Articles by AFP
Swiss watch exports to US soared ahead of Trump tariffs
Swiss watch exports to the key US market soared nearly 14 percent in March, likely the result of retailers stocking up before US President Donald Trump announced his tariffs on countries worldwide. Analysts have warned that Switzerland's storied watchmaking industry could be among the hardest hit by the 31-percent import levies for Swiss goods...
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N.Ireland designer Jonathan Anderson takes helm at Dior Men
French fashion giant Dior named the highly-rated designer Jonathan Anderson as creative director of Dior Men on Thursday. Anderson, 40, quit Loewe last month after more than a decade in which he turned around the fortunes of the heritage Spanish brand. The Northern Irish designer -- an influential tastemaker with many A-list fans -- made the...
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Jonathan Anderson to oversee next Dior Menswear show
Paris - Designer Jonathan Anderson will direct Christian Dior's next men's show, scheduled for June, Bernard Arnault, CEO of French luxury giant LVMH, announced Thursday at the group's shareholders' meeting. Jonathan Anderson arrives at Dior "I can tell you that the next Christian Dior men's show, which will take place in June, will be designed...
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Swiss watch exports: US market drives March growth
Zurich - Swiss watch exports rebounded by 1.5 percent in March, climbing to 2.38 billion Swiss francs (2.56 billion euros), driven by watch shipments to the US, the Swiss Watch Federation announced on Thursday. "Across the entire first quarter, however, the trend remains slightly negative, with a decline of 1.1 percent,” the Swiss Watch...
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Hermès to increase prices in US to offset 10 percent tariff
Paris - French luxury group Hermès is set to increase its prices in May in the US to offset the 10 percent tariff. The company also reported an 8.5 percent increase in turnover in the first quarter of 2025. Hermès, which on Tuesday ousted its rival LVMH as the leading French stock market capitalisation, will “fully offset” the impact of the 10...
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LVMH sales dip as Trump tariffs dent luxury tastes
Paris - Luxury giant LVMH saw sales fall two percent to 20.3 billion euros (23 billion dollars) in the first quarter of 2025 as US President Donald Trump's tariffs shook the global economy, the company said on Monday. The producer of Louis Vuitton bags and Dom Perignon champagne, owned by Europe's richest man Bernard Arnault, generates a quarter...
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Sweden drowns in discarded fast fashion items
Sweden's recycling centres are overflowing with clothes after an EU-wide ban this year on throwing away textiles, leaving overwhelmed municipalities eager to have fast fashion giants take responsibility. "It's a huge amount coming in everyday. It's been crazy, it's a huge increase," said Brian Kelly, secretary general of the Artikel2 charity...
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Miuccia Prada's path from activist to top designer
As a student in the volatile May of 1968, Miuccia Prada took to the streets of Milan to demonstrate for women's rights wearing an Yves Saint Laurent suit. Today, the 76-year-old reigns over a luxury goods empire worth more than five billion euros ($5.4 billion) a year, with her world about to expand further with the takeover of flamboyant rival...
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Following Prada takeover: 5 things to know about Versace
Italian fashion giant Versace, the long-held family business known for its flashy, sexy designs and Medusa head logo, will now become part of Prada, its larger rival and polar opposite in terms of style. The 1.25 billion euro acquisition, announced Thursday, aims to breathe new life into Versace, whose highs and lows have included the 1997...
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Tariffs: US textile buyers in Bangladesh have suspended orders, according to manufacturers
American buyers have begun suspending orders from Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment manufacturer, following the increase in US tariffs, leading the interim Bangladeshi government to call on Monday for a three-month suspension of these taxes. Textile and garment production accounts for approximately 80 percent of the exports of this...
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