Mike Ashley’s Frasers Says It’s Taken Control of Hugo Boss
The British retail group has pushed its stake in the German apparel brand above 50 percent in a move that will turn Hugo Boss into a subsidiary of Frasers.
data
Retail
Inside Luxury Retailers’ Bare-Knuckle Fight to Win the Holidays
With market leader Saks struggling and Ssense in bankruptcy, competitors from Bloomingdale’s to Mytheresa to FWRD see a rare opportunity to grab market share. They are openly courting top customers, vendors and even the employees of their struggling competitors.
Beauty
What’s Driving the Pocket Dermatology Boom
Brands like Methodiq, the newest label to launch out of US beauty conglomerate Oddity, want to put dermatologists in every person’s pocket — and disrupt a decades-old system in the process.
Luxury
The State of Fashion 2026: When the Rules Change
The 10th annual State of Fashion report by McKinsey & Company and BoF Insights, The Business of Fashion’s data and advisory team, reveals how changes in trade, technology and consumer behaviour will challenge businesses in 2026. Download the full report to understand the 10 themes that will shape the industry and opportunities for growth in the year ahead.
Marketing
How to Track Your Brand in the Age of AI
At a BoF Insights breakfast in London, senior executives gathered to explore how algorithms, viral moments and AI are rewriting the rulebook of brand building — and how leaders need to change the way they measure success.
Marketing
Introducing the BoF Insights Brand Pulse Index
The BoF Insights Brand Pulse Index benchmarks how fashion brands measure up across five core dimensions — Discoverability, Identity, Value, Connection and Love — revealing the new dynamics of brand performance in an AI-driven world.
Partner Content
The Strategies Transforming Fashion and Beauty’s Customer Experience
From AI-powered personalisation to orchestrating cross-channel presence, fashion and beauty brands are deploying new strategies to build resilient, future-ready customer engagement models. BoF’s latest knowledge report, in partnership with Braze, reveals the practical approaches for building sustainable customer relationships.
Retail
Resale Sites Try a New Strategy: Sell Less Stuff
After competing for decades to offer the widest possible selection, secondhand retailers like ThredUp, eBay, StockX and Rebag are now trying to gain an edge by offering a more curated experience, with the help of AI and celebrities.
Technology
Tracking Fashion Brand Performance in the Age of AI
Our new AI-powered tool, BoF Insights Brand Pulse, evaluates fashion brand performance across five dimensions — Discoverability, Identity, Value, Connection and Love — combining digital signals and consumer conversations to measure brand performance in an easy-to-use dashboard.
Partner Content
The Customer Engagement Realities Reshaping Fashion and Beauty
Fragmented operating systems and shifting consumer expectations have created key challenges in building and maintaining customer relationships today. BoF’s latest knowledge report, in partnership with Braze, explores the market realities and obstacles fashion and beauty retailers face today — and the strategies to overcome them.
Partner Content
The Future of Digital Customer Experience in Fashion and Beauty
Managing the customer journey across an expanding array of digital and physical touchpoints has never been more complex. BoF’s latest knowledge report, in partnership with Braze, explores what it takes to craft a winning customer experience strategy.
Beauty
Can Oura Become a Forever Company?
The white-hot wearable health tracking company, now reportedly valued at $11 billion, is turning up its innovation pipeline with new products and software upgrades, but still faces a mountain to conquer the market.
Beauty
Beauty Tech Group Shares Rise in Early Trading of London Debut
The beauty device firm, which owns Currentbody and Ziip, saw shares trading above their offer price on their London Stock Exchange debut, a positive omen for the city’s largest initial public offering so far this year.
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.