LONDON, United Kingdom — The global fashion business is animated by the ideas, emotions and actions of a core community of influential insiders. Since 2013, The Business of Fashion has been hand-curating a list of these select influencers, resulting in the annual BoF 500. Each year, we blend our own on-the-ground intelligence with hundreds of nominations from current and former BoF 500 members, unearthing interesting new names from across the world.
This year, the BoF 500 is more diverse than ever before, with 113 new members representing every exciting facet of this trillion-dollar industry. They join a host of established names, from designers, executives and retailers to media professionals, technology entrepreneurs, models and muses. Together, these are the people shaping the global fashion industry in 2016. Here are the 11 newly inducted retailers.
Alberto Baldan — Chief Executive, La Rinascente, Florence
Under his leadership, department store La Rinascente has become a leader in Italian luxury retail.
Alex Eagle — Founder, The Store, London
The creative director fuses elements of the gallery, home and store to create new retail and co-working spaces.
Alexander Zielcke — Founder & Chief Executive, Le Collezioni, Executive S.A.S., Bogota
Having catered to Colombia’s international designer fashion market for 20 years with his multi-brand boutique, he now operates concessions for the likes of Valentino, Corneliani and Etro.
Hiroyuki Sasaki — Founder & President, Tomorrowland, Tokyo
The designer and businessman has been at the helm of the iconic Japanese fashion brand for more than 30 years.
Liu Xiuyun — General Manager, TMall Apparel, Beijing
The fashion gatekeeper of China’s biggest B2C online platform has brought brands like Burberry and Zara into the country’s e-commerce market.
Olga Karput — Founder, KM 20, Moscow
Her Moscow concept store was the first in Russia to stock brands including J.W. Anderson, Lemaire and Yeezy.
Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch — Founder & Chief Executive, Aksal Group, Marrakesh
As one of Morocco's wealthiest entrepreneurs, her retail network includes a 50 percent stake in one of Africa's largest shopping centres.
Stavros Karelis — Founder & Buying Director, Machine-A, London
His concept store was one of the first to showcase emerging designers alongside established brands on the shop floor.
Tina Tahiliani Parikh — Executive Director, Ensemble, Mumbai
The ex-financial analyst has recalibrated her family business, which is regarded as a key retailer for the most important Indian designers.
Vanessa Traina — Executive Creative Director, The Line, New York
The consultant, stylist and creative director oversees the product lineup at luxury lifestyle store The Line.
Xiao Ai — Founder, Dressing For Fun, Chengdu
The Chinese boutique owner was a pioneer in bringing avant-garde fashion to her home city of Chengdu.
A collectable directory of the people shaping the global fashion industry in 2016 is included in the fourth annual BoF 500 special print edition. Click here to order your copy.
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