The Glossy 50 honors the year’s biggest changemakers across fashion and beauty. More from the series →
They led their companies to industry domination.
Over the last three years, the British watch retailer Watches of Switzerland has made several acquisitions, from buying five different jewelers in 2021 to paying $130 million this year for the U.S. distribution rights for the watch brand Roberto Coin. That spree was capped off by the acquisition of the men’s watch media platform Hodinkee in October. According to Brian Duffy, CEO of Watches of Switzerland, all of the company’s acquisitions have been part of its ongoing international growth strategy.
In October, Rare Beauty ran its first television ads, as part of a campaign dubbed “Love Your Rare.” Also this year, the company made significant progress in its mission to raise $100 million to support youth mental health. Plus, of course, Rare Beauty sold a lot of products. In September, Bloomberg reported that founder Selena Gomez had reached billionaire status, thanks, in large part, to her beauty business.
In a year marked by significant changes in luxury retail, Michael Kliger, CEO of Mytheresa, has managed to lead remarkable growth and transformative moves. Mytheresa, a luxury fashion e-tailer, has bucked the industry trend of slowing sales, reporting consistent growth each quarter in 2024.
Gab Waller has revolutionized luxury fashion shopping, earning a reputation as the go-to expert for tracking down rare items like The Row’s Margaux bag and Dries Van Noten sneakers. While serving high-profile clients including Sofia Richie Grainge, Hailey Bieber and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Waller grew her sourcing business’s profits by more than 305% from 2022 to 2024.
