Articles by Simone Preuss
Simone Preuss is a freelance journalist specialising in apparel production, sustainability and social responsibility. She has been working with FashionUnited since 2012, gaining valuable insights into an ever-changing industry.
Japanese convenience store chain Family Mart opens first clothing store in Tokyo
Japanese supermarket chain Family Mart, which also offers clothing, operates over 15,000 stores nationwide. On September 1, 2025, it opened its first store dedicated exclusively to its ‘Convenience Wear’ segment, spanning 62 square metres. The line was developed in 2016 with designer Hiromichi Ochiai, who also founded the Japanese brand...
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Second “What Fuels Fashion” report finds big fashion companies unprepared for clean heat
The second edition of the “What Fuels Fashion?” (WFF) report focuses on clean heat, that is renewable, fossil-free energy for manufacturing processes. According to the study author, non-profit Fashion Revolution, it is “the single biggest lever” for cutting emissions along the supply chain. The report, a special edition of the organisation’s...
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Euratex’ ReHubs initiative to unveil roadmap to industrialise textile circularity by 2032
ReHubs, an initiative by the European Apparel and Textile Federation (Euratex) launched in 2020 to tackle Europe’s huge textile waste problem, will unveil a new strategy and tactical action plan to industrialise textile circularity by 2032. The new strategy is meant to be an “industry-wide roadmap and portfolio of initiatives designed to unlock...
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Verifying green claims: A new benchmark for water usage in indigo dyeing
What makes an indigo dyeing process “sustainable?” And what is the average amount of water used to dye denim today? The answer is - we do not know as there has been no benchmark to date that compares processes of denim mills worldwide. There have been, however, water saving claims galore but again, without a benchmark, it is hard to gauge what...
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Asos partners with TrusTrace for source-to-product transparency
British online retailer Asos has entered into a strategic partnership with digital traceability platform TrusTrace. This will help the company enhance its supply chain transparency and resilience, strengthen its risk management and support compliance across its global value chain. The partnership is part of the online retailer’s Fashion with...
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Mens- and womenswear trends FW26/27
In a well attended seminar, Tatiana Aldrich, client and trend consultant at trend forecasting agency WGSN, presented three macro trends for mens- and womenswear along with key items that will inform the autumn/winter season 2026/27. FashionUnited has summarised the highlights of each macro trend and theme. 1) Geo-logic The first macro trends...
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Talents, trends and tariffs: highlights from Istanbul Fashion Connection
The eighth edition of sourcing and fashion fair Istanbul Fashion Connection (IFCO) took place from 20th to 22nd August 2025. From the onset, IFCO was conceptualised to present Turkish brands and designers to the world and leave the notion of Turkey being a mere production location behind. Slowly, the efforts seem to bear fruits, with buyers from...
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Vivienne Westwood designs costumes for amfAR gala in Salzburg
British luxury brand Vivienne Westwood designed the costumes for the amfAR Gala, which took place on Sunday, August 24. Around 400 high-profile figures from the arts, culture, politics and business gathered at the Salzburg Residence. The theme was Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s "Jedermann", which was performed as part of the Salzburg Festival. Creative...
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Luxury Redefined: white paper analyses how brands can connect with today's consumers
The luxury industry has been having a hard time keeping up with their consumers - while wooing and educating them in the 2010s, it did not anticipate that they would outgrow their teachers. Hence, media brand Highsnobiety together with the Boston Consulting Group surveyed more than 6,6,710 consumers in eleven key markets - China, South Korea,...
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Asket to launch final product
How many garments should an essential wardrobe contain? Opinions differ. Some may manage for quite a while with just three t-shirts, two pairs of trousers, a shirt/blouse and a sweater while others may last just two days with it. Swedish slow fashion brand Asket has been thinking about this question for quite some time; in fact, since it was...
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