. Here are five fashion brands - three from Africa - that make cool garments that are also ethically made.

Fundudzi

Fundudzi by renowned designer Craig Jacobs is a Johannesburg-based eco-friendly fashion line that is designed to reflect the environmental and social stance of those who wear it. The company makes all of its pieces in Africa using locally sourced cashmere, bamboo, soy, corn and organic cotton from Lesotho. The label also supports sustainability through collaborating with local crafters to highlight indigenous artisanal skills.

Tonlé

Tonlé is a Cambodia-based fashion brand founded by Rachel Faller that believes in zero waste. The designers source scrap waste from mass clothing manufacturers and from every last thread, they create handmade clothing and accessories that are signed by their makers. Should there be excess fabric, it is hand cut and individually sewn back into yarn to be used again. The brand also makes their own recycled paper from tiny scraps of fabric, paper leftover from office use and natural glue. This paper is used to make hang tags for the garments resulting in completely zero-waste production.

The company also takes care of its employees. Cambodian factory workers are paid $100 a month on average, while working 10-12 hour days. Faller says that Tonlé employees are adequately paid and that there are opportunities for growth and training within the company.

Mima-Te

Twin sisters Nelly and Nelsa Guambe are the duo behind Mozambique's first upcycling clothing brand. The sustainable fashion brand upcycles and renews vintage clothes found in markets in Mozambique and turns them into new fashionable, modern and unique clothes.

Unwanted and out-of-season clothes from the US or Europe are either thrown away in landfills or sold to African merchants who stock them in markets. Instead of creating clothes from scratch, these sisters found a way to start a fashion label in a way that's good for the environment. The sisters select dresses from the markets and completely redesign and create new dresses from their choices, and sell them online.

The Tripty Project

The Tripty Project is a Bangladesh-based zero-waste fashion line founded by Luke Swanson and Brooke McEver. The company works with local artisans and farmers to source materials that include pineapple leaves that would have otherwise been thrown out as waste. They also use raw cotton fibre that is organically grown by villagers alongside their food crops without chemicals or watering of any kind. The villagers working at each stage of production use traditional techniques and not machinery to process the cotton, spin it and dye the yarn before it is weaved and sewn into the final Tripty Project product.

The workers are properly paid for their work and do not work strenuous hours. For instance, the women who weave the yarn usually weave in the evenings or in between household chores, allowing them to take care of their children while earning a living.

I Scream & Red

Cape Town brand I Scream & Red is a company that makes bags from recycled seat belts, reused upholstery and upcycled materials. The company founded by Zaid Philander also uses organic cotton, making sure that all of its materials have a green print.

The company sources its materials in Cape Town, within the vicinity of their production site, to reduce carbon emissions of travelling and imports.

I Scream & Red trains and employs differently-abled people and people from dis-advantaged backgrounds, showing them how to design and make these bags.

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5 sustainable fashion brands | Design Indaba

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The fashion industry is infamous for wasteful production harming the environment, low wages and unsafe working conditions for employees. There is a growing trend for more ethically mindful and sustainable approaches to fashion. Ethical fashion is about changing these norms and implementing eco-friendly, human-centred and sustainable ways to make clothes.

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Susanne Stern, a Textile Designer who studied at Burg Giebichenstein University's textile workshop, remembers life as a young girl in East Germany: "Growing up in the GDR," she said, "People had 2 pairs of 'good' clothes for special occasions - things you kept wearing for at least 10 years. Nowadays this wouldn't happen, right?"

That experience - and her desire to find more local and eco-friendly ways of producing apparel - led to her thesis project: Hand-printed silk screens and corresponding natural dye printing pastes for use on silks and cotton. The specialized process she developed offered good fastness and a wide range of striking colors. Stern wondered: Could this technique become a commercially viable way to create long-lasting, beautiful garments?

Her new research project called "Organic Prints" aims to find the answer to that question. By bringing together a natural dye-extract producer, a textile print company, and an apparel maker at the beginning of the design process, her hope is that, together, they can develop an industrial process for bringing natural, non-toxic materials into the modern supply chain.

The Kindcraft's Laura Lin recently interviewed Susanne to find out more.

What inspired you to work with natural dyes?

While researching my Master's thesis, I began thinking about my future as a designer. I felt that it was important to create fabrics which were ecologically friendly and close-to-nature and, at the same time, also beautiful textiles in their own right. My dream was to create fabrics that could be composted but, at the same time, didn't obviously look it. In other words, they'd appeal to people primarily because of aesthetics - but if they looked deeper, they'd find a sustainable side as well.

It stood to reason to work with natural fibers and, since conventional dyes are made of refined mineral oil, it became obvious that natural dyes were the only choice to create fabric colors within my concept. My mom used to dye wool with natural dyes before and, as a teenager, I remember not being very thrilled with how it looked. When I started in 2010, the cliché was that natural dyes were rather unspectacular - a hobby for older women or history buffs - and so I wasn't quite sure if it was the right way to go

During my first dyeing tests, though, I quickly learned that I could make a color chart which dispelled those clichés. I was surprised by the freshness and high aesthetic of colors that I could create and, what's more, every single one of them fit with the others - no matter how they were combined.

That's what gave me a new dream for my Master's thesis: To get natural dyes out of its quirky corner and to connect it with contemporary design.

Why silk screening?

It wasn't a conscious decision: The head of the university's textile workshop got the ball rolling with a hint. One day he walked into the dye workshop and said: "What do you think about printing with mordants?"

Once the first mordant prints had been made, the idea became bigger - to print with dyes. But how? Dyeing with natural dyes is fun, but the technique limits your scope for designs. You can obtain interesting effects by using shibori or reserve techniques but, even though batik and fadings have become more fashionable in recent years, my goal was to go to a level beyond the traditional results.

One terrific aspect of printing with natural dyes is the possibility of combining colors and patterns. Patterns work like an intercultural code: They tell you something about their historical origins and, therefore, about affinities, heritage and ages. Colors and symbols can be used by a designer - as well as by the consumer - to communicate moods and preferences. This is exactly what I wanted to make possible with my textile prints: The wearer decides what to express by their selection of clothing and fabric.

Another aspect appeared while working with those colors: Natural dyes appeal to humans in a special way. It is hard to explain why but, in my opinion, you can feel that those colors aren't made of refined mineral oil - but come from natural sources such as sun, wind and rain.

Every day, we have to find our bearings in a world that feels like it's diverging from nature. As soon as we see naturally grown and not human-made things-like on a hike through the forest, a walk on the beach, or a blossoming flower-we start to relax. For a moment, maybe we let go a little of our everyday stresses. While working with natural dyes, I often experience this feeling. The colors have a relaxing effect on me, which is noticeable.

My vision is to design fabrics that attract a large number of people and, at the same time, are honestly sustainable.

How did this collaboration happen?

It's a case of many puzzle pieces marvelously joining together! At the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris where I exhibited my master thesis, someone from NIG GmbH, a natural dye producer, introduced me to a staff member of Hess Natur, a well-known eco brand. As it happened, this person had already been working with natural dyes and was receptive to seeing what more could be done with them. Then my former professor helped me get in touch with KBC Fashion, one of the most important textile printing companies in Europe. KBC was established over 250 years ago and used to work with natural dyes in its earlier days before switching over to synthetic dyes when first introduced to the market many years ago.

At that point, the value chain for the research project was perfect: I had a producer of natural dyestuffs, an industrial textile manufacturer, and an apparel brand for sales and distribution.

Expert knowledge about natural dyes is rare. How did you research this?

It required and almost uncountable series of tests... and a quite a lot of enthusiasm. When I talked to experts, many said " Nice idea, but it won't work! "

Basically, the wheel had to be reinvented. In the beginning, there was almost no literature available which wasn't already been included in the thesis. I went through KBC's repository, reading books of pre-synthetic dye times and handwritten notes - but discovered these recipes weren't compatible with modern industrial requirements. Another obstacle was that many old recipes contained tin and lead which were out of the question for use within modern, eco-friendly printing pastes. We ended up composing our own formula, step by step.

What is the overall goal of "Organic Prints"?

We're trying to bring some older techniques back into the industry. KBC itself used to work with natural dyes 250 years ago. "Natural and Sustainable" isn't a brand-new idea - but it's red-hot today.

All of our partners want to do something for the greater good. We accept this challenge - even though we don't know if we'll be successful. What helps everyone take this risk is that the colors are so convincing! Often I hear people say: " I would have had never believed that natural dyes are so beautiful and had such radiance. "

As a textile designer, it's also been my concern to design a fabric that isn't toxic for the workers who make it, the people who are wearing it, nor for our environment which will absorb the discarded pieces. Some years ago, I watched a documentary about workers in Bangladesh who dyed fabrics, their bare arms and legs constantly submerged within swimming-pool sized dye vats. These toxic substances also pass the bodies of the consumers, into our sewage and, eventually, back into our food supply and our bodies.

Any Predictions For The Future?

In my opinion, everything is possible - so long as companies and consumers are open to it.

We're all part of an enormous consumption routine - one which makes it harder to produce products made only of natural substances. I think it's important to create products that draw the attention of a bigger crowd. People will have to-at least at first-spend a bit more money for long-lasting, eco-friendly goods. At the moment, though, the trend is going the other way: people are being conditioned to spend less money on more disposable clothes.

There are also technical challenges: the difficulty of producing a large amount of natural extracts and achieving color consistency which, just like different vintages of wine, can vary with changing amounts of sun and rain. As every textile designer working in the industry knows, that can be a real nightmare!

It may not be possible to fulfill every ethical and ecological aspiration straightaway. For example, some groups are using combinations of natural indigo and synthetics and-so long as it's labeled as such-I think it's still a step in a positive direction.

Our overall way of thinking must change if natural products hope to have a chance with mainstream consumers. If step-by-step, we can change this common mindset, I think we'll open possibilities and spaces not only for old techniques like natural dyeing, but for many other new ideas as well.

[alert type=white ] This interview was translated from German and has been condensed and edited for clarity.[/alert]

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Susanne Stern, a Textile Designer who studied at Burg Giebichenstein University's textile workshop, remembers life as a young girl in East Germany: "Growing up in the GDR," she said, "People had 2 pairs of 'good' clothes for special occasions - things you kept wearing for at least 10 years.

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On World Water Day, we shine a spotlight on responsible usage of a finite resource in the cotton industry and celebrate initiatives that contribute to SDG #12 - Responsible Consumption and Production. In 2014, the World Economic Forum noted water security is "one of the most tangible and fastest- growing social, political and economic challenges faced today".

Good agronomic practices are one part of the solution for rural communities but we also need to run our programmes into local and national initiatives to protect this vital asset.

In our recent work with Trucost, we looked at natural capital to understand how we need to truly value this vital resource. Natural and social capital accounting places a monetary value on the environment and measures the impact of business operations across the entire supply chain. By calculating a cost to society and the environment in terms of returns on investment and potential consequences, natural and social metrics can help companies to better understand the risks associated with the supply chain and compare the costs and benefits of potential projects. Find out more about our work with TruCost here.
Simple water management techniques deliver great outcomes
CottonConnect's farmer training programmes demonstrate that by improving how cotton is grown, farmers reduce their water impact by as much as 30%. By installing simple technologies such as drip irrigation systems, savings of up to 60%[1] can be achieved.

With 100 million farmers growing cotton globally, significant impacts can be delivered by providing access to learning and basic technologies. Our latest Impact Report[2] highlights positive results such as 18.6% decrease in water usage in 2016-2017 across our programmes.
The business case for responsible water stewardship
There is an ever-urgent need to work with governments, and others across the whole supply chain to find sustainable solutions. Responding to this challenge isn't just more viable economically, it makes business sense and protects brand reputation.

CottonConnect programmes on sustainable agricultural practices reduce water usage and contribute to a more sustainable future for the cotton industry.

Among other programmes, CottonConnect has been running REEL Cotton Programme - a three-year agricultural programme empowering farmers to increase their yield and profits while reducing their environmental impact. The training, which relies on eight principles, includes water management. As part of this module, farmers are taught to:

Source water from sustainable sources;

Adopt water resource recharging practices;

Use irrigation water that is safe for crop, soil and human health;

Understand the watering needs of cotton;

Record extracted water volumes.

Through these farming techniques, farmers endorsed in the REEL programme have decreased their water usage on average by 16%.

At CottonConnect, as a cotton community we work towards reducing and optimising water use by choosing and supporting sustainable cotton. With training and education, farmers can reduce water consumption by adopting more sustainable agricultural practices.

[1] CottonConnect , More Crop per Drop 2014: http://cottonconnect.org/more-crop-per-drop/

[2] Cotton Connect, Impact Report 2016-2017: http://cottonconnect.org/cottonconnect-2016-17-impact-report/

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World Water Day - Sustainable Cotton Farming Significantly Reduces Water Consumption

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On World Water Day, we shine a spotlight on responsible usage of a finite resource in the cotton industry and celebrate initiatives that contribute to SDG #12 - Responsible Consumption and Production. In 2014, the World Economic Forum noted water security is "one of the most tangible and fastest- growing social, political and economic challenges faced today".

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Macron vowed to change the EU - but his chance may have gone | Shahin Vallée

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The president's reliance on the Franco-German alliance has created opposition across Europe, says Macron's former adviser Shahin Vallée

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Maison Cleo Article on Vogue

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There is a certain handmade pouf-sleeved blouse by MaisonCléo, a small French family-run label, that has racked up a global list of influential admirers. No doubt you've seen it on Instagram: on Emily Ratajkowski at a Parisian café, and on Leandra Medine, who wears it often in both white and blue. Fashion insiders like Clara Cornet and Stella von Senger are fans, too, pairing theirs with everything from rust-hued silk skirts to high-waisted jeans. And that's not the only MaisonCléo piece making its mark of late. There's the cropped gingham wraparound blouse (perfect for showing off Ratajkowski's infamous abs), the lamé top with billowing arms, and the crochet mini-dress that might have been stolen from Jane Birkin's closet.

"There are a lot of big, rather pricey brands whose pieces are made in polyester or synthetic fabrics, which I hate so much," says cofounder Marie Dewet, "so I decided to start a brand that uses no synthetic fabrics at all." Marie is a 26-year-old manager at Vestiaire Collective, and quietly launched MaisonCléo on Instagram last September after her mother, Cléo Dewet, made her "the perfect dress" in just three hours. "I thought it would be cool to realize the pieces that I wanted together," she adds. Now, the duo sources cotton, linen, and silk remains from couture houses, which serve as the inspiration for Marie's designs. With patterns in hand, Cléo (the brand's one and only seamstress) races against the clock, sewing nights and weekends in her atelier in Lille, France, to make their weekly Wednesday afternoon drop.

"We post 20 to 25 new pieces online every week," says Marie-all of which come with a matching scrunchie and invariably sell out within the hour. "That's the maximum my mom can make in a week!" Although demand far exceeds supply, they're not planning to expand their team anytime soon. "I like that it's just me and my mom. We're not a big brand, so we can do what we want, when we want," she says. That means restocking the site with fan favorites in new fabrics, as well as slowly expanding the collection with fresh designs for the current season. "Right now we're working on a blouse with a high collar, ruffles, and big flared sleeves," says Marie. Sounds like the perfect holiday look-that is, if you can get your hands on it.

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Meet the French Mother-Daughter Duo Handcrafting Fashion's Favorite Statement Blouses

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There is a certain handmade pouf-sleeved blouse by MaisonCléo, a small French family-run label, that has racked up a global list of influential admirers. No doubt you've seen it on Instagram: on Emily Ratajkowski at a Parisian café, and on Leandra Medine, who wears it often in both white and blue.

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There is no shortage of opinions on UK fashion's sustainability, but there is no clear overview of how sustainable the industry actually is, or the work being done to improve things.

In this, our first sustainability survey, we are looking for as many fashion professionals as possible to tell us how their business is approaching the issue.

We want to find out what challenges retailers face when it comes to embedding sustainability into day-to-day working practices, and obtain views on government support for the industry.

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and all answers will be treated anonymously.

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There is no shortage of opinions on UK fashion's sustainability, but there is no clear overview of how sustainable the industry actually is, or the work being done to improve things. In this, our first sustainability survey, we are looking for as many fashion professionals as possible to tell us how their business is approaching the issue.

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Press | MaisonCléo, made in France in limited series, mother-daughter duo

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Holy Fibers

Address

15, rue Waldeck Rousseau
92600 Asnières-sur-seine
France

Description

Holy Fibers is a French surface design and illustration studio created by Chloé Chapeaublanc.
The studio offers seasonal and exclusive collections of patterns and illustrations for fashion, home and kids professionals.

Sector

Women's, Juniors', Children's

Market

Outdoorwear, Casualwear, Streetwear, High Street fashion, Cocktail, Homewear, Lingerie, Swimwear - Beachwear, Home Furnishings, Bags and Luggage, Neck Scarves and Scarves

Designs - Products

Blouses and Tops, Shirts, Lingerie, corsetry, Swimwear, Coats, Trousers-Skirts, Sweaters, Dresses, Sweatshirts, T-shirts, Jackets

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Holy Fibers | e-catalog | Première Vision Paris

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15, rue Waldeck Rousseau 92600 Asnières-sur-seine France Holy Fibers is a French surface design and illustration studio created by Chloé Chapeaublanc.The studio offers seasonal and exclusive collections of patterns and illustrations for fashion, home and kids professionals.

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Maison Cleo packaging

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Merchandising is - and will continue to be - one of the biggest drivers of sales and customer engagement in retail. How your store is merchandised influences everything from brand perception to customer experience, which is why it's important to keep your merchandising initiatives fresh and relevant.

Part of doing that requires paying close attention to trends in the merchandising world. You need to know how consumer taste is evolving and how other retailers are responding so you can refine and implement a winning strategy.

To help you do that, we've put together a roundup of the top merchandising trends to watch out for in the coming year.

While "SALE" signs will always be a staple in shops, we can expect retailers to use more "information rich" signage in their locations. Merchants will progressively get more creative with their signs, and use them not just to grab attention, but to drive shopper interactions and engagement.

Check out what Amazon is doing. In some of their physical stores, the retail giant cleverly uses signage to make product recommendations.

And here's one from Kohl's. In this example, Kohl's uses signage to give shoppers ideas on how to wear certain items.

"In 2019, retailers should look beyond the traditional expectations of merchandising and begin to incorporate new ways to engage customers through merchandising and displays," says Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, Founder of Retail Minded .

According to her, one of the ways merchants can do this is through strong call-to-action displays.

"An example of a call-to-action display can be as simple as a sign framed and displayed by an item that says 'Pick Me Up' or 'Try Me On,'" she says. "This is low in cost yet effective in triggering customer emotions and actions, two important variables when trying to strengthen sales."

Excellent merchandising isn't just about product arrangements and displays. It's also about the experience that they help create. In 2019, we anticipate more retailers will roll out experiential merchandising initiatives that engage multiple senses and encourage social shares.

A big reason for this is differentiation. Michael Decker, VP of Marketing Strategy at Medallion Retail says, "As physical retail marketing evolves, the idea behind 'retail theatre' has quickly emerged as our best differentiator from the ho-hum rational, efficiency of Amazonian eCommerce."

Michael points to retailers and brands such as L'Occitane and Timberland, which have found success in delivering ever-changing in-store experiences. According to him, these companies are engaging in fresh merchandising that "constantly changes and sweeps their customers off their feet."

L'Occitane en Provence, for instance, launched a flagship store that features "a social media area of inviting yellow bikes in front of a Provence backdrop for Instagrammable pics that are featured automatically on a live video feed." Meanwhile, Timberland now has a retail pop-up that - quite literally - is full of life. The 3,500-sq. ft space is decked with Birch trees, hanging plants, and moss. Visitors can even participate in "weather experiences" which include a digital rain room.

So why the move towards experiential merchandising? According to Michael, "Human beings - from Gen Z / Millennials to Baby Boomers - crave departures from their realities and not digital immersions into 'more stuff.'"

"Going shopping' - actually getting in the car and driving to stores in search of both material treasures and priceless experiences with friends is a fun and wholly physical endeavor that many, many people dearly miss. It is truly the journey that matters more to engaged and loyal customers. Best believe the merchants that deliver these unique social experiences will win the hearts and minds of their existing customers - plus all their friends!"

Over the last few years, a handful of retailers have dabbled in the concept of a "store-within-a-store," and that number seems to be picking up lately.

Nordstrom, for example, has been running "Pop-In@Nordstrom," which are themed shopping events that often include brand collaborations. Nordstrom sets up pop-up-esque shops within its locations, and they use those spaces to curate exclusive merchandise from specific brands.

Target offers a similar store-within-a-store experience. This holiday season, the retailer has the "Wondershop," a dedicated area in their stores that's filled with holiday-centric merchandise such as decor and gifts.

So why go through all the effort to create stores-within-stores?

For starters, the concept paves the way for collaborations where brands can showcase their merchandise within a retail store without their items getting lost in a sea of other merchandise (as with the case with big department stores like Nordstrom).

In some cases (such as Target), a store-within-a-store creates a more convenient shopping experience. When products are well-curated, consumers are much more likely to find what they're looking for. This, in turn, increases sales.

The store-within-a-store concept makes tons of sense for many retailers and brands alike, and for this reason, we think we'll see more of them in the coming months.

Speaking of curation, we'll likely see the idea of "less is more" taking effect in retailers' merchandising strategies in the coming year.

"In our digitally connected world, ads, social media, and continuous information bombard consumers every day," says Carlos Castelán, Managing Director of The Navio Group .

"Whether through email spam or the five-second trailer in front of a music video, consumers have information thrown at them regularly and, in response, we've seen brands increasingly move towards simplicity."

According to him, reducing the clutter in retail merchandising lessens "the cognitive load required by the customer to make a decision, and this approach is catching on."

As an example, he mentions Nordstrom's Men's Store in New York. "Despite a large footprint in Manhattan, NYC, they have a limited but highly curated number of items to provide style without an overwhelming amount of options."

Carlos also points to PillPack, a company recently acquired by Amazon. PillPack is a self-described "full-service pharmacy that delivers a better, simpler experience for people managing multiple medications."

"In both instances, these companies are simplifying their products and experience in order to be more attractive to the customer," he says.

In 2019, retail merchandising will be much more data-driven. While merchandisers will still use their intuition, taste, and creativity to design their assortments and displays, their decisions will also be largely influenced by data.

POS data, stock levels, and local trends are playing a bigger role in merchandising decisions, and this trend is bound to continue onto the next year and beyond.

A great example of this in action can be seen in Nike's new flagship location in New York City. Part of the store will be merchandised based on what items are selling best online in the shop's zip code.

John Hoke, Nike's Chief Design Officer told Fast Company that this move demonstrates one of the ways that Nike is preparing for the future. As he aptly put it "The future of retail is going to be less fixed, more fluid, and hyper-responsive to consumer trends and needs."

Are you seeing any of these trends in action? Tell us about your experiences in the comments.

Compliant IA is a complete retail execution and store communication platform. It runs on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It combines task management, social collaboration, smart checklists, action plans and photo verification to ensure store programs are communicated and executed in time, in full, in all locations.

About the author:
Francesca Nicasio is a freelance writer and content strategist who's dedicated to writing about retail trends and tips that help merchants increase sales, improve customer service, and be better retailers overall. Her work has been featured in top retail industry publications including Retail TouchPoints, Street Fight, Retail Customer Experience, VEND, and more. She's also a featured thought leader on LinkedIn, and is followed by over 300,000 professionals on the site.

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5 Retail Merchandising Trends to Watch Out for in 2019

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Merchandising is - and will continue to be - one of the biggest drivers of sales and customer engagement in retail. How your store is merchandised influences everything from brand perception to customer experience, which is why it's important to keep your merchandising initiatives fresh and relevant.

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Merchandising startegy Elizabeth Rudrum 

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Final Seasonal Range Plan Stores New elizabeth-2