Balzac Paris names new style director
Founded in 2014 by Chrysoline and Victorien de Gastines, with Charles Fourmaux, Balzac Paris is B Corp certified and became a mission-driven company in 2022. It favors European production and is committed to sustainable fashion. In 2023, it achieved sales of 24 million euros, representing growth of 30%.
The brand is pursuing its development with the opening of regional outlets: after Toulouse at the end of 2024, it is aiming to open in Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, and Lyon. It is also exploring ephemeral formats, such as its recently inaugurated summer boutique in Biarritz.
With a more upscale collection and a sharper style, Balzac Paris is out to win new customers while continuing to unite its community.
To consolidate its development, Balzac Paris has also expanded its universe. In addition to women's ready-to-wear, the brand relaunched its men's wardrobe in 2024 and launched a beauty line, affirming its ambition to embody a stylish and responsible art of living.
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France 24
39 minutes ago
- France 24
NATO summit opens amid discord over defence spending and Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to gather Tuesday for a summit that could unite the world's biggest security organization around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 allies. Just a week ago, things had seemed rosy. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was optimistic the European members and Canada would commit to invest at least as much of their economic growth on defense as the United States does for the first time. Then Spain rejected the new NATO target for each country to spend 5% of its gross domestic product on defense needs, calling it 'unreasonable.' Trump also insists on that figure. The alliance operates on a consensus that requires the backing of all 32 members. The following day, Trump said the U.S. should not have to respect the goal. 'I don't think we should, but I think they should,' he said. Trump lashed out at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government, saying: 'NATO is going to have to deal with Spain. Spain's been a very low payer." He also criticized Canada as 'a low payer.' Spain was the lowest spender in the alliance last year, directing less than 2% of its GDP on defense expenditure, while Canada was spending 1.45%, according to NATO figures. Then Trump ordered the bombing of nuclear installations in Iran. In 2003, the U.S.-led war on Iraq deeply divided NATO, as France and Germany led opposition to the attack, while Britain and Spain joined the coalition. European allies and Canada also want Ukraine to be at the top of the summit agenda, but they are wary that Trump might not want President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to steal the limelight. A short summit, decades of mutual security The two-day summit in The Hague involves an informal dinner Tuesday and one working session Wednesday morning. A very short summit statement has been drafted to ensure the meeting is not derailed by fights over details and wording. Indeed, much about this NATO summit is brief, even though ripples could be felt for years. Founded in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed by 12 nations to counter the threat to security in Europe posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, notably via a strong U.S. presence on the continent. Dealing with Moscow is in its DNA. Keeping the peace outside the Euro-Atlantic area is not. NATO's ranks have grown to 32 countries since the Washington Treaty was signed 75 years ago. Sweden joined last year, worried by an increasingly aggressive Russia. NATO's collective security guarantee — Article 5 of the treaty — underpins its credibility. It's a political commitment by all countries to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory might be under attack. Trump has suggested he is committed to that pledge, but he has also sowed doubt about his intentions. He has said the U.S. intends to remain a member of the alliance. A civilian runs NATO, but the U.S. and its military hold power The United States is NATO's most powerful member. It spends much more on defense than any other ally and far outweighs its partners in terms of military muscle. Washington has traditionally driven the agenda but has stepped back under Trump. The U.S. nuclear arsenal provides strategic deterrence against would-be adversaries. NATO's day-to-day work is led by Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister . As its top civilian official, he chairs almost weekly meetings of ambassadors in the North Atlantic Council at its Brussels headquarters. He chairs other 'NACs' at ministerial and leader levels. Rutte runs NATO headquarters, trying to foster consensus and to speak on behalf of all members. NATO's military headquarters is based nearby in Mons, Belgium. It is always run by a top U.S. officer. Ukraine's role at the summit is unclear With Trump demanding greater defense spending, it's unclear what role Ukraine will play at the summit. Zelenskyy has been invited, but it's unclear whether he will have a seat at NATO's table, although he may take part in Tuesday's dinner. Russia's war in Ukraine usually dominates such meetings. More broadly, NATO itself is not arming Ukraine. As an organization, it possesses no weapons of any kind. Collectively, it provides only non-lethal support — fuel, combat rations, medical supplies, body armor, and equipment to counter drones or mines. But individually, members do send arms. European allies provided 60% of the military support that Ukraine received in 2024. NATO coordinates those weapons deliveries via a hub on the Polish border and helps organize training for Ukrainian troops. NATO's troop plans A key part of the commitment for allies to defend one another is to deter Russia, or any other adversary, from attacking in the first place. Finland and Sweden joined NATO recently because of this concern. Under NATO's new military plans, 300,000 military personnel would be deployed within 30 days to counter any attack, whether it be on land, at sea, by air or in cyberspace. But experts doubt whether the allies could muster the troop numbers. It's not just about troop and equipment numbers. An adversary would be less likely to challenge NATO if it thought the allies would use the forces it controls. Trump's threats against U.S. allies — including imposing tariffs on them — has weakened that deterrence. The U.S. is carrying the biggest military burden Due to high U.S. defense spending over many years, the American armed forces have more personnel and superior weapons but also significant transportation and logistics assets. Other allies are starting to spend more, though. After years of cuts, NATO members committed to ramp up their national defense budgets in 2014 when Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the NATO allies agreed to make 2% of GDP the minimum spending level. Last year, 22 countries were expected to hit that target, up from only three a decade ago. In The Hague, the allies were expected to up the ante to 3.5%, plus a further 1.5% for things like improving roads, bridges, ports and airfields or preparing societies to deal with future conflicts. Whether they will now remains an open question.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Flatterer-in-chief: How NATO's Rutte worked to win over Trump
Now, on the eve of hosting his first alliance summit as boss in his hometown, The Hague, the veteran political operator seems on the verge of delivering. With a combination of diplomatic finessing and a large dose of flattery, Rutte looks set to make the volatile US leader happy with a carefully crafted deal that meets Trump's demand for NATO allies to spend five percent of GDP on defence. "He's been quite masterful in keeping the alliance together in a very difficult and sensitive period," a senior NATO diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Rutte's tour de force was cooking up a compromise on spending that allows Trump to claim victory by hitting his headline five-percent figure, while in reality setting the bar lower. The agreement sees countries promise to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on core military spending, while the other 1.5 percent goes to a looser array of areas like infrastructure and cybersecurity. Getting a successful outcome for NATO, the transatlantic alliance forged during the Cold War, was by no means a given when Trump stormed back into the White House threatening allies he would not protect them if they did not cough up. As Washington berated Ukraine, cosied up to Russia and opened the door to pulling forces from Europe, it set alarm bells ringing over the future of an alliance founded on US might. Rutte's strategy has seemed relatively simple: never criticise or contradict the notoriously sensitive former reality TV star. Pain from Spain When Trump suggested Ukraine caused Russia's invasion: silence. When he yelled at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office: no pushback. When he threatened not to protect allies: nothing to see here. Instead, according to Rutte, Trump has been absolutely right to demand a quick end to the Ukraine war, has not called into question NATO's mutual defence ethos, and has actually made the alliance stronger by forcing allies to spend more. All that courting appears to have paid off. Diplomats say Rutte is one of only a handful of European leaders Trump willingly picks up the phone to and that the two text each other. "Clearly the job is to keep the United States engaged as far as you can, even if it means that you have to sound a bit like Donald Trump occasionally," said Jamie Shea, a former senior NATO official now with the Chatham House think tank. "So as long as that's the situation, I think allies will sort of turn a blind eye in Europe, at least to the occasional uses of Trumpian means and themes" by Rutte. That does not mean European allies have always been comfortable with Rutte's performance -- with some at times accusing him of going too far to please Trump. That very nearly ended up blowing up in Rutte's face when Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threw a last-minute spanner in the works by baulking at the spending deal. In the end though, Rutte again showed his diplomatic chops and managed to smooth over the kerfuffle with another sleight of hand that allowed all sides to claim they got what they wanted. "Hats off to Rutte's artistry," said another NATO diplomat. "Once again we saw his touch." © 2025 AFP
Fashion Network
4 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Vietnamese specialist in durable insoles Cirql sets its sights on Europe via Italy's Frasson
Vietnamese specialist in plastic-free, recyclable and biodegradable insole foams, Cirql aims to enhance its presence in the European market. To this end, a partnership has just been signed with Italy's Frasson, a specialist in injection molding and supercritical foam for footwear. "This partnership is an important step for Cirql in our expansion into the European market," emphasized Matt Thwaites, Cirql's vice president and general manager. "Frasson's expertise in supercritical foaming and injection molding perfectly complements our vision of providing sustainable and innovative materials to global footwear brands." A century-old company based in Loria, in the province of Treviso, Frasson specializes in sports and outdoor footwear, as well as professional and safety footwear. The company has become Cirql's certified partner for Europe. It will supply local brands with midsoles and outsoles, using the sustainable technology developed by Cirql. The Vietnamese company, based in Ho Chi Minh City, is a subsidiary of the Ortholite Group, an American insole specialist claiming to supply over 550 brands. Cirql's offering is based on a technology for transforming recycled polymers (known as rTPU) into high-performance insoles, which also anticipate the end-of-life of products thanks to their compostable nature. At a time when the fashion industry is striving to increase the mass recycling of end-of-life items, the footwear sector presents a challenge in itself, with the accumulation of 40 to 60 different components and materials. In Europe, there are several noteworthy players addressing this issue, from the Dutch Fastfeetgrinded to the British Renewshoe and the German Soex. Not forgetting Cetia, the French innovation platform dedicated to the recyclability of clothing and footwear, which has just unveiled its automated garment sorting tool.
