Hermès announced on Monday the reopening of its reimagined store in Taichung, Taiwan.
Hermès reopens store in Taichung, Taiwan. – Hermès
First opened in 2012, the newly transformed boutique, designed by the Parisian architecture agency RDAI, celebrates the maison’s sixteen métiers in a space inspired by Taiwan’s local tea plantations.
The store’s exterior is characterized by a solid terrazzo-finish concrete façade softened by flowing curves reminiscent of traditional Asian architecture.
Stepping inside, visitors are greeted by a fresh, airy ambiance highlighted by soft green walls that capture natural light. The journey through the store starts with the silk universe for women and men, as well as the perfume and beauty areas. It is followed by an abstract moss-green carpet accentuating men’s ready-to-wear and shoes. To the left, rust tones draw warmth into the leather goods and equestrian area, while jewellery and watches are housed towards the far side, which includes a private salon bathed in bright amber.
A woven staircase leads to the home collection, where dune rattan walls and light-reflecting round mirrors set the scene. Past the fashion jewellery area, the women’s ready-to-wear and shoe sections can be found among marbled rugs evoking the dance of tea leaves in water.
Completing the space is a curated selection of artworks from the Émile Hermès collection and contemporary photography, as well as the store’s window displays, created in collaboration with local Taiwanese artist Sheng-Wen Chen.
Rag & Bone is set to launch its first-ever watch collection.
Rag & Bone to launch first-ever watch collection. – Rag & Bone
The New York-based fashion brand, jointly owned by Guess and global brand management firm WHP Global, has announced a new five-year licensing agreement with Sequel, a division of Timex Group and longtime Guess watch partner, to create and distribute a premium line of watches under the Rag & Bone name.
The inaugural Rag & Bone watch collection is set to launch in Fall 2025 and will be available in premium department stores, specialty retailers, and Rag & Bone boutiques worldwide.
“As one of our first licensees, Guess has been partnering with Sequel for over 40 years in designing high quality fashion watches,” said Paul Marciano, Guess co-founder and chief creative officer.
“Since the acquisition of Rag & Bone, we believe this is another extension of the business from which Rag & Bone will benefit. With the expertise, knowledge, and attention to detail of the highly talented team, we are confident that it will be a great addition to the lifestyle of Rag & Bone.”
Founded in 2002, Rag & Bone has earned a loyal following for its modern take on American style, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern cultural references.
The upcoming watch collection marks the brand’s latest expansion into lifestyle categories. Last month, it announced a five-year licensing partnership with Signal Brands to develop and expand Rag & Bone’s handbags and small leather goods category.
“We’re incredibly proud to introduce the first-ever Rag & Bone watch collection to consumers around the world,” added Brett Gibson, Sequel president & chief commercial officer.
“This launch marks an exciting new chapter in our longstanding partnership with Guess now strengthened even further through our collaboration with WHP Global. The debut collection builds on the authenticity, quality, and craftsmanship that define Rag & Bone fusing its iconic aesthetic with our decades of watchmaking expertise.”
Crocs Inc. employees were urged to closely manage their expenses as the company grapples with supply chain “volatility” caused by President Donald Trump’s trade war, according to the contents of a memo seen by Bloomberg.
Crocs- Facebook
The note, which was said to have been sent Thursday by Chief Executive Officer Andrew Rees, said staff should “remain prudent for the remainder of the year” and be thoughtful about travel and which initiatives to prioritize. The memo also said that the board’s compensation committee “has agreed to establish more realistic targets for our internal incentives plan” as a result of the economic environment.
Crocs, known for its clogs, is one of several retailers that have started to sound alarms over the impact of Trump’s policies, including on-again, off-again tariffs against countries that are key production hubs for the industry. Some companies are withdrawing financial guidance, while others have added tariff-related surcharges or frozen hiring.
Broomfield, Colorado-based Crocs produces about half of its name-brand shoes in Vietnam, which got a 90-day reprieve this week from 46% tariffs. The company also has third-party manufacturers in China, where US levies have been hiked to 145%.
“Given the state of the escalating and uncertain tariff environment, we are focused on managing our business prudently to maximize shareholder value over the medium to long-term,” a Crocs spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The trade wars initiated by US President Donald Trump could disrupt world trade in goods, meaning Europe could see its markets inundated with Chinese products, according to some analysts.
President Donald Trump – White House
The European Union may have expressed some relief at Trump’s decision on Wednesday to suspend his threat to slap swingeing customs duties on foreign goods entering the United States.
But that 90-day moratorium does not apply to US imports from China, which leaves Europe with the question as to where the Asian giant will offload the stocks it previously sold to the US market.
The 27-nation EU is among dozens of economies to which a baseline US tariff rate of 10 percent now applies.
By contrast, Chinese exports to the United States face a 145-percent levy, which puts many of these products out of reach for less wealthy Americans.
China might therefore seek to sell these goods in Europe — even if it means slashing prices.
That, some analysts say, would undermine European industries that are already struggling with Chinese competition.
“This shift could lead to new trade routes and more complex international supply chains,” said Daniela Sabin Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com.
“Companies might begin rerouting Chinese goods… to avoid the US tariffs.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has already pointed to the risk.
On Thursday he said the EU had to take account of the indirect consequences of Trump’s decisions.
“The tariffs on China are huge… There’s a potential risk that some of these products will be diverted, which will clearly affect our economies and unbalance certain sectors and markets,” he warned.
On Friday, he urged the EU to protect itself from “flows from third countries”.
The levy on Chinese goods would nonetheless “increase competitive pressure on European industry, particularly in sectors where margins are already very tight”, pointed out Anais Voy-Gillis, a geographer specialising in industrial affairs.
The European steel sector “which is already in trouble” could be further “weakened”, she said.
She said European manufacturers of aluminium and solar panels — where China already dominates the world market — would also be exposed.
The French ministry of industry and energy told AFP chemicals and vehicle parts would be affected too.
Aurelien Saussay, a professor at the London School of Economics, suggested, however, that the “net effect will not necessarily be as massive as one might imagine”.
Comparatively, he said, the Trump administration’s head-on commercial war on China could “offer the EU an advantage over China for exporting to the United States”.
“There are therefore also compensatory effects.”
If there were a significant influx of Chinese products, Europe might in turn “react by introducing protectionist policies”, said Saussay.
“That’s why we’ve spent the past 80 years avoiding this kind of protectionist offensive,” the economist said.
“We quickly get into the logic of retaliation which then becomes very difficult to extricate yourself from.”
European Commission head Ursula von red Leyen reacted on Tuesday by stressing “China’s critical role in addressing possible trade diversion caused by tariffs, especially in sectors already affected by global overcapacity”.
Industry leaders and company bosses have, for their part, urged Europe to remain competitive, focusing especially on “supply-side policies” and “regulatory simplification”, Alexandre Saubot, the head of the France Industrie lobby, said on April 3.
EU standards are also useful in that they “protect the European market to a certain extent from inferior quality goods”, said Voy-Gillis.
For example, the European market imposes “very high standards” for cosmetics”, according to Emmanuel Guichard of the French Beauty Industry Federation (FEBEA).
“Regulation and quality standards means there isn’t such a huge risk of Chinese goods flooding the (cosmetics) market,” he said.
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