In spring, when Shein’s French subsidiary announced it was setting up a programme to support French designers and brands, by putting at their disposal some of the Singapore-based Chinese fast-fashion giant’s assets, many wondered which type of player would be willing to join forces with a highly criticised e-tailer like Shein. On Tuesday, Shein has revealed the first participants of the Xcelerator programme, now officially deployed in France, the UK and China. The programme caters both to emerging designers, providing support for launching their brands, and to established names, to which it offers solutions for expanding their e-tail business and extending their international presence.
Pimkie has partnered with Shein to boost its online sales – Pimkie
In terms of designers, Shein has said it will help Mathilde Lhomme set up and grow her Overblush label. “It’s a truly significant opportunity for me. I’m really very proud to be the first young French designer to join the platform. I’ve started working with [Shein’s staff] and I was able to travel to China to choose my fabrics,” said Lhomme. She added that she is setting up her own team, while Shein is supporting her in manufacturing and distribution. Lhomme seems an obvious choice for Shein. She was one of the first designers to be talent-spotted through the SheinX programme in 2021, and her joining the new programme is a logical outcome.
Instead, the collaboration between Shein and Pimkie is like a thunderbolt striking the French fashion retail landscape. By the end of the year, Pimkie products will be available on Shein’s marketplace, as Pimkie has decided to partner with Shein to grow its online business.
Pimkie products on sale in 160 markets
“I’m delighted to announce that Pimkie will soon be online on the Shein website,” said Salih Halassi, CEO of the French fashion retailer he acquired in early 2023, speaking to the media on Tuesday.
“We are turning the business around, and we expect to balance the books in 2026, when our EBITDA will have gone from minus €40 million to zero euro. But e-tail is a grey area for us, accounting for less than 5% of revenue. I believe a physical retailer cannot survive without a robust online business. Creating a joint venture with Shein to develop a strong digital presence means committing to the company’s long-term success. We will have access to 160 markets, to on-demand manufacturing solutions and to a supply chain that will enable our digital business to account for a 30% revenue share in three years,” he added.
Results-wise, Pimkie is currently forecasting a revenue of €150 million for 2025, and is targeting €300 million in 2028. Its online business would therefore be set to grow from the €7 million it generates today to nearly €100 million. It also means that Halassi is prioritising this opportunity despite the reputational risk of associating with an e-tailer with a tarnished image, one whose practices are regularly criticised by the textile and apparel industry both in France and Europe.
As for Pimkie’s stores, Halassi is convinced that opting for a digital partner will not change the brand’s physical retail strategy.
“I’m interested in making Pimkie a success. We must look at the future through a digital perspective, and Shein will ensure guaranteed access to the global market,” said Halassi.
Pimkie currently operates brick-and-mortar stores only in France and in the country’s overseas territories.
“Physical retail of any kind can thrive if it has a digital counterpart, accounting for up to 30% of the business, if you look for example at Inditex. Pimkie has 200 stores and 750 employees. We opened 20 stores last year, and further openings are on the cards,” he added.
Issues remain: While Pimkie will keep control of intellectual property rights and handle product design internally, planning to hire about 50 new staff to manage its assortment on Shein, the French brand will be relying on the e-tailer’s on-demand manufacturing organisation, selling products that are different from its in-store range, and doing so at more aggressive prices. It will therefore have to manage two parallel manufacturing streams, at least during the first few seasons, and monitor its French customers’ reactions. Hoping of course that growth rates will keep up with forecasts.
“With Pimkie and Salih, our goal is to achieve 190% online sales growth in the first year,” said Quentin Richard, head of communications for Shein in France. Why this figure? Shein said it has run a test for nearly two years, working with some 20 brands of different sizes.
“These brands have benefited from our support in on-demand manufacturing services and order management, and have had access to 160 countries,” said Richard.
“In two years, they achieved an aggregate revenue of €340 million, their online sales growing on average by 190% in the first year,” he added.
It must be noted that the lion’s share of this business has been driven by a big name in British fashion retail, Missguided, which has partnered with Shein. Richard said that Missguided generated a revenue of €230 million in two years. In 2023, Nitin Passi, a former Missguided executive, set up a joint venture with Shein Sumwon Studios, whose flagship brand Sumwon is widely available on Shein.
Shein did not wish to indicate how much it has invested to develop the Xcelerator programme, but said it is a profitable initiative, while most of the group’s business interests remain focused on its eponymous brand. Pimkie’s products are set to be available on Shein by the end of the year. The Asian giant, which claims to have tens of millions of customers in Europe but did not provide any revenue data, might well announce new partners soon.
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Aditya Birla Group’s corporate social enterprise Aadyam Handwoven has named Sobhita Dhulipala as its new brand ambassador, who will contribute to the brand’s ‘Culture Beyond Textiles’ vision of preserving India’s weaving legacies.
Sobhita Dhulipala wearing a saree by Aadyam Handwoven – Aadyam Handwoven
“Aadyam has always stood for the people behind the loom, the cultures that shape our craft, and the traditions that continue to evolve. Sobhita is a woman of today who exemplifies this thinking with an innate sensitivity that is in tandem with our narrative,” said Aadyam Handwoven’s business lead Manish Saksena in a press release. “Her connect to handlooms is personal and intuitive, and her presence strengthens our endeavour to make Indian craftsmanship aspirational for a new generation.”
Aadyam Handwoven retails fashion and homeware goods designed to highlight Indian textile heritage and translate it for modern shoppers. The label aims to harness Dhulipala’s pan-India popularity to raise awareness about the brand and its textile ecosystem.
“I’ve always believed that craft carries emotion,” said Sobhita Dhulipala. “When something is made by hand, it holds the imprint of the person who created it. Aadyam’s work with weaving communities, combined with its philosophy of celebrating culture in all its forms, makes this association very special for me. I am honoured to lend my voice to a brand that champions artistry with purpose.”
One year on from his passing, Catalan fashion company Mango is commemorating the legacy of Isak Andic. In memory of its founder, who lost his life on December 14, 2024 in a tragic mountaineering accident in Barcelona, Mango has undertaken a series of commemorative initiatives across its stores and corporate channels to highlight the business, human, and philanthropic legacy of the entrepreneur, born in Istanbul in 1953.
Exterior of the Catalan brand’s store on Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona, adorned with a special tribute to Isak Andic. – Mango
In this context, some of the company’s most emblematic stores have dressed their windows with a portrait of Andic and messages inside that evoke his legacy. Specifically, the tributes have reached its stores from Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona to Serrano in Madrid, as well as international locations such as Oxford Street in London, Fifth Avenue in New York, and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. In parallel, Mango added a black ribbon to its e-commerce platform and shared a commemorative video on its internal channels and social media.
The audiovisual tribute, produced by company employees drawing on hours of archival footage and interviews, captures the founder’s lessons and reflections in his own voice. “Isak was a visionary who transformed a personal dream into a global brand. His legacy remains a constant source of inspiration for all of us,” the company shared on its LinkedIn profile alongside the video, adding that “his spirit lives on in every step we take towards the future, as we continue to work to fulfil his vision and ensure that Mango is a project he would be proud of.”
For his part, the group’s CEO and executive chairman, Toni Ruiz, shared a personal letter addressed to Andic, both internally and on his LinkedIn profile, in which he reaffirmed that the values that defined the founder will guide the brand’s next steps. In it, he remembers Andic as “a brilliant entrepreneur and an exceptional person,” stressing that “there has not been a single day on which we have not remembered him.” “Mango continues to sail steadily towards new horizons,” he said.
Ruiz recalled the conversations and ideas left unfinished and highlighted the trust that the founder placed in the team, noting that “Mango is made up of excellent professionals and even better people.” The executive also reviewed the milestones of the past year, from double-digit growth to international expansion and momentum across all product lines, as well as progress at Mango Campus and the company’s focus on innovation and artificial intelligence- areas that Andic always emphasised. “What could have been a difficult year, we have together turned into a historic one,” he stressed. The letter concludes with a message of gratitude on behalf of the 17,000 people who make up the company and with the phrase the founder often repeated: “the sky is the limit.”
In parallel, during the last year there have also been significant changes in the structure of the family holding company that owns Mango. Following the death of Isak Andic, his three children reorganised the family’s companies under Punta Na Holding, the entity that brings together the family investment vehicles and controls the vast majority of the fashion company’s capital. In this context, the eldest son, Jonathan Andic, stepped down in June from his position as global director of Mango Man, a role he had held for 17 years, to focus fully on managing the family’s investment companies, which include business and property investments, sharing corporate governance responsibilities with his sisters Sarah and Judith.
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Expanding women’s fashion retailer Wyse London is set to open a pop-up store in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Saturday (13 December).
Wyse London
The 550 sq ft space on Frederick Street isn’t just for Christmas as it’s opening until next May, housing the brand’s latest styles from its Autumn/Winter collection, including bestsellers the Liana Chunky Funnel Neck Jumper, Philippa Pea Coat and festive dresses and tops.
The pop-up marks the latest in a series of new store openings, “following the successful introduction to the North of England” in York in September. That became its fourth permanent UK store, joining the brand’s two in London – Chelsea and Marylebone – as well as Southwold, Suffolk.
More stores, both pop-up and permanent, are planned over 2026 both nationally and internationally, the retailer said.
Founder Marielle Wyse added: “Edinburgh has become an increasingly significant city for us, as we’ve seen a rapidly growing community of customers shopping with us online, so opening a physical pop-up feels like the natural next step.
“The city’s cultural heritage and vibrant population offers a setting that aligns perfectly with our brand values, while the thriving tourism scene brings an energy and international audience we’re excited to welcome. With a discerning retail landscape, the city gives us a unique opportunity to build deeper relationships with both existing and new customers.”
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