Italian menswear label Daniele Alessandrini is set on expansion. Last year, the long-established brand, founded in Bologna by the eponymous designer in 1983, licensed its production and worldwide distribution to the group headed by businessman Donato Ambrosio, active in the fashion sector for 30 years and owner of the Outfit Italy, Over/D, Telacruda, Le Passage Paris and Pigmento brands, and also the licensee of Kejo.
“We started with the Spring/Summer 2025, a collection created in less than a month after we signed the [licence] agreement. We began presenting it on July 20 of last year, as the seasonal campaign was almost over,” said Ambrosio, speaking to FashionNetwork.com at Pitti Uomo 107. “We were surprised by the results: 300 Italian retailers that were already handling the label remained loyal to it, proof of the brand’s reliability and potential.”
The Spring/Summer 2025 collection was limited in range by the rush to reach the market, and comprised some 70 items. The Fall/Winter 2025-26 is the first complete collection in the new Alessandrini era. By Spring/Summer 2026, the label is aiming to reach 800 stores in Italy, strengthening its presence at premium retailers.
“Outside Italy, we have ‘inherited’ the Spanish market and Benelux. We have Germany, France and the countries of Eastern Europe in our sights, but we want to move forward step by step,” added Ambrosio. “For the time being, we aren’t envisaging an e-tail presence or monobrand stores, because we want our wholesale partners to be at the heart of our plans,” he said.
Daniele Alessandrini is positioned in the premium price segment – with jackets at €350, suits at €500 and trousers at €180/€200 – and is broadening its assortment beyond apparel, introducing footwear and small leather goods. These are currently commercialised only via fashion retailers, but in future they could become fully fledged collections for specialist retailers.
Ambrosio’s goal is to bring the label, whose revenue when the license deal was signed was approximately €5 million, to a revenue of €20 million in three years, “though given the current context it’s very hard to make forecasts. Certainly, so far we have received very positive feedback, beyond our expectations,” concluded Ambrosio.
At Pitti Uomo 107, Daniele Alessandrini presented a Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection designed for men who appreciate a twin aesthetic. A formal one, with traditional volumes and garments suited to contemporary needs. And another with more of a rocker vibe, featuring lively, slightly offbeat items, characterised by more fluid, softer and more generous shapes.
The materials utilised included jersey, wool blend and velvet, alongside denim and leather. The colour palette ranged from neutral colours such as pearl and beige, to shades of grey, maroon and forest green, as well as indigo and black.
With cost remaining a decisive factor for consumers, M&S said Friday (January 31) it’s continuing to cut prices of over 300 “family favourite” products with kidswear the latest target.
The high street retailer said it “re-affirms its commitment to delivering trusted value and everyday low prices on the products that matter most to its 32 million customers”.
The latest cuts include an up to 20% price reduction on over 100 products from its ‘everyday essentials’ Kidswear range.
Key pieces include its Cotton Rich Hoodie and Joggers as well as range of Sweatshirts, Leggings and T-Shirts which now start from £5.50, with the retailer saying the reduction in price will not compromise on the “quality or high sourcing standards it is known for”.
Alexandra Dimitriu, Kidswear director, Clothing & Home, said: “Now more than ever, customers are looking for trusted value. When it comes to clothing, we know value is more than just the product’s price – they also want confidence that it is made well and made to last and offers versatility.”
M&S reported positive figures for its festive trading period with total group sales increasing 5.6% to £4.064 billion, but much of the strength was concentrated in the Food area with Clothing, Home & Beauty, rising just 1% to £1.305 billion, with like-for-like sales rising ahead of the market at 1.9% as underlying sales grew 2.6%.
Burberry announced a key appointment on Friday with the luxury business saying it will soon have a new chief information officer.
It has appointed Charlotte Baldwin to the role and she’ll join the business at the end of March. Baldwin will be responsible for leading Burberry’s global technology team and will join the executive committee. She’ll report directly to Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman.
He described her as “a highly experienced technology and digital leader with a track record of leading large-scale digital transformation”.
She hasn’t previously worked in the luxury fashion sector but has wide-ranging experience across some major-name businesses in Britain.
She’s currently the global chief digital and information officer at coffee chain Costa Coffee where she oversees the company’s technology, digital and data organisation.
Prior to joining that firm, she was the chief information, digital and transformation officer at private healthcare giant Bupa’s Bupa Insurance unit. She’s also held senior roles at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Pearson and Thomson Reuters.
Burberry has been navigating a tough period of late and Schulman joined in the top job last year, tweaking the firm’s strategy. His approach seems to be paying off with the company last week porting improved results, although the turnaround is still undeniable a work in progress.
Another day, another shopping centre delivering a “record-breaking” performance in 2024. This time it’s Gloucester Quays “capping off another year of considerable growth”, for the owner/operator Peel Retail & Leisure.
That included record Christmas trading at the key Gloucester mall, which helped overall sales for the year finish 6.7% ahead of the national average. Across November and December, retail sales grew 3.6% compared with 2023.
Looking at 2024 in total, an overall 7.4% year-on-year sales increase across its tenants was split between 6.1% for retail, and 8.5% for F&B.
But there was also double-digit growth from leading fashion, homewares, and outerwear brands including Next, Skechers, All Saints, Mountain Warehouse, Puma, Crew Clothing and Suit Direct.
It said sustained growth was seen across all categories “points to the increasing relevance of the Gloucester Quays experience”.
Paul Carter, asset director at Peel Retail & Leisure, added: “There have been various headlines this month about how challenged retail was around Christmas, so to have Gloucester Quays performing so well is a real credit to our team and our brands.
“These results also serve as a reminder of how relevant and in demand this outlet is. We have experienced consistent growth for several years, and that success can be put down to the quality of our offer and waterside environment. There is no doubt our catchment is responding to how we have evolved Gloucester Quays, as an urban outlet that combines a compelling shopping environment with dining and leisure to fit all tastes and needs, benefitting from a heritage waterside setting that few regionally can match.”