Fashion
US Levi’s partners with bollywood star Alia Bhatt as brand ambassador
She joins the brand at a time when women’s fashion is embracing a big shift. Relaxed fits, wide legs and looser silhouettes are no longer just seasonal trends, they’re becoming essential every day. And Levi’s, long known for defining what denim means, is at the forefront of this evolution. With Alia leading the way, that shift is about to go mainstream.
Levi’s has appointed Alia Bhatt as its new Global Brand Ambassador, uniting her worldwide influence with the iconic denim label.
The collaboration highlights a major shift in women’s fashion towards relaxed fits, wide legs, and looser silhouettes.
With Alia driving this evolution, Levi’s aims to stay trend-forward, evolving its women’s portfolio beyond classics to style-first relevance.
Levi’s and Alia are united by a shared vision – to reflect how a new generation wants to dress, and to evolve the brand beyond classic fits to style-first, trend-forward relevance. Whether it’s loose fits, wide leg, or reinvented classics, Levi’s women’s portfolio is evolving, and Alia is the perfect catalyst for this next chapter.
Levi’s will continue to innovate with new fits and styles, while staying true to what it has always stood for – timeless denim, made for now.
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 (RM)
The EU move primarily targets parcels arriving through e-commerce channels that currently benefit from duty-free entry.
Reacting to the EU decision on de minimis exemptions and new customs duties starting July 1, 2026, the British Chambers of Commerce said the decision to charge a flat customs duty of €3 on each commodity code for consignments worth less than €150 will significantly affect UK businesses.
It will make British goods less attractive to both businesses and people in the EU and squeeze profit margins, it noted.
“Although UK-originating products will still be tariff free, they will now face customs fees and potentially separate handling charges levied by individual EU countries,” William Bain, BCC head of trade policy, said in a statement.
“This extra cost will make goods from Great Britian less attractive to both businesses and people in the EU and squeeze profit margins,” he observed.
Major EU customs reforms are due to come into force from January 2028, and the UK government is consulting on the scheme for abolishing the UK de minimis threshold from 2029, he said.
“The government must now consider wider customs reforms and the introduction of a Single Trade Window to ease costs for our firms. It will also need to review the impact of these EU changes on customs rules between Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” he added.
EU officials said the measure aims at addressing unfair competition faced by EU sellers, alongside concerns over consumer health and safety, widespread fraud, and environmental impact linked to high volumes of low-value imports. Around 93 per cent of e-commerce flows into the EU are expected to fall under the scope of the new duty, the European Council said in an earlier press release.
The €3 rate will apply to goods sold by non-EU traders registered under the EU’s Import One-Stop Shop for value-added tax purposes. The Council clarified that this customs duty is separate from a proposed handling fee being discussed under the broader customs reform and the EU’s multiannual financial framework.
The temporary duty will remain in force until a permanent system agreed in November 2025 comes into application, which would remove the €150 duty-free threshold altogether and subject all such goods to standard EU tariffs.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Fashion
Parcel tax: the e-commerce sector calls on France not to break ranks with its European partners
Published
December 16, 2025
As the European Union prepares to impose a €3 levy on small non-EU parcels valued at under €150, the French Senate wants to increase the proposed national charge from €2 to €5. E-commerce organisation Fevad says this would be a mistake that could cost France half a billion euros and is urging lawmakers to change course.
The Fédération française de la vente en ligne, which backs the French flat-rate tax proposal, is campaigning for the national levy to remain aligned with those of its neighbours. Several countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, are preparing their own €2 taxes on small non-EU parcels. In Fevad’s view, France would be shooting itself in the foot by falling out of step with neighbouring markets.
“To circumvent the new €5 French tax, non-EU platforms such as Shein and Temu will have little difficulty routing their small parcels destined for the French market via neighbouring countries where they already have logistics infrastructure, notably Belgium,” the federation says.
Fevad also points out that a €5 tax would cost France more than €500 million in lost revenue, due to parcels being redirected to port and airport hubs in neighbouring countries rather than in France.
A temporary European tax
This stance comes just days after the EU adopted a €3 EU-wide levy on non-EU parcels under €150. The measure will come into force on 1 July, but it will be temporary.
This flat-rate tax, irrespective of the parcel’s value, will apply pending the introduction of standard parcel taxation, which will then follow the usual tariff rules for personal consumer goods.
“While this is a step in the right direction towards levelling the playing field between EU-based and non-EU-based businesses, companies will also need clear operational arrangements to ensure legal certainty and to adapt their compliance models and internal IT systems in time,” says Luca Cassetti, secretary general of the European confederation Ecommerce Europe, of which Fevad is a founding member.
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Fashion
Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives announces finalists and jury members for 2025-26 edition
Published
December 16, 2025
On December 16, Louis Vuitton unveiled its five finalists and five final jury members for the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, to be awarded at an exclusive celebration ceremony on March 24, 2026.
Watch Prize finalist Daizoh Makihara of Daizoh Makihara Watchcraft Japan’s ‘Beauties of Nature’ wristwatch entry incorporates the delicate, traditional Japanese cut-glass technique ‘Edo Kiriko’ into watchmaking in a world first and his botanical design features an automatic petal mechanism, perpetual moon phase, and 25-jewel movement running at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Independent watchmaker Xinyan Dai of Fam Al Hut’s mechanical, manual-wind wristwatch named ‘Möbius’ presents the most compact bi-axis tourbillon conceived to date, blending tradition and future-facing innovation with over 200 hours of handcraftsmanship.
Victor Monnin and Alexandre Hazemann of Hazemann & Monnin’s ‘School Watch’ entry celebrates the Morteau school of watchmaking with a fully in-house made HM01 calibre, synchronising complex mechanics and precise poetry. Bernhard Lederer of Lederer’s wristwatch ‘CIC 39 mm Racing Green’ presents the first fully functional dual detent escapement in a wristwatch, highlighted by a transparent case back and sanded, matte dial.
Quiet Club’s Norifumi Seki has entered ‘Fading Hours,’ designed to innovate “new mechanics that respond to everyday needs,” according to the watchmaker. Created almost entirely in-house, the watch has a first-of-its-kind alarm with a vertically mounted hammer and minimalist, concealed elements.
“Since the launch of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, our admiration for the dynamism of independent watchmaking has continued to grow,” said Louis Vuitton’s watch director Jean Arnault in a release. “These artisans create truly audacious timepieces, uniting extraordinary technical mastery with the boldness to challenge convention, and in doing so, they push the very boundaries of what is possible. As we celebrate this year’s finalists, I also want to thank the entire watchmaking community for the enthusiasm and support behind this initiative. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the members of the expert committee.”
After receiving submissions from around the world, Louis Vuitton’s five finalists were chosen from a group of 20 semi-finalists, whose work was evaluated by a Committee of Experts. The 65 watch enthusiasts, industry representatives, and global collectors measured the candidates’ timepieces against the principles of design, creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, and technical complexity to discern the five top entries.
Carole Forestier-Kasapi, haute horlogerie and movements strategy director at Tag Heuer will take up the role of president of the Watch Prize’s jury after being nominated by the Committee of Experts. The jury also welcomes journalist Frank Geelen, founder and editor-in-chief of Monochrome Watches; Matthieu Hegi, La Fabrique du temps Louis Vuitton artistic director; watch enthusiast François-Xavier Overstake, founder and editor of Equation du Temps; and Kari Voutilainen, master watchmaker and owner of the Voutilainen workshops.
The winner of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives will receive 150,000 euros and a one-year specially tailored mentorship by experts from La Fabrique du Temps and Louis Vuitton. “The future looks promising, and we’re excited to see what’s next,” said Jean Arnault.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
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