Luisa Spagnoli’s Revamped Image, New E-commerce Court Young Clients – WWD – Pen 18

Milan – With a history spanning more than nine decades, Luisa Spagnoli knows a thing or two about the ever-increasing fashion needs of women.

A few seasons back, the Umbria-based, family-run business is carving out a new image, in line with the times and catering to a younger generation of dynamic and digitally savvy customers.

Since last September, the brand has presented its collections with runway shows during Milan Fashion Week and a more youthful vibe ran through their most recent efforts, admits Nicoletta Spagnoli, the company’s chief executive officer, president and creative director. Those were accompanied by vivid colors and an eclectic undercurrent, the result of a renewed focus on Millennials and Gen Xers.

The Fall 2022 ad campaign, shot by lvaro Bemud Cortés, shows that more youthful spirit, with models Isilda Moreira and Martje Verhof wrapped in cocooning knits, different and tailored peacocks in tone-on-tone colors while exuding confidence. Huh.

“We have always been considered a fairly conservative brand, but now we aim to embrace a wider audience and tap into a younger target, while maintaining a closer relationship with our traditional customers, who have changed the way they dress compared to the past. modernized it,” Spagnoli explained.

Luisa Spagnoli Fall 2022 ad campaign.
Courtesy of Alvaro Beamed Cortés/Luisa Spagnoli

As part of this strategy, the company this month introduced a new e-commerce site that builds on omnichannel capabilities typically embraced by digital-native consumers.

“We have been seeing this opportunity for quite some time as we believe that an omnichannel infrastructure can drive our international expansion,” said Spagnoli, noting a 35 percent jump in online sales over the past two pandemic-disrupted years. increase has been observed. 2021 vs in the previous year.

The website provides customers with the opportunity to book a personal in-store shopping experience as well as shop online and avail in-store and in-store return services.

Keeping in mind the enduring expectations of the new generation of customers, the e-commerce platform will also offer various packaging options including eco-minded, plastic-free boxes crafted from FSC-approved paper. A gift box option complements the offering.

The launch of the new website coincides with the internalization of its operations, which were previously outsourced, resulting in a Nimbler distribution structure. Spagnoli noted that this will enable the brand to handle its stock more efficiently, integrated under a single management tool that includes brick-and-mortar and digital doors.

Luisa Spagnoli’s physical retail network has approximately 200 doors, including 156 directly operated flagship stores in Italy, as well as another 40 banners in key regions such as London, Munich, Düsseldorf and Poland, and elsewhere in the Middle East and Europe. local partner.

According to Spagnoli, the brand will open three new doors in the East region, a key growth driver, this summer at the Saudi Arabian capital’s Riyadh Park Mall and leaning flagship stores at The Pearl and DFC Mall in Doha, Qatar. The brand also has 63 wholesale accounts.

Originally published at Pen 18

bjp: Situation in BJP rule worse than that under Hitler: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Alleging that the central government is using central agencies to interfere in the affairs of the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the BJP-led government was “undermining the federal structure of the country”. is”.

Condemning the Centre’s “intervention efforts”, he said that “the situation under the BJP-led government was more hostile than under dictators like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin or Benito Mussolini”.

He also said that central agencies “should be given autonomy” if democracy is to be protected.

Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, he said, “The BJP-led central government is using central agencies to interfere in the affairs of the state. It is destroying the federal structure of the country. A Tughlaqi regime.” is applicable.” Banerjee, without taking names, said that “agencies cannot function because there is no autonomy. Autonomy was in the hands of two individuals and the BJP. This kind of political interference was not prevalent in the times of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin or Benito Mussolini.” “.

Notably, the Bengal CM has long been accusing the BJP government at the Center of “harassing” opponents by using central agencies like CBI, ED, including her party.

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The CBI is probing a number of cases related to violence, rape and trafficking in Bengal, notably the incidents of post-poll violence following last year’s assembly elections.

Originally published at Pen 18

rajasthan royals: IPL debutants Gujarat Titans hold edge against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1

Equipped with a deadly bowling attack and several fine finishers, Gujarat Titans will start as favorites against spin-heavy former champions Rajasthan Royals in the first IPL qualifier here on Tuesday. Captaining a team in the IPL for the first time, a fit-again Hardik Pandya has been a revelation this season as he led from the front with both bat and ball to ensure a top spot for his team in the league stage .

Apart from firing at No. 4, Pandya has used his resources well, be it the death bowling of Rashid Khan or his batting exploits to go along with the pace duo of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia. Every little thing has fallen in place.

Their weak link was their top-order batting with high-class Shubman Gill failing to convert his starts but the addition of experienced Wriddhiman Saha did wonders for the team.

India’s dismissed wicketkeeper-batsman is batting with a newfound passion at the top of the order and has scored three half-centuries in nine matches to make up for Gill’s weak run.

While the Afghan leg-spinner has been excellent in the middle and death overs, senior India pacer Mohammed Shami has given him the right start by becoming the highest wicket-taker (11 wickets) in the powerplays this season.

Saha, who has been making headlines after being dropped from Team India, will try to make his point again by playing in front of the home audience along with Bengal teammate Shami.

The fact that the playoffs will be played on the new track will keep the seamer in mind and Pandya may try to bring in Alzarri Joseph to go along with Lockie Ferguson and Shami.

Titans had defeated the same opponents by 37 runs in the league stage but the inaugural edition champions have a spin-heavy attack to go with rich experience and could prove to be a tough customer.

The Titans are also looking weak as they have suffered three losses in the last five matches, with an eight-wicket loss by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous outing would mean that the Pandya-led side will have to step down.

three of

There have been four losses for Royals and four out of five for Royals while setting the target as the toss will also be a major area of ​​concern.

The Sanju Samson-led season has both Orange and Purple Cap holders – Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal.

He also has the experience of Ravichandran Ashwin whose versatility has come to the fore especially in the second half of the season. Ashwin’s batting has also made a big difference.

5 against Chennai Super Kings on the second day, batting at No. 5 before his regulars Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag, Ashwin scored an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls to register a five-wicket win, which also earned a place in their top two.

But for them to repeat their 2008-IPL winning performance, the Royals will not only need Ashwin, but will also need to set the top-order on fire.

Their leading run-getter Butler has been slow to end the business of the season with single-digit scores – 2, 2, 7 – in his last-three outings.

The Englishman, who has scored three centuries and three fifties this season, is yet to score a fifty in five innings and the Royals will desperately need to come back between the runs.

The poor form of Samson and Hetmyer has also loosened their batting and they would like to get into action before the big match.

The fact that the loser of Qualifier One will get a second shot to make it to the final will give both teams some breathing room.

Squad:

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Shami, Noor Ahmed, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravi Srinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin,

Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prashant Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anune Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie Doosan, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin.

Originally published at Pen 18

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu taken to Patiala hospital from jail for medical tests

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was serving a year’s sentence in Patiala jail in connection with the death of a man in 1988, was on Monday taken to a hospital under heavy security, official sources said. Official sources gave this information.

His lawyer HPS Verma told that Sidhu was taken to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala following a request for a special diet in jail due to his health condition.

Verma said a board of doctors conducted a detailed medical examination of Sidhu at the hospital.

“The board of doctors will see what specific diet is needed and then submit its report to the local court (Patiala),” Verma told PTI over phone.

According to the lawyer, Sidhu cannot consume wheat, sugar, maida and some other food items.

“He can have jamun, papaya, guava, double toned milk and foods that do not contain fiber and carbohydrates,” Verma said.

The 58-year-old Congress leader is suffering from medical conditions like embolism and has liver ailment. In 2015, Sidhu was also treated for Acute Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) at a Delhi hospital.

DVT is caused by a blood clot in a deep vein that obstructs normal blood flow.

After Sidhu was brought there, many of his cricket-turned-politicians reached Rajindra Hospital.

Sidhu remained in the hospital from 9.45 am to 2.30 pm for the medical test. He was later taken back to jail.

Verma said several medical tests of Sidhu were conducted at the hospital.

Verma further said that the medical report is expected to be submitted to the court on Tuesday.

The former Punjab Congress chief was sent to Patiala Central Jail after he surrendered before a local court on May 20.

He was sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a road rage case involving the death of a man in 1988.

The apex court had sentenced Sidhu in the 34-year-old case, holding that any undue sympathy in awarding an inadequate sentence would further damage the justice system and undermine public confidence in the effectiveness of the law.

A 65-year-old man named Gurnam Singh was killed in this incident.

Originally published at Pen 18

Opposition prods Nitish Kumar, as CM castes census net before RS, Presidential elections

Bihar’s main opposition parties have welcomed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s May 27 all-party meeting to discuss the caste census. Ally BJP with ‘caste-census issue’ is put to the test as Kumar, a shrewd political player – at a time when the chemistry of the BJP-JDU alliance in Patna seems to intensify ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and with room for shrewdness has been The political situation (or, restitution) and bargaining for presidential elections – opposition leaders argued that in view of the unanimously passed resolution by the Bihar legislature for a caste census, the state government had “powers to conduct a Bihar-specific caste census”. , even though the Center and the RSS-BJP oppose it.

“RJD is fighting for caste based census and we will stick to our stand. While (RJD leader) Tejashwi ji has been vocal on the matter, our party fully supported the resolution in the House. Recently, Tejashwi ji and CM Nitish ji also discussed the need for an all-party meeting. Let us see if BJP will now attend the all-party meeting and support caste census,” RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari told ET.

His reaction came when Kumar told media persons in Patna about the all-party meeting being proposed for May 27: “Many parties have agreed on the date. But we have all the parties to hold the meeting on a particular date.” There should be no problem as both the houses of the legislature in the state have passed resolutions in favor of caste census twice,” Kumar said.

When contacted, Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary of CPI-ML, said, “CPI-ML is one of the parties seeking caste-based census in the resolution passed by the Bihar Assembly. We were part of the delegation that met the PM for the same. While we will attend the all-party meeting, given the fact that the Bihar legislature has already passed a resolution, the state government may go ahead and conduct a caste census in the state, even though the Center and the BJP are now opposing caste. Select the option of – Census.”

AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar said, “Congress party’s Chintan Shivar and Udaipur announcement clearly articulated our party’s commitment to conduct caste census. Therefore, we support CM Nitish Kumar’s call for an all-party meeting and We will give our full support. For any further agitation on caste census. We hope the Chief Minister will stand on his words.

The opposition leaders also said that if the BJP tries to stop the pitch on the all-party, the opposition parties have enough numbers to neutralize the saffron party, provided the CM sticks to the matter. He points out that the RJD-Congress-Left alliance has around 110 MLAs in the Bihar Assembly as against the BJP’s 75, which gives a majority to Kumar’s 43-member JD(U). While the issue of Kumar’s ‘caste census’ should anger the BJP’s upper caste social base, it is as appropriate for Kumar’s OBC base as it is for the RJD and other opposition sections. A close watch is being kept on how the caste-census issue will ultimately be used in a season of scrutiny and bargaining of Bihar’s coalition politics.

Originally published at Pen 18

Security of former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb reduced after uproar

After the uproar, the security of former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been reduced.

Four cars, including the first pilot car, tail car and additional car, and his security forces were deboarded from Deb’s convoy, a senior police officer said.

Deb resigned as Chief Minister on May 14, though he continued to enjoy the benefits of “Z” category security. Deb became the Chief Minister on March 9, 2018.

Congress leader Sudip Roy Burman said he will write a letter to Chief Secretary Kumar Alok “for misappropriation of public money and will also file a PIL in the Tripura High Court”.

Roy Burman said, “The present Chief Minister Manik Saha, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police are aware of the unfair facilities but still, they are entertaining these violations of protocol.”

On May 15, Tripura BJP President Manik Saha took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of the state. The BJP, along with ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, defeated the Left Front in Tripura in 2018. In Tripura’s 60-member assembly, the BJP won 36 seats and the IPFT eight, while the CPI(M) won 16.

Originally published at Pen 18

Comme des Garçons, Givenchy and Thom Browne Return to Paris Men’s Week – WWD – Pen 18

Paris – With 76 physical events out of a total of 84, the tentative Paris men’s calendar released on Monday confirms the shows will return in full from June 21 to 26.

But there’s one question that’s top of mind: Who will claim the 8 p.m. closing spot on June 26, which is currently denoted as a “time reserve”? Could it be Vtmnts announced on the January calendar but eventually absent, or the return of Celine, whose latest men’s collection for fall 2022 was unveiled in early March?

Meanwhile, the initial lineup published by French fashion’s governing body, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, revealed a number of prominent names returning to Paris Fashion Week, starting with the Comme des Garcons Homme Plus, which debuted at Paris Fashion Week. was absent since. COVID-19 pandemic. Rei Kawakubo’s designs will be shown on June 24th at 5pm.

Other major returnees were Junya Watanabe Man, Thom Browne and Givenchy at 10 a.m. the same day, showing a co-star lineup during the women’s show in March.

Los Angeles-based Mike Amiri is set to debut in Paris on June 23 at 4:30 p.m., after leaving his show originally planned in January.

London-based Craig Green, who moved his presentation to Paris in January 2020 and abandoned digital formats during the pandemic, and Antwerp-based Namcheco will also be showcasing their spring 2023 collection in runway format.

They will be joined by a trio of familiar names. First is Marine Serre, who is switching her classmate shows in the men’s calendar to “display the collection in an outdoor and unexpected location” on June 25 at 8 p.m. and make the spot available on first come to members of the general public. Will make , on a first-serve basis, the brand said.

This season will also see the on-schedule arrival of London-based Kiko Kostadinov, sometimes following an off-calendar show staged pre-pandemic.

Stockholm-based label Lazoschmidl, founded in 2014 by Josef Lazo and Andreas Schmidt, is graduating from the presentation program where it is regularly featured in runway schedules.

New to the presentation calendar, where 37 brands are on display this season, are accessible by French men’s sewing label Fursac, owned by SMCP and designed by Gauthier Borsarello from early 2021; The genderless and sustainable eponymous label of Dupre graduate Jean Freut, and Shanghai-based designer Fang Chen Wang, whose finesse on Chinese heritage has been credited to his collaborations with the likes of Levi’s and Converse, as well as designing outfits sported by his compatriots. have been received. Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

In a surprise twist, Yoji Yamamoto has been cast as a digital-only show, airing June 23 at 5:30 p.m., after putting on a physical runway show during the women’s show in March.

Also sticking to digital productions for now are Head Menor, Jiggy Chen, Sean Suen, Xuun.J, Sankuanj, System Studio and Yoshiokubo.

But that’s not necessarily a deterrent, especially considering that the men’s show from Paris has garnered 208 million views on the Federation’s platform, broadcast partners like YouTube and Tencent, according to figures that would amount to $89.94 million in 2021. The media influence of creates value. by FHCM and Launchmetrics.

The entire Spring 2023 schedule will be available through FHCM’s digital platform, with livestreams and pre-recorded films dropping during each brand’s designated slots.

“Nothing takes the place of physical show, but [the past years] “The amplification and two-dimensional character of Paris Fashion Week is proven by the physical and the digital with a sense of unity, so there is no turning back,” says Pascal Morand, executive president of the Federation.

And men’s calendars continue to see homes big and small, even as co-ed programs are seen as the future of runway productions, showing “the power of menswear design and its creative identity.” The absence of dilution,” the executive said.

Originally published at Pen 18