Connect with us

Fashion

The Independents, Alexandre de Betak launch L’Incubateur to foster next-generation creative talent

Published

22 hours ago

on


The Independents Group and Alexandre de Betak have teamed up to launch L’Incubateur, a new initiative designed to identify, support, and accelerate the next wave of creative talent, entrepreneurs, and agencies on a global scale.

Alexandre de Betak with Matière Noire’s Félix Ward and Pierre Dagba. – The Independents

With 17 specialist agencies spanning luxury and lifestyle, The Independents is a marketing and communications group known for its expertise, infrastructure, and impactful results.

The program will be spearheaded by Alexandre de Betak, founder of Bureau Betak and Bureau Future, who has served as creative chairman of The Independents since 2021. Beyond selecting participants, de Betak will oversee a structured mentorship program.

The program’s first beneficiary is Matière Noire, a Paris-based creative studio recognized for its innovative approach to spatial and lighting design.

“Given The Independents’ collective expertise, launching this type of initiative is both creatively satisfying and essential. More than just financial support, it is a great opportunity for the agency teams and the selected projects to interact, spark ideas and evolve in ways that we can’t even predict,” said de Betak.

“With Matière Noire, I have been consistently impressed by their work, which mirrors my career-long obsession with developing bold concepts that bridge light and space. They are the precise embodiment of L’Incubateur.” 

Matière Noire, founded in 2019 by Pierre Dagba and Felix Ward, operates at the intersection of light, architecture, and technology. The studio has collaborated with leading names such as Courrèges, Hermès, Fondation Cartier, and Gagosian, while also pioneering experimental research through its CRD platform. With L’Incubateur’s support, Matière Noire aims to scale its innovation and expand its impact across fashion, art, and music.

“To be the first of the L’Incubateur projects feels especially momentous. As we continue to take on larger and more ambitious work, the multi-faceted support from The Independents will prove a game-changer in accelerating our innovation. The industry thrives on disruptive players, and we are excited to benefit from the wider exposure while generating ideas on a scale that becomes even more possible thanks to this boost,” added founders Ward, Dagba and Sam Ward, managing director. 
 

Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Fashion

Beaverbrooks to close seven stores, but one opening and upgrades to continue

Published

29 minutes ago

on

March 6, 2025

By


After a period of well-publicised expansion comes a period of consolidation for Beaverbrooks. The UK family jewellery/watch retailer has said it will close seven UK stores in March and April following a performance review by senior management.

Beaverbrooks

It will bring its store count down to 82 showrooms.

Earmarked for closure are units in East Kilbride and Dundee, Scotland (16 March), following by Birmingham Fort and High Wycombe (23 March), Huddersfield (5 April), and Croydon and Sutton Coldfield (6 April).

Each has been deemed “no longer commercially viable” by the retailer.

However, on the flip-side, it said there are plans to open a new store in Harrogate in the spring “to accommodate consumer demand [there]”. Also, a scheduled number of branches earmarked for renovation will go ahead in the coming year.

On the impending redundancies, Anna Blackburn, managing director of Beaverbrooks, told The Sun newspaper: “We aim to retain as many colleagues as possible within other Beaverbooks stores or the wider business, and are working closely with each individual affected to provide them with other options for their specific needs, supporting them with their next steps whatever they may be.”

However, there was no mention of whether the current crop of closures will be Beaverbrooks’ last.

According to its most recent financial report for the 53-week period ended 2 March 2024, profits had fallen “considerably” with the accompanying Companies House statement in September saying: “Despite increasing turnover and market share, profitability for the period was reduced considerably which reflects significant and broad increases in costs.”

It added: “We have also continued to invest in our core infrastructure (people, property, and systems) to protect and strengthen the business for future growth. As a result depreciation has also risen reflecting the high levels of investment in recent years.”

Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo sees no quick fix after profit crumbles

Published

1 hour ago

on

March 6, 2025

By


By

Reuters

Published



December 2, 2

Salvatore Ferragamo on Thursday reported that its adjusted operating profit had more than halved last year, as the Italian luxury leather goods group seeks a new boss to replace departing chief executive Marco Gobbetti.

See catwalk
Ferragamo – Fall-Winter2025 – 2026 – Womenswear – Italie – Milan – ©Launchmetrics/spotlight

The company cited a slowdown in Asian markets, with a particularly difficult environment in China, and a challenging global wholesale environment in its earnings statement.

“Considering the uncertainties over demand by luxury consumers, we remain cautious on short-term expectations,” it said, indicating there would be no immediate turnaround.

As announced last month, the company said that its CEO Gobbetti had stepped down on Thursday after little over three years in charge, during which time the former Burberry chief failed to stem a slide in sales at the Florentine brand.

Chairman Leonardo Ferragamo told financial analysts that designer Maximilian Davis had his full support. Davis was hired as creative director in 2022 shortly after Gobbetti took charge of the company.

The chairman also said the family of late founder Salvatore Ferragamo remained committed to the company.

Adjusted earning before interest and taxes (EBIT) dropped to 35 million euros, better than a LSEG analysts consensus, after the company last year warned it expected EBIT of around 30 million euros. The comparable figure in 2023 was 79 million euros.

The group reported a net loss of 68 million euros in 2024 from a profit of 26 million euros a year earlier.

Ferragamo’s revenues declined 4% at constant currencies in the fourth quarter. In January the group flagged “encouraging results” from its direct-to-consumer sales which were overall flat in the last three months of the year. 

© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Fashion

Geox posts €17.3 million loss in 2024

Published

2 hours ago

on

March 6, 2025

By


By

Ansa

Translated by

Nicola Mira

Published



March 6, 2025

Italian footwear brand Geox has reported a revenue of €664 million for fiscal 2024, equivalent to a 7.8% downturn compared to 2023 (and a 7.1% drop at constant exchange rates). The result was chiefly caused by Geox’s sub-par performance in multibrand retail and franchised stores.

Geox

The group recorded a loss of €17.3 million, greater than the €6.5 million loss posted in 2023. EBITDA was €76.3 million (equivalent to 11.5% of revenue), compared to €89 million the previous year. Geox’s adjusted net income was €8.8 million, down from the €15.6 million generated in 2023.

​​The forecast for 2025 is a low-single-digit revenue drop and an operating margin decline of approximately 80 basis points. Geox stated in a press release that the forecast is subject to “a high degree of uncertainty, given the current macroeconomic and geopolitical context.”

In Q4 2024, Geox performed slightly better than the previous year, recording a revenue of €138 million (up 0.5% at current exchange rates).

“2024 proved to be a complex year for the group, marked by the persistence of tough market conditions which have affected company performance and sales volumes,” said CEO Enrico Mistron.

Geox’s new 2025-2029 business plan is a “crucial step, as it sets out the growth guidelines for the next five years. Our strategy is based on three mainstays: Innovation, style and sustainability,” concluded Mistron.

Copyright © 2025 ANSA. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Miami Select.