🇨🇳 Kering Stakes in Chinese Gold House Borland to Ride China’s Gold-Jewellery Boom. Kering, via its investment arm Kering Ventures, has acquired a minority stake in Chinese jeweller Borland. The move is timed to capitalise on a wave of surging interest among younger Chinese consumers, who increasingly view gold jewellery not only as luxury but as a cultural signifier with long-term value. The investment reflects Kering’s broader China reset under CEO Luca de Meo — from exporting Western luxury to collaborating with local gold houses and heritage labels, signalling a shift in where premium value is being created. (Vogue)
🇨🇳 Borland Raises $14 Million to Fuel China’s Ancient-Gold Revival. The heritage jeweller famed for its filigree-inlay and imperial-era gold craftsmanship, has closed a Series A round exceeding RMB 100 million ($14 million). Led by investor Challenjers with participation from Kering and Shunwei Capital, the funding will be used for branding, omnichannel retail expansion, supply-chain upgrades, and talent hiring. Founded in 1988 and rooted in a family of master goldsmiths, Borland is now poised to capitalise on China’s growing appetite for deeply cultural, high-craft luxury jewellery as younger consumers embrace gold as both identity and investment. (KR Asia)
🇮🇳 Reliance Retail appoints Jeyandran Venugopal president and CEO. In the newly created role at Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), the holding company of all Reliance Industries’ (RIL) retail businesses, Venugopal will work closely with executive director Isha Ambani to strengthen the company’s portfolio and accelerate omni-channel growth, Ambani said in a note to employees. Venugopal was most recently chief product and technology officer at Walmart-owned e-tailer Flipkart. He has also worked in senior roles at Yahoo and Amazon Web Services. (Arnika Thakur for BoF)
🇨🇳 Fashion Asia Hong Kong successfully concluded its latest edition from 5–7 December 2025. Held in the shadow of the tragic Tai Po fire – Hong Kong’s deadliest incident in decades, with at least 159 lives lost – the event was respectfully lowkey. The programme saw the return of its two cornerstone initiatives: the Fashion Challenges Forum and the 10 Asian Designers To Watch showcase. Delivering a series of high-level panel discussions centred on the Asian perspective within the global luxury and fashion landscape, the forum’s topics included brand-building in China with Peggy Hy, CEO Greater China, Audemars Piguet; Thailand’s rise as a retail powerhouse with speakers like Danai Sorakraikitikul, Founder of luxury-import platform Alist and the next chapter of Chinese design, with insights from Lv Xiaolei, Secretary General of the Shanghai Fashion Week Organizing Committee alongside leading designers. Now in its ninth edition, the 10 Asian Designers To Watch exhibition reunited with the Clockenflap Music & Arts Festival at Central Harbourfront. Widely recognised as one of Asia’s most authoritative scouting platforms, the 2025 selection featured Xiang Gao of Penultimate based in Mainland China, Japan’s Tatsuya Tamada from Tamme), and representing Vietnam was Hung La from LỰU ĐẠN. Previous participants who have since achieved international prominence include Robert Wun, Grace Ling, and Satoshi Kuwata of Setchu. (Gemma A. Williams for BoF)
🇮🇳 PC Jeweller to Transform 1,000 Goldsmiths into Entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh. PC Jeweller Ltd has teamed up with Uttar Pradesh’s CM Yuva Udyami Yojana to empower 1,000 PM Vishwakarma-certified goldsmiths in rural and semi-urban regions, helping them transition into jewellery entrepreneurs and organised retail partners. The initiative will offer training in branding, design and modern retail practices, while linking artisans to government schemes and credit programs. This first phase in Uttar Pradesh is part of a broader plan to support over 5,000 artisans nationwide, boosting income stability and fostering grassroots entrepreneurship. (Economic Times)
🇮🇳 Silver Surges 10,000 rupees ($111) Amid Supply Crunch and Rate-Cut Optimism. Silver prices jumped about 10,000 rupees ($111) in a single session, hitting around 1.74 lakh ($0.019) per kilogram, driven by a global supply squeeze, a softer US dollar, and growing expectations of an interest-rate cut by the US Federal Reserve. The rally, which has seen silver’s price double over the past year, outpaced gold’s roughly 60 percent gain. Market analysts say tightening physical supply and attractive macro conditions could support further gains into 2026. (Economic Times)
🇮🇳 India Must Expand Footwear Sector to Boost Exports, Says President Murmu. President Droupadi Murmu called for a strategic expansion of India’s footwear industry to further accelerate export growth, highlighting vast opportunities in sports and non-leather segments. Addressing the Footwear Design and Development Institute convocation, she noted India is already a major global exporter, with FY25 shipments of over $2.5 billion — nearly four times its imports. The commerce ministry is backing investment initiatives to capitalise on rising global demand, create jobs, and strengthen India’s position as a future manufacturing and export powerhouse. (Economic Times)
🇨🇳 Prada Taps Chinese Star Yang Mi as New Brand Ambassador. Prada has named Chinese actress Yang Mi as its latest global brand ambassador, underscoring the luxury house’s continued focus on deepening connections with China’s influential luxury consumers. Yang, known for her prolific screen career and massive social media reach, will front upcoming campaigns. The appointment aligns with broader industry trends of pairing Western luxury houses with regionally resonant cultural icons to bolster brand relevance and drive engagement across Greater China. (WWD)
🇰🇷 South Korea’s Apparel Imports Dip 2.3 percent in Jan–Oct Amid Shifting Demand. South Korea’s apparel imports slid 2.3 percent year-on-year in the first ten months of 2025 as buyers trimmed orders amid moderating consumer demand and elevated promotional pressures. Knitted apparel — driven by basics and athleisure — showed relative resilience, while non-knitted, fashion-led categories saw sharper contractions. The trend reflects a broader shift in sourcing patterns, with production increasingly offshored and growing reliance on key Asian suppliers to meet garment demand. (Fibre2Fashion)