🌍 Dazed magazine launches Middle East and North Africa edition. The British style magazine founded in 1991 by Jefferson Hack and Rankin has unveiled its new edition dedicated to the region called Dazed MENA, led by editor-in-chief Ahmad Swaid. The Dubai-based, British-born editor of Lebanese and Sierra Leonean heritage previously served as editor-in-chief of GQ Middle East and, prior to that, as head of content at Dazed Media. The online edition of the title went live last week at Dazed.me with the magazine’s first quarterly print issue set to go on sale on Thursday. While the main language is currently English, “that is not to say we won’t have dedicated Arabic-only content” in the future, said Swaid who rounded out his leadership team with the appointment of Paris-based French-Egyptian Omaima Salem as fashion director and Oman-born Chndy as creative director. With nine covers, the inaugural issue features original content from the immediate region such as Algerian fashion designer Wathek Allal, Syrian-Lebanese writer Nur Turkman and Gazan parkourists captured by photographer Ahmed Hussein Younes as well as stories on the global diaspora and from countries on the region’s periphery such as Afghanistan. “[Swaid and his team] also curated their own Dazed 100 MENA list which will launch on Wednesday,” said Hack. The new edition is published under a license agreement with UAE-based ITP Media Group, which also operates the Middle East or Arabia editions of Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, GQ, Cosmopolitan and Grazia magazines among others. Dazed Media operates other international editions, including Dazed Korea and Another Man China under license with L’Extreme and Huasheng Media respectively. [BoF Inbox]
🌎 US fashion sector responds to Trump’s tariff threats to China, Mexico. Following statements made by the president-elect outlining his readiness to impose double-digit tariffs on several countries, the US Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) CEO Matt Priest said: “A 25-percent tariff on products from Mexico and Canada and a 10-percent tariff on goods from China would directly increase costs for [US] retailers and consumers, leading to higher prices on everyday essentials like shoes…we hope President-elect Trump rethinks these tariffs.” Echoing the sentiment, American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) CEO Steve Lamar said, “the main impact will be inflationary for all Americans,” adding that “Mexico is a significant source of jeans and leather footwear. These threats will could also fumble the one trade agreement Trump takes credit for in his previous term—USMCA.” [Sourcing Journal]
🇲🇲 Myanmar trade unions file OECD complaints against fashion brands. The Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar and Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar have joined with IndustriALL Global Union to file a complaint against Next, New Yorker and LPP in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. “We have been urging multinational companies to exit from Myanmar as their existence contributes to the severe violations of human rights and labour rights in the country,” said Khaing Zar Aung, the exiled president of the IWFM. “The brands pretend they comply with the OECD guidelines and human rights due diligence, which is impossible under a military dictatorship. Industrial zones are under martial law and the right to freedom of association is banned.” [Sourcing Journal]
🌏 Trump extends tariff threats to BRICS countries with apparel hubs. Following earlier threats to China and Mexico, the US president-elect has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on members of the BRICS bloc if they undermine the US dollar by pressing ahead with plans to develop a new currency used for international trade as an alternative to the US dollar. Original bloc members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were last year joined by Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia. There are significant textile and apparel manufacturing and sourcing export sectors in several member countries. [Financial Times, BoF]
🇮🇳 Indian e-tailer Nykaa acquires local beauty brand Earth Rhythm. The multi-brand Indian beauty and fashion retailer with over 200 physical stores across the country has acquired the clean skincare brand founded by Harini Sivakumar for an undisclosed amount, following a previous minority investment. Earth Rhythm, which owns its own R&D and manufacturing facilities, offers more than 250 products across six categories. It will join Nykaa’s wider portfolio of owned brands and sit alongside the global brands Nykaa sells such as Estée Lauder, Clinique and Huda Beauty. [BoF]
🇨🇳 Garment industry family factories in China face succession crunch. A wave of the country’s factories across various sectors are either preparing for or in the process of passing on the family business to a new generation on an unprecedented scale. However, many heirs are less experienced, motivated or enthusiastic about the sector than their forebears, many of whom founded the factory in the 1980s or 1990s. The manufacturing firms face numerous other challenges besides leadership issues, including rising costs and competition. [Sixth Tone]
🇸🇦 Saudi-Emirati eyewear retailer Eyewar raises $100 million. The company has secured the funding in a series C round led by US-based private equity firm General Atlantic with participation from Dubai-based Badwa Capital and Singapore’s Turmeric Capital. Founded in 2017 by Anass Boumediene, Mehdi Oudghiri and Abdullah AlRugaib, Eyewa is dual headquartered in Riyadh and Dubai and operates nearly 150 stores across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. [Semafor, BoF Inbox]
🇦🇺 Oxfam alleges Australian fashion brands underpay garment workers. According to analysis by the anti-poverty charity, Australia’s Kmart Group, Big W, Cotton On, Rip Curl and Kathmandu owner KMD, Myer and Bonds parent company Hanes have reportedly not paid living wages to women working in their global supply chains in the 2022-23 financial year, with some wages claimed to be as low as the equivalent of 6 Australian dollars per day. The brands did not respond in time for publication following local trade media Ragtrader’s request for comment. [Ragtrader]
🇧🇭 Bahrain plans to build free zones for the garment and other sectors. The Gulf state has unveiled plans to establish three new industrial free zones to attract players in the food, pharmaceuticals and garment industries on Muharraq Island, the location of both the airport and the recently built Marassi Mall built in the island’s namesake resort municipality which serves as a suburb for Bahrain’s capital Manama over on the main island. [Arabian Gulf Business Insight]
🇳🇬 Nigeria’s Lekki Textile and Garment SEZ reaches next milestone. Once the planned special economic zone is fully operational, it will directly create up to 5,000 jobs and over 20,000 indirect job opportunities, said Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, MD of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority. Though a timeframe for the opening remains unclear, the land acquisition phase is now complete for the SEZ which will be situated in the Eyin-Osa area of Lagos State earmarked, serving the export markets of the country’s South-West region. [Lagos Daily]
🇦🇺 Australian department store David Jones phases out exotic animal skins. “While exotic animal skins were already prohibited in our private-label products, we have now extended this to a company-wide ban. This update aligns with David Jones’ commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability,” said a company spokesperson about the new ban that will be in place from July 1, 2026. The move follows campaigning by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). [Ragtrader]
🇸🇦 Saudi beauty brand Moonglaze breaks into the UK market with Selfridges. The beauty brand founded by Saudi Arabian makeup artist and influencer Yara Alnamlah is set to launch at the London department store this week. “This exposure will undoubtedly help us expand beyond the Middle East,” said Alnamlah, who has over 1.5 million Instagram followers and in 2021 appeared in a campaign for Jean Paul Gaultier celebrating Saudi Arabia’s National Day, alongside actress Sarah Taibah, model Domie Alsalim and Faisal Alghazzawi. [Arab News]
🇹🇭 Christian Dior launches opulent new concept store in Bangkok. The French luxury brand will open this weekend a store in the Ploenchit district of the Thai capital decorated with the work of Thai artists, artisans and designers housing a branded café featuring food created by a Michelin-starred chef. Dubbed Dior Gold House, the hybrid space is set to remain open for two years and joins the brand’s five permanent stores in Thailand, of which four are in the capital and one in Phuket. [BoF Inbox]
🇨🇳 W Magazine China appoints Audrey Hu as fashion director at large. The Chinese edition of the fashion magazine has tapped the media veteran, who will report directly to editor-in-chief Mix Wei, to lead creative projects. Hu previously served as fashion director at Vogue China, style director at Wallpaper China, and as fashion director at Numéro China and Modern Weekly. [BoF Inbox]
🇵🇰 Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports surge 10% in the Jul-Oct period. The sector reached $6.1 billion in the period, with knitwear and non-knit readymade garment category witnessing significant growth, although cotton yarn exports were down over the comparable period a year earlier. [Fibre2Fashion]
🌏 Tatler Asia stages Best of Asia hospitality industry event in Thailand. The publisher of local editions of the high-society fashion and lifestyle glossy across the region has presented an event, featuring its curation of the finest hotels, restaurants and bars across the region, and an awards ceremony in Bangkok. [BoF Inbox]
🇰🇷 Celine taps South Korean band TWS as brand ambassadors. The French luxury brand has partnered with the boyband comprising members Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon, and Kyungmin, in an endorsement deal for a K-pop group that only made its debut in January. [CR Fashion Book]
