Mike Ashley’s Frasers Says It’s Taken Control of Hugo Boss
After the retail empire’s initial takeover bid failed, the company raised its holding to 50.08 percent in a move that will turn the German apparel brand into a subsidiary of Frasers.
data
Technology
The Reason Your AI Investments Aren’t Paying Off
Investment in artificial intelligence promises to help fashion companies work faster, smarter and more efficiently, but one key obstacle stands in the way of good returns.
Marketing
Stone Island’s CEO on Growing a Brand Without Selling Out
Robert Triefus believes his role as a brand leader is not to invent authenticity. It is to protect it and leave it stronger than it is found. Two years of brand tracking with BoF's advisory team, BoF Insights, confirmed Stone Island could grow without losing the authenticity that has defined it for more than four decades.
Sustainability
Why Consumers Are Ditching Polyester for Natural Fibres
The material has become a lightning rod on social media as shoppers reject synthetics and seek out clothes made from natural fibres. The reasons go beyond consumers viewing polyester clothing as cheap or poor quality.
Beauty
Are There Too Many Beauty Sales?
As Prime Day stretches into Prime Week, and retailers crowd the calendar with overlapping promotions, beauty brands are rethinking how to discount without eroding their long-term value.
Luxury
Luxury Clients Want Meaning More Than Status
The era of buying luxury purely for status and visibility is giving way to something more personal, centred on identity, connection and self-expression, according to BoF Insights and McKinsey’s report ‘Face to Face With Luxury Clients.’
Luxury
Face to Face With Luxury Clients
After a prolonged slowdown, luxury is gradually returning to growth, led by the US and China. Drawing on a survey of more than 2,000 clients and dozens of interviews across both markets, The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company find in the latest edition in our State of Fashion series a base of customers with increasingly distinct local preferences that nonetheless share an overarching desire for emotional connection.
Partner Content
How Creative Promotions Are Reshaping Customer Engagement
Talon.One’s ‘Creative Currencies in Promotions’ explores how brands are moving beyond traditional discounting and using promotions to create stronger customer engagement, emotional connection and long-term loyalty. Here, BoF shares key extracts from the report, alongside analysis of the shifts reshaping promotional strategy.
Sustainability
Why Fashion Is Falling Behind on Its Climate Targets
While H&M and Kering have cut emissions by more than a third, the majority of fashion’s biggest brands remain behind the schedule they set for themselves.
Workplace & Talent
Executive Memo | How to Redesign Your Organisation for AI
Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses operate as employees become more self-sufficient and routine work is increasingly automated. To build companies that thrive in this new paradigm, fashion executives must rethink leadership structures, talent pipelines and decision-making processes.
Sustainability
Why Traceability Is Becoming a Business Requirement for Fashion Brands
With the US, EU and Canada introducing measures on forced labour in supply chains, traceability is no longer just a sustainability initiative but a necessity for market access.
Hair Care
Opinion: Beauty Inflation Is Hair Care’s Opportunity
The beauty industry is experiencing a new wave of demand for affordable treats, and salon-grade hair treatments used at home are emerging as a key part of the trend, writes Bloomberg’s Andrea Felsted.
Marketing
Can Fashion Move Beyond Vanity Metrics?
Visibility matters, but as metrics like ‘media impact value’ come under scrutiny, analytics providers including Launchmetrics and CreatorIQ are evolving their toolsets to measure brand moments beyond impressive-sounding numbers that don’t tie back to key business outcomes.
The News in Brief
Shein Agrees to Pay $100 Million to Settle US FTC Probe
The settlement, equivalent to 44 percent of the ultra fast-fashion company’s second-quarter profit, is the latest blow amid regulatory and tax crackdowns in Europe and the US that have hampered Shein’s growth.
Kering Drops 12% as Luxury Braces for Tough Winter
The recovery long promised by luxury brands seems nowhere in sight, as the expansion of war in the Middle East, along with China’s tax crackdown on the wealthy, piled further pressure on the world’s biggest luxury conglomerates in the third quarter, and executives buckled in for a tough winter.
UK Retail Sales Fall 0.4% in September, More Than Forecast
Sales fell in September as above-average temperatures hit demand for autumn clothing.
Elle Launches Moroccan Edition
Hitting newsstands in October, the magazine marks Elle’s 51st international edition, published under licence by the Geomedia group.
David’s Bridal Plans Spinoff and IPO of AI Wedding Planning Platform Pearl
Pearl, a subsidiary of David’s Bridal, will own David’s Bridal and license its intellectual property back to the bridalwear brand. David’s Bridal CEO Kelly Cook will serve as Pearl’s CEO.
L’Oréal Sales Beat Expectations as Premium Products Surge
The French giant handily beat expectations on strong demand for hair products at salons and premium skincare from its dermatological division.
P&G Beats Revenue Estimates, Flags Bigger Hit to Annual Profit
The maker of Pantene shampoo was helped by strong personal care demand, but expects higher commodity costs to reduce profit by about $1.4 billion this year.