Articles by Regina Henkel
Brands accused of still blocking worker safety improvements 10 years after Ali Enterprises fire in Pakistan
Sep 9, 2022 - Business
In a press release on the tenth anniversary of the devastating fire at Ali Enterprises in Pakistan that killed 250 people, international NGO Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) has accused the textile industry of not doing enough to improve standards despite numerous accidents, some of them fatal, in Pakistan's textile factories. In particular, fashion...
Munich Fabric Start: Binary trends define AW23/24 season
Sep 6, 2022 - Fashion
Loud or quiet, harmonious or shrill, calm or moving, fast or slow – the fabric trends for autumn/winter 2023/24, which were recently shown at Munich Fabric Start, indicate extremely contrasting tendencies. In the broadest sense, it is about the interplay between the real world, whose fashion needs to become more sustainable, and the digital...
Gore-Tex: The new membrane and what Greenpeace has to do with it
Aug 8, 2022 - Business
When the first products with the new, more sustainable ePE membrane from Gore-Tex hit the market in autumn, the world leader for waterproof functional fabrics and with it the entire outdoor industry would have made a real U-turn. Or wouldn’t it? PTFE is Gore-Tex’s main module To understand that the development of this new, more sustainable ePE...
With platforms booming, what happens to wholesale?
May 27, 2022 - Business
When online retailers like Zalando, for example, want to triple their platform business in a few years, this will have serious implications for the traditional wholesale business and the brands involved. All the more so because Zalando is just one example of several. What does it mean when more and more online retailers develop their traditional...
Ship from store: how specialist retailer BabyOne involves its franchise partners in online retailing
Apr 14, 2022 - Retail
How does one build up a uniform online business as a stationary retail chain without putting one’s own franchise partners in a bind? German BabyOne specialty store chain with over 30 of its own stores and 73 partner stores, has found its very own solution. At the end of 2019, just a few months before the outbreak of the pandemic, owner-operated...
How sustainable is the footwear industry?
Apr 6, 2022 - Fashion
The topic of sustainability is also gaining momentum in the footwear industry - although one hears far less about it compared to the apparel industry, especially when it comes to leather products. Why is that and where exactly does the industry stand? Leather is one of the most important raw materials in the footwear industry. But how can one...
LiveBuy: “Live shopping makes online shopping less lonely”
Mar 23, 2022 - Business
Online shopping has been growing for years, but is it fun? Live shopping specialist LiveBuy from Berlin doubts this and wants to help online retailers conquer a new sales channel with live streaming, which turns shopping on screen into an event. In China, live shopping is already a mass phenomenon. Chinese live shopping superstars like Viya and...
Breuninger buyer: “It's getting dressier again, but with the comfort we've grown to love”
Feb 10, 2022 - Fashion
With the new round of orders for FW22/23, buyers are again faced with the challenge of planning ahead for a season whose general conditions are more difficult to estimate than usual. What kind of ranges will fashion brands and retailers present to their female customers next year? What kind of fashion do women want next autumn? Will they still...
KaDeWe buying director: “The trend is moving toward going out again”
Jan 20, 2022 - Business
The pandemic has inspired a desire for events and dressing up. For the fashion industry, this means a tense balancing act between body-conscious sexiness and the mega-trend of sustainability. How are buyers dealing with the situation? We talked to Simone Heift, buying director of The German KaDeWe Group, about which trends she is focusing on for...
Sustainable fashion: the most important eco certifications and what they mean
Jan 7, 2022 - Business
Given the high number of certifications and initiatives out there, it is not easy to keep track of them to make more conscious purchasing decisions. FashionUnited has compiled an up-to-date list of the most important eco certificates and what exactly they mean. In times of abundance, there is an increasing lack of simple truths. Take the...