In this week’s luxury briefing, a look at the revival of Dior’s book tote. Also, a new shopping app that claims to fuel brand loyalty, the latest executive moves from Miu Miu and YNAP, and news to know. For comments or insights, email me at zofia@glossy.co.
In the weeks before Dior’s June 27 couture show, the house has teased its community with close-ups of Jonathan Anderson’s reimagined versions of the Book Tote. First introduced for spring 2018 by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the oversized, boxy Book Tote quickly became an influencer favorite, thanks in part to its customizable embroidery, prominent “DIOR” jacquard pattern and enduring resale value. From 2020‑2023 the term “Dior Book Tote” averaged around 40,000 global Google searches a month, per Google Trends. The new versions feature canvas panels, needle-and-thread details, and frames of famous book titles including “Dracula,” “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” and “Dior by Dior.”
Dior’s 46.7 million Instagram and 8.2 million TikTok followers can now view carefully crafted storytelling on the Book Tote alongside playful posts featuring PSG football player Kylian Mbappé, chosen by Anderson as a Dior brand ambassador, announced Thursday.
Dior’s revenue rose from about €4.4 billion ($4.8 billion) in 2017 to nearly €9.5 billion ($10.3 billion) in 2023. That year, the fashion and leather goods division reported €42.2 billion ($45.8 billion) in sales and €16.8 billion ($18.2 billion) in operating profit for a 39.9 % margin. Yet, the first quarter of 2025 saw a 5% year-over-year drop in sales as China’s post-pandemic rebound lost steam, Western consumers balked at price increases, and an AGCM probe into underpaid subcontractors in Italy raised reputational concerns. Delphine Arnault, Dior CEO since 2023, has since internalized production, hired Louis Vuitton veterans and insisted on “quality and durability over volume.” Dior was not available to comment in time for publication.
Into that environment steps Anderson as the first creative director since Christian Dior to oversee women’s, men’s and couture collections. His mandate is to translate narrative into revenue, and his launch point is the Book Tote.
Between June 20 and June 24, Anderson revealed three new editions of the tote on Dior’s Instagram. The “Dracula” tote (June 20) features bright canvas and deep-red stitching to seemingly invoke Gothic themes of migration and identity, and connect Bram Stoker’s Dublin to Anderson’s Northern Irish roots. The “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” tote (June 22), based on the book by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, explores 18th-century intrigue in delicate calligraphy. The “Dior by Dior” tote (June 24) riffs on Monsieur Dior’s own writings in bold typography.
Robin Mellery-Pratt, founding partner at strategy agency Matter, calls the relaunch of the tote pivotal. “Anderson and Dior are an irrefutable star pairing,” he said. “Dior brings a couture legacy like no other. Jonathan brings craft credentials and cultural savvy. Brands need to earn their place in culture today. Anderson’s unique vision is the best able in the industry to infuse products with relevance and humanity. But, it will be working overtime.”
At Loewe, where Anderson previously steered the creative, its relevance across platforms brought its accessories to the forefront. In the first quarter of 2025, Loewe jumped to No. 1 on the Lyst Index, with searches for the brand up 38% quarter over quarter. Lyst credited the lift to the accessories buzz following Anderson’s exit.
Loewe also had a proven way with storytelling. “TikTok’s pandemic-driven boom was lightning in a bottle for Loewe — one of the few labels that saw the app’s potential,” Mellery-Pratt said. “Smart digital storytelling can deliver ROI far beyond traditional sponsorship.”
Consumer psychologist Kate Nightingale, founder of Humanising Brands, a behavioral-science consultancy whose clients include Swarovski and major luxury marketplaces, underscored the challenge of relaunching products with a new creative director. “Studies show consumers perceive brands like they perceive people,” she said. “Brands live in our subconscious mental models — how they should feel is deeply coded. When creative direction aligns, trust grows. When it diverges, friction follows.”
Anderson’s mood boards, revealed on Instagram under his own account, provide hints to his vision. Included are Basquiat notebook pages, a Warhol portrait of fashion icon Lee Radziwill, spools of thread, and archive swatches, all paired with the tagline “In the make.” It suggests that the construction process and the narrative are just as crucial as the finished bag.
Luxury could use some brand excitement. “Aggressive pricing, wealth polarization, booming resale and economic uncertainty have weakened luxury’s bond with consumers,” said Mellery Pratt, adding, “Dior-print Chuck Taylors and the [original] Book Totes were launched in a very different economic and cultural reality.”
That makes the Book Tote relaunch critical. If Anderson’s serialized storytelling and expert backing can sustain both cultural buzz and revenue, Dior may stand out as a luxury brand that earns its place rather than demands it. A true test arrives on June 27.
Alta is the latest shopping platform built on affiliate sales and AI styling
Launched in 2023, the AI-driven shopping app Alta aims to build a business on affiliate commissions earned through personalized product recommendations. Others that have come before it include The Yes. Last week, Alta closed an $11 million Series A round led by A Capital and Gotham Ventures.
Alta co-founder Jenny Lee said the app’s streamlined shopper experience could change consumer behavior. “Whenever I go online shopping, I just forward my receipt to add@alta.com,” Lee said. “It takes the AI around two minutes to parse the receipt and then add the clothing item into my closet.” Clothes can also be added through photos from closets or links to product pages. Alta users build digital closets, from which the app can put together outfits for specific occasions and recommend complementary products to purchase.
Alta’s affiliate relationships with brands including Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Toteme thrive on hyper-targeted consumer product recommendations shaped by real-time shopper habits and their nuanced style preferences. “Our most recent brand that we onboarded was offered a 10% commission rate,” Lee said. Alta’s data-driven product recommendations translate to higher consumer engagement on the app, fewer returns and deeper brand loyalty, compared to sponsored posts on Google, according to the company.
Lee described testing Alta’s effectiveness during a recent Paris trip. “It told me what I was going to wear every day, and it made me a packing list of the things I already have,” she said. According to the company, that level of guidance will translate to increased reliance on the app and spending through the app on recommended products.
Alta represents a new model of affiliate marketing that’s built on deeper AI-driven insights and bets that consumers will increasingly trust AI stylists.
Executive moves
- Robert Holden, previously president of Miu Miu Americas, has been appointed president of Celine North America. The brand’s new artistic director, Michael Rider, will show its fall 2025 collection in a runway show in Paris on July 6.
- Valentina Visconti Prasca, previously managing director at Yoox Net-a-Porter, has been appointed president of VF Corp.’s Napapijri, as VF continues restructuring under CEO Bracken Darrell.
- LVMH has appointed Louis Vuitton veteran Ludovic Pauchard as its new Industrial and Craftsmanship Director. He’s tasked with enhancing operational efficiency, innovation and sustainability across the group’s production value chain, while focusing on vertical integration and artisanal qualities.
- Prada CEO Gianfranco D’Attis will depart his role on June 30 following strategic disagreements, according to WWD. Prada Group CEO Andrea Guerra will step in temporarily. In April 2025, the Group acquired Versace.
News to know
- Executives from the bridal industry, representing brands such as Justin Alexander and Kleinfeld, are lobbying in Washington, D.C. this week for tariff exemptions. They aim to get wedding gowns reclassified as “one-time use” items to avoid steep price increases.
- Chanel has launched Arts & Culture Magazine, celebrating its cultural and artistic collaborations over the past five years. It underscores the brand’s ongoing commitment to supporting print media, bookstores and creative communities. Chanel runs Karl Lagerfeld’s 7L bookstore and imprint, for example, and funds literary programs and prizes.
Listen in
On the latest Glossy Podcast, Danny Parisi and Zofia Zwieglinska break down Kering’s bold CEO hire from the automotive sector, FIFA’s surprising move into luxury fashion, and France’s proposed crackdown on fast-fashion giants Shein and Temu. The episode concludes with insights from Glossy’s E-Commerce Summit in Miami, where Warby Parker’s Kim Nemser discussed the brand’s omnichannel approach and strategic use of AI in its supply chain.
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