Global Markets

This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features South Korea’s Misto Holdings, Nigerian textile plant developers and Bahrain’s Investcorp.

Centuries-old heritage brands and contemporary jewellers from India are opening stores in North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK, but few have broadened their offering to appeal to a client base beyond the South Asian diaspora.

Creative and commercial energy is increasingly driven by frontier markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Global brands must learn how to embrace and amplify local cultures in these markets in an authentic way.

As the Italian footwear brand marks its 50th anniversary, Santoni is eyeing up expansion into new regions and categories while doubling down on its commitment to quality, craftsmanship and its sustainability goals. BoF sits down with Giuseppe Santoni, president and chairman, to discuss the brand’s strategic focus for 2025.

This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Kenya’s anxious garment manufacturers, Singapore’s Shopee and the perilous leather industry in Brazil.

Maryse Mbonyumutwa of Pink Mango, Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa Africa, and Reni Folawiyo of Alara join writer Rozan Ahmed at BoF CROSSROADS 2025 to discuss how African brands are overcoming operational challenges to bring global creativity and sustainability to fashion.

Hong Kong’s fashion and luxury sector is preparing for an invigoration — with the recently established Hong Kong Fashion Fest designed to position Hong Kong as a premier fashion and design hub in Asia. At the Asia Fashion Leaders Forum in Hong Kong, BoF’s president Nick Blunden sat down with regional and global business leaders to speak about the opportunity and market reality of the region.

From Bottega Veneta’s poetry pact to Rui Zhou’s sex toy tie-up, marketing partnerships are becoming increasingly bold and imaginative as brands try to reignite demand in the cooling China market.