Ralph Lauren Announces Investment In Natural Fiber Welding
Ralph Lauren Corporation announced a minority investment in Natural Fiber Welding, Inc. (NFW), a sustainable material science startup that has developed a process to reuse natural fibers – such as cotton waste – into patented, high-performance materials. As a part of the investment, Ralph Lauren will help scale NFW’s patented process and develop performance apparel made from natural, sustainable materials.
Asics Sales Drop 21.5 Percent In Half
Asics Corp. reported a loss in the six months ended June 30 as sales dropped 21.5 percent. In North America, sales were down 27.1 percent but online sales grew 151 percent in the region. In the second quarter, sales were down 30.4 percent globally and 26.5 percent in North America.
PSEB Names New Interim CEO
PSEB, the parent company of PacSun and Eddie Bauer, has appointed Mike Relich as interim CEO role, replacing Jim Gulmi.
Hurley Family Launching Apparel Line With John John Florence
Kandui Holdings LLC, founded by the Hurley family, announced plans to launch Florence Marine X, an apparel collection in collaboration with two-time world champion surfer John John Florence. The partnership comes after Kandui in early August acquired the outstanding assets and intellectual property of the Simple footwear brand.
Iconix’s Q2 Revenues Slump 35 Percent
Iconix Brand Group, Inc., the parent of Starter, Pony, Umbro, Danskin, and a number of other lifestyle brands, reported sales in the second quarter fell 35.1 percent to $22.3 million compared to $34.4 million in the prior-year quarter.
PVH Hires Nike Exec To Head HR
PVH Corp. announced Julie Fuller, Nike’s vice president of global talent and organizational effectiveness, will join the company next month and assume the role of chief human resources officer on January 1, 2021.
Stein Mart To Liquidate All Stores In Bankruptcy
Stein Mart, the off-price retailer based in Jacksonville, FL, filed for bankruptcy protection amid the coronavirus pandemic. The retailer plans to close “a significant portion, if not all, of its brick & mortar stores.”
REI Co-Op To Pursue Sale Of Headquarters, Embrace Distributed Work Model
REI Co-op announced it is pursuing a sale of its newly completed corporate campus in the Spring District neighborhood of Bellevue, WA with the intention of shifting to a less centralized approach to its headquarters presence in the Seattle area.
Columbia Sportswear To Sponsor Bubba Wallace And Richard Petty Motorsports Race Team
Columbia Sportswear announced a multiyear sponsorship with NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace. The agreement enlists Wallace as Columbia’s newest brand ambassador, and includes a primary sponsorship of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet.
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Cancels November 2020 Connect Buying Show
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, the national organization for the specialty outdoor retail, this week announced the cancellation of its fall Connect buying show originally scheduled for November 9-12, 2020.
Change At The Top Of The Adidas Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board of Adidas AG has appointed Thomas Rabe, chief executive officer of Bertelsmann, as chairman of the company’s Supervisory Board. He will succeed Igor Landau, whose Supervisory Board mandate expired after 16 years at the end of the Annual General Meeting on August 11, 2020.
G-III Apparel And Levi Strauss Renew U.S. Licensing Agreements For Outerwear
G-III Apparel Group Ltd. announced that it has renewed its license agreements with Levi Strauss & Co. for the Levi’s and Dockers brands.
Big Ten and Pac-12 Become First Power 5 Conferences To Postpone Football
The Big Ten and the Pac-12, two of the college sport’s Power 5 conferences, canceled their plans to play this fall due to COVID-19.
PGA Golf Exhibitions To Launch Half-Day Virtual Summit
PGA Golf Exhibitions announced details for the PGA Show Connects Virtual Summit, August 18, to include a half-day online event of multiple webinars addressing market trends, player development, customer experience and retail strategies.
Legendary Headwear Appoints Head Of Sales And Marketing
Legendary Headwear, the manufacturer of the caps in the sports and outdoor markets, has tapped Andy Gilkison as their senior director of sales and marketing. His previous roles include national sales manager at Ogio and head of golf accessories at Puma.
