Industry News – March 30th, 2017

Curated fashion industry news links for Thursday, March 30th, 2017…

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: UNITED, PUMA AND THE LEGGINGS FUROR – TheNewYorkTimes
“Do we all have the inalienable right to express ourselves with apparel? Because what United was saying with its dress code was: When you fly on our dime you are representing our brand, and our brand takes flying with a certain amount of formality, the way it used to be taken…”

LANDS’ END DEBUTS NEW SWIMSUIT COLLECTION – PRNewswire
“This season, the company is introducing a new collection of colorful mix & match two-pieces and spirited one-pieces, aptly named the Sea & Sky Swim Collection. The full assortment of Sea & Sky swimwear is now available at Landsend.com.”

J.W.ANDERSON IS UNIQLO’S NEXT BIG-NAME COLLABORATOR – TheCut
“Uniqlo has assembled an impressive roster of collaborators over the years, from Carine Roitfeld to Jil Sander to Christophe Lemaire. The latest fashion figure to sign on is Jonathan Anderson, the designer of J.W.Anderson and Loewe.”

H&M TO LAUNCH NEW BRAND OF SCANDI BASICS CALLED ARKET – FootwearNews
“Hennes & Mauritz AB said Thursday that it will launch a new brand, Arket, after the summer, which is to focus on “a broad yet selected range of essentials for men, women and children, as well as a smaller, curated assortment for the home.”

GAP’S CEO RESPONDED TO A 5-YEAR-OLD’S REQUEST TO MAKE GIRLS’ CLOTHING GENDER NEUTRAL – Fortune
“I think we can do a better job offering even more choices that appeal to everyone,” Kirwan wrote in an email to Alice, as reported by the Post. “I’ve talked with our designers and we’re going to work on even more fun stuff that I think you’ll like.”