VALENTINO’S PINK PUSH: Valentino continues to double down on local engagement within the Chinese market, and has tapped the favored singer and husband of Rainie Yang, Li Ronghao, as a brand ambassador for the Greater China region.

Ronghao’s appointment got here a day after the brand unveiled a Pink PP (its house hue for the autumn 2022 collection) pop-up store at China’s Aranya Gold Coast. The brand covered a church by the ocean with Pink PP for the occasion.

Ronghao spored black and pink looks from the brand’s fall 2022 collection in campaign images.

“Valentino’s spirit resonates with me,” the singer said.

“I think inspirations in several forms can communicate just tremendous, so long as sharing the same core: rhythm and lyrics are my preferred language, however the gentle yet subversive fashion language of creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli equally impresses me as well,” he added.

The brand said Li’s “authentic, unrestrained nature” distinguishes him, and he embodies Piccioli’s “pursuit of authenticity and individuality.”

The brand’s other ambassadors within the region include actress Guan Xiaotong and Sun Li, and actor Lay Zhang.

Valentino has amped up its effort to make waves in China after Janice Lam was appointed chief executive officer of Greater China earlier this 12 months. She previously worked as managing director China for Alfred Dunhill, and at Prada she was general manager for China.

This summer, the brand created a landmark moment for Pink PP in China, dressing all of the contestants at the ultimate of the favored reality show “Sisters Who Make Waves.”

The hashtag “Sisters Who Make Waves Final” logged greater than 130 million impressions and 44,000 posts on Weibo, and the Valentino outfits were widely discussed amongst fans and online spectators.

Valentino operates 44 stores within the Greater China region, starting from Beijing and Shanghai to Hong Kong and Macau in addition to Chengdu and Xi’an, amongst others.

In 2022, the corporate plans to open several additional stores in Chengdu SKP and at Shenzhen Bay MIXC. — TIANWEI ZHANG

OUTERWEAR EXPANSION: Swedish brand Axel Arigato is synonymous with cult sneakers, but now the brand is aggressively adding apparel to its portfolio.

In 2018, Max Svardh, cofounder and artistic director of the brand, received a $7.5 million investment from specialist fund Vaultier7 to give attention to apparel, which was first introduced in 2017.

“Since we opened the primary store, we saw that the client had a giant appetite to finish the look, not only buying just the sneakers but actually buying the total sets. That’s why we dipped our toes into hoodies, T-shirts and sweaters in the primary place,” Svardh told WWD in June.

For the autumn 2022 campaign shot in Lake Como, Italy, the brand has enlisted the assistance of photographer David Luraschi, whose clientele includes M Le Monde, Rimowa and Jacquemus, to launch a puffer jacket collection.

Axel Arigato has collaborated with digital showroom Immersivo to create an area based on the campaign for purchasers to interact with the pieces and the environment of Lake Como. The interactive world will include a pop-up show where the gathering is displayed on a floating igloo.

On the road to a sustainable future, the brand has exclusively used recycled polyester for the puffer jackets, in addition to for the within interior. Seaqual Yarn, which is made up of one hundred pc post-consumer recycled polyester thread, 10 percent upcycled marine plastic, and 90 percent post-consumer PET from land sources, can also be utilized in the gathering.

The materials have been sourced from Seaqual Initiative, a corporation that goals to scrub up waste across the ocean after which give it a second life. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED

BLOOMING FRENCH: Palm Angels has landed in Paris.

The Italian brand, a part of the Recent Guards Group stable, said it will open its first flagship within the French capital in early 2023, and marked the announcement by installing a lush vertical garden at the placement of the longer term store.

Designed in collaboration with Atelier Athem, a Paris-based collective specialized in scenography and concrete design, the facade made up of plants, vines, moss and palm fronds, with a neon sign spelling out the brand name in Gothic script, was unveiled on Monday and can remain in place for a month.

Positioned at 217 Rue Saint-Honoré, the two-story boutique is positioned near the Saint Laurent Rive Droite store, which occupies the space that previously housed concept store Colette. Neighboring brands include Theory, Balenciaga and Pimples Studios. 

Since emerging from the coronavirus pandemic, Palm Angels has opened stores at a gradual clip and now has locations in Milan, Italy; Las Vegas, Nevada; Miami, Florida; Beijing, Wuhan and Hong Kong, China; Bangkok, Thailand, and Dubai, UAE. A seasonal store in Forte dei Marmi is about to develop into one other everlasting location, while former boutiques in Macau, Chengdu and Shanghai, China, have closed.

Founder and artistic director Francesco Ragazzi launched the label in 2014 with a book in regards to the Californian skating scene featuring a foreword by Pharrell Williams. Since then, Palm Angels has collaborated with brands including Under Armour, Vilebrequin and Moncler.

Along with men’s and ladies’s ready-to-wear, the label offers childrenswear, eyewear and a fragrance developed in collaboration with Swedish area of interest perfumer 16-69. It also has a line of homewares. — JOELLE DIDERICH

CHIC SIGHT: Paris-based Officine Générale, known for its understated appeal, has teamed with Garrett Leight for its first line of sunglasses and optical frames, melding the brand’s Californian craftsmanship with Officine Générale’s “Beautiful Normality” aesthetic.

“It is vitally exciting for me to launch an eyewear collection with Garrett who shares the identical values in quality handcraft and mixing the old with the brand new,” said Pierre Mahéo, founder and designer of Officine Générale. 

The Los Angeles-based eyewear giant isn’t any stranger to collaborations, having previously partnered with Rimowa, Metalwood, Footjoy, Pendleton, Frecobol Carioca, and more.

Utilizing Officine Générale’s sophisticated, neutral color palette, the frames are made in cured acetate in black glass, demi blond, Olio, and clear with metal details, including the refined water drop plaque, visible core wire that includes a latest custom etched design, smooth metal hardware cap on the temple hinge and tip, rounded off with premium glass lenses in gray, green, blue and G15, with an anti-reflective coating. 

“In today’s world where technology and innovation reign supreme, there’s something refreshing about brands which are experts in what they do, just attempting to create something beautiful,” said Leight.

The launch will probably be unveiled during SILMO in Paris, the leading trade fair for optics and eyewear, which can run from Sept. 23 to 26.

With a retail price tag of $485, the daring sunwear collection will probably be available subsequently in any respect Officine Générale and Garret Leight stores starting Sept. 27 (each brick-and-mortar and online). — LUIS CAMPUZANO

SARA BLAND TO PVH: PVH Corp. tapped Sara Bland to be executive vp and chief strategy officer, starting Oct. 31.

Bland — who was most recently executive vp, global strategy at jeansmaker Kontoor Brands Inc. and before that worked at GlaxoSmithKline and PepsiCo — steps into the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein parent at a time of change.

Not only is the economy and all of fashion shaken up with ultra-high inflation and the specter of recession, PVH is executing on a latest brand- and direct-to-consumer-heavy strategic plan, dubbed PVH+, which was introduced in April and goals to spice up revenues to $12.5 billion by 2025, up from $9.2 billion last 12 months. The corporate also recently said that Trish Donnelly, chief executive officer of PVH Americas and Calvin Klein global, would exit the business.

Bland, who will join PVH’s executive leadership team and report back to CEO Stefan Larsson, arrives because the plan remains to be getting underway. 

“Sara brings a rare combination of world strategy and operational excellence expertise,” Larsson said. “She is extremely analytical in addition to consumer- and brand-centric, and has a powerful, successful track record of partnering with company leaders to operationalize strategies to drive measurable results. Having recently launched our multiyear PVH+ Plan, Sara will play a critical role, working with me and the ELT, in driving our strategy forward to unlock the total potential of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger and deliver long-term sustainable growth.”

That is familiar territory for Bland, who at Wrangler and Lee parent Kontoor, was chargeable for “growth and company strategy, consumer insights, innovation platforms and key transformational projects.” 

Bland said: “PVH has a very unique opportunity to grow two of essentially the most iconic brands on this planet across global markets and I look ahead to working with the talented team there to assist drive the connection between brand, strategy, transformation and growth.” — EVAN CLARK

OPEN LIVING: Canada Goose has released its fall ad campaign photographed by Anne Leibovitz.

Set within the highlands of Northern Scotland, the campaign tells the stories of ladies who embody the brand’s “Live within the Open” ethos, while showcasing its latest outerwear products. The all-female forged was featured to exhibit an increased give attention to womenswear design as a part of the brand’s plan to grow its female offering.

“As a brand, we attempt to share powerful and meaningful stories with our audience and we’re excited to have fun our all-female forged because we would like to encourage our female consumer to live boldly, and we also want to point out her that she doesn’t have to compromise on style or performance,” said Penny Brook, chief marketing and experience officer at Canada Goose.

The campaign features actor Jodie Turner-Smith, model, musician and DJ Soo Joo Park, and model and actor Khadijha Red Thunder.

Each of the campaign muses has unique stories to inform and actively champions causes that serve to uplift underrepresented voices.

“My community means every thing to me,” said Red Thunder, who works to assist with educational and mental health issues facing communities living on reservations and throughout the Native American community. “I grew up dancing at powwows for the reason that day I could walk, camping all summer long with my grandmother, going from one powwow to the subsequent. My tribe is Chippewa Cree, my grandmother is from Saskatchewan, Canada, and I’m so grateful to have grown up experience such a fantastic, amongst culture.”

The campaign will break on Sept. 22 across social and out-of-home. The products featured may even launch that day.

Among the many looks within the campaign are the Marlow Parka, Marlow Coat and Rayla Vest, which feature an adjustable and removable belt for a customizable fit. The Aurora Parka and Aurora Jacket feature contoured quilting patterns and an interior drawcord to create shape. The Marlow Jacket has clean quilt lines that flatter the figure, while the hem interior drawcord provides an adaptable fit and heat retention. — LISA LOCKWOOD

EXPANSION IN SIGHT: Columbia Sportswear Co. has mapped out a three-year plan that features higher sales targets and an expected boost from the Sorel brand.

During a gathering with investors and analysts, the Columbia Sportswear’s chairman, president and chief executive officer Tim Boyle said the corporate had a 9 percent net sales compound annual growth rate, 11 percent diluted earnings per share CAGR and a 13 percent annual total shareholder return from its IPO in 1998 through last 12 months.

Looking ahead, Columbia Sportswear is banking on three areas — footwear, international expansion and digital sales growth — with a goal of generating $700 million more in net sales annually by 2025.

Boyle singled out Sorel because the projected “fastest-growing brand,” adding that it’s CAGR is predicted by be 20 to 22 percent fueled by year-round products and momentum.

Because it looks to speed up profitable growth, Columbia will ramp up product innovation, put money into branding to reinforce engagement, and improve consumer experiences and repair with wholesale partners. Like a lot of its competitors, including Nike, Under Armour and Adidas, Columbia is playing up a digital-driven omnichannel distribution strategy. The Oregon-based company can also be planning to empower talent.

The corporate’s goal is to grow net sales to between $4.5 billion and $4.7 billion in 2025, to expand operating margin to about 14 percent of net sales by 2025, and for diluted earnings per share to succeed in $7.35 to $7.95 by 2025. Chief financial officer Jim Swanson said he expects the corporate to see a 13 to 17 percent increase for total annual shareholder return goal between 2023 and 2025.

Columbia Sportswear is reaffirming its full-year 2022 net sales outlook of $3.44 to $3.50 billion, representing net sales growth of 10 to 12 percent in comparison with 2021, and full-year 2022 diluted earnings per share outlook of $5 to $5.40. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG