Fashion
US brand Ralph Lauren partners with TÓPA to honour Indigenous craft
Wife-and-husband Jocy and Trae Little Sky are the founders of TÓPA, award-winning performers, designers and proud members of the Oceti Sakowin. Jocy is Dakota and from the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nations and Trae is Oglala Lakota and Stoney Nakoda. As a family, the Little Skys embrace traditional arts by meticulously hand-crafting regalia worn during Pow Wows, using time-honored techniques such as quilling, beading and leatherwork, which serve as a living expression of their heritage.
Ralph Lauren has launched the Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection, created with Indigenous-led brand TÓPA founded by Jocy and Trae Little Sky.
Blending Native craftsmanship with Polo’s heritage style, the collaboration reflects cultural storytelling and traditional artistry.
A share of proceeds will support Thunder Valley CDC’s Lakota Language and Education Initiative.
Ralph Lauren’s Artist in Residence program is an ongoing initiative that invites artisans who sustain heritage craft to collaborate with its design teams in a mutually beneficial creative partnership. This program is part of the Company’s larger efforts, known as Design with Intent, to expand its portrayal of America and to evolve from inspiration to collaboration with communities that have historically inspired Ralph Lauren’s designs. TÓPA is the Company’s fourth Artist in Residence collaboration, following the program’s debut with the Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collection in 2023, the Double RL x Zefren-M capsule in 2024 and the Fall 2025 Ralph Lauren Home collection featuring designs by Naiomi and Tyler Glasses.
“We’ve long admired Ralph Lauren and how the brand brings worlds to life through its designs and storytelling,” said Jocy Little Sky, co-founder of TÓPA. “This collaboration with Polo Ralph Lauren honors our community, culture and way of life, and we hope it inspires people to be proud of who they are, where they come from and to follow their dreams.”
The vast and rugged landscapes of the American West — and its enduring artistry and spirit of home — have long been a source of inspiration for Ralph Lauren. This season, that landscape serves as the backdrop for the brand’s holiday campaign, a celebration of family, togetherness and community that is also reflected in the timeless pieces created in collaboration with TÓPA.
The Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection celebrates the beauty of enduring craftsmanship, merging modern silhouettes with Native design motifs in an assortment of men’s, women’s and accessories products. In the languages of the Oceti Sakowin, “TÓPA” means “four,” a significant number that symbolizes the four directions, four seasons, four stages of life and the four meaningful colors of red, black, yellow and white, weaving profound cultural meaning throughout the collection’s designs.
The story of this partnership is brought to life through a short film that shares Jocy and Trae’s artistry, family life and cultural celebrations that influenced the designs of Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA, filmed on the ancestral lands of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nations that are located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
A percentage of the purchase price of each item of the Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection will be donated to Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC), specifically supporting its Lakota Language and Education Initiative. The Little Skys honor their heritage by learning their ancestral language, and through this collaboration, Ralph Lauren is proud to support Thunder Valley CDC in its dedicated efforts to preserve Lakota culture and traditions by empowering its community through programs such as Lakota language immersion, traditional arts and storytelling.
The Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection will be available to consumers in North America on November 18, 2025 on RalphLauren.com, in the Ralph Lauren app and at select Ralph Lauren stores; and globally on November 20 on RalphLauren.com and at select Ralph Lauren stores. It will also be sold on 4Topa4.com, at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street in New York and Century City in Los Angeles and on Bloomingdales.com.
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)
Directed by AJ Duan and photographed by Anton Gottlob in the streets of Shanghai, the hero film captures the poetry of movement in the city’s rush hour – a dance of anticipation as the four characters race towards a reunion. Amid the hum of the streets, fleeting moments of humour, warmth and surprise are revealed like hidden treasures.
Burberry marks the Year of the Horse 2026 with a capsule collection and Shanghai-set campaign starring Chen Kun, Tang Wei, Wu Lei and Zhang Jingyi.
The line reimagines the iconic Knight motif in painterly techniques, anchored in lucky red tones.
Store windows across China and Asia Pacific feature hand-painted designs created with de Gournay and artist Liao Wenjun.
The capsule collection
At the heart of the capsule collection – titled Burberry Year of the Horse Collection – is our house code, the Knight, playfully reinterpreted as a watercolour and ink sketch, brought to life through intricate techniques such as vibrant metallic embroidery, cross-stitch and appliquéd badges.
The horse is a significant motif for Burberry. The original Knight was the winning entry of a public public competition to design a logo for the house, circa 1901. Imbued with symbolism, it represents protection, innovation and Burberry’s forward-looking spirit.
The collection is grounded in red, a symbol of luck and prosperity in Chinese culture, with scarves and daywear in an exclusive new red Burberry Check.
Outerwear pieces include the Berryhill car coat and Floriston quilted jacket in iridescent nylon, while the gifting offering is expanded through soft accessories, bags and small leather goods detailed with the seasonal Knight.
Window and store display
Burberry has partnered with esteemed British hand painted wallpaper brand de Gournay on window designs throughout stores in China and Asia Pacific. The collaboration celebrates the craft and texture of Xuan paper – the traditional Chinese paper used for calligraphy and painting. Both surface and subject, the paper becomes a canvas for painterly expression and a reflection of artistry and heritage, by Chinese artist Liao Wenjun.
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)
By
Reuters
Published
January 15, 2026
India expects talks on a long-sought trade deal with the European Union to conclude this month, Trade Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Thursday, in what would be New Delhi’s largest agreement as it seeks new markets amid US tariff pressures.
The deal, under discussion for years, is seen as a chance for both sides to deepen economic ties and cut reliance on China and Russia. Bilateral trade between India and the EU totalled 120 billion euros ($140 billion) in 2024, making the bloc India’s biggest trading partner. Agrawal said the two sides were “very close” to finalising the pact and were exploring whether it could be wrapped up before leaders meet in New Delhi this month.
He said talks on a US trade pact were continuing and a deal would be reached when both sides were ready. Negotiations collapsed last year after a breakdown in communication between the two governments.
The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will visit India on January 25–27 and co-chair an India–EU summit on January 27, India’s foreign ministry said. If concluded, the deal would open India’s vast and heavily protected consumer market of more than 1.4 billion people to European goods and could reshape global trade flows as protectionism rises and a US-India pact remains stalled.
Both sides have been pushing to close a broad agreement after von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to fast-track negotiations in an effort to close a deal in 2025. Talks, relaunched in 2022, gained momentum after US President Donald Trump imposed tariff hikes on trading partners including India.
Brussels has recently signed deals with Mexico and Indonesia and stepped up talks with India, while New Delhi has reached agreements with Britain, Oman and New Zealand.
Some sensitive agricultural items have been excluded from negotiations, an Indian trade ministry official said. India will not open its agriculture or dairy sectors in any trade pact, officials have said, citing the need to protect millions of subsistence farmers.
The EU is pushing for steep tariff cuts on cars, medical devices, wine, spirits, and meat, along with stronger intellectual property rules. India is seeking duty-free access for labour-intensive goods and quicker recognition of its autos and electronics sectors.
Beyond goods, the agreement is expected to expand services trade, investment and cooperation in digital trade, intellectual property, and green technologies, as well as spur European investment in Indian manufacturing, renewable energy ,and infrastructure. Challenges remain over regulatory alignment and the protection of sensitive sectors. The EU’s carbon border levy, which requires importers to account for emissions in steel, cement and other carbon‑intensive products, has started to hit some Indian exports and is a key concern for New Delhi, exporters said.
© Thomson Reuters 2026 All rights reserved.
Louis Vuitton posted modest growth of 2 per cent, taking its brand value to $32.9 billion, though its ranking slipped to third among the world’s most valuable brands. Hermes held on to fourth place, underpinned by its disciplined scarcity approach, craftsmanship-driven positioning, and steady demand across leather goods, apparel, and accessories.
Chanel emerged as the fastest-growing luxury fashion brand in 2025, with brand value surging 45 per cent to $37.9 billion, ranking second globally, as per a recent report.
Apparel-led brands dominated nearly 69.7 per cent of total value.
Louis Vuitton slipped to third despite growth, while Dior was named the strongest brand.
France remained the global luxury hub, followed by Italy and Germany.
Apparel-focused luxury brands dominated the rankings, accounting for nearly 69.7 per cent of total brand value, underscoring fashion’s pivotal role in shaping the global luxury landscape.
Dior strengthened its standing as one of the sector’s most influential fashion houses, with brand value rising 18 per cent to $17.3 billion. Beyond value growth, Dior was named the strongest luxury and premium brand globally, achieving a Brand Strength Index score of 93.5 out of 100. Brand Finance highlighted Dior’s exceptional reputation scores, including a perfect score in the US, alongside strong consideration and recommendation metrics in Europe and North America.
Gucci, despite a 24 per cent decline in brand value to $11.4 billion and a drop to ninth place, remained firmly within the global top 10. Brand Finance noted that while the brand faces a period of transition, its scale, heritage, and global recognition continue to anchor its long-term relevance in luxury fashion.
Geographically, France remained the epicentre of luxury fashion, accounting for 48.7 per cent of total luxury and premium brand value, followed by Italy at 18.4 per cent and Germany at 13 per cent, added the report.
Five of the top 50 brands have earned an esteemed AAA+ brand strength rating—the highest rating awarded by Brand Finance.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
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