‘Failure is almost certain’: Holding companies are leveling the playing field for young brands Opening stores and linking with wholesale partners are becoming assumed steps for brands working to maintain their trajectory. And leaning on a holding company -- which provide cookie-cutter support to a pool of brands, thereby eliminating at least some opportunity for originality in doing business -- is catching on.
‘We have nothing to lose’: Modcloth is gearing up for a Walmart-free future “I can confirm that Walmart has received outside interest from buyers for Modcloth,” said Silvia Mazzucchelli, Modcloth’s CEO since April, when asked on Friday about Walmart’s potential sale of the company. “We are in the process of exploring potential opportunities.”
How URBN’s newest retailer is attracting direct-to-consumer brands Being a 50-year retail company has its advantages. For URBN, the umbrella company of Urban Outfitters, Free People and Anthropologie, among others, it’s meant being able to attract the talent pool and brands, and fund the infrastructure needed to hit the booming clothing rental market running.
‘How did we get here?’: 3×1 aims to course-correct the denim industry with new documentary series 3x1's Scott Morrison, who also started denim brands Paper Denim & Cloth in 1996 and Earnest Sewn in 2004, is one of many fashion veterans who built a brand based on quality and craftsmanship and is now working to navigate an industry fueled by fast, cheap products. For Morrison, that...
‘It’s been a long time coming’: Athleisure is catching on in the UK Last week, U.K.-based luxury retailer Browns launched an activewear category, including what its buying director, Ida Petersson, called “après-sport” styles. And last year, British fast-fashion company Asos introduced its first private-label activewear line, 4505, with “off-duty glam” pieces in addition to performance wear. In other words, the U.K. is embracing athleisure.
‘Streetwear culture has become very normal’: What ComplexCon Chicago said about the state of the industry As streetwear moves further from its subculture roots, its Chicago iteration showed that ComplexCon, typically hosted in Long Beach, California, is increasingly appealing to the masses. For the Chicago event, the company worked to connect with a wide swath of the local community and increasingly catered to female shoppers, among...
‘Brands need to be in the business of attention arbitrage’: Why conversational commerce is catching on As more fashion and beauty companies aim to meet customers where they are, fewer are asking shoppers to go out of their way to download an app. To connect with customers on mobile, where they’re increasingly spending their time, brands are instead getting creative with text messaging. Depending on the brand,...
Inside bridal gown player Pronovias’ U.S. push Bridal gown brand Pronovias is modernizing its operations across the board to win over American brides-to-be.
Rent the Runway acquires 94% of its customers through organic marketing According to Anushka Salinas, Rent the Runway’s chief revenue officer, 94% of the company’s customers are acquired organically, while the rest come through paid marketing initiatives. Salinas said that those user-driven mechanisms – social content as well as customer reviews – has helped normalize Rent the Runway’s business model more...