Editors' Top Reads: News from Mango, YMC, Luisa de Paula and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.
Tributes paid to Mango founder Isak Andic: "an example for all of us"
I pass Mango whenever I head into the office. It seems as though it's on every high street, offering aspirational shoppers a passageway into the world of fashion. I'd have to say it's one of my favourite high street brands. I mean, have you seen its leather jacket and kitten heel offering? So, when its founder Isak Andic suddenly passed away last weekend, it sent a shock wave through my family group chat and, of course, the retail industry.
The industry came together to pay tribute to Isak Andic, the entrepreneurial and inspirational founder of Mango.
Andic, aged 71, remained Non-Executive Chairman of the fast-growing Spanish fashion brand and had been "an example to us all", according to Mango CEO Toni Ruiz.
Ruiz said the entire Mango family was in mourning following the unexpected death. "He dedicated his life to Mango, leaving an indelible mark thanks to his strategic vision, his inspiring leadership, and his unwavering commitment to values that he himself imbued in our company. His legacy reflects the achievements of a business project marked by success and also by his human quality, his proximity, and the care and affection that he always had and at all times conveyed to the entire organisation," Ruiz added.
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
Retailers set for £3.04 billion boost this 'Panic Weekend'
I've taken a very organised approach to Christmas this year, with pretty much all of my presents already purchased and wrapped. Well, all except one... meaning I will be joining the hordes of last minute shoppers this weekend to pick up one last gift ahead of the big day.
And I put emphasis on "hordes" as, with less than a week to go until Christmas, new data this week has revealed that shoppers are expected to spend £3.04 billion this "Panic Weekend" (21-22 December) as they rush to finish their Christmas shopping.
That's according to VoucherCodes, which forecasts a "strong" weekend of sales for brands and retailers, with 39.3 million consumers expected to shop either in-store or online, giving businesses the chance to capitalise on Brits who have left their shopping to the eleventh hour. Read more insights here.
Sophie Smith News Editor & Senior Writer.
5 footwear trends to look out for in 2025
As a child, I was a precocious viewer. Much like Matilda reading Moby Dick and Animal Farm before she was old enough to attend school, I was watching Carrie Bradshaw clip and clop her way around Manhattan before I was tall enough to enjoy most funfair rides. Exact same thing.
Sitting in the only position that any self-respecting child should assume while watching telly (cross-legged on the floor, way too close to the screen), I watched Ms Bradshaw habitually squander at least half of her meagre sex columnist pay cheque on a pair of Manolo Blahniks. I never considered that that specific urge would one day befall me.
More fool me. Aged 26, my feeling towards shoes is not unlike the feeling I once exclusively reserved for meals: immediately after you've had one, you're already thinking about the next. So as I await my next Asics parcel (not quite at the Manolo tax bracket just yet), I'll re-read this very helpful feature as I consider my next treat.
Katie Ross, Content & Events Executive.
The Interview: Luisa de Paula on her fashion journey from buying for Selfridges and Liberty to wholesaling Minnessak
I was left feeling most nostalgic reading this interview with Luisa de Paula by our Contributing Editor Tom Bottomley this week. I first came across Luisa when she was heading up the buy for the then myWardrobe.com back in the late-2000s. I loved that site and how it perfectly filled the e-commerce gap between the luxury players at one end of the market and the likes of ASOS at the other. Luisa's buy expertly spoke to how modern 30-plus women wanted to dress.
Sadly the business lost its way some time after Luisa left and it is no longer with us (the gap it filled is still there!) but I was delighted to hear that she is now forging a successful career on the wholesale side of the industry with Minnessak. This brand, which crafts bags made from 80s and 90s MA-1 flight jackets, is the brainchild of another blast from my past, Jas Sehmbi. I didn't know Jas personally, but I certainly owned more than one of his Jas MB bags back in the day.
It's great to see these two knowledgeable figures joining forces to build a sustainable and original brand. And I loved reading the story of Luisa's career to date. Check out the interview here.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
YMC returns to independent roots as co-founder buys back brand and announces expansion plans
It was interesting to read this week that YMC co-founder and CEO Jimmy Collins has bought back the brand from French Connection, which acquired a majority stake and invested in the label in 2004 after it fell into financial difficulty.
Not many would have seen that coming, especially since YMC has no doubt benefitted from the guidance of French Connection founder Stephen Marks, who happens to be a family friend of Collins.
But it’s great to see what was one of the key cult brands of the 90s and early 2000s, which along with a slew of other sought-after brands such as Duffer of St George, Maharishi, 6876 and Folk, defined an edgy menswear era, back as an independent.
Even more surprising perhaps coming after YMC’s maverick designer Fraser Moss passed away in May of last year. Moss was really the beating heart of the brand’s finest creations – no doubt with Collins’ savvy input.
So, it’s good news that the brand’s new Creative Director, Sage Toda-Nation, seems equipped to step up to the challenge as he works with Collins on new designs drawing from YMC’s original mid-90s archive. It will be interesting to see the results when the first new collection launches for SS25. There’s also talk of expansion plans, so things must be on the up.
Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.