fashion – Today Today News

December 19, 2019December 20, 2019

Phil Oh’s Best Street Style Photos From London Fashion Week

We always look forward to the street style in London, which tends to reflect the experimental, adventurous stuff we see on the runways. People are designer-loyal, too: You’ll see girls lining Simone Rocha’s front row in her signature puff-sleeve, flowery, pretty-yet-tough dresses and coats, while Molly Goddard’s crowd is bound to turn up in poufs of rainbow tulle. We have a feeling we’ll see a lot of khaki checks before Riccardo Tisci’s sophomore show for Burberry, too. Phil Oh is on the ground shooting all of the week’s wildest and most colorful looks; scroll through his latest coverage here, and check back for his daily updates.

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December 19, 2019December 20, 2019

Belly fat may reduce mental agility from midlife onward

A study of thousands of middle-aged and older people has linked having more body fat and less muscle mass to changes in mental flexibility with age. The research also suggests that changes to the immune system may play a role.

Researchers from Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames analyzed data on 4,431 males and females with an average age of 64.5 years and no cognitive impairments.

They report their findings in a recent Brain, Behavior, and Immunity paper.

The data came from the U.K. Biobank, which is tracking the health and well-being of 0.5 million volunteers around the United Kingdom. The volunteers were between 40 and 69 years of age when they enrolled during 2006–2010.

The researchers examined the relationship that variations in abdominal subcutaneous fat and lean muscle mass had with changes in fluid intelligence over a 6 year period.

Fluid intelligence refers to reasoning, thinking abstractly, and solving problems in novel situations, regardless of how much knowledge the person has acquired.

The analysis showed that fluid intelligence tended to reduce with age in those participants who carried more abdominal fat.

In contrast, having more muscle mass appeared to protect against this decline. The team also found that the effect of muscle mass was greater than that of having more body fat.

These links remained even after the researchers adjusted the results to remove the effects of potential influencers, such as chronological age, socioeconomic status, and educational level.

Biological, not chronological, age has effect

“Chronological age doesn’t seem to be a factor in fluid intelligence decreasing over time,” says Auriel A. Willette, Ph.D., assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at ISU. “It appears to be biological age, which, here, is the amount of fat and muscle.”

He and his colleagues also investigated the role of the immune system in the links between fluid intelligence, fat, and muscle.

Other studies have found that having a higher body mass index (BMI) is often associated with increased immune activity in the blood. This activity can trigger immune reactions in the brain that disrupt memory and thinking.

Those studies have not been able to pinpoint whether higher fat, muscle mass, or both trigger the immune activity because BMI does not distinguish between them.

When Willette and colleagues looked at what was happening in the immune systems of their U.K. Biobank participants, they found differences between males and females.

In the females, they found that changes in two types of white blood cell — lymphocytes and eosinophils — accounted for all of the link between increased abdominal fat and reduced fluid intelligence.

The explanation for males, however, was very different. For these participants, about half of the link between body fat and fluid intelligence involved basophils, another type of white blood cell.

The importance of resistance training

With advancing middle age, there is a tendency for the body to reduce lean muscle and increase fat.

This trend continues into older age. First study author Brandon S. Klinedinst, a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at ISU, says that it is especially important for people as they approach middle age to continue to exercise to maintain muscle mass.

Resistance training, he suggests, is particularly important for females in their middle years because they have a greater tendency toward reduced muscle mass than males.

The team believes that the findings could pave the way to new treatments that help aging adults maintain mental flexibility, particularly if they have obesity, are not physically active, or experience the loss of lean muscle that usually accompanies aging.

December 19, 2019December 20, 2019

Hilton inks deal to run Saudi high speed railway hotel

Hotel giant to manage the 300-room DoubleTree by Hilton Madina Gate, expected to open in 2022

Hotel giant Hilton has signed a management agreement with the Knowledge Economic City Company to operate and manage the 300-room DoubleTree by Hilton Madina Gate, expected to open in 2022.

Located within the Madinah Gate Development and adjoining the Madinah Haramain Railway Station, the hotel will feature 250 rooms, 50 serviced apartments, two restaurants, including a lobby cafe open to the adjoining train station, meeting space, a fitness centre and gym.

The hotel will sit within the larger Knowledge Economic City (KEC) masterplan, a mixed-use urban centre comprising commercial, residential, recreational, educational and community elements.

Occupying a 6.8sqkm land area, KEC occupies a key strategic location between the Prophet Mosque, Haramain trian station and the Madinah International airport.

Hilton said the connection to the Haramain train station will provide a convenient accommocation option to those using the new high speed rail network between Madinah, King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, Jeddah and Makkah.

Sami Abdulaziz Al-Makhdhoub, CEO of the Knowledge Economic City Company, said: “I am pleased to conclude this agreement with a well known internaional company like Hilton to provide technical, management and operation for our premier hotel leveraging the success of City Gate project through providing the best services for visitors, pilgrims and local community, in the area adjacent to the Haramain train station in Medina.”

Amir Lababedi, Hilton’s managing director for development Middle East and North Africa, added: “This latest addition to our portoflio will see Hilton occupy prime accommodation sites at the Haramain train stations in both Makkah and Madinah, providing Hilton guests with accommodation options at both of these connected national transport centres.”

Hilton, which has operated hotels in the kingdom since 1995, currently has 14 open hotels across the country with 40 hotels in its development pipeline, and expects to quadruple in size in Saudi Arabia in the next five years or so.

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019

Desigual launches 100 percent sustainable collection with Ecoalf

Spanish fashion brand Desigual has unveiled a 100 percent sustainable collection made in collaboration with Ecoalf that has been made from waste and recycled raw materials.

The capsule collection has been designed to “minimise consumption of natural resources” while also being what the brand calls a “story of true love that transforms waste into timeless designs”.

Desigual launches 100 percent sustainable collection with Ecoalf

The wintery line adopts the concept “reuse, reinterpret, rethink, relove” and features timeless designs across outerwear, trainers, bags and accessories, which it adds have been made to “last a lifetime”.

Key styles include short and long padded jackets that are made from 100 percent recycled nylon and are 100 percent Vegan, as they are free from any materials of animal origin. Both brands also add that because they have been made entirely with recycled materials and with reused textile waste, Desigual reduced CO2 emissions by 28 percent and cut the use of natural resources by 27 percent.

Ecoalf x Desigual sustainable collection

While the lightweight trainers have been made from recycled polyester from plastic bottles, and the first 2-in-1 reversible beanie designed exclusively for Desigual by Ecoalf is made from recycled materials, which was produced using 20 percent less water consumption, 50 percent less energy usage and 60 percent less CO2 emissions.

Other accessories in the capsule collection include two backpacks made from recycled nylon, with the black backpack being lightweight and waterproof, and took 20 percent less water to make as well as utilising recycled polyester from bottles and fishing nets.

The move is part of the Desigual’s wider commitment to sustainability, which it states is a “path it will continue to follow in future collections,” with 11 percent of its spring/summer 2020 and 20 percent of its autumn/winter collections being sustainable.

Commenting on the collaboration, Javier Goyeneche, president and founder of Ecoalf, said in a statement: “Reducing environmental impact is everyone’s responsibility. This is why alliances between fashion industry companies are essential to continued progress towards a model that facilitates sustainable fashion manufacturing.

“Joining forces with Desigual in this effort to pair their unique designs and creativity with sustainability and a commitment to the environment is both challenging and satisfying.”

Ecoalf is a pioneering brand in terms of sustainability and innovation, launched 10 years ago with the goal of manufacturing the first generation of fashion items made from recycled materials that would be able to match top non-recycled products in terms of quality, design and technical properties. They have developed more than 300 different fabrics including materials the brand recycles such as plastic bottles recovered from the seafloor, cotton, used tyres, abandoned fishing nets and wool.

By recycling plastic bottles, Ecoalf states that it makes water savings of 20 percent, power savings of 50 percent, reduces air pollution by 60 percent, and saves 27 percent in terms of natural resources.

Desigual isn’t new to sustainable innovations, in 1984 the brand was born through a now-iconic jacket made from scraps of vintage jeans. The denim patchwork jacket became one of the world’s first upcycled garments.

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019

Adidas and Beyoncé to Launch Gender-Neutral Collection

Adidas has eroded Nike’s dominance of the US market in recent years, helped by partnerships with celebrities like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany — Adidas will start selling a new collection designed with singer Beyoncé on January 18 in a relaunch of her Ivy Park brand that includes shoes, clothes and accessories, mostly in maroon, orange and cream.

Adidas described the collection, which features on the cover of January’s Elle magazine, as gender-neutral. It includes jumpsuits, cargo pants, hoodies and cycling shorts, mostly featuring signature Adidas triple-stripes.

The German sportswear brand announced it was teaming up with the singer in April to relaunch the Ivy Park brand Beyoncé started in 2016 together with British fashion chain Topshop. The company did not give financial details.

The partnership comes as Adidas seeks to attract more female customers, an area where it has lagged behind bigger rival Nike and German competitor Puma, which saw its sales boosted by a collaboration with singer Rihanna that ended last year.

Adidas does not expect much of an immediate help to sales from the initial Beyoncé collection, but it will ramp up over time, Chief Executive Kasper Rorsted told analysts in November.

“You’re going to see several launches coming up, but they have no substantial revenue impact and this has been part of the plan all the time. You will see that change throughout next year,” the chief executive said.

Adidas has eroded Nike’s dominance of the US market in recent years, helped by partnerships with celebrities like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, but Nike has been growing faster in China and Europe, a trend that continued in the latest results.

Ivy Park said last year Beyoncé had bought the fitness clothing brand from Topshop.

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019

UK will spend £2.4bn on Christmas clothes that barely get worn – survey

Charity finds one in five won’t re-wear new outfits, despite spending average of £73.90 each

Britons are poised to spend £2.4bn on new outfits for the Christmas party season this year – yet many items may be worn fewer than three times – a survey shows.

After shelling out an average of £73.90 per person on partywear for the festive period, one in five people admit they won’t wear the same outfit to more than one party or event, according to the study from environmental charity Hubbub.

The charity is highlighting the findings as another example of the environmental and financial impact of fast or throwaway fashion, amid growing concerns that the industry is wasting valuable resources and contributing to the climate crisis. With consumers now bombarded with advertising for Christmas partywear, it is urging shoppers to consider second-hand clothing, swapping and even renting outfits rather than only buying brand new.

Sarah Divall, project co-ordinator at Hubbub, said: “Vintage and pre-loved clothing has never been so on trend and it’s only going to get bigger as people realise the massive environmental impact of the fashion industry. Going green doesn’t mean you can’t dress up. There are so many eco-friendly options out there now, including clothes swaps, renting, pre-loved and charity stores, so you can look good and save money without damaging the planet.”

Men are set to spend more than women – £88.14 per person compared with £63.12 – the survey of 3,008 UK adults found. And when it comes to sparkly dresses and sequins, only 24% of respondents said they knew that most contain plastic. Hubbub analysed 169 party dresses from 17 online, high street and designer outlets and found 94% are partially or totally made from plastic or plastic-derived fabrics.

A damning UK parliamentary committee report this year found that the textile industry creates 1.2bn tonnes of CO₂ a year, and is responsible for the consumption of vast quantities of water, while 35% of the microplastics in the ocean come from the synthetic fibres in abandoned clothing.

A glimmer of good news is that the younger generation – 16- to 24-year olds – are adopting greener ways to dress, with higher numbers swapping with friends (36%) and buying from charity shops (30%) than older consumers.

Meanwhile Asos, one of the world’s largest online fashion retailers, will on Monday announce it has signed up to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, an initiative to stop plastics becoming waste or pollution. The retailer, which has 20.3m global customers – including 6.4m in the UK – is stepping up its work to make its plastic mailing bags more eco-friendly. The bags are already 100% recyclable and made from 25% recycled material – rising to 65% in 2020 – but it is taking further action to eliminate “problematic or unnecessary” plastic packaging by 2025.

A British Retail Consortium spokesperson said: “Consumers can be assured that, on average, the clothes they are purchasing have lower environmental impacts. Retailers are making strides to ensure old clothes can be turned into new ones for a more circular economy.”