Saks Global Nabs $500 Million in Post-Bankruptcy Financing
The department store group aims to exit Chapter 11 by summer with a leaner store footprint and repaired vendor relationships.
Cathaleen Chen
Retail Editor
Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion (BoF). She is based in New York and drives BoF's coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors. Prior to BoF, Cathaleen was a consumer reporter for TheStreet and covered real estate for The Real Deal. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism.
Retail
How Babies Became Luxury’s New Aspirational Category
Parents may be having fewer kids, but they’re not skimping on them. As traditional luxury loses its lustre, premium strollers, carriers and other baby gear are the latest markers of wealth and taste.
Workplace & Talent
Who’s to Blame for Bad Customer Service?
After Kelly Clarkson’s viral clash with a Brooklyn boutique, BoF’s Jessica Kwon and Cathaleen Chen join Sheena Butler-Young on The Debrief to unpack why customer service keeps failing shoppers — and who’s actually paying for it.
Retail
How to Outperform in the US Market
The US has emerged as fashion’s most important growth market, with retail sales expected to increase 4.4 percent to $5.6 trillion in 2026. To win in the country, brands need to understand where and how to reach US shoppers, who are scrutinising the value of every purchase and shopping across price points, regardless of income level.
Luxury
The Logic Behind Donatella Versace’s Revolve Deal
The Italian icon is partnering with Revolve on a new fashion and beauty venture.
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Fashion Week
Zane Li: How to Break Out as a Young Designer
The 25-year-old designer behind LII has gone from fashion graduate to LVMH Prize runner-up in three years. Now, he’s working on turning the buzz into a business.
Fashion Week
How Henry Zankov Is Rewriting the DVF Wardrobe
The new designer’s Thursday debut bet on subtle updates to Diane von Furstenberg's most recognisable codes as he works to modernise and reignite demand for the iconic New York brand.
Retail
How to Launch New Categories Without Losing Your Way
Expanding into new products can drive massive growth — or completely ruin a brand. Here is how industry leaders at Canada Goose, Drunk Elephant and Havaianas navigate the high-stakes business of category expansion, avoid dilution and pinpoint the right time for their biggest launches.
Technology
What Founders Can Learn From Phia’s Mistakes
Behind Phia’s unfolding scandal lies a series of avoidable strategic and reputational blunders. Here are seven critical takeaways for founders building a fashion startup.
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Retail
The World’s Best Fashion Stores, Decoded
BoF’s retail editor Cathaleen Chen joins Sheena Butler-Young to break down the standout names and data behind BoF’s inaugural list of the world’s 65 best independent fashion stores — and why the pleasure of ‘moseying around’ is still so relevant amongst consumers.
Luxury
Blazy or Bust: Luxury’s Zero Sum Game
Chanel’s surging sales underscore that the luxury industry’s challenges may be less about demand than desirability.
Retail
Why Independent Retail Is More Important Than Ever
From Brooklyn to Shanghai, a multibrand retail renaissance is taking shape, powered by a thirst for independent stores with a more hand-crafted, human quotient in a world flattened by digital transactions.
Retail
Methodology: How We Selected The Best Fashion Stores in the World
To build our index of the global independent retail landscape, we established a rigorous, multi-tiered evaluation process, by casting a wide net and starting from the bottom up.
The News in Brief
Aritzia Buys Fred Segal IP and Plans to Revive Melrose Avenue Flagship
Aritzia plans to revitalise the store and its famous ivy-covered façade, transforming it into a renewed multibrand lifestyle destination.
EBay Acquires Depop from Etsy for $1.2 Billion
With the purchase, the e-commerce giant is gaining a critical foothold with younger shoppers and will expand its share in luxury resale.
Saks Global to Close Nine Stores
The move follows the company’s announcement last week to shutter its off-price business, Saks Off Fifth.
FWRD Names Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Fashion Director
The Revolve-owned retailer is doubling down on its celebrity-led strategy, adding Huntington-Whiteley to its executive ranks as it looks to widen its lead in the luxury e-tail market.
Frasers Group Acquires Majority Stake in The Webster
The specialty retailer, which has 13 locations across North America, will continue to operate as a standalone business.
Vestiaire Collective Chief Executive Max Bittner Exits
CFO Bernard Osta, a former investment banker who joined the resale platform in 2021, will step into the top job, effective immediately.
Report: Saks Global to Sell $1 Billion Stake in Bergdorf Goodman
The retailer is seeking an investor to take on 49 percent of the New York luxury retailer, according to the Wall Street Journal. Proceeds will go towards easing a heavy debt load less than a year after acquiring Neiman Marcus.