MILAN –Twinset on Monday said Gabriele Maggio has joined the Italian fashion brand as its new chief executive officer. The appointment confirmed a WWD scoop on Dec. 2. Maggio succeeds Alessandro Varisco, and follows the sale of Twinset last June to Borletti Group and Quadrivio & Pambianco (manager of the Made in Italy Fund II) from The Carlyle Group. More from WWD Varisco joined Twinset in 2015 from Moschino. “I am thrilled to be joining Twinset at such a crucial moment in its journey,” Maggio said. “Th ...

Core Insights - Designer Brands' affordable luxury positioning is appealing to value-focused consumers, leading to a significant increase in share price by 48% after exceeding profit expectations [1] Financial Performance - Designer Brands reported a 3.2% year-over-year decline in net sales, totaling $752.4 million for the fiscal third quarter ended November 1 [3] - Comparable sales at stores open for at least 14 months decreased by 2.4%, an improvement from a 5% decline in the previous quarter [3] - Gross margin improved to 45.1%, up from 43% in the same quarter last year, driven by effective expense management [6] - Adjusted net income rose by 36% to $19.6 million [6] - Adjusted earnings per share surged by 41% to $0.38, significantly surpassing Wall Street's estimate of $0.18 [7] Future Outlook - Management provided an optimistic full-year profit forecast, expecting adjusted operating income between $50 million and $55 million for fiscal 2025 [7] - Positive business trends have continued into the early part of the fourth quarter, indicating strong momentum and progress in strategic initiatives [8]

Market Trends & Dynamics - The market is in a "marking time" mindset, awaiting further news regarding China trade [1] - Taiwan Semiconductor's (TSMC) results and guidance were impressive, indicating no AI peak [1] - Major indexes opened in the green, led by the NASDAQ Composite up approximately 0.7%, Dow adding 120 points, and S&P up roughly 0.3% [1] - Optimism surrounds the AI trade, with Nvidia up 1%, Broadcom nearly 2%, and Micron 3.5% [1] - The government shutdown has led to a lack of clarity in government data, with the inflation report due next Friday [1] - Investors are focused on trade relations with China, taking cues from President Trump and Treasury Secretary Besson [1] Economic Outlook - There are signs of a slowing US economy, particularly in the labor market, but strong growth is still observed, with the Atlanta Fed GDP now estimating 3.8% [1] - The US economy appears to be supported by AI capex and high-income consumer spending, while lower-income consumers struggle [1] - The Fed Beige Book indicates a mixed consumer story, with higher-income households splurging on luxury travel, while lower-middle-income families seek discounts [2] - Layoff mentions have jumped to their highest level in a year, while wage pressures remain modest [2] Company Performance & Strategies - Bank earnings have been strong, with Morgan Stanley having a "hell of a quarter" [1] - Starbucks aims to provide an "affordable luxury" experience, focusing on craft, quality, and experience [1] - Analysts are not yet convinced that Starbucks' turnaround efforts will reverse the sales slump in the US, expecting a 0.3% decline in same-store sales growth [2] - DocuSign is launching a series of contract agents and seeing strong growth from its AI-powered intelligent incident management suite, expecting it to be a low double-digit percentage of its entire book of business by Q4 [7][10] - Salesforce's growth expectations hinge on its ability to monetize GenAI and Agentic AI, which some analysts are skeptical of [22] AI & Technology - AI capex is seen as a critical factor holding up the US economy [2] - The AI trade has two components: companies benefiting from the capex infrastructure buildout and those benefiting or being disrupted by the application of the technology itself [3] - There is debate about whether the market is in an AI bubble, with some strategists believing it is priced to perfection [3] - Open AI is a key partner for DocuSign, with much of DocuSign's AI built on Open AI's models [11]