It’s official. Only the Brave (OTB), the key company in the fashion empire of Renzo Rosso, has acquired Jil Sander, the Hamburg-born label known as the highest expression of minimalism in fashion.

​In a typically blunt statement, Frasers Group has blasted Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget as doing virtually nothing for hard-pressed retailers on business rates. And it seems some of its stores are at risk as a result.

The Redress Design Award, a sustainable fashion competition for young fashion designers, has opened applications for its 2021 cycle with a new design opportunity with Timberland. 

Reebok announced on Thursday the appointment of New Balance veteran Portia Blunt to vice president, apparel. 

The American retail giant has announced that it plans to support national manufacturers with $350 billion in added business over the next decade, with focus areas including textiles and small electrical appliances.

The executive, who led the company’s beauty, grooming and personal care category from 2014 to 2017, has been named as president of Amazon Fashion, a role in which she succeeds Christine Beauchamp.

Finally, Paris Fashion Week had an actual live catwalk show. A drive-in runway event witnessed Thursday night by a few score of editors and influencers from inside Citroen DS7s and staged inside the AccorArena.

Apparel retailer Gap Inc on Thursday forecast a return to sales growth this year, as it expects the roll-out of vaccines to drive traffic at its Old Navy and Athleta stores.

​Every generation has an era whose vintage looks it likes to adopt and adapt and with Gen Z, it seems that the year 2000 is a key reference point.

Building work will begin at the end of 2021, and the Catalan fashion group’s new Barcelona-based facilities will be fully operational in 2024. The new R&D and innovation centre will extend over an area of 93,400 m2.

On March 17, the Spanish apparel group will inaugurate new facilities at its headquarters in Arteixo (A Coruña), home to the Zara.com studios and staff, and to Zara Man’s central design office.

This is a physical trading platform to keep an eye on. With the first Amazon tech-driven store opening in the UK Thursday, latest research from Mintel reveals that 76% of Brits say they would shop at one.

UK fashion and homewares retailer Celtic & Co looks to be yet another company whose decision to pivot towards digital sales paid dividends during the pandemic.

After a “turbulent” trading year, it certainly wasn’t all bad news for Coats Group despite delivering mostly negative numbers in its 12-month trading statement to 31 December on Thursday.

​As Europe gets ready to reopen, expect a raft of innovative store debuts. The latest is Benetton, which has unveiled its new store concept in Florence, the focus being on sustainability.

​Kontoor Brands’s giant jeans brand Wrangler has signed up British model Georgia May Jagger to front its Women’s Heritage Collection that originally launched last autumn.