Fashion
Mamas & Papas CEO steps down, firm names new leaders as investment ramps up
Published
August 21, 2025
Long-established UK-based Mamas & Papas is gearing up for the Golden Quarter with “significant” investment to grow the business at home and abroad with a new leadership team set to deliver the strategy as its CEO steps down.
Backed by private equity firm BlueGem, the Huddersfield-based company “wants to build the Mamas & Papas brand by leverage its customer data across its digital marketing and accelerate its international rollout to deliver its ambition”.
It also plans to continue consolidating its position in the UK market, where it has a 20% share, through its multi-channel store and online model.
Although the company didn’t expand further on its plans, the new strategy will be executed under the guidance of new leadership team. The group’s CFO Sarah Ashby is not only promoted to COO, but also becomes interim CEO to replace chief executive Nathan Williams who departs after seven years in the post.
Williams is now set “to pursue non-executive and advisory opportunities after a career spanning almost 30 years in senior management”. The company said that during his tenure, Williams “oversaw the build of a significant UK concessions business, international partnerships and the brand’s purpose-driven initiatives”.
It added that recruitment of a new CEO was under way and would be announced shortly. Meanwhile Steve Parkin, former CEO of peer Mayborn Group and its Tommee Tippee brand, has joined as chairman, bringing his “extensive experience in scaling international businesses in the nursery sector”.

Ashby and Parkin will spearhead the development of the new strategic plan.
Parkin said: “I’ve been supporting the board behind the scenes in an advisory capacity over the past few months. During that time, I’ve come to both admire the business that the team has built and be excited by the potential we have to scale further at home but in particular overseas.”
He added: “Supported by a new CEO in due course, I’m confident we have the right plan and the right people to accelerate our growth and become the trusted, internationally-recognised brand for parenting around the world.”
The company currently operates over 60 stores in the UK – including 40 concessions in M&S and Next — plus over 30 overseas concessions with partners including El Corte Ingles in Spain, MAP Active in Indonesia, Central Department Store Group in Thailand and Myers in Australia.
In its most recent set of filed accounts, the business reported a 7.1% rise in sales for the 12 months to 31 March 2024 of £154.3 million.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Fashion
Trident accelerates European home textiles expansion
One of India’s leading integrated home textile manufacturers, is strengthening its presence in Europe as it showcases its latest collections at Heimtextil 2026, the world’s largest trade fair for home and contract textiles, being held in Messe’ Frankfurt from January 13–16, 2026. The participation underlines Trident’s focus on expanding its European footprint amid improving trade prospects driven by proposed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs between India, the UK and the European Union)
Trident is strengthening its European presence by showcasing its TG ‘Visible Invisible’ collection at Heimtextil 2026, highlighting sustainability, AI and design-led innovation.
Backed by proposed India-UK-EU FTAs and new Directors in Germany and France, the company is deepening ties with European retailers and gaining strong buyer interest.
At Heimtextil, Trident is presenting its TG collection, built around the theme “Visible Invisible”, which brings together contemporary design, sustainability and innovation. The showcase highlights how everyday home textiles are shaped by thoughtful design choices, responsible sourcing and advanced manufacturing, aligned with the evolving expectations of European consumers. This year at Heimtextil – sustainability and AI in Home Textile would be in focus.
Commenting on the company’s European strategy, Abhishek Gupta CEO Strategy & Marketing Trident Group, said, “Europe is a strategic market for our home textiles business. With favourable trade developments on the horizon, we are investing in local leadership and showcasing collections that reflect European preferences for sustainability, quality and design. Our participation at Heimtextil reinforces our commitment to long-term growth in the region.” He furthered “Europe continues to be a key market for Trident, supported by mature retail ecosystems, growing demand for sustainable products and increasing diversification of sourcing. The global home textiles market is estimated at USD 136–140 billion, with steady growth expected over the coming years. Against this backdrop, Trident is positioning itself to deepen partnerships with European retailers and scale its business responsibly”.
To support this expansion, Trident has strengthened its local presence with the appointing of dedicated Directors for Germany and France, enabling closer engagement with customers, faster response times and stronger on-ground relationships across key markets.
Trident’s Heimtextil showcase draws inspiration from Indian aesthetics and modern global trends, translating emotions such as comfort, joy and strength into bath and bed linen collections. The TG range features responsibly sourced cotton, performance-led finishes and contemporary colour palettes, and has received encouraging interest from buyers across Germany, France, the UK and other European markets during the fair
With favourable trade tailwinds, a strong design-led offering at Heimtextil, and enhanced European leadership, Trident is well placed to accelerate its growth journey in the European home textiles market.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Fashion
Munich Fabric Start puts emotional materiality centre stage with ‘Pleasure’ as its guiding theme
Published
January 15, 2026
Munich Fabric Start (MFS) is gearing up for its January 27–29 edition. Designers, product managers, and buyers will be able to explore around 1,000 spring/ summer 2027 collections from international fabric and trim manufacturers at the MOC Munich.
With the lead theme of “Pleasure,” the trade show’s organisers aim to spotlight “attitude, sensuality, and emotional materiality” over the three days of the fair. The lead theme frames fashion as an emotional space, an expression of attitude and cultural reflection. Colours, surfaces and materials become conduits for self-confidence and joie de vivre.
“After seasons of restraint, spring/ summer ’27 marks a deliberate counter-design: optimism, sensuality, and creative freedom take the place of pragmatism and neutrality. Physical presence and individuality are regaining importance- as a response to uncertainty, exhaustion and algorithmic predictability,” according to MFS.
“Efficiency and pragmatism are shaping current market developments. And these are not easy times for us as trade fair organisers either. We are countering this with a clearly structured trade fair and a strong positioning as a key source of inspiration, an interactive business forum, and a platform bringing together textile expertise. In terms of fashion and trends, we are heralding a change of perspective: optimism instead of restraint. Self-confidence instead of uncertainty,” adds managing director Florian Klinder.
With the integrated shows Bluezone, Keyhouse, and The Source, the trade fair brings together all relevant fashion segments: high-quality fabrics and trims, international denim expertise, and forward-looking innovations along the entire textile value chain. International reach, collaboration, and sustainability remain central themes.

The consolidation of the trade fair segments at the MOC has proven successful. The trade fair with its eight areas will once again be held under one roof.
Bluezone and Keyhouse with “Sustainable Innovations” will once again be anchored in the high-footfall area of Hall 2 at the upcoming event- directly connected to the Fabrics and Additionals areas.
The Design Studios in Hall 4 are now positioned even more centrally. And the sustainable sourcing area Resource is also set to have a stronger presence, located directly next to The Source in Hall 1.
To provide buyers and designers with a holistic overview, the Bluezone denim trends will be integrated directly into the trend worlds built around the lead theme in the MOC foyer. This new form of presentation reflects market developments in which denim and classic fashion segments are increasingly merging within collections.

The exhibitors will once again include well-known names from the fabric and textile industry, including the Albini Group, Kiki Fashion, Calik, Lanificio di Tollegno, Bornemann Etiketten, Manteco, Pontetorto, Riopele, Thermore, Bureaux Bo, Can Tekstil, and Troficolor Denim Makers.
As usual, a supporting programme of keynotes, panel discussions, and trend presentations will round off the trade fair offering. Current industry topics will be discussed and contextualised on the “Stage” with Peclers Paris, David Shah, O/M Collective, Olivia Does Design, and Monsieur-T, among others. The curator of Sustainable Innovations, Simon Angel, will offer in-depth sessions on future-oriented, sustainable material solutions.
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Fashion
Balenciaga and Manolo Blahnik launch first-ever collab
Published
January 15, 2026
Kering’s Balenciaga and resolutely independent Manolo Blahnik announced a first-time collaboration on Thursday on a trio of styles created for the Fall 2026 collection.
They said it’s “an exchange shaped by shared values and an admiration for couture tradition. The partnership reflects the House of Balenciaga’s enduring commitment to artisanal mastery, as well as creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s distinct approach to fashion, long inspired by the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga”.
It makes sense for the two labels to work together given their dual Spanish roots, as well as “the elegance of craft that unites them”.
So what does the capsule comprise? There’s a low-heeled mule and a slingback with either a 105mm or 50mm heel. With a décolleté cut, we’re told “the silhouettes reveal skin, the body, a display intrinsically linked to the primacy of the human form”.
The styles are “in and of themselves a dialogue, a duet, drawn from designs from the Manolo Blahnik archive, chosen by Piccioli, and fused together. All three are executed in silk-satin, proposed in various colours and lined in Balenciaga grey”.
Each shoe style also features crystal embroidery across a low-cut vamp, something for which Blahnik is known. The company said the embellishments “simultaneously recall archival Blahnik designs and [reference] the 1960s bijoux created by Cristóbal Balenciaga”.
Manolo Blahnik said that “Don Cristóbal Balenciaga is, to me, the ultimate designer. I have adored his work for as long as I can remember. As a Mediterranean boy myself, I have always felt a deep connection to his Spanish culture and sensibility. To be partnering with Balenciaga, and with Pierpaolo, fulfils a lifelong dream. [His] direction for Balenciaga resonates profoundly with my own ideas of how the modern woman should dress in 2026, a vision of timeless elegance rooted in craftsmanship and enduring beauty.”
Copyright © 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
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