Tapestry, a New York-based house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle brands, has signed the Open to All pledge, to foster inclusivity and protect equality. Open to All pledge reflects the ethos that when “a business opens its doors to the public, it should be open to all.” Open to All is a nation-wide public engagement campaign against discrimination.

Tapestry was joined by over 50 fashion houses and brands, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and the Open to All campaign, to make a powerful statement about the industry’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and protecting equality.

This collective effort has been inspired by Tapestry’s work with the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion.

Founding Open to All signatories and fellow CEO Action members Levi Strauss & Co Gap and Old Navy joined Tapestry as they signed the Open to All pledge alongside ascena retail group (Ann Taylor, Catherines, Justice, Lane Bryant, LOFT, Lou and Grey), Ban.do, Capri Holdings (Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace), Diane von Furstenberg, Fossil Group (Fossil, Michele, Misfit, Relic, Skagen, Watch Station, Zodiac), H&M Group (H&M, COS, & other Stories), Hudson’s Bay Company (Saks Fifth Avenue), Incipio, Inditex (Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Zara and Zara Home), Keds, Kering, Lifeguard Press, Lenox, Movado Group, PVH Corp. (Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger), Rag & Bone, Ralph Lauren Corporation (Ralph Lauren and Club Monaco), Richemont North America, Steve Madden, Tiffany & Co. and The Collected Group (Current Elliott, Equipment, Joie).

Jide Zeitlin, chairman and chief executive officer of Tapestry, said, “When we founded Tapestry almost two years ago, we asked employees around the world what they wanted our company to stand for. Overwhelmingly, they told us ‘inclusivity,’ to represent the diversity of our employees, our customers and the communities in which we operate. This is an important moment for us to reaffirm our commitment to inclusivity. By joining the CFDA, the Open to All campaign, and other fashion houses to collectively support and sign the Open to All pledge, we are sending a message that we will not tolerate discrimination. Together, we are taking a stand for the rights of our customers, our employees and our partners.”

Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the CFDA said, “The CFDA supports Open to All and thanks Tapestry for its effort in bringing our industry together behind diversity, inclusion, and equality.”

Ineke Mushovic, executive director of Open to All said, “In the two years since Open to All’s inception, we have had over 5,000 companies sign the pledge. We have been inspired and humbled by Tapestry’s leadership and vision. Tapestry has worked beyond the walls of their stores to bring the fashion industry together to join the Open to All campaign in building a thriving, inclusive, competitive America where customers and employees are valued, respected and welcomed regardless of who they are. This exemplifies the spirit of Open to All and creates true transformation—especially for everyone out there who is struggling and wants to know where they will be safe, welcomed and accepted.”

On Earth Day 2019, Tapestry launched bold 2025 corporate responsibility goals, including commitments to build diversity in North America Tapestry and brand leadership teams by increasing the number of North America-based ethnic minority leaders to better reflect the company’s general corporate population and to reduce gender and ethnic differences in the Employee Inclusion Index scores from the Company’s Employee Engagement Survey.

In July 2019, Tapestry joined over 200 companies in signing the Amicus brief – a “friend of the court” brief – to support the protection of the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination under existing federal civil rights laws. Tapestry achieved a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for the fifth consecutive year in 2019, earning the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality. Additionally, Tapestry was listed on the Forbes 2019 “Best Employers for Diversity” list for the second consecutive year.

In 2017, Tapestry signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge to reaffirm the company’s commitment towards advancing inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Other highlights include the establishment of an Inclusion Council to ensure that people with diverse perspectives and backgrounds are included in business decisions, inclusion training for all Tapestry employees globally, as well as gender neutral uniform guidelines for store employees. (SV)

About 10 Chinese brands presented their latest collection at the ongoing New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020 show. According to schedule released by IMG, one of the producers of the event, the 8-day show starting from September 4, included two events devoted to Chinese labels, including ‘Tmall China Cool’ on September 4 and ‘China Day’ on September 8.During the fashion week, Threegun, a well-known underwear brand in China under the Shanghai-based Orient International (Holding) Co, Ltd, boarded the fashion stage for the first time on September 4 in cooperation with Tmall platform of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba, according to press release by Xinhua Silk Road Information Service.

The brand displayed 40 sets of intimate apparel with designs inspired by the classic elements of the time-honoured Chinese brand such as waffle weave and tie-dye.

Sheng Chao who is in charge of the Tmall fashion brands said that the New York Fashion Week is an important platform to enhance brand influence and drive sales growth.

Chao believed that the New York Fashion Week also conveyed the desire for transformation of domestic brands. “In the past, foreigners had some stereotypes about the Chinese design. In fact, Chinese design is not just cliches like the dragon and phoenix,” said Chao.

Besides, through the cooperation with Tmall, many of the Chinese brands’ Spring/Summer 2020 collection were launched on the e-commerce platform during the fashion week. Consumers could immediately order the catwalk items after watching the live streaming video of the fashion show. (PC)

Advance Denim will be first Chinese denim manufacturer to offer a collection made with Archroma’s aniline-free Denisol Pure Indigo. To focus on innovation and sustainable manufacturing, Advance Denim will be exploring Archroma’s aniline-free indigo as a non-toxic way to produce traditional, iconic indigo blue that consumers associate with denim and jeans.During traditional indigo dyeing process production, some of the aniline stays locked into the indigo pigment and is difficult to wash off the fabric. The remainder of the aniline impurity, approximately 300 metric tons annually, is discharged during dyeing. This can be an issue as aniline is toxic to aquatic life. In addition, exposure levels to factory workers can be high. As a result of its toxicity it is now starting to feature on the restricted substance lists (RSL) of some major clothing brands and retailers. The new Denisol Pure Indigo 30 liq was therefore developed as an aniline-free indigo solution for designers, manufacturers and brand owners who long for authentic indigo inspiration, according to a press release by Archroma.

“At Archroma, we try to do our part, step by step, and that is why we developed the purest pre-reduced liquid aniline-free indigo available on the market. Together with the most eco-conscious denim mills out there, such as Advance Denim in China, we can make clean indigo – and clean denim. Because it’s our nature,” said Umberto De Vita, global business development, denim & casual wear at Archroma.

“Advance Denim and Archroma are demonstrating, through action, how a traditional industry can transform and become sustainable while remaining profitable,” said Amy Wang, managing director, Advance Denim.

Established in 1987, Advance Denim is the oldest denim mill in China. The company has its own innovative research and development, manufacturing and sales teams, including a 120,000 square metre manufacturing facility in Shunde, China, and well as offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Amsterdam and New York.

Archroma is a global leader in colour and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions headquartered in Reinach near Basel, Switzerland. (PC)

Flipkart has obtained the licence and distribution rights of Nautica, a lifestyle brand owned by US-based Authentic Brands Group (ABG), and will manage the brand’s online and offline business in India through a network of franchise partners. Flipkart will bring its expertise in design, product development and merchandising to address unique Indian consumer demands.

Flipkart will offer Nautica access to over 160 million consumers across Flipkart, Myntra and Jabong, according to Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and chief executive of ABG, which owns a portfolio of iconic brands and acquired Nautica in May 2018.

ABG’s intention was to grow the brand’s global footprint by expanding into newer geographies and strengthen its presence in existing market, according to Indian media reports.

Flipkart feels fashion is a $100-billion market in India with only 6 per cent having been penetrated by the online retail players. The company has formed similar partnerships with other global brands like Mango (offline and online), Esprit and H&M (only online). (DS)