Latest news with #Marseille-based
Fashion United
6 days ago
- Business
- Fashion United
American Vintage returns to Marylebone with a Mediterranean-inspired makeover
American Vintage will reopen its 127 m² Marylebone store in September 2025 after a refurbishment that replaces its previous look with a pared-back mix of natural tones and materials. The Marseille-based brand says the redesign reflects its Mediterranean origins while keeping the understated image that has become its hallmark. The store will stock the full men's, women's and children's ranges alongside digital screens playing brand imagery, part of a retail concept developed over the past few years to make outlets feel more like social spaces than transactional ones. Founded in 2005 by Michaël Azoulay, American Vintage began with a focus on re-engineering the T-shirt before expanding into knitwear, outerwear and everyday basics. Its relaxed, fabric-led approach sits in a growing niche between performance sportswear and luxury fashion. The UK leisurewear and sportswear sector has outperformed the wider apparel market since 2020, driven by hybrid working patterns and demand for versatile, comfort-oriented clothing. According to industry analysts, the segment is projected to grow by 6–8 per cent annually to 2027, with 'premium casual' labels seeing above-average gains. American Vintage's positioning, emphasising quality fabrics, subdued colour palettes and longevity over branding—gives it an advantage among consumers seeking polished yet practical wardrobe staples. Marylebone's mix of affluent residents and international visitors makes it a strong fit for the label's expansion strategy, which targets locations with high footfall and a taste for understated European design. The brand's emphasis on experience, including personal styling advice and local recommendations, is intended to build customer loyalty in a market where online competition remains intense.
Business Times
29-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Li Ka-shing ports sale draws interest from CMA CGM owner Saade family
[PARIS] Shipping giant CMA CGM is angling to be part of a mega-deal that would see the sale of dozens of ports owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing's CK Hutchison Holdings. 'We're watching this very closely,' chief financial officer Ramon Fernandez said on Tuesday (Jul 29). 'We're naturally very interested in participating in the solution that hasn't been found.' Speaking during a presentation of second-quarter results, Fernandez said he was referring to a potential direct involvement by CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container line controlled by chief executive officer Rodolphe Saade and his family. The comments indicate talks are still ongoing for the sale of CK Hutchison's 43 ports, which would represent the deal of the lifetime for Li, its 97-year-old founder. Should Saade enter the arena, he would join another European shipping tycoon, Gianluigi Aponte, whose Terminal Investment was part of the original buying consortium with US investment firm BlackRock Their period for exclusive talks with CK Hutchison has now expired. Since being announced in March, the proposed sale has been met with opposition from China, whose market watchdog has said it will review the transaction. President Donald Trump touted the deal as a win for the US because it would return the Panama Canal to American influence due to the inclusion of two ports along the strategically important waterway. CK Hutchison said earlier this week that it may invite a 'major strategic investor' from China to join the buying consortium. Bloomberg News had reported state-owned China Cosco Shipping Corp was negotiating a role for itself. Cosco is among the partners in a capacity-sharing agreement with CMA CGM called Ocean Alliance. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Any move by CMA CGM would be in keeping with Saade's fast-paced acquisitions spree in recent years that has included expansion in shipping operations, ports, logistics and media. He has acquired two major shipping terminals in the US, control of a Brazilian ports operator and reached an agreement with a partner to develop a deep-water terminal in northern Vietnam. The CK Hutchison deal is 'very important for the industry and for us as a major actor in the sector,' Fernandez said. After unprecedented growth during the pandemic era, the closely held Marseille-based carrier reported second-quarter profit of US$521 million compared with US$661 million a year earlier, citing geopolitical conflicts and trade tensions. Shipping volumes were nearly flat. The effects of Trump's tariffs on the US economy remain to be seen, although any changes to its longstanding reliance on imports and domestic consumption 'will evolve only very gradually,' the CFO said. Tariffs will continue a process that began during the first Trump administration that saw the development of production sites outside China in places like southeast Asia, he said. The Saade family is worth about US$36 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, just ahead of Li Ka-shing's US$35 billion. BLOOMBERG
LeMonde
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
France's first Slow Fashion Week champions a simple, recycled approach to fashion
A sailboat was moored on the J4 Esplanade at the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MuCEM), at the foot of Fort Saint-Jean, facing the Palais du Pharo. Teenagers dove into the water under the amused gaze of tourists stretched out in the sun. A young man was fishing. It seemed like an ordinary late afternoon. Except that the sailboat was about to host a fashion show. There were no celebrities, no chauffeured SUVs and no influencers being photographed from every angle. Here, there was no intention of copying the codes of a formal Paris Fashion Week. "People are coming in flip-flops," smiled Chloé Roques, one of the event's organizers. This was Slow Fashion Week: a 100% Marseille event. While the idea of more sustainable fashion has already found its place in other European capitals such as London, Copenhagen and Berlin, this Marseille edition is a first in France. "We're never the first," joked the organizer. Launched by the Baga collective, a Marseille-based non-profit organization founded in 2023 with 84 members, this alternative fashion week – which began on Saturday, June 7, and ran until June 14 – brought together designers committed to "local and sustainable" fashion. The program included fashion shows, embroidery workshops, repair and upcycling sessions, studio visits and talks. More than 50 events took place throughout the city.
Local France
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French dock workers block shipment of military material for Israel
Dockers at the port in Fos-sur-Mer outside Marseille have refused to load crates of links used to assist the rapid fire of bullets aboard the cargo vessel, the CGT trade union said. Links are small metal pieces, used to connect machine gun bullets and allowing rapid bursts of fire. There has been concern in media and among rights groups that they have likely been used against civilians in the Gaza Strip. Christophe Claret, leader of the dock workers in the port, said they had been notified that the ship was due to be loaded on Thursday with the material. Advertisement "We managed to identify it and set it aside," he told AFP, emphasising that once dockers refuse to load a shipment, no one else can do it for them. The other containers for the ship will all be loaded. According to the union, the cargo is 19 pallets of links manufactured by the Marseille-based company Eurolinks. The CGT said the move made clear its refusal to "participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government." Leading rights groups have accused Israel of committing genocide in its military campaign, a charge vehemently rejected by the government. Contacted by AFP, Eurolinks did not respond to a request for comment. The Port of Marseille-Fos had no comment. "We are very proud of this action led by our comrades and which is part of the CGT's long internationalist tradition for peace," CGT secretary general Sophie Binet told reporters in the eastern city of Strasbourg on Thursday. "It is unacceptable that CGT dockers should be the ones forced to uphold the fundamental principles of international law and French values. The government must immediately block all arms deliveries to the State of Israel," she said. The move was also welcomed by hard-left and left-wing leaders in France. "Humanism is not for sale," said Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure. Advertisement According to the investigative website Disclose, which had access to maritime data, two other such shipments between Fos-sur-Mer and the Israeli port of Haifa took place on April 3rd and May 22nd. French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu had stated at the time that these parts exported by the Marseille company would be "re-exported" through Israel and not used by the Israeli army. The latest war started after Hamas fighters attacked Israel on October 7th, 2023. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 55 remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 2023 has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the occupied Palestinian territory, while the United Nations said on May 30th the territory's entire population of more than two million people was at risk of famine.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French dock workers block shipment of military material for Israel: union
French dock workers at a southern port are blocking the shipment of military material bound for Israel in protest at Israeli actions against Palestinians in Gaza, their union said. The stevedores at the port in Fos-sur-Mer outside Marseille have refused to load crates of links used to assist the rapid fire of bullets aboard the cargo vessel, the CGT trade union said. Links are small metal pieces, used to connect machine gun bullets and allowing rapid bursts of fire. There has been concern in media and among rights groups that they have likely been used against civilians in the Gaza Strip. Christophe Claret, leader of the dock workers in the port, said they had been notified that the ship was due to be loaded on Thursday with the material. "We managed to identify it and set it aside," he told AFP, emphasising that once dockers refuse to load a shipment, no one else can do it for them. The other containers for the ship will all be loaded. According to the union, the cargo is 19 pallets of links manufactured by the Marseille-based company Eurolinks. The CGT said the move made clear its refusal to "participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government." Leading rights groups have accused Israel of committing genocide in its military campaign, a charge vehemently rejected by the government. - 'Humanism is not for sale' - Contacted by AFP, Eurolinks did not respond to a request for comment. The Port of Marseille-Fos had no comment. "We are very proud of this action led by our comrades and which is part of the CGT's long internationalist tradition for peace," CGT secretary general Sophie Binet told reporters in the eastern city of Strasbourg on Thursday. "It is unacceptable that CGT dockers should be the ones forced to uphold the fundamental principles of international law and French values. The government must immediately block all arms deliveries to the State of Israel," she said. The move was also welcomed by hard-left and left-wing leaders in France. "Humanism is not for sale," said Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure. According to the investigative website Disclose, which had access to maritime data, two other such shipments between Fos-sur-Mer and the Israeli port of Haifa took place on April 3 and May 22. French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu had stated at the time that these parts exported by the Marseille company would be "re-exported" through Israel and not used by the Israeli army. The latest war started after Hamas fighters attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 55 remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 2023 has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the occupied Palestinian territory, while the United Nations said on May 30 the territory's entire population of more than two million people was at risk of famine. san-av-sjw/ah/rl
