Latest news with #InnovationAwards
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Are office dress codes still a thing? Gen Z doesn't think so
While there is an intention to blend into the workforce, Gen Z also values self-expression. María José Gutierrez Chavez explains more. The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
IFA Launches Innovation Awards Program to Celebrate Breakthrough Design and Engineering Excellence
IFA Launches First-Ever Innovation Awards Program to Celebrate Breakthrough Design and Engineering Excellence Berlin, Germany--(Newsfile Corp. - July 7, 2025) - Partnership with Gadgety Awards Powers New Recognition Platform for Global Tech Industry Leaders IFA Berlin, the world's largest home and consumer technology trade show, today announced the launch of the inaugural IFA Innovation Awards, powered by the Gadgety Awards. This groundbreaking recognition program celebrates breakthrough innovations in design and engineering across the global technology landscape. [ This image cannot be displayed. Please visit the source: ] The IFA Innovation Awards will spotlight innovations from all areas of home and consumer technologies To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: An independent panel of international technology journalists and industry experts will evaluate and recognize standout innovations across 15 diverse categories, from sustainable technology and artificial intelligence to gaming, mobility, and smart home solutions. ' The IFA Innovation Awards will recognize the Best of IFA, rewarding the incredible progress being made in home and consumer technology. By highlighting best-in-class products from our 1,800+ exhibitors, IFA will help retailers, buyers, consumers, press and media identify the brands that are truly shaping how we live, work and play. We're excited to highlight the companies that are implementing AI and designing sustainable and accessible solutions for all " says James McGough, Managing Director at Clarion Events. IFA is part of the IFA Management GmbH which is a joint venture of the Clarion Events Group of companies (Clarion) and GFU Consumer &; Home Electronics GmbH. Helena Stone, CMO and judge at the Gadgety Awards, emphasized the significance of this collaboration: " This partnership with IFA represents a pivotal moment for recognizing innovation on a truly global scale. We're excited to bring our proven expertise in evaluating cutting-edge innovations to help establish the IFA Innovation Awards as the definitive benchmark for excellence in consumer technology. ' Brian Kolb, CEO at the Gadgety Awards added: " The IFA Innovation Awards will deliver unparalleled brand exposure and credibility to winners on the world's largest consumer technology stage. When brands earn recognition through our rigorous evaluation process, they gain instant credibility that opens doors in global markets and amplifies their message across IFA's massive media network. This award becomes a powerful marketing asset that companies can leverage across all their channels - from packaging and retail presence to PR campaigns and investor presentations.' Comprehensive Recognition Program The awards program is open to companies of all sizes - from Fortune 500 corporations to bold startups - with products launching between February 2025 and April 2026. Winners receive: Rigorous Evaluation Process The awards employ a comprehensive judging methodology focusing on three core criteria: engineering and functionality, design and aesthetics, and uniqueness and innovation. Recognition is awarded at three levels: Award Categories and Timeline Applications are now open through the IFA Awards portal, with submissions due by August 15, 2025. Products must be consumer technology or home appliances launching between February 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. Companies do not need to exhibit at IFA 2025 to participate in the awards program. About the Partnership The IFA Innovation Awards are powered by Gadgety Awards LLC, ensuring independent, credible assessment of submitted innovations while leveraging IFA's global platform for maximum winner recognition and exposure. For more information and applications, visit: Contact: Gadgety Awards PR Team Helena Stone Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A Footballer and a Fashion Model Have Invested in Norwegian Luggage Firm Db
PARIS — Norwegian luggage firm Db, which attracted an investment from LVMH Luxury Ventures Fund last December, has brought on two more minority investors with bold-faced names as it charts further global expansion. Football star Erling Braut Haaland, a striker for Premier League club Manchester City, and salmon heir and fashion model Gustav Magnar Witzøe, who walked in Thom Browne's fall 2023 fashion show, have also taken stakes in the firm. More from WWD Magic vs. Logic: Analysts Get Creative and Start to Weigh In on Designer Appointments Inside VivaTech: LVMH Spotlights AI and Sustainability at Innovation Awards What's Driving Footwear's M&A Craze in 2025 Financial terms were not disclosed, however, Db said Haaland and Witzøe would 'play active roles alongside [LVMH Luxury Ventures] in supporting Db ́s global expansion.' 'We always look for like-minded people who share our ambitions, passion and mindset,' Truls Brataas, founder of Db, said in a statement shared with WWD. 'Erling and Gustav are two exceptional individuals who dare to dream big and follow up with the work needed to reach excellence.' Witzøe, who caused a stir when he attended the 2024 Met Gala dressed in a blush-colored body suit smattered with gemstones, is a significant shareholder of salmon fish farming company SalMar ASA, one of Norway's largest companies. 'I have spent most of my life at the intersection of fashion and business,' he said in a statement. 'With Db, I get to combine these two worlds and be part of a unique Scandinavian success story that is just beginning.' Haaland, who has been spotted traveling with Db's Ramverk Pro case, said 'this is a product space I personally love, and I see a very strong business case for the wider international market, notably around its luggage range. 'I'm fascinated by how Db combines functionality with a clean Scandinavian aesthetic,' added the athlete, who also plays on Norway's national team. Known for its sturdy, functional bags and enthusiastic following among surfers, skiers, skaters and other outdoor enthusiasts, Db cases were originally marketed under the brand name Douchebags when the firm was founded in 2012. (According to the Db website, the word douchebag doesn't have the same connotation with Norwegians and Swedes as it does with native English speakers.) Today, Db makes a range of luggage, backpacks, duffels, totes and accessories from mostly recycled materials, with proprietary innovations for protecting gear, and connecting multiple bags for easier carrying. While its core market remains North Europe, Db is accelerating growth in the U.S. and Asia and eyeing expansion in Denmark, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the Baltics, as reported. 'Erling's global appeal will significantly raise Db's brand awareness beyond Scandinavia, accompanying its international development ambitions,' commented Richard Collier, chief executive officer of Db. 'And Gustav brings deep insights into the fashion world — a segment we're expanding rapidly through premium products and a selective distribution strategy. This powerful duo brings tremendous strategic value to the brand.' Best of WWD EXCLUSIVE: Sean Combs Regains Control of Sean John Brand Isabel Marant Said in Play Again: Sources Holding Industriale Invests in Shoe Specialist Valmor Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Magic vs. Logic: Analysts Get Creative and Start to Weigh In on Designer Appointments
Fashion with a capital F has always had its tribes. More from WWD Inside VivaTech: LVMH Spotlights AI and Sustainability at Innovation Awards Shoppers Are Investing in Luxury Handbags Over Stock 'Walking Alongside' American Designer Claire McCardell in New Book There's the design crowd, where aesthetic is king and people ooze with personality. Then there's the more buttoned-up business side that lives and dies by the spreadsheet and ups and downs of the market. Of course, that oversimplifies things and there have always been crossovers who naturally think with both their right and left fashion brains. But the people who really get both the dollars and fashion sense of the industry are rare. Many — most? — people have only a vague understanding of what the other is really up to. So there's a kind of truce that's held, with the fashion folk holding tight to their mood boards and the finance gang following their tickers. But that delicate peace has been rattled. Financial analysts are increasingly weighing in — not just on sales and profit margins or even stores and product, but on the design talent pulling together the vision. They are now more actively picking design winners, not just market share winners. Jonathan Anderson got the thumbs up when he moved to Dior at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. 'Anderson has a strong track record from his time at Loewe — one of the top-performing brands at LVMH's fashion and leather in the past few years,' said Jelena Sokolova at Morningstar. 'It is a positive that he'll be the sole creative director of Dior, where priorly creative director roles for menswear and womenswear were split. This should help Dior create a more consistent brand representation and improve its stance amongst peers.' Likewise, HSBC's Erwan Rambourg, said: 'We remain believers that 'Dior is not the next Gucci.' We trust that with Jonathan Anderson running the creative show there is more poetic positive potential than risk. We expect the brand to rebound starting from Q2 2026.' But true to form, it was Demna who was there right on the edge when Team Design and Team Dollar started to clash more this year. Demna is loved by the fashion crowd, from his conceptualist streetwear at Vetements to his willingness to shake up everything at Balenciaga (even if dancing on the edge meant sometimes falling over it, with kids posing alongside handbags that looked like stuffed bears dressed in bondage). For the analyst types, that controversial, zeitgeist-grabbing approach was fine and good for Balenciaga. But bringing all of that to Gucci — Kering's now underpowered powerhouse — was just too much. 'At this stage, the announcement brings as much risks as opportunities,' said Carole Madjo, an analyst at Barclays, pointing to Demna's 'bold and sometimes controversial aesthetic.' Bernstein's Luca Solca rated the Gucci appointment a five out of 10 and said, 'We are not sure that Demna measures up to the task, nor that he is the right fit for Gucci at the moment, but we understand their risk-minimization strategy: going for the well-known.' Not everyone who understands how to discount a cash flow was up in arms, however. 'Demna leading Gucci should drive commercial, cultural and artistic impact, which could support [long-term] growth,' said Oliver Chen at TD Securities in a research note in March. 'Demna has the potential to be a great leader for the next era of Gucci.' The question is: Who has the right to declare that Demna or Anderson are right or wrong for their new jobs? Wall Street has had its say. Critics and the chattering masses on Instagram will have another chance to weigh in as the designers' first collections hit the runway. And shoppers will get the final word when the looks finally go up for sale. Where you stand might depend on where you sit. Fashionistas want excitement, a chill down the spine, elegance or some aesthetic that will move the great project of design and culture forward. The business side wants dollars and cents and efficiencies, great machines made up of human capital and intellectual property to create the value that everyone along the way taps into to pay for those Hamptons summers. The equity analysts weighing in on design are doing their level best to get their brains around the whole of the enterprise, to understand how it all works to see if it will succeed. 'The framework is, there's magic and logic, but you want some logic that helps support the magic,' said TD Securities' Chen in a follow-up interview. 'For analysts to be good at this, it's slightly a balance of pattern-hunting plus being forward-thinking about change in art and culture and also juxtaposing that with logic around merchandising policies and then making a forecast. 'What analysts try to do is understand the biography of the creative,' Chen said. 'Basically, you look at the past. For me, it's OK, I understand some of Demna's product attitude and I understand what Gucci needs. If anything, the Balenciaga story has been around innovative experience and excitement. 'If you're not relevant, people don't necessarily want to pay extra,' he said. And to work, from any perspective, luxury always requires something a little extra, designers have to deliver and shoppers have to pay. It's that friction, that need to satisfy the demands of both art and commerce, that keeps fashion exciting. The Bottom Line is a business analysis column written by Evan Clark, deputy managing editor, who has covered the fashion industry since 2000. It appears periodically. Best of WWD Harvey Nichols Sees Sales Dip, Losses Widen in Year Marred by Closures Nike Logs $1.3 Billion Profit, But Supply Chain Issues Persist Zegna Shares Start Trading on New York Stock Exchange Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside VivaTech: LVMH Spotlights AI and Sustainability at Innovation Awards
PARIS — Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, was working his second job Thursday morning, missing the annual Innovation Awards at the VivaTech fair. LVMH's head of communication, image and environment, Antoine Arnault, stepped into his father's shoes to apologize to the crowd and congratulate the winners. More from WWD Magic vs. Logic: Analysts Get Creative and Start to Weigh In on Designer Appointments Louis Vuitton Is the New Official Partner of Real Madrid Shoppers Are Investing in Luxury Handbags Over Stock 'You might have noticed that, on top of his multiple hats, he also became recently a diplomat, and his diplomacy skills made him unable to attend today,' said the younger Arnault of his father's whereabouts. 'But it's nothing more than that, and he's very sad that he couldn't be here,' he added, heading off any speculation at the pass. The winners were selected from LVMH's Maison des Startups and judged on new criteria this year, including the ability to collaborate with brands and capability to scale quickly. Real-time predictive audience segmentation AI Kahoona, partnered with Dior, took the best business prize for its ability to read the 'digital body language' of anonymous site visitors; soil health measurement system Genesis, collaborating with Moët Hennessy, took the Impact Prize; and digital twin 3D AI content creation studio OMI, partnering with Guerlain, took the Most Promising prize. Tiffany & Co. stepped in for the first time to create the trophy, and on stage, representatives from each winning team asked Arnault a question on business leadership. 'You need a little bit of craziness sometimes, and you need to take crazy decisions once in a while,' he said, citing the decision of Bernard Arnault hiring John Galliano to head the house of Christian Dior when he was just a 'young British [designer] with a bit of a bad reputation.' Imparting the lessons he's learned from the luxury business, Arnault said that when Amazon started growing into the shopping behemoth it is today, his father went against the grain and opened bigger, flashier retail spaces to transform shopping into entertainment. 'He tried to prove that you needed temples — not to worship luxury products — but at least to have a great experience, and to go in there and meet people, drink a glass of Champagne, take your time, and then maybe take a crazy decision on buying very expensive products,' he said. After the ceremony, winners were treated to a live engraving of their name on the trophy, Oscars-style. Other heavy hitters made their way to the convention center in the south of Paris, including French President Emmanuel Macron and prime minister François Bayrou. The newly minted superstar speaking slot went to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Overall, this year's programming bid bye-bye to blockchain and adios to AR — the exhibitor and speaker lineup was heavy on companies with an AI angle. However, this is a generational shift and not just another trend, said LVMH chief information officer Franck Le Moal. 'AI and genAI are definitely a strong transformation,' he told WWD. 'It will not be a kind of buzz word, a bit like 'metaverse' was. It's really becoming part of the day-to-day processes' integrated throughout systems across the company, he said. Le Moal said LVMH is supporting its workforce in learning AI as a tool and has created two academies within the conglomerate to educate staff at all levels on a 'new way of working.' He highlighted several use cases being tested at LVMH, including using AI in marketing to adjust content for different countries and social platforms, and using generative AI to create photo-realistic content. The company also renewed its partnership with Google Cloud, focusing on developing new AI, including an internal version of Google's Gemini called MaIA, and is developing AI agents for retail sales and client outreach. AI is already deployed in supply chain forecasting and inventory optimization. 'We can use technology to adjust and make our supply chain even more efficient in a very unpredictable context,' he said, framing production within the current climate and geopolitical challenges. 'We are facing agility, being able to answer very quickly to the context in China, in the U.S., in Europe, being able to adjust our production and distribution.' Kahoona's tech uses what cofounder Gal Rapoport called 'digital body language,' finger size, movements, and signals that can be analyzed by AI to identify and understand the personality of an anonymous shopper. Rapoport said research shows that 96 percent of visitors to a website are anonymous, and only 0.5 to 3 percent of those visitors convert to a sale. Early data demonstrates that the hyper-personalization and segmentation that comes along with personality detection drives engagement up over 10 times. Advertising is now in the hands of the brands, which can create product campaigns or use virtual models that can be ordered up in minutes. Most Promising Prize winner OMI's tech makes a digital twin of any item, which can then be used inside an 'endless photoshoot,' manipulating positioning, light reflecting, and altering ratios for platform compatibility. OMI's rendered images are photorealistic and give the power to the brands to create their own ads and media, be it the design, marketing or e-commerce team — pretty much any team in an organization — with the same 3D model at the core. 'The main advantage is that it's a non-technical skills-related solution,' said OMI product manager Swen Hueber. Without need for an engineer, it significantly reduces ad production costs and time down to a few hours. Elsewhere, brands can now mix-and-match model features, much like shopping online, with AI photo studio Veeton. The start-up's tech can replicate a full photoshoot within two hours, said cofounder and CEO Flore Lestrade. Fashion brands have been working with existing tech like Midjourney to create images, but they can still wander in the uncanny valley. 'That's something fashion brands are actively working on — de-AI-ifying those images,' said Lestrade. Veeton offers a menu of virtual models to select from, adjustable for body types, pose, race, style and age. Users can upload flat pack shots, and the AI will create a look from its dataset of over 50 million fashion images. Subtleties such as facial expressions or posture can be adjusted with prompts to match creative direction without the need for engineers or editors, she said. Veeton has already worked with Showroomprivé and will roll out to more fashion brands and retailers soon. EssilorLuxottica CEO Paul du Saillant and Publicis Groupe Chair Emeritus Maurice Levy took the stage to tout the eyewear maker's partnership between its Ray-Ban brand and Meta to create connected glasses. Du Saillant said Google's attempt at connected glasses didn't work a decade ago because they 'did not address the style element.' Levy said he doesn't go into a meeting these days without wearing a pair of the glasses — which can record video and audio, amplify sound, and alert wearers of emails and text messages in real time. The eyewear company is preparing to 'expand aggressively' and will roll out more styles and possibly partnerships with other brands soon. EBay France general manager Sarah Tayeb and Vestiaire Collective chief impact officer Dounia Wone both addressed the apparent contradiction of using AI, which consumes significant amounts of energy and water, to simplify resale or refurbished goods shopping. Both use tech that can help create and translate listings, as well as assist with search to help nudge consumer behavior. 'We need to take a step back,' said Wone. AI can help these businesses 'grow in an industry that is very much a huge polluting industry,' she said, and help create a circular economy. By adding ease, AI support enables more people to enter the resale ecosystem and has helped double sales of suggested items. 'It's an opportunity, because sustainability tech needs to be aligned with growth,' she said. Sustainability data management platform Sweep works with fashion brands including Burberry, Lacoste, and The Kooples, and beauty brands such as Caudalie, to collect and monitor environmental and carbon data throughout their supply chains, as well as build transition plans. Sweep cofounder and CEO Rachel Delacour emphasized that companies should see sustainability as a key driver of transformation, as it helps break down departmental silos and establishes sustainability as a core business pillar. It's a tricky global moment with the new Trump tariffs upending global trade and the EU potentially rolling back some sustainability reporting regulations, but Delacour said that while fashion brands are becoming more cautious, they aren't abandoning sustainability altogether. 'The fashion brands we are talking with are telling us, 'We can't waste four years of data collection,'' she said. Instead, the uncertainty is acting as an accelerator for companies to make a stronger business case for sustainable supply chains. Regardless of how the regulations play out, both European and U.S.-based companies see sustainability as necessary to future-proofing their businesses. 'It has actually accelerated the sustainability understanding and how they must engage with their value chain and [demonstrate] the ROI of all this for the CEO and the board members,' she said. 'There are finite resources on this planet. There will be winners and losers. The ones who are not able to transition to a low carbon economy in their business and in their value chain, they won't be here in the next 10 years.' 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