Fashion
Japan’s Asics H1 profit surges 37.5% as lifestyle brands fuel growth
The operating profit of the company increased 37.5 per cent to ¥81,132 million (~$550.3 million), ordinary profit climbed 36 per cent to ¥78,626 million and profit attributable to owners of parent advanced 27 per cent to ¥53,606 million.
Asics Corporation has reported record H1 2025 results, with net sales up 17.7 per cent to ¥402,798 million (~$2.73 billion) and operating profit rising 37.5 per cent to ¥81,132 million (~$550.3 million).
Growth was led by SportStyle and Onitsuka Tiger across Japan, Europe, and Greater China.
Forecasts were raised to ¥800,000 million (~$5.43 billion) sales and ¥136,000 (~$922.5 million) million profit.
The basic earnings per share (EPS) stood at ¥75 compared with ¥58.09 a year earlier, and the gross margin improved to 56.7 per cent and operating margin to 20.1 per cent, both achieving record levels.
Category-wise, Performance Running sales rose 8.2 per cent to ¥184,964 million, while Core Performance Sports grew 4.8 per cent to ¥44,118 million. Apparel and Equipment sales increased 6.9 per cent to ¥20,003 million. Meanwhile, Lifestyle categories drove the strongest expansion: SportStyle jumped 46.4 per cent to ¥67,314 million and Onitsuka Tiger surged 50.1 per cent to ¥65,876 million. Category profits followed suit, with Onitsuka Tiger posting the highest margin at 39.1 per cent.
The growth was recorded across most regions. Sales in Japan increased 24.3 per cent to ¥99,263 million, with segment profit up 66.2 per cent to ¥21,635 million, supported by Onitsuka Tiger demand and margin gains. Europe advanced 24.2 per cent to ¥113,769 million, while Greater China (including Taiwan) rose 16.9 per cent to ¥62,032 million. Meanwhile, North America posted 9.1 per cent sales growth to ¥73,914 million, aided by SportStyle, and Southeast and South Asia achieved a 33.4 per cent increase to ¥23,514 million. Oceania sales rose 3.8 per cent to ¥21,447 million but segment profit declined 9.8 per cent to ¥3,355 million, while the ‘Others’ region remained stable at ¥24,698 million.
The total assets stood of the company stood at ¥539,717 million as of June 30, 2025. The net assets at ¥243,213 million, with an equity ratio of 44.7 per cent. Cash and equivalents amounted to ¥124,619 million. The operating cash flow improved to ¥46,411 million, while investing and financing activities recorded outflows of ¥14,312 million and ¥36,841 million respectively, reflecting capital expenditure, dividends, and treasury share buybacks.
For full-year 2025, Asics forecasts net sales to reach ¥800,000 million (~$5.43 billion), operating profit of ¥136,000 million (~$922.5 million), ordinary profit of ¥131,000 million, and profit attributable to owners of parent of ¥87,000 million, with basic EPS of ¥121.72. With strong momentum in premium running and lifestyle categories, and solid regional growth led by Japan, Europe, and Greater China, the company expects to achieve its mid-term plan 2026 profitability and return on assets (ROA) targets one year ahead of schedule.
“Based on this upward revision, we expect ROA of 16 per cent. As a result, we expect to hit our Mid-Term Plan 2026 targets one year ahead of schedule. The annual dividend forecast has also risen from ¥26 to ¥28,” Asics said in a press release.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
By
Bloomberg
Published
January 15, 2026
Xreal Inc., a Chinese pioneer in smart glasses, is suing Viture Inc. for patent infringement in the US, arguing its rival has unfairly capitalized on Xreal’s extensive research and investment in the segment.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in eastern Texas, accuses San Francisco-founded Viture of unlawfully incorporating Xreal’s patented inventions into smart glasses such as the Luma Pro, Luma Ultra, and a high-end pair called The Beast.
Both Xreal and Viture manufacture augmented reality, or AR, glasses that plug into devices like smartphones and laptops, offering viewers a large virtual display for watching movies or handling productivity tasks. Technical specifications like display resolution and field of view- the size of the augmented world you can see at any given time- are often very similar between the two brands.
Their US legal battle comes ahead of what is expected to be a pivotal moment for the segment, with Apple Inc. expected to make its category debut as soon as this year, Bloomberg has reported.
Xreal holds over 800 patent and patent applications worldwide, including dozens in the US and Europe, it said in a statement Thursday announcing the lawsuit. “By comparison, Viture owns approximately or fewer than 70 patent and patent applications globally, with none in the United States or Europe,” it added.
“The lawsuit is not merely about enforcing a single patent,” Xreal said in the statement. “It is about stopping a pattern of intellectual property infringement that undermines the integrity of innovation and endangers continued technological development in this industry.”
Xreal holds more global market share than Viture in the AR eyewear category, according to research firm IDC. But both companies lag far behind Meta Platforms Inc., which has come the closest to mainstream success with its Ray-Ban line of smart glasses.
At the CES technology trade show earlier this month, Xreal unveiled a new entry-level pair of glasses and a co-branded set of glasses developed with Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc. It also announced that it’s extending a partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
Xreal said in the statement that these and other collaborators are “owed confidence that their co-developed products will not also be threatened by infringers attempting to benefit from infringement or undermined by unauthorized usage of IP.”
Published
January 15, 2026
Designer Soshi Otsuki won himself a huge ovation at the key gala show of Pitti Uomo on Thursday after presenting a brilliant collection that celebrated classic western tailoring, even as it subverted its codes.
A tour de force of draping, cutting, and silhouette, this fall 2026 collection from his brand Soshiotsuki was definitely a major fashion statement.
In a moment of volume in menswear, Otsuki opened the action with a perfectly judged trio of to-die-for double-breasted suits with peak lapels in crepe and fine wool in various shades of grey- cement, mud, or dove.
He cut his jackets to end well below the hip and his trousers were something else. Made with a half-dozen front pleats, they were elephantine but never outrageous. Otsuki is such a great natural tailor, the exaggeration merely added to the elegance.
Soshi is no slouch when it comes to leather either. From his copper-hued leather rock god suit to his cocoon style leather bomber jacket. And, just when you thought he was playing a little too safe, he sent out some fab jeans, so degraded they almost looked moth-eaten. Tokyo street style meets sartorial Italian.
Playing on couture techniques, the designer also whipped up several bias-cut green corduroy blazers and suits marrying Japanese eccentricity and British aplomb.
The show was the latest Italian/Japanese marriage at this edition of Pitti that began with a Sebiro Sanpo tailoring association Japanese suit march inside the Fortezza da Basso, the giant fortress where the salon is staged. Remarkably, Otsuki has never actually studied suiting formally, but he somehow understands it instinctively.
The soundtrack, culled from composer Joe Hisaishi’s soundtrack to Takeshi Kitano’s 2000 gangster movie Brother, featured a beautifully yearning saxophone solo. It would have felt just right for one of Douglas Sirk’s 1950s melodramas starring Rock Hudson. One almost expected Rock to take the final passage.
Presented inside the beautiful Refetterio Santa Maria della Novella, a looming Gothic refectory at the back of the legendary Renaissance Basilica, this was a bravura display.
Altogether, a bases loaded, home run, smash hit collection. One could say it felt like a star is born moment in menswear, except that Soshi Otsuki was already acclaimed. He is the latest winner of the LVMH Prize.
Talk about backing up winning an award with a great fashion statement.
Copyright © 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Published
January 15, 2026
Luxury skincare brand Genaura has promoted Nicola Young to managing director, moving up from chief marketing officer following the brand’s product launch to market in September.
Young’s promotion is underscored by “an impressive career”, which has included senior positions at Carlton Screen Advertising, marketing director at Jazz FM and Magic 105.4FM, and group director of Marketing at radio conglomerate Global Player.
Most notably, her beauty industry involvement included director of Media UK at Estée Lauder Co.
Young said the launch of Genaura “has the potential to revolutionise the beauty and wellness sector… my experience in this field has helped drive the marketing vision so far, and I look forward to progressing even further”.
She added: “Looking to… the growth of Genaura, I am excited to scale and innovate whilst remaining authentic to the scientific background of the product, planning global recognition of this revolutionary ingredient exclusive to Genaura.”
Available in the UK currently, the business has “aspirations for 2026 and beyond… extending skincare products within the range.”
Genaura claims to be a “world first in skincare”, with its Genaura Levagen + Smart Face serum “boasting a powerhouse formula alongside patented technology… creating an ‘age-proofing’ approach to the skin and supporting the skin’s natural barrier function”.
Copyright © 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Xreal files patent suit against rival smart glasses maker Viture
Princess Kate crowned England’s Great with fiery Lioness spirit
Soshiotsuki wows with international debut at Pitti Uomo 109
-
Politics1 week agoUK says provided assistance in US-led tanker seizure
-
Entertainment1 week agoDoes new US food pyramid put too much steak on your plate?
-
Entertainment1 week agoWhy did Nick Reiner’s lawyer Alan Jackson withdraw from case?
-
Business1 week agoTrump moves to ban home purchases by institutional investors
-
Sports5 days agoClock is ticking for Frank at Spurs, with dwindling evidence he deserves extra time
-
Sports1 week agoPGA of America CEO steps down after one year to take care of mother and mother-in-law
-
Business1 week agoBulls dominate as KSE-100 breaks past 186,000 mark – SUCH TV
-
Sports6 days ago
Commanders go young, promote David Blough to be offensive coordinator