Continuing our weekly news snippets, here are some interesting ones for Week 32.
Abercrombie & Fitch Debuts Footwear, Exclusive Partnership with Zappos
Abercrombie & Fitch is capitalizing on its booming women’s apparel category with a new partnership with the online shoe and clothing platform Zappos. On Thursday, the specialty retailer announced that Zappos will be its exclusive U.S. e-commerce partner, making its popular pieces more accessible than ever and introducing its first-ever collection of women’s footwear only available on Zappos. Customers can now shop Zappos for Abercrombie & Fitch favorites, including Abercrombie’s high-quality, size-inclusive denim and essential tops for adults and kids. Through this partnership, which is the first of its kind in the U.S. for Abercrombie & Fitch, the two brands also teamed up to create an exclusive footwear capsule available only on Zappos.com and Abercrombie.com, featuring a wide range of sizes and designed to perfectly style with Abercrombie & Fitch denim fits. The denim fits featured on Zappos range from size 23-37 (including Abercrombie’s signature Curve Love collection with built-in stretch that works for curves – not the other way around), and feature three lengths per style: regular, long, and short.
Kontoor Brands’ Online and U.S. Wholesale Businesses Spurs Revenues
Kontoor Brands forges ahead to capture an audience that is shopping online for denim casuals during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The North Carolina-based denim company and the parent to the Wrangler and Lee brands, has devised a recovery strategy during the pandemic that has continued to boost revenues, according to its Q2 2021 earnings release Thursday morning.
The company reported revenues of $491 million for the quarter that ended July 3, a 41% increase from last year. Its Wrangler and Lee brands both saw significant revenue growth from this time last year as Wrangler’s global revenues of $311 million were a 24% increase, while Lee’s $176 million global revenues were a 105% rise, the company said. The company’s performance, which is attributed to continuing improvements in its online and U.S. wholesale businesses, has led to another revision of fiscal 2021 guidance. The company now expects adjusted EPS to be between $3.90 and $4.00, higher than the $3.70 to $3.80 range it had previously projected after the first quarter. Its board also approved a $200 million share repurchase program, according to the company.
Cone Denim to render Verified Fabric Details Via Higg MSI
Cone Denim just took a major step in its journey to total transparency by announcing a new offering that makes it easier for its customers to determine the environmental impact of its products. Using the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), customers can now access Life Cycle Assessment and comparison data for details on specific materials used in Cone Denim fabrics. The mill developed custom materials in the MSI tool for its full Spring/Summer 2022 fabric collection and is among the first to offer this type of accessible, verified transparency to its customers. The Higg MSI is a resource used by sustainability analysts, designers, and product developers to determine the sustainability of materials used in garment and footwear design, and is considered one of the most comprehensive tools for making informed materials choices. Cone Denim is a longtime champion of the Higg MSI as well as other tools in the Higg Index product suite. The new functionality is one part of the denim mill’s ongoing commitment to using more sustainable materials.
Denim brand Noisy May offers new jeans with a lifetime guarantee
Noisy May presents its first pair of jeans with a lifetime guarantee. The Danish label commits that should its R.A.R.E. jeans ever become faulty it assures to repair, replace or refund them. As the name suggests, R.A.R.E. jeans (an acronym for Remarkably Advanced Responsible Essentials) are unique and produced by Noisy May in a limited edition only. Each pair of the 300 exclusive pieces is individually numbered and certified by the brand. The jeans combine low-impact production methods with more sustainable materials and recycled tags. They are based on the popular relaxed Isabel fit with tapered legs and a flattering, normal waist. Using a timeless ‘mom’ fit will work season after season, thus expanding the life of the product further.“In every design process, Noisy May strives to be more sustainable, step by carefully planned step. The R.A.R.E. jeans are no exception. Using advanced manufacturing technologies, the R.A.R.E. jeans combine a heavy 100% organic cotton with sustainable thread and reusable metal rivets and trims,” says Noisy May in a press release.
