Asia Fashion Weekly News Bulletin – ISSUE 67 Week of 1 June 2026
(1) The China factor in luxury fashion’s circular future
China has emerged as a crucial player in luxury fashion’s circular future because it already has the supply chain to scale textile to textile recycling. But technology alone will not decide the outcome. Brands must now balance regulation, sourcing and sustainability goals with consumer expectations of quality, authenticity and luxury.
(2) Kering Launches Craft to Support China’s Next Generation of Designers
Kering’s new Craft residency with Shanghai Fashion Week marks a stronger commitment to emerging Chinese design talent. By combining creative development with business training and international exposure, the program positions China not just as a major luxury market, but as an increasingly influential source of fashion’s next generation.
(3) Salomon and JISOO, a member of B#news-03LACKPINK, expand Outdoor Fashion Into Global Culture
Salomon’s appointment of JISOO, a member of BLACKPINK, as global ambassador underscores its steady evolution from technical outdoor brand to cultural force. The partnership reflects a wider fashion shift in which performance, authenticity and everyday style increasingly overlap, and it positions Salomon to deepen its influence well beyond the mountain and into global lifestyle culture.
(4) Hong Kong artist Alvin C.K. Lam on reimagining the new local flagship
Lacoste has opened its new Hong Kong flagship at Pedder Building with a commissioned artwork by local watercolor artist Alvin C.K. Lam. The collaboration brings together French brand heritage and Hong Kong identity, using architecture, street life and local landmarks to turn the store launch into a celebration of place and culture.
(1) The China factor in luxury fashion’s circular future
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Luxury fashion’s textile to textile recycling problem is no longer mainly about invention. The technology exists, and regulation is now accelerating the need to use it. The European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation has raised the pressure on brands selling into Europe, pushing recycled content, traceability and product data higher up the agenda.
What makes China important is not originality, but readiness. Its supply chain already connects collection, sorting, chemical recycling and yarn spinning, often in one place. For brands that already manufacture there, that creates a practical advantage through lower transport costs, faster turnaround and better chances of scaling recycled materials beyond small pilot projects.
The real bottleneck is commitment. Suppliers say infrastructure is largely in place, but brands still hesitate to guarantee the volumes needed to make textile to textile recycling commercially reliable. That gap is especially clear in leather, which remains far harder to recycle than polyester or nylon and carries deeper symbolic weight for luxury consumers.
Brands are responding in different ways. Chanel has integrated recycled leather quietly into hidden components while protecting its signature materials. Ganni has taken the opposite route, publicly moving away from virgin leather and testing multiple alternatives. The broader lesson is clear: circularity in luxury is now a strategic question of brand positioning, not simply a technical one.
News Source: https://jingdaily.com/posts/the-china-factor-in-luxury-fashion-s-circular-future
(2) Kering Launches Craft to Support China’s Next Generation of Designers
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of Kering)
Kering is deepening its support for emerging Chinese designers with Craft, a new residency developed in partnership with Shanghai Fashion Week. The year long initiative brings together ten designers from fashion and jewelry in a program that stretches across China and Europe, offering a more sustained model of support than the short term visibility many young creatives usually receive.
First announced in December 2025, the residency is built to address the realities of launching a fashion brand today. Over eight weeks, participants will work within Kering’s network, attend workshops in Shanghai and learn from industry specialists across both creative and commercial fields. The structure signals a broader understanding that success in fashion now depends not only on design talent, but also on business strategy, communication and brand building.
Kering has reinforced that message through an advisory board that includes Demna, Guo Pei, Carla Sozzani, Camille Charrière, Miranda Qu and Simone Marchetti. The inaugural cohort, selected from more than 100 applicants, includes designers such as Feng Chen Wang, Yueqi Qi and Jacques Wei. Their final projects will be presented during Shanghai Fashion Week, underscoring China’s growing role not just as a luxury market, but as a force shaping fashion’s future.
News Source: https://vogue.ph/fashion/kering-launches-craft-to-support-china-next-generation-of-designers/
(3) Salomon and JISOO, a member of BLACKPINK, expand Outdoor Fashion Into Global Culture
(Photo Credit: Photos courtesy of Alcaro Deamud Cortes/Interlude Project/Salomon)
Salomon’s rise from outdoor performance label to cultural force has been one of the more organic shifts in contemporary fashion, and its decision to name JISOO, a member of BLACKPINK, as a global ambassador sharpens that trajectory. The partnership signals more than star power. It reflects a broader industry realignment in which technical brands are no longer confined to sport, but are becoming central to conversations about style, identity and daily life.
Long respected for trail running and alpine footwear, the Annecy based company has expanded its influence without abandoning the mountain credibility that first defined it. That authenticity has helped Salomon win over fashion audiences who increasingly value genuine expertise over trend driven positioning. Its technical shoes, once worn mainly for performance, now sit comfortably within urban wardrobes and luxury adjacent styling.
JISOO fits that transition neatly. Her influence spans music, fashion, beauty and lifestyle, and she carries the kind of broad cultural relevance brands increasingly seek. Just as important, her personal connection to nature and South Korea’s strong outdoor culture gives the collaboration a sense of grounding.
The result is a partnership that feels aligned rather than manufactured. It also suggests Salomon is thinking beyond short campaigns, positioning itself as a long term cultural platform where performance wear, fashion and contemporary lifestyle continue to converge.
News Source: https://stupiddope.com/2026/06/salomon-and-jisoo-expand-outdoor-fashion-into-global-culture/
(4) Hong Kong artist Alvin C.K. Lam on reimagining the new local flagship
(Photo Credit: Legend)
French fashion house Lacoste has officially opened its new Hong Kong flagship at the landmark Pedder Building in Central, marking the launch with a collaboration that connects the brand’s French heritage with the city’s local character.
To celebrate the opening, Lacoste commissioned Hong Kong watercolor artist Alvin C.K. Lam to create a bespoke work inspired by the Grade I listed building and the surrounding neighborhood. Known for his paintings of overlooked places, historic businesses and everyday street life, Lam brought his familiar storytelling approach to the project while also adopting a lighter, more playful tone.
At the center of the artwork is the Pedder Building itself, which Lam described as the defining inspiration from the outset. Around it, he wove in recognizable elements of Central, including Lan Fong Yuen, Shing Wong Street, taxis, rickshaws and Central MTR Station, creating a portrait not just of a building but of the district that gives it life.
Lam said the collaboration felt natural because it aligned with his long standing interest in Hong Kong’s heritage and its untold stories. He also emphasized the freedom Lacoste gave him to interpret the brand through his own style. For the artist, the partnership stands as both a personal milestone and a sign that local creative voices can play a meaningful role in global brand storytelling.
News Source: https://hashtaglegend.com/lacoste-hong-kong-artist-alvin-c-k-lam-on-reimagining-the-new-local-flagship/
