Image courtesy of wwd.com
Balmain has a new creative director. With Olivier Rousteing leaving the French luxury house, there remains an empty post at Balmain.
That post has been quickly filled. Antonin Tron has been appointed the new creative director of Balmain. Tron comes to this position after having founded Atlein with which he won ANDAM’s First Collections Prize in 2018.
Tron attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Tron began his career designing menswear at Louis Vuitton, before moving on to Givenchy and Balenciaga.
“I am deeply honored to join Balmain and grateful to Mr. Rachid and Matteo for entrusting me with this extraordinary Maison. I would like to express my gratitude to Olivier Rousteing for making Balmain the global brand it is today,” said Tron, as detailed in a fashionetwork.com article. “Balmain has a truly inspiring history. At its heart, the Maison embodies savoir-faire, culture, sensuality and elegance: fashion that is radiant, precise and bold. This touches me deeply, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to carry forward this incredible heritage.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Antonin to the Maison Balmain. Antonin’s approach to design, rooted in the art of draping and the physicality of fabric, marks a continuation of Pierre Balmain’s fundamental belief that ‘tailoring is the architecture of movement.’ Like Balmain, Antonin sees fashion as a spatial art that develops around the human form with precision and emotion,” said Matteo Sgarbossa, Balmain’s CEO. “Antonin will build on the Maison’s heritage of creativity, craftsmanship, elegance and deep human values. We look forward to his first runway show for Balmain in Paris in March.”
Antonin Tron will present his first collection for Balmain in March 2026 for the fall 2026 season.
Image courtesy of klarna.com
A milquetoast Black Friday
Donald Trump’s tariffs are hurting various segments of the fashion industry; the latest culprit is Black Friday deals. Fewer companies are offering a reduction in price points for the traditional Black Friday sales after Thanksgiving in the US due to Trump’s tariffs.
“It just doesn’t make financial sense for us to offer discounts because our costs of goods are so high because of the tariffs,” explained Dan Peskorse, owner of the parent company that sells the products, Upstream Brands, as reported in fashionnetwork.com. “Our concern is that the general public is just a little cash strapped and is pulling back in general. It’s a bit of a perfect storm.”
Established brands from Coach to wellness brands Therabody are pulling back on Black Friday promotions due to Trump’s tariffs and inflation. “This is a very strange year for holiday,” said Sonia Lapinsky, leader of fashion retail at AlixPartners, as reported in fashionnetwork.com, citing “a lot of challenge on the retail front.” While many companies absorbed the first wave of tariffs, now they “just don’t have the room” to offer the same discounts as past years, she added.
Brands have already increased their price points 5% to 7% due to inflation and tariffs. Therefore, reducing prices for Black Friday can be a bit of a stretch for some brands. To add to that, some luxury brands want to make their product so desirable that consumers will pay full price. “While promotional activity continues in parts of the market, we’ve deliberately moved away from deep discounting over the past several years,” Coach CEO Todd Kahn told Bloomberg News.
That said, many shoppers will still hunt down holiday deals, and there will still be some reasonable discounts on Black Friday as well as discounts throughout the holiday season.
Image courtesy of sgbmedia.com
Skechers injects some diversity
Sofia Vergara has a new job. She is a new brand ambassador for Skechers. She is the first Colombian artist to be a brand ambassador for the footwear brand.
“I don’t do anything if I don’t believe in it … and I really believe in Skechers,” said Vergara. “I’ve been wearing Skechers for over a year now, and they’ve completely changed the way I think about trainers. Not only are they comfortable, they’re sleek, stylish, and pair easily with everything in my wardrobe. That’s why this collaboration felt so natural.”
Vergara became acquainted with Skechers while looking for stylish, comfortable shoes after her knee surgery. Vergara brought several pairs without realizing that her team was already in talks with Skechers.
“Sofía embodies everything Skechers stands for: boldness, confidence and uncompromising comfort,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “She brings a fresh energy to the brand, and her passion for design will be reflected in everything we do together.”
Vergara will front a global campaign that celebrates style, versatility and comfort—core values of the brand. This global campaign will feature the brand’s Hands-Free Slip-ins and Glide-Step silhouettes.
William Gooch
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