Fashion
Gerald Ratner ‘wants to buy back’ loss-making UK arm of Signet – report
Published
December 16, 2025
Businessman Gerald Ratner has launched a surprise bid to buy the UK arm of the jewellery empire he famously trashed more than three decades ago after calling some products of his signature brand Ratners ‘total crap’.
The businessman is seeking to acquire the British H Samuel and Ernest Jones chains from US-listed Signet Jewellers and install himself as chairman after he lost control of the businesses in the early 1990s, reported The Daily Telegraph.
Ratner has appealed to shareholders of the company as part of a bid to purchase the loss-making UK arm, which he said he has been “pursuing since the summer”.
The brands were once part of Ratners Group, the firm that he was forced to exit after he jokingly declared a few of its cheaper products were “total crap” in a speech at the Institute of Directors 30 years ago.
Ratner also remarked that some of the firm’s earrings were “cheaper than a prawn sandwich at Marks & Spencer – but I have to say, the sandwich will probably last longer than the earrings”.
The ensuing negative reaction from consumers and the wider business community gave rise to the phrase ‘to do a Ratner’ or destroy a valid business.
Ratner said he was attempting to acquire the UK division of Signet – which was formerly Ratners Group before it was rebranded – because he claimed its American owners were “doing everything wrong”.
The newspaper said that to launch his bid, Ratner has been in touch with Signet’s CEO. He’s understood to be backed by a consortium of primarily-British investors and has said they have the funds lined up.
He’s now launching an appeal directly to the company’s shareholders, who Ratner hopes should question why the US owners do not sell the loss-making division.
He told The Telegraph: “The reason we’re putting pressure on the shareholders is simply because of the fact that they’re doing so badly in the UK, they’re closing shops all the time and last year they sold their best shops.
“So we took the view that they’re not really interested in the UK. We approached them thinking that it’s in the interests of shareholders to just get rid of it.”
Signet is worth more than $3.7 billion (£2.8 billion) with a successful US operation but a loss-making UK division.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
By
Reuters
Published
December 17, 2025
LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault said he was hoping he would be able to make another ten years when asked about his succession plans for the world’s biggest luxury group.
“Talk to me again in 10 years, I can give you a more precise answer,” Arnault, 76, told broadcaster CNBC in an interview, referring to his latest mandate extension, approved by shareholders earlier this year.
“I hope … that I will make these 10 years,” he said.
Commenting on the role of his five children at the family-controlled luxury giant, Arnault gave little insight on who could take over the helm.
“For getting responsibility, they have to merit the responsibility and to prove they can do it,” Arnault said.
© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.
Fashion
Nextil strengthens its US presence with the acquisition of a 51% stake in medical textile specialist Isavela
By
Europa Press
Published
December 17, 2025
Nextil has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the shareholders of Texas-based US company Isavela, with a view to acquiring a 51% majority stake in the company.
As reported by the company in a statement to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) on Wednesday, Isavela specialises in the design, manufacture, and marketing of compression and post-operative garments for the medical sector, operating in the high value-added “medical garments” segment.
Specifically, the company develops textile solutions that require premium elastic fabrics, high-quality standards, traceability and regulatory compliance, as well as close collaboration with hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals, mainly in the US.
At present, Isavela generates recurring revenues of more than 10 million dollars (8.6 million euros), with EBITDA of over 3 million dollars (2.6 million euros), reflecting a specialised, profitable business model with high recurrence.
Thus, the potential integration of Isavela would enable Nextil to complete the value chain in the medical segment, from fabric development through to the finished garment, drawing on its international industrial platform and its expertise in management, innovation and sustainability.
Following the transaction, Isavela will continue to operate independently under the leadership of its current executive team, maintaining its identity, culture, and specialisation, while benefiting from Nextil’s industrial, technological, and commercial support to accelerate its expansion in the United States and other international markets.
The agreement provides for a flexible payment structure, combining an initial cash payment and a deferred component, which may be settled in cash or in Nextil shares, at Nextil’s discretion. The MoU also includes a future option to acquire 100% of Isavela, within a timeframe agreed by the parties, with the aim of supporting the project’s growth and maximising joint value creation in the medium and long term.
Likewise, the agreement establishes a joint work period to carry out due diligence, draw up the business plan and negotiate the final agreements.
“Isavela is a company with an excellent position in the medical and post-operative sector, an exceptional team and a solid business model,” said Nextil Group, stressing that this agreement enables it to advance in a strategic segment, integrate the entire value chain and strengthen its presence in the US with a long-term vision, as it has “great ideas for product, market and design development.”
Furthermore, the company highlighted that this agreement forms part of Nextil’s strategic plan, which continues to actively analyse new opportunities for inorganic growth, especially in high value-added segments with strong potential for international expansion.
Lastly, the company stated that it will promptly inform the market of any relevant developments relating to this transaction and to the rest of the group’s strategic initiatives.
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Published
December 17, 2025
Two months after unveiling his debut women’s collection for Dior with a horror movie, Jonathan Anderson has continued his reimagining of the house by rewiring multiple codes for its pre-fall 2026 collection.
Terming it “a wardrobe suited for many characters and occasions,” the Fall 2026 collection unveiled Wednesday certainly widens Dior’s range, even as it plays around with Dior classics.
Hence the Bar jacket is cropped or soft, and even enlarged into a coat. While pants are cut large, slouchy, and flopping around the feet; finished in multiple reverse pleats and made in silk denim.
Denim, lovingly worn and distressed, is the material used for elongated floor length skirts made with classic jean pockets. Paired with speckled charcoal cardigans, they will surely ignite a major trend.
Once again, the Northern Irish designer favours big bold bows, seen in silk chemises with cuffs extending well beyond the fingertips.
“The power of fashion to rewire the everyday is affirmed, at once softly and boldly,” insists Dior in its release.
Unveiled in a photo shoot beneath Paris’ Pont Neuf, the collection will hit retail shelves in April 2026.
Anderson’s experiments in draping continue at pace. Rouching, looping, and adding huge side bows to buttinette moiré dresses or satin gowns. One dress in seaweed green is an updated version of the look Mia Goth wore to the Governor’s Ball in Los Angeles recently. It can now be seen at La Galerie Dior, the brand’s in-house museum beside its Avenue Montaigne flagship. Placed beside diaphanous looks for Dior designed by Jonathan and worn by the likes of Catherine O’Hara and Jisoo.
The new Dior couturier certainly does not lack courage and chutzpah when it comes to draping, even if his experiments at the French house still feel like a work in progress.
In fact, what often works best pre-fall are the simplest pieces: from the rather divine flared skirt and tank combined with a matte green silk blouse to the black silk culottes paired with an ecru blouse, finished with a looped neckline from which hangs a golden tassel pendant. The epitome of contemporary chic and cool.
In terms of accessories, pre-fall appeared packed with winners, from the Dior Cigale in pale gold crocodile to Dior Crunchy in blue fabric. Open toe pumps, loafers, or mules often featuring complimentary C and D buckles on each side, all had poise and pizzazz. Clever must-haves for sure.
Everything in pre-fall was designed to “allow a number of attitudes, prolonging the idea of dressing to become a character of one’s own design,” the house concluded. How true.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
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