Himatsingka plans to expand its global brand portfolio in the home textile space as it rose 6.95 per cent to Rs 158.50 after the company entered into a new licensing agreement with Disney. In a BSE filing the company informed about its new licensing agreement with The Walt Disney Company for the European region. The license will give Himatsingka rights to design, develop, manufacture and distribute a broad range of home textile products inspired by Disney's vast archives and characters from all its franchises including Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Lucas.

Himatsingka will distribute an expansive range of licensed home textile products across Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Central and Eastern Europe, the Nordics and South Africa among other countries, as part of Disney's re-launch strategy, with a leaner and deeper partner base.

Himatsingka is an integrated textile group with a global footprint. The group designs, develops, manufactures and distributes a suite of textile products.

Rishi Vasudev, has quit his position as CEO of Lifestyle department stores and Home Centre. The move has come barely after six months of assuming the role at the India unit of the Dubai retail group.

Kabir Lumba, chairman of the board of directors of Lifestyle, confirmed this in an email sent to the company’s staff informing that Vasudev has moved out of the company, for personal reasons, and his last working day shall be 11 January; although he will be on company pay-rolls till March.

Vasudev, a former CEO of Calvin Klein in India, had joined Lifestyle in June 2020 from Flipkart where he was heading the fashion vertical. His departure comes only a month after the retail group announced the elevation of Kabir Lumba to the chairman of its board of directors of Lifestyle International.

Sustainable fashion is the need of the hour and Gabriella Demetriades is venturing into this bandwagon in partnership with Liva to create a sustainable women’s wear line for her brand Deme by Gabriella named ‘Live From Home’. The new line made with Liva’s eco-friendly fabric is designed to cater to shoppers spending more time than ever at home. The line has a neutral, warm colour palette, loose silhouettes, and tailored details including collars and pleats.

Demetriades loves the new line, as the fabrics are sustainable and apt for Indian climate. The line is a new direction for the brand known for its bodycon, sparkly evening wear. In response to growing concerns about sustainable and eco-friendly fashion boosted by the government’s promotion for local buys, fashion brands launched sustainable lines or worked to make their main production process more eco-friendly. In 2021, with Demetriades’ launch among others, this trend looks set to continue.

Almost a year after business was severely hit by pandemic-related disruptions; Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani expects normal sales to return by the end of January. The group, which operates popular retailing formats Big Bazaar, FBB, Central and Nilgiris - has seen sales touching almost 60 per cent of pre-COVID levels and that business has normalised to great extent.

Future Group, which entered into a Rs 24,713-crore deal with Reliance Industries to sell its retail business, has also received large orders from Jio Mart that is helping the retail major chart a strong comeback. Future Group companies and promoters together have a debt of over Rs 20,000 crore. On inventory position and stocks, Biyani has informed the stocks in stores are almost up to 80 per cent of what they were before the pandemic. However, it could be a while before the days of packed retail stores return.

Last month, CEO of Big Bazaar, Future Group hypermarket, Sadashiv Nayak had said the number of visitors in stores is increasing and during the festive season all sections, including apparels and garments, recorded good sales.

Future Group embraced the digital route to reach out to customers. Various retail brands under the Future Group have turned to shopping apps, WhatsApp and even phones to receive orders and deliver them to customers. The concept of 'pick up at stores' has also gained traction. Like previous years, Future Group is also gearing up for its annual sale event "Sabse Sasta Din" on January 26. Biyani expects a significant jump in footfalls during the event. Future Group firms have started getting large orders from Reliance Industries for its FMCG arm Future Consumer as well as supply chain and logistics company Future Enterprises.

Saroj Panigrahi, JPMorgan’s former head of legal department has been appointed by Flipkart as its senior vice president and general counsel.

Bijoya Roy, Flipkart’s legal operations head since January 2019 will move on to the role of vice president and will report into Panigrahi. In this role, Saroj will be responsible for all legal matters in Flipkart with particular focus on board management, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance.

After stints at Vodafone Group, Reliance Industries and Accenture, Panigrahi comes to Flipkart at a time when the company is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) scheduled for some time this year or the next.

Recently it was reported that Flipkart had initiated a major board reshuffle, bringing in four new members, including CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, ahead of the planned IPO. The other three are HDFC CEO Keki Mistry, Walmart’s global chief technology officer Suresh Kumar and Walmart’s executive vice president for international strategy and development Leigh Hopkins.

Lifestyle brand Biba opened a new store in Bhatinda. The new store retails the brand’s selection of kurtas, shawls, fusion wear sets, dresses, and palazzo pants as well as accessories and children’s wear among other products.

The new store will add to the brand’s growing presence in Punjab, with stores in cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar, Zirakpur, and Khanna among others. The brand plans to continue focus on non-metros to tap into the growing rural demand for branded clothing and recently opened stores in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh and Thrissur, Kerala. The ethnic brand, currently running its end of season sale across all retail platforms, recently introduced lounge wear designed to be worn at home in sync with the ‘new normal’. The brand also offers scarves and face masks designed to match its ethnic wear.

Alongside its pan-India store network, Biba also retails from its dedicated e-commerce store. The brand, launched in Mumbai in 1988, specialises in kurtas and has expanded into loungewear and work-from-home wear styles, in response to evolving consumer tastes due to the pandemic.

Lakmé Fashion Week,launched its new digital couture showcase, ‘Nexa Digital Couture’. The couture shall present interactive, ready-to-shop looks by RidhiMehra, AmitAggarwal, and Abraham and Thakore.

Presenting an ethereal and vibrant ensemble for the showcase Designer AmitAggarwal launched the collection ‘If flowers had fins’ inspired by fantasy. According to the designer, his look is an extension of his wider couture collection, which promises a new beginning through these unprecedented times.

Meanwhile RidhiMehra presented a fluid, turmeric yellow look for the digital event. According to Mehra the look is inspired by the royal heritage of Kutch. It embodies timeless elegance, crafted with dexterity and boasting the essence of the elements of the Bandhani art form from Gujarat.

Design duo Abraham and Thakore’s offering was paired down but intricately constructed. The look is inspired from the Sikkimese Baku wrap dress and skirts, which allow the wearer to wrap it to the way they prefer either front or back with the freedom to wear it looser or fitted.

The looks were revealed across Lakmé Fashion Week's social media platforms including Facebook. The looks are also ready to purchase and shoppers can message the brands on Instagram to purchase the looks. The showcase will also feature looks by brands including KanikaGoyal Label and Huemn.

Wedding show Mine N Yours will bring together luxury brands from across India at the Hyatt Regency in Ludhiana on January 30 and 31st.

The upcoming fashion shopping event will feature product categories including bridal lehengas and sarees, jewellery, accessories, trousseau items, cosmetics, and gift items among others. The event aims to provide a one-stop-shop for Ludhiana’s bridal wear customers with around 30 exhibitors.

Jewellery brand Tyaani will showcase a range of its Polki sets, Chandbalis, and Jhumkas among others with a wide range of bridal jewellery options, the event announced on Facebook. Bridal wear by luxury brands including Tarun Tahiliani, Shantanu & Nikhil, and Anita Dongre among others will also feature.

According to the show’s 10Times events page, the event will take place with social distancing measures in place as per local regulations and around 200 visitors are expected over the course of the event.

The Mine N Yours Wedding Show has held editions across India in metros including New Delhi and Bengaluru. The multi-brand event plans to hold upcoming editions in Amritsar, New Delhi, and Bengaluru according to its website.

As part of the vocal for local campaign, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has signed a MoU with the Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for supplying 1,71,520 of Khadi Durries for Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

The MoU inked by KVIC chairman, Vinay Kumar Saxena, and Anand Swaroop, Inspector General, ITBP has made ITBP the first paramilitary force among the CAPFs to source supplies from the KVIC. The ITBP had signed an agreement with the KVIC in July 2020 for procurement of 1,200 quintals of mustard oil worth Rs 1.73 crores.

During a meeting held at the Ministry of Home Affairs of the directors general of the CAPFs in October 2019, it was decided that the use of terry khadi uniform and other items of swadeshi origin should be made available to the CAPFs. As per ITBP items like durries, blankets, towels, mustard oil, yoga kit, hospital bed sheets, pickles, and similar items can be purchased for jawans of the force through KVIC.