Adidas Becomes 1500th Apparel Company To Ban Fur - VegNews

Adidas Becomes 1500th Apparel Company To Ban Fur - VegNews
Chipotle Launches New Apparel Line with 'Chipotle Is My Life' Kid - QSR magazine
Pro Athlete uses apparel to tell Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's stories - Kansas City Business Journal - Kansas City Business Journal
US consumer appetite for apparel rose again in January - just-style.com

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 03:07 AM PST

This week, fashion and sports brand Adidas formally announced that it will never use fur—becoming the 1500th apparel company to join the Fur Free Retailer program organized by animal-rights coalition Fur Free Alliance. The Fur Free Retailer program currently operates in more than 25 countries and counts H&M, Prada, Zara, Gucci, and many other companies which have pledged to no longer include fur in their collections. "We are thrilled to welcome Adidas as the 1500th brand to join our Fur Free Retailer program," Brigit Oele, program manager of the Fur Free Alliance, said. "Not only is the commitment to a fur-free policy compassionate, it is also forward-thinking. Today's consumers support fashion brands that care about animals and the environment, and Adidas' move towards sustainable materials makes it a leader in that regard."

Adidas' vegan shoes

In addition to denouncing fur, Adidas has been innovating its collections to include fully vegan shoes. In 2018, Adidas launched a vegan version of its iconic Stan Smith sneaker, in partnership with designer Stella McCartney—and debuted a second version with colorful star patterns and chunky rainbow shoelaces in 2019. In June 2020, the company announced the launch of its "Our Icons Go Vegan" initiative to veganize its most iconic styles and has thus far added two new styles to the vegan collection: Samba ($80) and Continental 80 ($80), both embossed with a "Adidas Original Vegan" logo and made with animal-free materials, down to the glue. The company is also moving toward more sustainable, plant-based materials, including mycelium—the fast-growing root systems of mushrooms—which it is currently using to develop new vegan leather shoes.

"Adidas is driving the topic of sustainability in all areas of its product range as well as across its entire business operations. We have already been exclusively sourcing more sustainable cotton since 2018, will only be using recycled polyester from 2024 and this year will be launching the first running shoe that is made to be remade," Frank Henke, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Adidas, said. "Equally the number of vegan products with three stripes is growing. The permanent renunciation of fur underlines our commitment in searching for and scaling up sustainable material innovations."

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Chipotle Launches New Apparel Line with 'Chipotle Is My Life' Kid - QSR magazine

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 05:59 AM PST

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced it is teaming up with 12-year-old Roy Murray, aka the "Chipotle Is My Life" Kid, for a limited edition apparel drop as part of the Chipotle Goods collection. Roy became an internet sensation in 2014 when he famously exclaimed "OMG, I love Chipotle. Chipotle is My Life!" on camera (https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeNYbrwf/). The collection features bold text and imagery referencing the viral moment.

Fans can explore and purchase the new t-shirt and long sleeve tee here:

https://chipotlegoods.com/collections/chipotle-goods/products/ch-g21u781-ciml?variant=38267330592962

https://chipotlegoods.com/collections/chipotle-goods/products/ch-g21u785-ciml?variant=38267527856322

All profits from Chipotle Goods go toward supporting organizations that are focused on making fashion or farming more sustainable.

The "Chipotle Is My Life" Bowl

Chipotle fans can also try the Chipotle entrée that inspired Roy's famous reaction. Roy's go-to order, The "Chipotle Is My Life" Bowl, is available on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com for a limited time. The new menu item features:

Double white rice, black beans, chicken, tomatillo-red salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, sour cream, and cheese

"The phrase 'Chipotle is My Life' has become synonymous with love for the brand, and we're always looking for ways to tap into our passionate fan base to drive culture," says Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer. "Our new collaboration with Roy pays homage to one of our first viral super fans and celebrates our 20 million Chipotle Rewards members."

In addition to his apparel collection and digital menu item, Roy is the newest recipient of the Chipotle Celebrity Card. The Chipotle Celebrity Card is held by a small, elite group of brand super fans and grants access to free Chipotle.

"Chipotle is My Life" on TikTok

The "omg I love chipotle by roy murray" sound is now available on TikTok, so fans have a chance to create their own version of the iconic video. Chipotle will surprise fans by engaging with their TikTok content that features the new sound.

Chipotle Rewards

Chipotle Rewards is among the fastest growing loyalty programs in the history of the restaurant industry and was recently named to Newsweek's list of America's Best Loyalty Programs for 2021. Rewards members receive instant gratification with a free chips and guac offer after their first purchase as a member and get early access to new menu items. Those who enroll will earn 10 points for every $1 spent in the restaurant, online, or in the app, with 1,250 points resulting in a free entrée. Bonuses, like extra point days, help members earn points more quickly.

News and information presented in this release has not been corroborated by QSR, Food News Media, or Journalistic, Inc.

Pro Athlete uses apparel to tell Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's stories - Kansas City Business Journal - Kansas City Business Journal

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:22 AM PST

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Pro Athlete uses apparel to tell Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's stories - Kansas City Business Journal Kansas City Business Journal

US consumer appetite for apparel rose again in January - just-style.com

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:00 AM PST

Sales at clothing retailers were up 5% on last month

US retail sales grew sharply in January as government stimulus checks provided a boost and momentum from 2020's record holiday season carried over into the new year, with consumer appetite for apparel continuing to grow.

Apparel retailers reported a 5% rise in sales during the month, with the segment maintaining its upward trajectory after a 2.4% increase last month. According to data released by the US Census Bureau, however, sales at clothing stores were down by 11.1% year-over-year.

Overall retail sales during January were up 5.3% seasonally adjusted from December and up 7.4% year-over-year. That compares with a monthly drop of 1% but a yearly gain of 2.5% in December. Despite month-over-month declines in the last quarter of 2020, sales have grown year-over-year every month since June, according to Census data.

National Retail Federation (NRF) chief economist Jack Kleinhenz says there was none of the falloff in spending that is often found post-holiday and the increase was even better than expected.

"There is plenty of purchasing power available for most consumers, and the pickup in shopping has even been reflected in the number of hours worked by retail employees. Confidence is building thanks to the availability of Covid-19 vaccines and states and local governments are beginning to remove restrictions on economic activity. Going forward, I expect consumer spending to build on this momentum."

NRF's calculation of retail sales – which excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants to focus on core retail – showed January was up 5.9% seasonally adjusted from December and up 10.7% unadjusted year-over-year. That compared with a decrease of 2.2% month-over-month and an increase of 7.9% year-over-year in December.

NRF's numbers were up 8.7% unadjusted year-over-year on a three-month moving average.

January's gains build on momentum seen during the November-December holiday season, when retail sales as calculated by NRF grew 8% year-over-year to a record US$787.1bn, even after being revised down from a preliminary estimate of $789.4bn. For the full year, 2020 was up 6.7% over 2019.

January saw month-over-month increases across the board and year-over-year gains in seven out of nine retail categories, led by electronics and appliance stores on a monthly basis and online sales on a yearly basis.

Clothing and clothing accessory stores were up 5% month-over-month seasonally adjusted but down 11.3% unadjusted year-over-year.

Sporting goods stores were up 8% on last month seasonally adjusted and up 22% unadjusted year-over-year.

2021 will not be a bad year for retail

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, notes as far as retail is concerned, the new year started on a high note as the new round of stimulus payments, which started to be delivered at the back end of 2020, continued to reach households in January and helped to boost spending among lower- and middle-income consumers.

"This was a shot in the arm for the retail sector and, by our estimates, pushed up spending growth by almost two percentage points."

He adds despite the overall good numbers, some pockets of the retail economy – such as gasoline stations and foodservice – remain in decline.

In addition, while core retail is strong overall, spending growth is very uneven across categories.

"Apparel stores continue to lose out, with sales down by 11.3%. This number has recovered since the depths of the pandemic, but underlying demand is still weak as large numbers of consumers refrain from buying work and occasion wear. Department stores are also down, but by considerably less than in previous months – largely thanks to a partial recovery in footfall at some malls," he says.

"Non-store sales, which includes online, grew by 22.1%. While this is strong growth, the penetration has come down since the peaks of November and December as the number of shoppers using physical stores continues to build.

"The outlook for the year ahead is complex. From a demand perspective, there is enough firepower in the economy to maintain good growth through the next couple of months. However, stellar growth will rely on more stimulus being passed. Come March the numbers will start to lap unusual prior year comparatives. This means sectors that were down strongly, such as apparel, will start to post strong growth rates. On the flip side, sectors that grew strongly, like grocery, will post weak growth or declines. All in all, however, 2021 will not be a bad year for retail."