Editors' Top Reads: News from Nike, K-Way, BFC and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.
K-Way is back in the UK with a new store and more to come
K-Way, the celebrated French-founded brand best known for its packable rain jackets, is back in the UK with a brand new store on London's King's Road. I had the chance to pay it a visit this week and have a chat with Lorenzo Boglione, Vice President of its parent company Basic Net.
The brand previously had a store in London's Covent Garden but closed it in the wake of Brexit and Covid. But Boglioni has been plotting its return for a while now and happily found a spacious unit on the iconic Chelsea street. Right next door the group has opened another store for its footwear brand Superga.
What struck me when walking along the King's Road to visit the new store was just how many interesting brands have taken up residence there. A number are contemporary brands from France, such as Soeur and American Vintage, while it is also the destination of choice for the new generation of buzzy American activewear brands, such as Alo and Vuori, to name just a few. There's plenty of action in beauty too with a new Trinny London store, among others.
While it's been depressing to read about big chains going under, such as Quiz, it is exciting to see more niche brands with differentiated offers taking the opportunity to open stores and rejuvenate our shopping destinations. K-Way is planning at least two more stores in London in near future with more to come outside of the capital later.
I got the sense on the sunny day I visited that spring and a bit of optimism were in the air and it was a good feeling!
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
King Charles and eco-design duo turn Sandringham recycling into LFW collection
While many London Fashion Week runways are often flooded with velvet, silk and sequins, eco-design duo VIN + OMI offered fashion enthusiasts another unique display this season.
The designers collaborated with King Charles – a royal renowned for his sustainability ethos – to develop a fabric made entirely out of recycled milk cartons from His Majesty’s Sandringham estate.
It comes as VIN + OMI have been collaborating with the King since 2019. And, as someone who spends a lot of time in Norfolk myself, I always enjoy hearing about what this Norwich-based, sustainability-focused design duo has been up to. Presented at London Fashion Week, this season's collection centred around what the designers deemed to be "chaotic sustainability".
Familiar faces once again walked the catwalk, with Loose Women’s Jane Moore donning a skin-tight electric blue dress with back-combed hair and sparkling lips at the show in Kensington. Moore was joined on the runway by The Great British Bake Off’s Dame Prue Leith, who evoked a 1980s punk princess, wearing a coat dress made out of the recycled fabric. Check it out here.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Nike joins forces with SKIMS on new brand ‘to disrupt activewear industry’
This week it was revealed that Nike is teaming up with Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand to launch NikeSKIMS, a new brand that it says will "disrupt the global fitness and activewear industry" with leading innovation.
It’s certainly a marketing masterstroke as Kardashian is always hot news and the SKIMS brand she co-founded with Jens Grede in 2019, creating the "next generation of women’s underwear, loungewear and shapewear for every body", seems to be on a meteoric rise.
Kardashian also famously split from Kanye West, who had a huge fallout with Nike’s biggest rival Adidas over the whole Yeezy saga, and an Instagram post last week saw her in matching pink crop top and leggings and sporting a pair of Nike Air Max 95’s, with a pink hue.
While NikeSKIMS is likely to be a huge success given the money that will have been thrown at it – and the famous face of it - I bet Nike will be shifting plenty of those trainers too. Thirty years since its launch, it’s the shoe that keeps on giving.
Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.
The Interview: Paul Costelloe on bringing his 80s heritage brand back this LFW
If you've ever glanced at a London Fashion Week schedule, you would've seen Paul Costelloe's name on it. For over 40 years, the Irish-American designer has been showing his eclectic collections here on British soil.
Just days before the designer took to this stage bright and early on Friday morning to show his AW25 collection, I spoke to the iconic designer about his horse-girl inspired collection. In this interview, Costelloe speaks about the inspirations for his collection, his history showing at LFW and so much more.
Costelloe, 79, said: "I'm bringing my heritage brand "Paul Costelloe Dressage" to the catwalk this season. I launched it back in the late 80's as an almost "weekend" collection. It reflects my love of the equestrian sport."
The designer is known for his elegant and classic tailoring, blending traditional and contemporary design. He often turns back the time, looking to fashion's past to inspire current collections, and this season was no different.
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
LFW AW25: BFC demands government's 'respect for fashion' ahead of CEO's departure
When The Vampire's Wife was forced to shutter last year, I wrote an in-depth feature on the sad state of British fashion: how difficult it is for fledgling and independent designers to take flight or remain airborne when the financial odds are so stacked against them. Almost one year on, the situation has far from improved.
As London Fashion Week launches for AW25, Caroline Rush made her final Network Breakfast speech as CEO of the British Fashion Council (BFC) this morning. As well as her excitement for the week ahead and the gratitude she expressed to the BFC's employees, members, patrons and the industry as a whole, she had one clear demand.
Rush urged the Government to increase access to finance for designers, broker an improved trading agreement with the EU, and bring back tax-free shopping.
"These are challenging times for British fashion," she said. "Although we’d prefer the landscape to be different, one thing I know is that this community is resilient and creativity is heightened further when facing adversity. Now, more than ever, we need support from press, buyers and government to ensure our designers can continue to lead, innovate and grow."
Will Rush get her parting wish? @GOVUK, any ideas?
Katie Ross, Content & Events Executive.
