#covid

Nov 4, 2020
4 min

QR Codes and Shielded Santas: How Malls are Updating their Holiday Attractions for the Pandemic Age

Retail has suffered in the last few months, particularly big shopping centers. Malls have seen declining foot traffic, retailers bowing out and an increased consumer preference for e-commerce. While in-store holiday attractions are usually a big draw, this year they may not be enough to convince consumers to risk entering a mall. Westfield’s evp of media sales, Ghadi Hobeika, said that last year’s in-store holiday activations drove a boost in foot traffic. The company hosted

Aug 5, 2020
6 min

The Off-Price War Heats Up

Valentino’s lost spring is a boon for Madaluxe Group. The distributor, which generates the majority of its revenue from passing luxury brands’ unsold products along to off-price retailers like Gilt Groupe and Saks Off Fifth, is having a banner summer. Virtually every brand is scrambling to unload inventory that failed to move during the lockdowns before the summer holiday season. The luxury distributor, in fact, has purchased more inventory so far in 2020 than it did in all o

Aug 5, 2020
4 min

Where People Are Actually Shopping

When Ty Gaskins went shopping in SoHo earlier this month, it was his first time entering a clothing store since the pandemic reached the US in March. He said he felt entirely safe and well taken care of — and that he won’t be doing it again anytime soon. “There’s really no reason to shop right now,” the 23-year-old freelance writer and publicist said. He added that if he hadn’t needed a beach outfit for a last-minute trip to the Hamptons, he wouldn’t have ventured out that da

Jul 28, 2020
2 min

LVMH Profits Fall Worse Than Expected In First Half of 2020

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every single industry worldwide, and the fashion industry has been one of the ones hit particularly hard by the virus. Following massive decreases in sales as well as failure to manufacture new collections, many have reported significant losses, including luxury conglomerate LVMH. Following early signs of a negative Q1 and Q2, LVMH confirm that it experienced a 27% decline in revenue in comparison to the same timeframe in 2019. Despi

Jul 28, 2020
5 min

Rethinking the Stores of the Future

Brands have been moving online to engage consumers, but with stores reopening, retailers will have to reimagine experiential spaces and a way to limit high-touch services. Retail is far from returning to normal, despite government restrictions worldwide easing. Brands are reassessing the purpose of their stores, while vast numbers close and consumer behaviour shifts. The future retail store, once thought likely to be dominated by large-format flagships in key tourist cities w

Jul 28, 2020
5 min

Handbags… A Status Symbol of the Past?

No one needed a bag when we were stuck in lockdown. Will we ever embrace the accessory again? I feel it sometimes, like a phantom limb, banging against my side as I move around the house. I sense it nestled in the crook of my arm as I wander from room to room. It was the one-time receptacle of all I held immediately important: purse, receipts, identification, charger, books, tissues (fresh and used), flask, tampons, a card for that delicious but inexpensive Italian restaurant

Jul 22, 2020
10 min

“Back To School” Fashion in the Age of Online School

What if there is no going back-to-schools this fall? Retailers fret the potential impact on business, apparel sales in particular, and are being challenged like never before to manage their marketing, ordering and inventories in an economic climate of extreme uncertainty. Pressures are mounting in a season where coronavirus cases continue to spike in many states, unemployment remains high and politics are depressingly divisive. Kohl’s marketing promotes “heading back or loggi

Jul 22, 2020
3 min

Frame Introduces Live Video Shopping Series With Bambuser

Since the pandemic, the retail industry has undergone monumental transformations. With technology at the forefront, shopping has looked a little different both in experience and priority and e-commerce has soared. In many ways, the capabilities of video became reignited, from work from home Zoom calls to a series of films that replaced this couture season. Streaming has also risen as a way for businesses to reach consumers, who — while quarantining at home — have had more tim

Jul 16, 2020
2 min

This Prada Look Explains Pandemic Fashion

July 14th’s Prada menswear show, the final “solo” effort from Miuccia Prada before she is joined by co-creative director Raf Simons, was one for the books. The collection included a mix of artful collarless suiting and smartly tailored sweatsuits. Soft knits were presented alongside technical fabrics without much fanfare. There was even some Linea Rossa–labeled sportswear put on display. Like so much classic Prada, the clothes read as unfussy, intelligent, and wildly wearable

Jul 16, 2020
3 min

Top 25 DTC Sites: Smaller Brands Thriving Online

At first blush, the top direct-to-consumer brands in the second quarter appear to have little in common. There’s a maker of high-end sandals and a sustainable paint supply brand as well as a children’s apparel brand famed for its stuffed animals that convert into hoodies. But, according to SimilarWeb’s analysis of the traffic and search data, the top brands succeed by being well aligned with the needs of their customers, offering seasonally appropriate products and tapping in

Jul 15, 2020
8 min

Luxury Brands Found a Solution for Their Inventory Glut. But Will It Backfire?

In early May, while the high streets of major cities in Europe and North America were emptied of customers kept home by lockdowns, one shopping mall in Shanghai had its busiest day since it opened a few years earlier — a record that was beaten the very next day, and again the next day after that. It seems hard to believe in this age of the retail apocalypse, but during China’s nationwide May holiday period from May 1 to 5, Shanghai Village saw sales grow 63 percent compared t

Jul 15, 2020
2 min

London Fashion Week to Go Ahead With Physical Shows in September

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced that London Fashion Week will go ahead with physical shows in September. The official dates for the gender-neutral showcase have been announced as Thursday September 17 to Tuesday September 22. Taking to Instagram to share the news, the BFC outlined that social distancing measures will be in effect for the physical shows, and that there will also be a digital component. “The event will include both digital activations on londonf

Jul 14, 2020
2 min

Gucci Reveals Snapchat AR Shopping Experience

At its yearly Snap Partner Summit held last month, Snapchat unveiled a host of new features including a global shoe try-on creation. The platform is now rolling out its first big-brand partnership utilizing the AR feature with four styles of footwear from Gucci. The luxury label is sponsoring an AR lens that displays virtual versions of its shoes on a Snapchat user’s feet. Gucci created four digital pairs of shoes, including its Gucci Ace, Gucci Rhyton, Gucci Tennis 1977, and

Jul 8, 2020
6 min

Our Cash-Free Future Is Getting Closer

The pandemic is propelling a shift toward a cashless society in ways that no other single event has. Experts say that’s not necessarily a good thing. On a typical Sunday, patrons at Julien Cornu’s cheese shop used to load up on Camembert and chèvre for the week, with about half the customers digging into their pockets for euro notes and coins. But in the era of the coronavirus, cash is no longer à la mode at La Fromagerie, as social distancing requirements and concerns over h

Jul 4, 2020
2 min

The North Face Launches Free Virtual Summer Camp Program

The North Face ‘Summer Base Camp’ is a two-week summer camp program offering a variety of free online experiences taught by the brand’s athlete ambassadors. “Created for curious explorers who love a little mess, Summer Base Camp teaches campers of all ages how to find adventure at home,” The North Face said. “Each week, Summer Base Camp will launch three new educational, hands-on, fun-filled activities for campers and parents to complete at their own pace at home, with activi