A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.
TOP STORIES
- UK ministers reject plans for 1p per garment levy to tackle fast fashion [The Guardian]
- ‘Karl for ever’: a joyful celebration of Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy [WWD]
- Gen Z loves TikTok. Can fashion brands learn to love it too? [BoF]
- How a £1 bikini revealed the changing shape of fast fashion [The Guardian]
TECHNOLOGY
- The world is a mess. We need fully automated luxury communism [NY Times]
- John Lewis to trial VR experience in shops [Fashion Network]
- Amazon deploys ‘Pegasus’ robots in sortation centers [Retail Dive]
- Training a single AI model can emit as much carbon as five cars in their lifetimes [Technology Review]
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
- H&M called out on “illegal” sustainability marketing [Eco Textile]
- Net-a-Porter has started telling customers which brands are sustainable [The Independent]
- More than half of British and American consumers want a more sustainable fashion industry [i-D Vice]
- Prada sets goal to phase out virgin nylon by 2021 [BoF]
- Ralph Lauren unveils new sustainability goals [WWD]
- Banana Republic announces waterless dyed denim for 2020 [Fashion United]
- Why we can’t relax about vegan leather [Vogue Business]
- The North Face teams with National Geographic for upcycled plastic line [Fashion United]
- Asos unveils ‘responsible edit’ [Drapers]
RETAIL & E-COMMERCE
- Verishop’s plan to be the Amazon of “affordable luxury” [Vogue Business]
- Carrefour opens store with facial recognition and sensors [Retail Dive]
- Pablo Isla defends ‘integrated model’ as a way to differentiate Inditex [Fashion Network]
- Backstage and Story are very pretty. But, will they lure shoppers to Macy’s? [Retail Dive]
- Gamification: the future of luxury retail in China [Jing Daily]
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
- The AI-driven social media network hailed as the next Tumblr [Dazed]
- Mountain Hardwear launches AR app to bring outdoor gear to life [Retail Dive]
- The future of marketing is bespoke everything [The Atlantic]
- Mulberry bases new marketing campaign on British pub culture [Fashion Network]
- MAC Cosmetics tries on YouTube’s newest AR ad formats [Retail Dive]
PRODUCT
- Dolce & Gabbana becomes the first luxury fashion house to extend sizes [Fashion United]
- Adidas and Ikea to develop products for home workouts [Fashion Network]
BUSINESS
- Unilever acquires beauty brand Tatcha for a reported $500 million [AdWeek]
- Chanel dispels rumors of sale after announcing a strong financial year [Fashion United]
- Mulberry falls into the red [Drapers]
- Kenzo parts ways with creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim [WWD]
- Topshop owner’s fall is fastest in UK high street memory [Vogue Business]
- Revenue jumps 39% at Boohoo Group [Drapers]
CULTURE
- Unilever boss warns of dangers of ‘woke-washing’ in ad industry [Sky News]
- As drag goes mainstream, queer fashion designers reap business benefits [Fashionista]
- It’s long overdue for fashion to think about people with disabilities [Hypebeast]
- Streetwear’s big opportunity: women [BoF]
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