This week the fashion industry looked particularly towards Metzingen: The British Frasers Group initially settled its dispute with the supervisory board of Hugo Boss and shortly afterwards announced a takeover offer worth two billion euros. At the same time, menswear trends shaped the reporting – trend expert Julian Daynov spoke in an interview about the cultural forces behind men’s fashion for spring/summer 2027. There was one change after another in the personnel department, from Saint Laurent to Intersport.
Business
Hugo Boss claimed the most attention this week: The Frasers Group first put down its months-long resistance to supervisory board chairman Stephan Sturm and shortly afterwards announced a takeover offer worth two billion euros to secure the remaining shares in the Metzingen fashion group. The offer illustrates how determined Mike Ashley’s retail empire is to expand its influence on the German fashion house.
There was a mixed picture on the stock market: Adidas benefited from a positive analyst comment from the Canadian bank RBC and remained on a recovery path shortly before the World Cup, while the shares of Puma and Nike fell. Woolworth, meanwhile, reported strong annual figures: thanks to consistent expansion, the Unna-based retailer exceeded the one billion euro sales mark for the first time.
Geopolitically, Alibaba found itself in Washington’s sights: The US government put the company, along with Baidu and BYD, on a list of Chinese companies with suspected connections to the military. VF Corp, meanwhile, strengthened its European presence by expanding its EMEA headquarters in Stabio, Switzerland, to include 2,500 square meters of office and collaboration space.
The sustainable womenswear label Nina Rein is ceasing operations; the online shop closes on June 17th. The Verdi union in North Rhine-Westphalia also called for warning strikes: branches of large retail chains such as Primark, H&M and Zara were affected; the union is demanding seven percent more wages.
fashion
The debate about men’s fashion for spring/summer 2027 was examined from two directions. Julian Daynov explained in the interview that the future does not belong to the loudest brands and talked about new silhouettes, materials and colors. In parallel, a guest article examined four key trends that are shaped by changing consumer needs and cultural shifts.
In the area of innovation, Prada, in collaboration with Axiom Space, presented the new generation spacesuit, where craftsmanship excellence meets space technology. The Dutch TU Delft and the label Hul le Kes published a study on a new dyeing method based on wastewater that could offer the industry a more resource-efficient alternative. Sportswear brand Gobik launched “The One Off”, an experimental line of high-performance sportswear with prototypes and limited series.
Hong Kong customs confiscated counterfeit items worth 17.2 million euros and arrested six suspects as part of an investigation into the World Cup. The Antwerp Fashion Festival put the spotlight on Belgian fashion – from established names to new talent.
Personal details
There was a particularly lot of movement in the management ranks this week. Anouck Duranteau-Loeper, former managing director of Isabel Marant, will become deputy managing director at Saint Laurent on July 1st and will be responsible for the product area. Marc Schmidt will also be moving to Extreme Cashmere on July 1st, where he will take on the position of Managing Director.
Jonathan Saunders steps down as chief creative officer at & Other Stories; He justifies the move with his personal decision to move to the United States. In the future, Stephan Schwarz will complement the management team at the Intersport International trading association and bring the management team down to a quartet. Triumph Germany relies on a management duo and brings Georgios Paparas into the management of Triumph International GmbH.
Primark appoints Lucy Slinger as new chief financial officer; It is intended to accompany the international expansion and the independent future of the fashion retailer. Mirko Borsche is taking over the art direction of the Berlin fashion magazine 032c and will be redesigning the magazine from the summer 2026 edition.
retail
Adidas is using the 2026 Football World Cup for a large-scale cooperation with the US department store Nordstrom: immersive installations and pop-ups with curated products are being created in 35 branches. The Mallorcan shoe brand Carmina continues its global expansion and opens new stores in Munich and Tokyo.
Patagonia is expanding its presence in Austria and opening its second store in the country in Salzburg. The Swedish womenswear brand Ninepine is entering the German market in collaboration with the KaDeWe Group and is taking the step into stationary retail.
This post was written using artificial intelligence.