#fashionbusiness

Feb 25, 2021
1 min

Supporting Black Creatives: New Cultural Collaborators & Content Hubs

In fashion’s expanded and more diverse new reality, brands have more options when it comes to choosing cultural collaborators and should approach collabs with an open mind, recognizing the value of once-outsiders like rappers, graffiti artists, athletes, and beyond to influence a new generation of consumers. It’s important that brands give their BIPOC collaborators the space and resources to truly make a difference, making long-term investments in communities and upcoming cre

Feb 22, 2021
1 min

Supporting Black Creatives: Grassroots Creator Culture

A movement towards handmade, one-of-a-kind, or custom clothes and accessories taps into how much Gen Z values uniqueness, sustainability, and being the first to discover something new online. What’s more, as talented non-white designers continue to shake up the homogeneity of the fashion industry, social media and peer-to-peer selling platforms like Depop give extra power to the small, independent designer. This has created a new path forward for young designers to follow, sk

Feb 18, 2021
1 min

Supporting Black Creatives: Changing of the Guard

Edward Enninful taking the reins at Vogue UK; Kanye West installed as creative director for an archetypically “white” brand like the Gap; TikTok driving trends unlike the runway ever has: it’s clear that fashion’s gatekeepers are changing, no longer the old guard of white, privileged perspectives that have dominated for so long. A new generation of creatives and consumers are dedicated to changing the system itself, breaking down old standards and building new power structure

Feb 17, 2021
5 min

US apparel group HanesBrands set to disengage from European markets

On Feb. 9, US apparel group HanesBrands, owner of labels like Champion, Playtex and Dim, announced it intends to reconsider its activity in Europe, a strategic decision aimed at “optimising the business.” Despite recording a 4.3% revenue slump in 2020, down to $6.64 billion, the North Carolina-based group still remains an interesting player. Indeed, the labels owned by HanesBrands were generally resilient last year, their business boosted by demand for athleisure apparel and

Feb 16, 2021
3 min

PH5 appoints virtual executive alongside FW21 collection debut

As this fall’s New York Fashion Week continues on a digital schedule, New York-based high tech knitwear brand PH5 unveiled its fall/winter 2021 collection on Monday—and revealed that it has added a digital being to its leadership team. The brand, established in 2014, founded by Wei Lin and designed by Parsons-trained designer Zoe Champion, announced in a press release that it has named ‘AMA,’ a CGI being that uses she/her pronouns, as its new chief decision scientist. In the

Feb 15, 2021
2 min

Rebecca Minkoff Launches OnlyFans Account for NYFW

“OnlyFans is becoming more popular, and given the state of the world, we are all seeking out different ways to connect,” – Rebecca Minkoff As new apparel trends emerge at New York Fashion Week this weekend, some designers are still trying to make phygital formats happen too. Designer Rebecca Minkoff’s approach? Launching her brand’s official OnlyFans account today to coincide with showing her latest collection. On OnlyFans, users can subscribe to exclusive content from vario

Feb 15, 2021
1 min

Supporting Black Creatives: Purpose & People

It wasn’t just the political players who elevated the voice of Black creatives; in 22 year-old poet Amanda Gorman took the word by storm with her poetry and her Prada. Gorman’s popularity and alignment with the Italian luxury brand signaled a shift towards a new kind of influencer: one who takes a stand and one who values purpose and people. Virgil Abloh and Louis Vuitton also tapped a poet, Kai-Isiah Jamal, to read for the FW21 men’s show. Image courtesy of: @kai_isaiah_jam

Feb 14, 2021
1 min

Nordstrom Launches Collaborative ‘Black_Space’ Shop Curated by Five Black Creatives

As Nordstrom’s Sam Lobban explained, the aim of the collaborative project is to “celebrate Black fashion and creativity” with those who are helping to shape it. Full Story at Complex Style… Check us out on IG Merchandising and Design Experts (MADE) specializes in trend forecasting and market positioning foresight for the fashion and retail market. Delivering researched and highly relevant insight on market conditions, emergent opportunities, and key products. MADE bespoke re

Feb 14, 2021
2 min

Savage x Fenty Releases Valentine’s Day Campaign Featuring Lulu Bonfils, Alek Wek, Miguel and

And of course Rihanna makes an appearance. It may be a topsy-turvy year, but Rihanna‘s still Rihanna — and she’s not putting her many business endeavors on pause. Savage x Fenty is back with a Valentine’s Day collection featuring pieces for both men and women, shoppable today on the brand’s website. The campaign, shot by photographer Dennis Leupold, features Miguel, Nazanin Mandi, Alek Wek, Chinqpink, Lulu Bonfils and of course Rihanna. The spreads consist of a magazine-colla

Feb 13, 2021
1 min

Douyin Draws Over 70 Billion Digital Interactions While Ringing in the Year of the Ox

TikTok’s Chinese sister app, which signed on to be the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala’s top sponsor, poured 1.2 billion yuan ($185 million) into digital red packet giveaways during the celebratory broadcast. The giveaway brought over 70 billion digital interactions to its platform, where red packets were claimed, Chinese media outlet The Paper reported. For years, digital red packets sponsored by tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent have upped engagement for the Spring Fest

Feb 12, 2021
4 min

How Fashion Is Celebrating Year of the Ox

2021’s Lunar New Year will commence on February 12th, marking the start of the Year of the Ox. Chinese urban myth says that those born in their given zodiac year must wear red to ward off bad luck every single day of the New Lunar Year, believing they will encounter more troubles than usual in their zodiac year of birth. While red underwear is the default way to wear red, fashion brands have launched a slew of capsules consisting of red apparel and accessories dedicated to th

Feb 11, 2021
2 min

Happy New Lunar Year 2021 of the Ox!

The Year of the Ox becomes an even more important shopping holiday in an increasingly globalized, intrapandemic world. From February 12 through the 26, the new year is celebrated by millions of consumers in China and all over the world as a time of cleansing, gift-giving, and good luck. This year, as New York Fashion Week continues to diminish in importance and China’s economic recovery surges ahead of the west post-covid, brands are prioritizing the APAC consumer. According

Feb 9, 2021
1 min

$76,000 Birkinstocks Made From Actual Birkin Bags?

Warning: Neither Hermès nor Birkenstock has approved this product. On the second Monday in February, the Banksys of consumer culture struck again. Full Story at New York Times Fashion and Style… Check us out on IG Merchandising and Design Experts (MADE) specializes in trend forecasting and market positioning foresight for the fashion and retail market. Delivering researched and highly relevant insight on market conditions, emergent opportunities, and key products. MADE bespo

Feb 9, 2021
4 min

CFDA unveils New York Fashion Week calendar with 84 brands – some of them to show in Paris

The CFDA has unveiled its calendar for this month’s New York Fashion Week, with a grand total of 84 brands listed, albeit some of them expected to show as far away as France. Due to the pandemic, the main season will take place over just four days – from Feb. 14 to 17, with 72 brands. Though the CFDA, or Council of Fashion Designers of America, also lists a further 12 brands – including such notables as Gabriela Hearst, Carolina Herrera, Thom Browne and Coach – with digital p

Feb 8, 2021
1 min

Supporting Black Creatives: the Power of Politics

2021 has already provided the fashion industry with the hope of new beginnings; among them Kamala Harris, America’s first female, first Black and first Asian-American Vice President. The Biden-Harris inauguration was not just an important day for politics, but a timely reminder of the symbolic power fashion holds, and the power of political figures to help establish new designers. Kamala Harris in Christopher John Rogers. Image courtesy of AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Harris

Feb 6, 2021
7 min

DTC vs Wholesale: Striking the Right Balance

How and where should brands sell in 2021? New best practices are emerging. Supreme made it look easy. From a single store in downtown Manhattan, the streetwear label built a global empire, generating more than $500 million in sales last year almost exclusively through its own stores and website. In December, the brand was acquired by VF Corp. for $2.1 billion. Most brands are not Supreme, or even Reformation or Warby Parker, which have built substantial businesses selling dir

Feb 4, 2021
2 min

The New Influencer Capital of America

The Collab Crib is one of two new influencer houses in the Atlanta area. Its members are, from left: Tracy Billingsley II, Theo Wisseh, Khamyra Sykes, Kaelyn Kastle, Kaychelle Dabney, Robert Dean III, Oneil Rowe and Noah Webster. Image courtesy of Diwang Valdez for The New York Times After years of being passed over by brands and management companies despite driving the internet’s biggest trends, Black influencers in Atlanta are working to shift the paradigm. ATLANTA — It’s

Feb 3, 2021
1 min

Black Designers Navigate Steep Barriers to Financing

Image courtesy of Jamie Williams and Charles Royals, co-founders of Naclo Apparel Black entrepreneurs face enduring challenges finding investments, though some are still finding new avenues during the pandemic. When Jamie Williams and Charles Royals embarked on a DIY-style casualwear project last March, it seemed to be an experiment to weather the COVID-19 lockdowns that were starting to go into place. As they began to quarantine with Williams’ parents in Durham, N.C., the du

Feb 3, 2021
1 min

Target Is Winning the Pandemic Race

Image courtesy of Target Here’s why and what other retailers can learn from the big-box giant. Target might have mastered the perfect pandemic formula. It involves selling everything from fashion and food to home goods and essentials by way of brick-and-mortar stores, online shopping, personal shoppers, same-day delivery services, drive-up options and everything in between. The big-box retailer is doing so well that it’s creating envy within an otherwise challenging retail en

Feb 2, 2021
1 min

Off-White reveals Spring/ Summer 2021 via digital Imaginary TV

Image courtesy of Off-White – Spring/ Summer 2021 Virgil Abloh does enjoy breaking the rules. His latest video presentation, in this case the Off-White Spring/ Summer 2021 collection, which debuted online Tuesday lunchtime in Europe, is a case in point. The American designer unveiled his new collection as part of a multi-media and multi-disciplinary display, via an imaginary TV network, called Imaginary TV. Teasing the concept the day before with scratchy techy punk videos; m