Fashion

The attorney general at the European Union’s Court of Justice has written an advice saying that according to him, the Louboutin brand’s red shoe sole cannot be registered as a trademark.

Thirty traders are no longer allowed to operate on Amazon until their court case with fashion brand Louis Vuitton is still ongoing. The brand filed a lawsuit because those thirty traders sold counterfeit items.

Following its fur ban, online retailer Yoox Net-a-Porter has also decided to no longer sell items that contains angora wool, according to animal rights organization PETA.

The possible Amazon – Nike collaboration, which would lead to Nike selling its product range on Amazon itself, has caused turmoil among other retailers.

Alain Caparros is set to become C&A Europe’s new CEO, a move contrary to the company’s traditions. Normally, a company man is appointed, but Caparros has not worked for C&A before. He will face the arduous task of trying to improve the fashion company’s profitability.

Belgian designer Veronique Branquinho announced she will (temporarily) suspend her own fashion label, not the first time she has done so.

Fashion web shop Zalando seeks further growth and will therefore target the B2B market. Zalando’s platform will be used to support other companies’ brands grow.

German web shop About You, one of eCommerce company Otto’s subsidiaries, launched in the Netherlands. This is the fourth country for the web shop: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and now the Netherlands.

Belgian-Dutch FNG Groep has attracted another 25 million euro thanks to new bonds. The money should help finance its recent acquisitions.

American department store chain Walmart acquired clothing chain Bonobos for 310 million dollars (280 million euro). It now has full control over more than thirty stores and a web shop.

Nike wants to trim down, saying goodbye to 2 % of its staff. It has 70,700 employees worldwide, which means about 1,400 jobs will be cut.

Spanish fashion group Inditex experienced a strong first quarter, with a 14 % turnover increase to 5.569 billion euro and an 18 % profit increase to 654 million euro.

Belgian watch company Ice-Watch is for sale, although owner Jean-Pierre Lutgen is currently looking for a minority shareholder, preferably someone from the industry.

American fashion store chain Saks OFF 5TH did not miss its European debut: hundreds of customers waited in line for the opening of its store in Düsseldorf. A first store in the Netherlands will follow later this summer.

Sports chain Intersport will invest more in eCommerce in the next few years, to catch up to its competitors. By 2020, it should generate a “substantial part of its turnover online”.

Clothing chain Suitsupply’s turnover grew 19 % to 207 million euro in the past fiscal year. The holding company did suffer a 2.6 million euro loss, mainly because of high financing costs.

Yoox Net-a-Porter will no longer sell fur products on any of its platforms. Animal rights organization Fur Free Alliance will now place the company on its Fur Free Retailer list.

The European Commission opened an investigation into American fashion brand Guess’ distribution agreements in the European Union, which may include illegal limitations for retailers.