New York always has the hardest task: to open the month of Fashion Weeks. And it was the same this time too, with both men’s and women’s collections for autumn-winter 2025-2026. On the calendar from 6 to 11 February, the Big Apple hosted a few debuts and many confirmations. Friday, February 7, for example, was...
On Sunday, February 9, during halftime of the NFL SuperBowl, spectators of the football championship final were inflamed by US rapper Kendrick Lamar’s leather outfit. At halftime (dominated 40-22 by the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs) the now famous 13-minute music show was staged; during it Lamar essentially turned the Caesars Superdome in […]
Emerging Swiss brand On stumbles into greenwashing, while Adidas launches A-Type, the leather collection that propels the brand into the luxury market. The two companies are competitors in the world of sneakers (and sportswear in general) but are experiencing two different moments. With Adidas seeming to have made its experience in the field count, using...
As of early January 2025, PFAS are subject to Proposition 65, the Californian law regulating the presence of chemicals in products marketed in the State. It is a pity, however, that the Californian legislator has drowned such as boundaries in the rule that put many more leathers out of bounds than they deserve. Where PFASs […]
140 years of research, history and innovation. 140 years to be narrated and celebrated. An important anniversary that on Saturday – February 8, 2025 – SSIP (Stazione Sperimentale per l’Industria delle Pelli e delle materie concianti) celebrated in grand style with an event at the Historical Archives of the Fondazione Banco di Napoli. The location […]
“Leather is a fundamental part of Walsall’s heritage: we must preserve it”. That was one of the slogans of the demonstrators who protested on Saturday, February 8, against the uncertain future of the Walsall Leather Museum, one of the city’s tourist attractions. The City Council will decide the fate of the museum on Wednesday, February […]
“Yes, I have benefited from rising luxury prices”. Mattia Capezzani, 35, made his first pair of shoes for his business degree. Today, he runs a shoe workshop in Montecosaro (Macerata), which in 2024 experienced an increase in sales fueled by consumers from the luxury sector. Those who can no longer afford to buy only designer...
Quality, price, made in Spain. Even the espadrilles market is no exception: the characteristics demanded of Spanish manufacturers are always the same. This is what Armando Machado (pictured), at the helm of Jutelia, says. The shoe factory is based in Elche-Alicante, while the espadrilles are designed and manufactured in Caravaca de la Cruz, in the...
Thinking the world through leather. This is the idea that inspires Atsushi Takamizawa (pictured), founder of the brand Six Coup De Foudre, which uses the leathers of wild animals shot by hunters, preventing them from ending up in landfills. “To not let any life go to waste”, says the Japanese designer and craftsman. Circularity Takamizawa...
The revenge of premium. The soaring prices of luxury goods, the reduced spending power of consumers, together with the loss of panache (and often quality) of the offer, have opened up a market space. For small companies with a strong identity and a well-positioned product. This is demonstrated by the success of Maison Faret which, […]
“I don’t see a future without leather. D.A.T.E.‘s DNA will remain anchored to Italian leather. Which remains important because, when customers touch our products, they realises the quality of the material”. This was stated by Damiano Innocenti, co-founder and production manager of the Tuscan brand, which turns 20 in 2025. Projects, reshoring and investments are...
Luxury is not only made up of big names, but also of a galaxy of small realities that strive for excellence. One example is French brand MPM Maison Philippe Montagne, born in 2022 from the passion for leather of its French-Chinese founder (from whom it takes its name). “I wanted to make something really beautiful,...
A leather kimono made in Japan to express the quintessence of the tradition of the Rising Sun. This is the business card with which Japanese brand A Leather presented itself at the latest edition of Pitti Uomo 107 in Florence. The mission of the brand, born in March 2022 in Osaka and controlled by Bond...
Automotive giant Toyoda Gosei and sports brand Asics have teamed up to launch a shoe made from leather scraps used in steering wheels. After the first project using recycled airbag fabrics in 2023, the two Japanese companies presented the Skyhand OG sneakers, which aims to make a structural recovery of materials – that would otherwise […]
A crocodile farm in Pakistan. The investment has, claim the promoters, the dual goal of entering the international market for exotic leather and becoming an interesting phenomenon in the dynamics of local tourism. But the initiative, we note from the tanning perspective, comes when demand, especially from the lower segments, isn’t particularly dynamic. Pakistani initiative […]
Italian shoes too expensive for Germans? The year 2024 confirmed the crisis of Made in Italy footwear in Germany. From January to November, according to numbers provided by the German association HDS/L, imports of Italian footwear amounted to 828 million euros, down 20% from 2023. While on the other hand, overall, the drop in German […]
The fact that Italy is the new top customer instead of France, can be seen in the positive 2024 of the Spanish footwear segment. Thanks to increased purchases from the country, a trend that has already emerged in the balance of the first 9 months, Spanish exports in the January-November period are growing year-on-year, along...
From tenniscore to soccercore. Former Portuguese world football star Luìs Figo, winner of the Ballon D’Or in 2000, has embarked on a new entrepreneurial adventure with the brand LF Luìs Figo. In a total look collection, the flagship product is trainers. All products and materials are Made in Italy. Not a hobby “For Luìs, this...
Marianne Faithfull and John Sutcliffe redefined the role of leather in costume. They did so with the movie The Girl on a Motorcycle. She acted alongside Alain Delon. He designed the catsuit worn by the actress and musician, who died on Thursday 30 January, aged 78. A scandalous movie for its time and with a […]
While some of our sources close to the company tell us that Maria Grazia Chiuri would be in pole position to become the new creative director of Fendi’s Women’s division, as of today, Kim Jones is no longer the creative director of Dior Homme. Jones had arrived at Dior in 2018, after a long experience […]
