Fashion
ANFAO: ‘Nine-month eyewear exports down 3% and improving; mission to Brazil and New York in 2028’
Published
December 3, 2025
Italian eyewear is gearing up for the next edition of Mido, yet the impact of U.S. tariffs is being felt and recovery has been pushed back to 2026, expected to be driven by new markets. As Lorraine Berton, president of the trade association ANFAO, tells FashionNetwork.com , the organisation plans to return to New York with an exhibition format, while she reveals details of DaTe’s upcoming stop in Naples.
FashionNetwork: What will Mido 2026 look like?
L.B: The next edition has been brought forward and will run from January 31 to February 2. The date change was not easy, but exhibitors have confirmed their attendance: 1,200 in total, including 140 new companies, from 160 countries. We will introduce many new elements compared with 2025, while maintaining our customary style and elegance. There will be a completely redesigned central piazza and 20 standout events in The Vision Stage area. The exhibition launched in Venice, “The Lens of Time”, will also come to the fair, for which we have devised a striking installation.
FN: What are the economic forecasts for the industry?
L.B: We will have the third-quarter data in the second half of December. It has been a challenging year, but conditions are stabilising. The U.S. has hit us hardest: down 20% in the first half, improving to down 15% in the most recent quarter. The shock of the tariffs has now been absorbed, but we will close in negative territory and will have to wait until next year for the upturn. Globally, exports are down 3% in the first nine months, with Europe holding up extremely well, South America growing, and other markets opening up.
FN: How is internationalisation progressing?
L.B: We face another transitional spring. As after Covid, I expect a lively rebound. The industry is undergoing a profound phase of transformation that continues to have the Belluno district at its epicentre. It is a difficult time for smaller companies, but we have taken back the reins of internationalisation. We are supporting our companies as they expand beyond Italy. We have also decided to invest in small businesses, because without the small, the large loses its identity.
FN:What countries are you focusing on?
L.B: Brazil will be a priority market for the future. Next year we will undertake a mission to the country, which will become increasingly important thanks to the EU-Mercosur agreement. At present we face tariffs of between 14% and 18%. Eliminating them will ease entry into a still complex market, where eyewear that leaves Italy at €50 reaches €100.
FN: What are your plans for New York?
L.B: We hope to return to Vision Expo East from 2028, once a year. For now, we remain in Orlando. We are working on it: it is an ambitious project and major investments are at stake. People in the U.S. know that we make the most beautiful eyewear. But we certainly need to communicate more and better. And that is also our responsibility as an association.
FN: Where will the next edition of DaTe be?
L.B: Following Riccione (Cocoricò), the fair will stop in Naples, September 12–14, at the Teatro Salone Margherita, in the Galleria Umberto I. The travelling format will continue and will take in the whole of Italy. We are working exceptionally well with ICE. I would like to thank president Zoppas, who is giving us the opportunity to invest in the sector and who believes in my team. He understands that we are serious and that we do not squander resources.
FN: Why invest in the district?
L.B: The eyewear district is the Belluno district, but in a broader sense it includes the provinces of Milan, Varese, Reggio Emilia and central Italy. It is a united and resilient district founded on the respect shown by the big players towards the smaller ones. With major players such as Marcolin, Thélios, Safilo and Luxottica, I have a continuous exchange of ideas that makes us all stronger at a difficult time. This is the true strength of the sector, which carries Made in Italy and our manufacturing excellence around the world, globally recognised and rewarding for us.
FN: Upcoming institutional commitments?
L.B: ANFAO is attending two industry roundtables: one for the protection of Made in Italy and one at the ministry on protection and counterfeiting. These are commitments we share with the fashion and accessories industry. This coexistence is not straightforward, because it has to take into account the needs of different sectors and production chains, including differing views on the tools to protect product originality and combat counterfeiting.
FN: What is the leadership team working on?
L.B: ANFAO has shown it can be close to its members. There is a team of vice presidents doing an extraordinary job. I want to thank Sabrina Paulon, who took my place on the technical committee for the contract renewal. I wanted changes within ANFAO, and I am very happy because today we have staff, both young and more experienced, who have shown they can embrace change with a youthful mindset. Two years have passed, but I believe I can say that we have a team that works in synergy inside and outside the association, and that is the greatest satisfaction for me. We will continue to deliver more and more.
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The company continued to see strong momentum in its own website, where revenue rose 27 per cent year on year (YoY), supported by higher site traffic, improved conversion rates and increased order volumes from both new and existing customers. The gross margin improved to 66 per cent, compared with 64.7 per cent in the same period of FY25, driven by an improved intake margin, Sosandar said in a press release.
Sosandar plc has posted a 10 per cent rise in Q3 FY26 revenue to £13.4 million (~$18.09 million), driven by a 27 per cent surge in own-site sales and improved margins.
Gross margin rose to 66 per cent, while net cash reached £9.7 million (~$13.10 million).
Trading remained in line with expectations, with full-year revenue forecast at £43.6 million (~$58.86 million).
The company said its partnership with Marks & Spencer (M&S) continues to trade with stock levels below the prior year following a cyber incident, with stock levels expected to normalise by Spring 2026. Performance through physical stores was also encouraging, with sales ahead of the prior year.
The group ended the period with strong net cash of £9.7 million (~$13.1 million) as of January 9, 2026, compared with £9.5 million on November 22, 2025, after returning £0.8 million to shareholders through market purchases of the company’s shares.
Q3 performance was in line with management expectations and remains on track to meet market expectations for the full fiscal. The current market forecasts for full fiscal ending March 31, 2026, are revenues of £43.6 million (~$58.86 million) and profit before tax of £0.4 million.
Strong H1 momentum carried into the second half (H2), lifting Q3 revenue by 10 per cent YoY to £13.4 million from £12.2 million. This was driven mainly by Sosandar’s own site, the cornerstone of its brand, where revenue surged 27 per cent on the back of higher traffic, stronger conversion and rising order volumes.
“We are pleased to see the positive momentum has continued into the second half of the financial year, with continued revenue growth and improved margins. The foundations have been laid for sustained profitable and cash-generative growth and we are excited for what 2026 will bring,” said Ali Hall and Julie Lavington, joint-CEOs of Sosandar plc.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Published
January 18, 2026
The successor to C&A at 126, rue de Rivoli has finally been revealed. After more than two years of work to rehabilitate the historic building, which for many years housed the flagship of the Dutch fashion chain, Redevco announced on January 16 that another international fashion player will open its French flagship within the BPM project by late 2026.
With a planned footprint of 2,700 square metres, Muji shows that Uniqlo is not the only ambitious Japanese brand in France and Europe. The Japanese advocate of the “no brand” concept (Mujirushi Ryohin) has set its sights on one of the capital’s busiest thoroughfares. The store will be among the largest in Europe, eclipsing the already generous format at Forum des Halles.
It marks a milestone for Muji, whose Paris story began in 1998, when the brand quietly took its first steps on Rue Saint‑Sulpice, attracting a Left Bank clientele of insiders. In nearly thirty years, the brand has spread to the Marais, Saint‑Lazare and Bastille, with six stores. But the forthcoming Rivoli location, with its XXL format over three levels, signals a shift in approach on a thoroughfare that sees nearly 15 million visitors a year.
Muji to expand its range in Europe
“The future store will offer 2,500 square metres of sales space across three levels (basement, ground floor and first floor). For the brand, it’s a genuine relaunch in Paris and then in London, before rolling this proposition out across Europe,” Uriel Karsenti, the brand’s Europe director, told FashionNetwork.com.
“Our strategy is to align Muji’s image at a global level. The aim is to expand the sales area to present a much more comprehensive range.”
Today, Muji offers barely half the range available in its stores in Japan. In its new flagship, the brand will be able to present around 85% of the Japanese range, including the childrenswear collection, as well as skincare, and a much stronger selection of accessories, homeware and electronics.
“This will be our largest store in Europe, after our Finnish location, which is unique in having a restaurant. We are currently looking for a site in London, in the Oxford Street area, where we already have a store,” explained the executive, who hopes for a major opening in the English capital in 2027.
“The flagship is important for the group’s management, as it is a showcase project that will test Muji’s potential for international expansion, a significant growth driver for the Japanese leadership.”
The store, whose concept has been entrusted to Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects (At‑ta), is due to open in October in a building completely refurbished by the owner.
The location is significant, and C&A attracted generations of customers here before closing in 2023. The owner, Redevco, has initiated a complete overhaul of the building to breathe new life into the 13,000 square metre complex. Dubbed “BPM” (for “Beats Per Minute”), the project, entrusted to architect Franklin Azzi, goes beyond a simple façade renovation. The future Muji flagship will be spread over three levels, but it will not be the only new feature: the building will also house a 57‑room Radisson Collection hotel, upmarket offices (the LVMH group is reportedly in the running for part of the space) and, more surprisingly, an urban logistics hub in the basement. Redevco says it was also keen to preserve the soul of the site by maintaining a listed 13th‑century crypt and opening a landscaped rooftop accessible to the public, offering a bird’s‑eye view over the rooftops of Paris.
With another fashion brand yet to be unveiled, Muji—whose parent company, Ryohin Keikaku, closed its 2024‑25 financial year at the end of August with global sales of 785 billion yen (around €4.3 billion) from some 1,450 stores worldwide—is bringing its full hybrid fashion‑and‑home concept to a Parisian thoroughfare that is reinventing itself.
Muji’s management, for whom the North American and European markets account for 5% of activity, intends to build on its positive momentum, having reported double‑digit growth in Europe in the first quarter of 2025‑26, supported by around 30 stores across nine markets.
The expanded range will also be progressively rolled out on its website next season. This is a major development and could prompt Muji to review its current French network, comprising five stores in Paris and one in Lyon. Following the opening of its flagship, Muji may look for new, larger spaces in the years to come.
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