Where Science meets Luxury – Intertek’s new ‘Maison’ Centre of Excellence - the home for Luxury brands - hosts virtual “Future of Fashion” event on the global fashion trends emerging post-pandemic
15 Jul 2020
Intertek Group plc (“Intertek”), a Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, has hosted a “Future of Fashion” event, bringing together the fashion trade industry’s most influential commentators for the very first time to discuss the major trends that are set to re-shape the fashion sector in a post-COVID-19 world, as part of a unique virtual collaboration.
Intertek has been a trusted partner to the world’s leading brands, manufacturers and distributors in the fashion and textiles industry for 130 years with a wide range of assurance, testing and certification services, from footwear chemical testing to functional textiles testing, physical performance evaluation and more. With over 1,000 labs across the world and 46,000 Intertek experts, the Company brings unparalleled knowledge and expertise on the major global regulations and trends.
The event, presented by Intertek’s Maison Centre of Excellence for Luxury ahead of its official opening in 2021, showcases the perspective of leading trends forecaster David Shah (Industry thought-leader and CEO at Metropolitan Publishing BV) as well as the editors of major textile supply chain publications.
They have predicted that brands emerging from the Covid-19 situation will find inspiring new ways to approach seasonal collections, with more focus on capsule collections and in-season retail, as well as ever-greater collaboration and alliances amongst brands. And while sustainability is here to stay, new styles and trends have emerged from lockdown as supply chains are upended, and the relentless acceleration towards digital collections and purchasing habits has entered a new phase. Other predictions and trends to emerge from this one-of-a-kind event include:
- An expected shift to more restrained, timeless collections – just as wartime fabric rationing paved the way for Dior’s New Look collection in 1947
- The concept of fashion shows being completely overhauled
- Athleisure and loungewear are far from over – especially as working from home will become the norm for some sectors
- The Chinese market bouncing back fast to account for as much as 50% of the luxury market, with more consumers shopping online at home
- Resale, rental and transparently sustainable business likely to grow
- Reshoring and investment in local manufacturing disrupting existing supply chains
Based in Florence, Northern Italy, in the heart of the garment manufacturing district, Intertek Maison is the new Intertek home for luxury and premium brands. It is designed to take new, original, ideas from inspiration to reality and offers a unique, technologically advanced venue for events, ideas and collaboration – supported by the research, design and quality assurance expertise of its adjacent world class laboratories.
The pandemic has changed the world we live in and has accelerated a shift in attitudes, with consumers paying more attention than ever to the safety and quality and sustainability of materials used in fashion and accessories, and the risks associated with local and global supply chains. Intertek’s role is to support clients and manufacturers to help foster a better world for all post-Covid by bringing quality, safety and sustainability to life.
You can view the Future of Fashion video and access the report here: https://thefutureoffashion.maison.intertek.com
For more information and video about the Intertek Maison Centre of Excellence visit: https://maison.intertek.com/
André Lacroix, CEO Intertek, said: “With Covid-19 magnifying the focus on health, safety and wellbeing and ushering in different ways of working for everyone, all industries have been forced to adapt to changing consumer preferences and tastes, including the global premium and luxury fashion sector. Combining the leading voices of the fashion world in this unique virtual way has generated powerful insights and demonstrated the need for innovative solutions to shape a more sustainable, healthier future.
What it shows is that the need for solutions that make the world a better and safer place is much greater than anybody had previously imagined and the need to Build Back Ever Better is as powerful a trend for the global fashion industry as it is for any other sector.
As an innovative thought-leadership space, Intertek’s Maison Centre of Excellence in Florence is where science meets luxury, and will bring together forward-thinking fashion brands, industry leaders, academics and a host of industry participants to take bold new ideas and turn them into reality as we help re-shape the future in a more sustainable way.
With the premium and luxury fashion industry undergoing profound shifts at an even faster pace, the need for creative solutions underpinned by research, design and quality assurance expertise has never been more relevant. And as our clients fully resume their operations step by step, Quality, Safety and Sustainability will become ever more important to society.”
For further information please contact:
Jonathon Brill/James Styles/Sam Macpherson
FTI Consulting
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3727 1000
SCintertek@fticonsulting.com
About Intertek
Total Quality. Assured.
Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 46,000 people in more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers' operations and supply chains. Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently, with precision, pace and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.