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Cristina Álvarez becomes chair of El Corte Inglés, plans to invest €650 million this financial year

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Europa Press

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January 15, 2026

Cristina Álvarez, who, as of this Thursday, assumes the chair of El Corte Inglés and the Ramón Areces Foundation, has underlined her intention to contribute to the development of the group’s businesses and to its investment programme, which in the 2026-2027 financial year will total €650 million.

Cristina Álvarez, new chair of El Corte Inglés – El Corte Inglés

In a statement, Álvarez explained that this investment will focus on continuing store refurbishments, strengthening the group’s technology and logistics capabilities, and expanding its businesses.

Cristina Álvarez, who replaces her sister Marta, takes the helm of the company and the foundation after both appointments were unanimously approved by all members of the El Corte Inglés board of directors and the board of trustees of the Ramón Areces Foundation.

Cristina Álvarez continues to chair the Appointments and Remuneration Committee. In addition, from Thursday she will also chair the Monitoring Committee and will therefore oversee the strategic plan approved by the board of directors and its implementation by managing directors Santiago Bau and Rafael Díaz Yeregui.

The chairwoman has expressed her “sincere commitment and dedication” to the group, to which she has devoted her professional life for more than 30 years, and has emphasised her “pride in being part of El Corte Inglés.”

On November 26, the company announced the handover, which took place within an “orderly, stable framework that ensures continuity,” according to the group at the time.

In this way, Marta Álvarez steps aside in favour of her sister as chair after six years in the role, a “personal and voluntary decision,” although she will remain a member of the board of directors and of the Monitoring Committee, focusing on the strategic direction of own-brand lines in fashion and home.

Cristina Álvarez, who joined the company in 1992, expressed her thanks, when the handover was announced, for the “magnificent work” carried out by her sister Marta over these years and said she would perform her duties with “humility, always safeguarding the interests of the shareholders, employees and customers of this great company.”

Marta Álvarez’s decision to hand over the chair to her sister came almost a month after the board of directors approved, with immediate effect, the reshuffle of the company’s top management, following the departure of its chief executive officer, Gastón Bottazzini, who took up the post just over a year ago.

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Munich Fabric Start puts emotional materiality centre stage with ‘Pleasure’ as its guiding theme

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January 15, 2026

Munich Fabric Start (MFS) is gearing up for its January 27–29 edition. Designers, product managers, and buyers will be able to explore around 1,000 spring/ summer 2027 collections from international fabric and trim manufacturers at the MOC Munich.

Trade visitors can explore around 1,000 collections over the three days of the trade fair in Munich. – MUNICH FABRIC START

With the lead theme of “Pleasure,” the trade show’s organisers aim to spotlight “attitude, sensuality, and emotional materiality” over the three days of the fair. The lead theme frames fashion as an emotional space, an expression of attitude and cultural reflection. Colours, surfaces and materials become conduits for self-confidence and joie de vivre.

“After seasons of restraint, spring/ summer ’27 marks a deliberate counter-design: optimism, sensuality, and creative freedom take the place of pragmatism and neutrality. Physical presence and individuality are regaining importance- as a response to uncertainty, exhaustion and algorithmic predictability,” according to MFS.

“Efficiency and pragmatism are shaping current market developments. And these are not easy times for us as trade fair organisers either. We are countering this with a clearly structured trade fair and a strong positioning as a key source of inspiration, an interactive business forum, and a platform bringing together textile expertise. In terms of fashion and trends, we are heralding a change of perspective: optimism instead of restraint. Self-confidence instead of uncertainty,” adds managing director Florian Klinder.

With the integrated shows Bluezone, Keyhouse, and The Source, the trade fair brings together all relevant fashion segments: high-quality fabrics and trims, international denim expertise, and forward-looking innovations along the entire textile value chain. International reach, collaboration, and sustainability remain central themes.

Impressions from the summer edition of the trade fair.
Impressions from the summer edition of the trade fair. – MUNICH FABRIC START

The consolidation of the trade fair segments at the MOC has proven successful. The trade fair with its eight areas will once again be held under one roof.

Bluezone and Keyhouse with “Sustainable Innovations” will once again be anchored in the high-footfall area of Hall 2 at the upcoming event- directly connected to the Fabrics and Additionals areas.

The Design Studios in Hall 4 are now positioned even more centrally. And the sustainable sourcing area Resource is also set to have a stronger presence, located directly next to The Source in Hall 1.

To provide buyers and designers with a holistic overview, the Bluezone denim trends will be integrated directly into the trend worlds built around the lead theme in the MOC foyer. This new form of presentation reflects market developments in which denim and classic fashion segments are increasingly merging within collections.

Once again, numerous brands from the mainstream, premium and contemporary segments are expected, including Drykorn, shown here with menswear designer Fred M. Götz.
Once again, numerous brands from the mainstream, premium and contemporary segments are expected, including Drykorn, shown here with menswear designer Fred M. Götz. – MUNICH FABRIC START

The exhibitors will once again include well-known names from the fabric and textile industry, including the Albini Group, Kiki Fashion, Calik, Lanificio di Tollegno, Bornemann Etiketten, Manteco, Pontetorto, Riopele, Thermore, Bureaux Bo, Can Tekstil, and Troficolor Denim Makers.

As usual, a supporting programme of keynotes, panel discussions, and trend presentations will round off the trade fair offering. Current industry topics will be discussed and contextualised on the “Stage” with Peclers Paris, David Shah, O/M Collective, Olivia Does Design, and Monsieur-T, among others. The curator of Sustainable Innovations, Simon Angel, will offer in-depth sessions on future-oriented, sustainable material solutions.

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Ferragamo building on fire near Florence, no injuries

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Reuters

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January 15, 2026

An industrial building occupied by Italian fashion group Salvatore Ferragamo on the outskirts of Florence caught fire, Italian fire ⁠services said on Thursday.

Ferragamo is known for its luxury footwear, clothing, and accessories – Reuters

The fire has been put ⁠out and no one was injured, they said. Two teams ‍and ‌two fire engines intervened at ⁠12:50 p.m. (1150 ‌GMT) in Sesto Fiorentino, ‌a north-western suburb of the Tuscan capital city, which is home to several factories ‍serving the luxury leather industry.

“The firefighters extinguished the fire, ‌which ⁠affected ​the extraction system outside ⁠the ​industrial building” and cooling operations were underway, the Florence fire ​department said in a statement.

Ferragamo was not immediately ⁠available for ⁠comment. 

© Thomson Reuters 2026 All rights reserved.



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Balenciaga and Manolo Blahnik launch first-ever collab

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January 15, 2026

​Kering’s Balenciaga and resolutely independent Manolo Blahnik announced a first-time collaboration on Thursday on a trio of styles created for the Fall 2026 collection.

Manolo Blahnik x Balenciaga

They said it’s “an exchange shaped by shared values and an admiration for couture tradition. The partnership reflects the House of Balenciaga’s enduring commitment to artisanal mastery, as well as creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s distinct approach to fashion, long inspired by the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga”.

It makes sense for the two labels to work together given their dual Spanish roots, as well as “the elegance of craft that unites them”.

So what does the capsule comprise? There’s a low-heeled mule and a slingback with either a 105mm or 50mm heel. With a décolleté cut, we’re told “the silhouettes reveal skin, the body, a display intrinsically linked to the primacy of the human form”.

The styles are “in and of themselves a dialogue, a duet, drawn from designs from the Manolo Blahnik archive, chosen by Piccioli, and fused together. All three are executed in silk-satin, proposed in various colours and lined in Balenciaga grey”.

Each shoe style also features crystal embroidery across a low-cut vamp, something for which Blahnik is known. The company said the embellishments “simultaneously recall archival Blahnik designs and [reference] the 1960s bijoux created by Cristóbal Balenciaga”.

Manolo Blahnik said that “Don Cristóbal Balenciaga is, to me, the ultimate designer. I have adored his work for as long as I can remember. As a Mediterranean boy myself, I have always felt a deep connection to his Spanish culture and sensibility. To be partnering with Balenciaga, and with Pierpaolo, fulfils a lifelong dream. [His] direction for Balenciaga resonates profoundly with my own ideas of how the modern woman should dress in 2026, a vision of timeless elegance rooted in craftsmanship and enduring beauty.”

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