Runway to retail news and archive

Runway to Retail: ACT No. 1 - the Italian cult brand

ACT No. 1 was founded in 2016 ACT N°1 was founded by Luca Lin and Galib Gassanoff in 2016. They drew on their multicultural backgrounds in order to blend Chinese imagery and Azerbaijani craftsmanship. Since September 2018 the brand has shown during Milan Fashion Week and in 2019 established its headquarters and design studio there also. The...

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Runway to Retail: ‘Tomato Girl Summer’

Since Megan Thee Stallion sang about ‘Hot Girl Summer’ in 2019, we have been deluged with niche trends inspired by the phrase. According to current TikTok videos and reels, summer 2023 is the season of the ‘Tomato Girl.’ What is the ‘Tomato Girl Summer’ trend? Unlike ‘Coastal Cowgirl’ or ‘Barbiecore’ , ‘Tomato Girl’ has more of a vibe than...

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Runway to Retail - Barbiecore

Mattel’s Barbie doll was first launched in 1959 and grew to become an American icon alongside Mickey Mouse and Coca Cola. Pre-Pandemic, Warner Bros announced that they would be releasing a movie called ‘Barbie,’ directed by Greta Gerwig, and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The news inspired a TikTok trend called ‘Barbiecore,’ with the...

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Runway to retail: novelty designer handbags

Tracing the trend Street style/Launchmetrics Spotlight Running parallel to the current surrealist fashion trend is the consumer penchant for novelty designer handbags. According to fashion editor Kristen Bateman, writing in Elle, “Lately, fashion is being filtered through an absurdist lens, and in a world that seems to have hit peak luxury,...

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Runway to retail – Coastal Cowgirl

The overwhelming popularity of the tv show ‘Yellowstone,’ set in the farmlands of Montana, has inspired a renewed interest in cowboys, their culture and their clothing. It has had a huge impact on various social media platforms where users have taken the look and made it their own. According to Bustle, the ‘coastal cowgirl’ aesthetic began life...

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Runway to Retail: The bouclé or tweed micro suit

What is the difference between tweed and bouclé? Bouclé (derived from the French term for ‘ringed’ or ‘curled’) is woven from a specific type of looped wool yarn. Bouclé is softer, coarser and has naturally larger slubs than tweed. On the other hand, tweed, which is also made from wool, is a little more durable and sturdy. The bouclé or tweed...

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Runway to Retail: Long denim skirts

Tracing the trend Jean skirts were first introduced in the 1970s as a way to repurpose worn denim pants. They have retained validity as a fashion staple on and off ever since. In recent seasons, jean skirts in various styles have emerged as integral key items in many designer collections. One of the most prevalent has been the longer length...

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Runway to retail: brightly colored pant suits

Ready-to-wear in 2022 has seen a revival of 'comme des garçon' (like the boys) style. Pant suits, shirts and even ties are trending on the runways and trickling down to the retail level. More and more, consumers are demanding trans-seasonal styles, which has led to the increasing popularity of the brightly colored pant suit to wear all year...

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Runway to Retail: Rainbow Knits

March is said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, and in most of Europe and the East Coast of the US, it can be a tricky time of year for clothing retailers. Floors need to combine the winter sale, resort and spring 1 collections. It is perhaps for this reason that knit tops, sweaters and dresses in rainbow colors have shown up in all...

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Runway to retail: balaclavas

Tracing the trend The name comes from their use at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War of 1854, referring to the town near Sevastopol in the Crimea. Handmade balaclavas were sent over to the British troops to help protect them from the bitter cold weather. Hence, for decades, balaclavas were associated with the military and para...

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Runway to retail: Faux fur

Fashion weeks in Amsterdam, Oslo, Melbourne and Helsinki have all banned the use of fur but Paris, Milan and New York leave it up to the discretion of the designers. However, an increasing number of brands are now choosing to swap real fur for faux versions in their collections. Tracing the trend Anti-fur activism can be traced back to the...

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Runway to retail: Puffer coats and jackets

Once again in North America and Europe we are facing a winter where it's probably safer to indulge in outdoor activities and that includes eating dinner on the sidewalk under a heat lamp. Hence the need for show-stopping outerwear, that is also warm and practical. The puffer coat or jacket fits all of those criteria, and is the obvious choice...