Overview: 7 Must-Read articles from May

Fashion

Now that the year is nearly halfway over, FashionUnited takes a moment to list its top seven articles of the month May - in case you may have missed them.

1. In Picture: Ecco launches translucent & waterproof leather

London - The future of leather is closer than you think. Scientists are busy developing techniques to grow leather in labs using stem cells, new leathers ranging from pineapple to fish to mushroom are springing up and a number of synthetic leathers hitting the market are virtually identical to the real deal. Now Ecco Leather, the tannery owned by the Dutch company, has unveiled its latest leather innovation which takes the material to the next level - Apparition.

Photo: Courtesy of Ecco Leather

2. Fashion Leaders of Tomorrow share UN resolution draft

London - The fashion leaders of tomorrow are acutely aware of the problems they stand to inherit from the current industry which ranges from pollution to gender inequality and overconsumption. Which is why they insist on making sustainability the primary norm of the fashion industry.

Photo:Courtesy of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit

3. Love Story: When fashion meets food

They say that the fastest way to anyone's heart is through their stomach. More and more retail companies have added food corners in their stores in order to offer customers a unique shopping experience. FashionUnited gathers the most exciting restaurant concepts.

4. UK shoppers seek out 'honest' brands in uncertain times

London - In these current political and economically uncertain times it should come as little surprise that consumers seek out brands and retailers they feel they can trust. New research shows that UK shoppers favour retailers which are both honest and affordable according to global trend research firm WGSN, as consumers become more thoughtful with where they chose to spend their hard-earned cash.

Photo: Pexels

5. LVMH to start new e-commerce site '24 Sevres'

After weeks of speculation about LVMH's top secret project, the veil of silence has finally been lifted and the French luxury conglomerate confirmed yesterday that it will launch its new multi-brand e-commerce website '24 Sèvres' on June 6.

Photo: LVMH website

6. Will the Global Fashion Agenda succeed in making sustainability the norm?

Fact - the fashion industry remains one of the most environmentally damaging industries in the world. In 2015 alone the global industry consumed 79 billion cubic meters of water, released 1,715 million tons of CO2 and produced 92 million tons of waste alone according to data from the Boston Consulting Group. In addition, because the industry has become so large and fragmented over the years, it is also fraught with social and ethical problems. These range from gender inequality and sexual harassment, to non-liveable wages and ongoing worker exposure to hazardous chemicals and waste.

Photo: Courtesy of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit

7. The UK remains a nation of shopkeepers

The UK is still a nation of shopkeepers, according to research from the Local Data Company (LDC) and British Independent Retailers Associations (Bira). Their findings show traditional independent retailers opened more shops than they closed in 2016 across Great Britain's 500 town centres. Whilst the national chains continued to see a fall, independent shops saw an increase in 2016.

Photo: LocalDataCompany.com

Homepage photo: Courtesy of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit

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