Mar 6, 2025

Ahead of speaking at Drapers Conscious Fashion Summit on 12 March, Jane Blacklock, head of ESG (environmental, social and governance) at outdoorwear brand Passenger, shares her advice for incorporating sustainability into a fashion retail business. Following surprise leadership exits at Marks & Spencer, River Island, Jigsaw and more, we find out why there is such a high level of churn at the top of fashion retail and ask what companies can do to steady their ships. In news, we review the change at the top of at Marks & Spencer, the effects of US president Donald Trump’s proposed import tariffs, Quiz’s latest administration, new store openings at athleisure brands Tala, Lululemon and Gymshark, and people moves at River Island, M&S, Gymshark and JD Sports. Plus: Kurt Geiger takeover, JD Sports loyalty scheme, Primark click and collect rollout, Russell & Bromley turnaround and Stuart Weitzman sale. Following the replacement of Richard Price with former Boohoo Group CEO John Lyttle as managing director of clothing, home and beauty, we consider the renaissance of the retailer’s womenswear category masterminded by newly promoted director of M&S Woman Maddy Evans. In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March, Drapers has undertaken its annual research into gender representation of the boards of fashion retailers listed on the FTSE and Aim (Alternative Investment Market). Since we first started this investigation in 2020, the pool of listed fashion retailers has shrunk from 21 to12, but gender representation on their board is showing some improvement. Nonetheless, further progress is needed, as data shows that companies with more diverse leaderships outperform those with less representative boards. Advertisement Drapers visits Rixo’s King’s Road flagship to find out how female founders Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey have built a vintage-inspired womenswear empire. Female entrepreneurs still receive only a fraction of the venture capital funds secured by men. Drapers finds out from the founders of Cult Mia, By Rotation, With Nothing Underneath, Whering and Nudea how they overcome bias in the pitching process to secure millions needed to scale their businesses. Drapers’ Reset Fashion Retail campaign began during the pandemic in 2020, calling for support for the industry on three fronts: high street regeneration, business rates and retail property leases. Exclusive research for Drapers shows what has happened to the stores of retailers, including Arcadia Group, Hotter Shoes and TM Lewin in the five years since the closures during lockdowns. As the autumn/winter 25 buying season reaches a crescendo, we report from the aisles of womenswear trade show CIFF in Copenhagen, followed by the UK’s Indx Man, Moda x Pure, Indx Woman and Scoop, bringing you the freshest new product, and gauging the mood of buyers and brands as market pressures endure. We also bring you the trends to know from the catwalks of London, New York and Copenhagen fashion weeks. Advertisement