This week was all about Pitti Uomo 110 in Florence, where over 730 brands presented their Spring/Summer 2027 collections. At the same time, the Munich fashion house Ludwig Beck caused a stir with its announced withdrawal from the stock market following its takeover by Alfons Doblinger. The tariff dispute continued to escalate in retail: Verdi again called for warning strikes nationwide, while austerity measures and a flood of discounts increased the pressure on the industry. French label Coperni was placed into receivership and Frasers Group expanded its acquisition activities to Australia.
Business
The collective bargaining conflict in German retail is coming to a head. The Verdi union again called for warning strikes this week – nationwide in retail, wholesale and foreign trade. In Stuttgart, employees had already demonstrated with a protest for a seven percent increase in wages; Employers have so far offered staggered increases of two and 1.5 percent over two years.
The pressure to strike is hitting an industry that is already suffering from consumer restraint. According to current data, the most savings are made on clothing and catering, which is prompting retailers to offer a significant flood of discounts, the consequences of which for margins and brand perception are increasingly being discussed.
Two corporate dramas dominated the industry news. The Parisian label Coperni was placed under receivership by the Paris Commercial Court; The background is unpaid payments by the majority shareholder Tomorrow Ltd., which was taken over by the Italian company Progetto 11 in March. At Ludwig Beck, the next consequence followed the takeover by real estate entrepreneur Alfons Doblinger: The fashion house is planning to withdraw from the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and has concluded a corresponding delisting agreement with Bayerische Gewerbebau AG.
Meanwhile, the British Frasers Group is intensifying its expansion strategy: After the takeover bid for Hugo Boss, Mike Ashley’s company launched a cash offer for the Australian Accent Group, which is considered an important retail and distribution platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The offer at 0.65 Australian dollars per share runs from June 30th to July 30th.
The industry is also concerned with two topics with regard to supply chains. Talks between the US and Iran are delayed and the fashion industry is closely watching shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, heat stress is coming into focus as a real supply chain risk – a factor that the fashion industry has so far not taken enough into account in its risk assessment.
The streetwear and urban fashion retailer Defshop reports positive business development after the insolvency proceedings have been completed. The s.Oliver Group is driving forward its retail expansion with a new joint venture with PTH. Tennis Point extends its partnership with the International Tennis Federation ITF. In e-commerce, experts warn of a growing wave of fake shops that are harming thousands of customers. A feature explores how three British brands are leading the growing farm-to-fashion trend – from cotton production in the field straight to the wardrobe. The anti-fast fashion law also came back into the discussion: One comment asked whether Europe is finally ready to assert its regulatory interests against providers like Shein.
fashion
The Pitti Uomo 110 in Florence shaped the fashion impulses of the week. At the trade fair, Seidensticker presented its new premium shirt collection under the name “1919” – a reference to the year the brand was founded. Away from the trade fair stands, Pitti Uomo’s street style provided a picture of current menswear in practical testing in summer temperatures.
Simone Rocha brought a special perspective on masculinity with her collection: between suits and aprons, the designer questioned classic ideas of masculinity and thus created one of the most discussed essays of the week.
Personal details
Simone Heift, most recently Chief Merchandising Officer of the KaDeWe Group, is moving to Peek & Cloppenburg. From September 1st, as Managing Director for Purchasing and Merchandising, she will be responsible for the corresponding areas of both P&C companies in Düsseldorf and Vienna and will also become a member of the Board of Directors of JC New Retail AG. Tewe Maas is leaving the same company as Brand Director – a position that has to be filled internally after 17 years.
Primark has appointed Keiron Birch as director of womenswear design; he brings experience from Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. At Nike, John Rogers Jr. is stepping down from the board of directors and taking on a role as a strategic advisor. In the course of the takeover by Alfons Doblinger, Bruno Salzer resigned as chairman of Ludwig Beck’s supervisory board with immediate effect; his mandate as a member of the Supervisory Board ends on September 30th.
retail
In the future, the Otto Group will rely on artificial intelligence from Google – from product development to customer and customer service. The collaboration is intended to accelerate digitalization along the entire value chain. At the same time, subsidiary Bonprix is expanding its platform business outside the Otto Group and expanding its cooperation with About You.
Several retailers announced expansion steps. The Wöhrl fashion house is opening its first branch in Chemnitz in autumn. Walbusch expands to Wildau near Berlin. Fabletics is celebrating the opening of its largest store to date in Europe in Berlin’s KaDeWe with around 160 square meters of sales space on the fourth floor. The Swedish labels Filippa K and Oscar Jacobson are opening a duo store together. Sport 2000 brings a new store format to Münster, and Eyes + More explains why its Metropolitan store in Cologne is considered a blueprint for further expansion. Braun Hamburg also launched a newly designed online shop.
Measure
The Pitti Uomo 110 in Florence moved into the 110th chapter of the most important menswear trade fair with over 730 brands. The tenor of the opening: loud bass, quiet collections – an industry that is looking for safer ways, while the pool theme set the tone as the seasonal leitmotif. The starting signal was given by an energetic start to the trade fair, which showed a confident mood despite a decline in sales of Italian menswear of 2.2 percent to 11.2 billion euros in 2025. Mustang used the second Pitti appearance to convert initial trade fair contacts into concrete partnerships and to advance the international expansion of the denim brand.
This post was written using artificial intelligence.