Comments for Drapers

Comment on William Costelloe eyes international expansion by Simon Berwin

Simon Berwin — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:22:47 +0000

It was a remarkable presentation by William and the Brand. Now is the time for a UK retailer to partner with Costelloe at the start of his journey. S

Comment on Fashion industry pays tribute to ‘much loved’ Irish designer Paul Costelloe by Julia Aitken

Julia Aitken — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:58:14 +0000

Paul was a gentleman, a true Irishman whose heritage ran through his collections. Many happy memories of his shows at LFW and also him with us hosting charity trunk shows at Stanwells. Great fun, great talent and never a dull moment when with Paul. RIP Paul x

Comment on Fashion industry pays tribute to ‘much loved’ Irish designer Paul Costelloe by Simon Berwin

Simon Berwin — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:53:40 +0000

This has been a dreadful weekend. The sadness at Paul’s relatively sudden passing has brought grief throughout our Industry. I hope the outpouring will bring some warmth to the family at this awful time. S

Comment on M&S cyber-attack: lessons on crisis management by Steve Sidkin

Steve Sidkin — Sun, 18 May 2025 10:48:52 +0000

Possible light at the end of the tunnel for Marks and Spencer as the BBC has reported that a third party with access to Marks and Spencer’s IT systems allowed the hacker in to the IT systems and if so:

1. the “how” this disaster for Marks and Spencer occurred will be answered;

2. going forwards steps can be taken to prevent it happening again; and

3. if the third party owed a duty of care to Marks and Spencer there may be the possibility of claiming damages – against the third party or its insurer.

Comment on Premium indie Philip Browne to close after Frasers buyout by darren hoggett

darren hoggett — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:27:59 +0000

What Philip Browne and his team achieved when it was Independent was nothing short of remarkable, especially in a small ‘c’ Conservative City like Norwich. Always ahead of the game and doing things their way, which is what being an Independent is and should be all about. You could argue that fashion retail caught up with them in the end and it was unfortunate timing that they sold out to J.D in May 2022 just as they were about to offload most of their Indie portfolio just 10 months later to arch rival Frasers, which must have been a bitter pill to swallow. Browne was best when he went with his gut and it didn’t matter what the brand was and whether anyone had heard of it. Being in Philip Browne was cool enough. It was about individualism and expression, which is everything Flannels is not. He was an example to all about being an Independent was all about, offering a point of difference and to hell what people thought. For Norwich at least, we will not see his like again.

Comment on Morleys appoints new CEO by Simon Berwin

Simon Berwin — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 09:54:55 +0000

Welcome back AW. S

Comment on River Island disputes quality of goods with suppliers by Steve Sidkin

Steve Sidkin — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 20:02:50 +0000

In fashion brand adjacencies are important but at what cost for River Island as it imposes retrospective discounts on suppliers and in so doing follows a style set most recently by Boohoo and among previous others Frasers Group. But irrespective of the terms of the supply contract will suppliers look to challenge River Island’s action?

Comment on Loake to introduce digital product passports by Steve Sidkin

Steve Sidkin — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 11:27:42 +0000

Great to see Loake Shoemakers are launching digital product passports ahead of new EU law. Along with Nobody’s Child and Tesco in respect of its F&F range the industry is now recognising the importance of DDPs to trading in the EU. DPPs capture data about the environmental impact of products, their composition, their production and history and will improve sustainability.

Comment on Boohoo Group reflects on latest AI tools in Drapers Talks podcast by Steve Sidkin

Steve Sidkin — Sun, 18 Aug 2024 09:39:05 +0000

ASOS has announced recently that it has introduced an AI chatbot for shoppers to haggle prices. Fashion businesses pursuing this path will need to update their privacy policies and ensure that all is ok with their registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
In time use of an AI chatbot for price haggling may also lead to the government declaring such use to be a prohibited practice under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. But until then what value RRPs and the possibility that consumers group together to challenge the AI chatbot?

Comment on Asos signs three-year AI deal with Microsoft by Steve Sidkin

Steve Sidkin — Sat, 17 Aug 2024 22:16:49 +0000

Meanwhile Asos has introduced an AI chatbot for shoppers to haggle prices. Fashion businesses pursuing this path will need to update their privacy policies and ensure that all is ok with their registration with the ICO. In time use of an AI chatbot may also lead to the government declaring such use to be a prohibited practice under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. But until then what value RRPs and the possibility that consumers group together to challenge the AI chatbot?