On this week’s high style information, legacy manufacturers made massive strikes with new partnerships, efficiency activewear continued to point out energy and group backlash hit main gamers for monetary and environmental considerations.
As Ray-Ban named its first artistic director function held by A$AP Rocky, Nike and SKIMS launched a joint activewear label and Kith launched Okay-Tech, an elevated efficiency gear line. Elsewhere, corporations discovered themselves beneath fireplace together with “greenwashing” allegations towards GORE-TEX, and criticism towards Saks Fifth Avenue for throwing manufacturers beneath the bus amidst monetary troubles. Elsewhere, OTB revealed unsatisfactory efficiency in 2024, lagging behind its rivals in restoration from the luxurious slowdown. Lastly, in an otherworldly announcement, Columbia Sportswear revealed that its insulating materials are headed aboard the subsequent moon mission.
Beneath, Hypebeast has rounded up the highest style tales of the week so you’ll be able to keep updated on tendencies within the business.
A$AP Rocky Appointed as Ray-Ban’s First Artistic Director
Shortly after affirming his innocence in court docket, A$AP Rocky was appointed Ray-Ban’s first artistic director, a becoming function for the rapper given his presence in style. Rocky will lead Ray-Ban Studios, an initiative that celebrates music and inventive expression. His inaugural challenge for Ray-Ban, the Blacked Out Assortment, debuts this Spring, that includes reimagined Mega Icons with ultra-black lenses and gold-plated particulars. Elsewhere, Rocky will direct campaigns and help the revamp of Ray-Ban boutiques. The artist has already been noticed in Ray-Ban silhouettes amid his courtroom appearances, the place the rapper additionally sported YSL fits. Expressing pleasure, he praised Ray-Ban’s skill to adapt whereas staying genuine to its roots, aiming to present rise to its subsequent chapter along with his elegant model.
Nike and SKIMS Unite Beneath Joint Ladies’s Label: NikeSKIMS
A joint label focussing on ladies’s activewear has been introduced between sports activities gear titan Nike and Kim Kardashian‘s shape-wear model SKIMS. The announcement arrives at a pivotal second for each manufacturers as Nike embarks on a brand new chapter with CEO Elliot Hill and SKIMS continues charging forth with increasing initiatives. In an official assertion, Kardashian mentioned “Nike and SKIMS share a deep dedication to innovation, inclusivity, and pushing boundaries, pushed by an unwavering perception within the energy of girls.”
In 2020 SKIMS started collaborating with the Olympic Group USA on the Tokyo Video games and continued supporting the nationwide crew in the course of the Beijing 2022 Video games, and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kardashian’s model additionally unveiled its first-collaboration with the WNBA in Might 2024, taking the model’s sporting tie-ups to new heights. The inaugural NikeSKIMS assortment is about for launch in Spring 2025 and a worldwide enlargement is about to happen in 2026. Keep
Kith Launches Okay-Tech Activewear Line & On Working Collab For SS25
Kith has formally launched its new activewear line Okay-Tech, focussing on efficiency materials and premium supplies. The debut assortment, offered in a glossy black-and-white marketing campaign, options outerwear, interior layers, pants, shorts, and equipment designed for top exercise. Standout items embrace the Nylon Bolt Shell Jacket, constituted of water resistant wrinkle nylon with reflective accents, and efficiency t-shirts just like the Panelled Donovan Tee and Honeycomb Tech Heathrow Tee, crafted from moisture-wicking materials. Equipment embrace caps and bucket hats, all showcasing Okay-Tech’s branding.
Moreover, Kith gives a better have a look at a brand new collaboration with On Working, that includes the brand new Cloudzone runners in black and white. The tie-up follows On Working’s main success in 2024, with practically $2.6 billion in gross sales and collaborations with manufacturers like Loewe. The rising demand for efficiency gear has led to partnerships like NikeSKIMS and Hoka x SATISFY. Kith’s Okay-Tech SS25 assortment and On Working collaboration drop on February 21, 2025, at 11 AM EST on-line and in Kith shops.
GORE-TEX Producers Accused Of Greenwashing In New Lawsuit
A category motion lawsuit towards W. L. Gore & Associates, the producer of GORE-TEX, by Seattle-based agency Hagens Berman has accuses the corporate of “greenwashing.” The lawsuit attests that Gore disinformed customers about its sustainability efforts whereas persevering with to make use of dangerous PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), which have been linked to well being issues like most cancers and infertility.
Though Gore launched a PFAS-free ePE membrane because of state bans, the swimsuit alleges that non-“subsequent era” merchandise nonetheless include PFAS. The criticism alleges that Gore hid the environmental and well being dangers present in PFA use in its merchandise. The brand new case follows a December 2024 lawsuit over PFAS air pollution close to Gore’s Maryland amenities. In response, Gore maintains confidence in its environmental initiatives and shopper security. As considerations over PFAS develop, additional revealing ongoing investigation of inflated sustainability claims within the out of doors and attire industries.
OTB Development Falters As Annual Gross sales Fall Greater than 4%
Luxurious conglomerate OTB revealed a 4.4% decline in gross sales in 2024, leading to gross income reaching $1.88 billion USD. Whereas its manufacturers Maison Margiela and Diesel noticed development of 4.6% and three.2%, respectively, Jil Sander and Marni noticed weaker efficiency, offsetting the good points. Nonetheless, regardless of wholesale dips, direct retail grew by 7.4%, with 61 new retailer openings. Japan and the US emerged as the corporate’s strongest markets as gross sales elevated by 16.3% and 13.3%, whereas in China gross sales declined as they’ve for a lot of rivals. Management shakeups at Jil Sander, Diesel, and Maison Margiela add to the uncertainty taking maintain on the firm. Nonetheless, Glenn Martens‘ current appointment at Maison Margiela has been obtained as a trigger for optimism.
Columbia Sportswear Material to Defend Lunar Lander in 2025 House Mission
Columbia Sportswear is advancing its partnership with Intuitive Machines and SpaceX for the upcoming IM-2 Athena lunar mission, set to launch by February 26 from NASA’s Kennedy House Heart. The mission will make the most of Columbia’s Omni-Warmth™ Infinity and Omni-Shade™ Solar Deflector applied sciences to guard the lander from excessive temperatures and photo voltaic publicity.
Omni-Warmth Infinity, initially utilized in Columbia’s outerwear, will insulate the lander’s helium tank from temperatures ranging between +250° to -250°F. In the meantime, Omni-Shade Solar Deflector, developed to dam photo voltaic warmth, might be built-in into the lander’s multilayer insulation blanket. The mission’s purpose is to drill into the Moon’s south pole looking for lunar ice.
To have a good time, Columbia has launched a Lunar Assortment, that includes designs impressed by the mission’s improvements. This follows the success of Columbia’s tech on the earlier IM-1 mission, marking one other milestone within the model’s contribution to house exploration.
Saks Faces Backlash With Manufacturers
Saks Fifth Avenue is dealing with main backlash after its response to owing manufacturers lots of of hundreds of {dollars}. In a memo, CEO Marc Metrick knowledgeable distributors that overdue funds might be made in 12 installments beginning in July and that new orders might be paid inside 90 days as a substitute of the usual 60. The disaster comes after Saks’ $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus in 2024. Lately, Saks introduced the closure of Neiman Marcus’s historic Dallas flagship, and although it claims the choice is unrelated to the merger, some staff have been supplied transfers throughout the firm.
Regardless of the C-suite’s reassurances, comparisons to Barney’s 2020 chapter elevate considerations for a lot of. Whereas no main layoffs have occurred, some Saks and Neiman Marcus areas may very well be pressured to shut quickly. The scenario displays ongoing challenges for legacy luxurious shops in a unstable market.
