Author: Katherine Cheng

Katherine Cheng is the Innovation Editor at TheCurrentDaily and Head of Technology Strategy at Together Group, where she consults for clients including Farfetch, Cartier and H&M. Originally from Hong Kong, she is interested in how cultural, behavioral and technological shifts influence how consumers and brands interact with each other. Her primary focus is on leveraging emerging technologies and the global startup ecosystem to drive meaningful innovation across the retail landscape.

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Ralph Lauren goes virtual, SMS marketing, Thom Browne expands footprint

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • Where are people shopping again? (BoF)
  • Wounded by pandemic, online luxury faces long road to recovery (WWD)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Canada Goose launches Humanature sustainable initiative (Fashion United)
  • H&M’s green machine: a recycling solution? (Vogue Business)
  • Chasing the holy grail of circular fashion (BoF)
  • Supreme, Allbirds, Everland among Remake’s sustainability offenders (WWD)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • What to know about virtual stores (Vogue Business)
  • The not-so-darling side of DTC brands (Retail Dive)
  • Ted Baker launches virtual shopping option in US stores (WWD)
  • Peace Out skincare looks to SMS marketing to drive holiday sales (Glossy)
  • How beauty stores have changed during the pandemic (BoF)
  • Ebay holds first drive-thru luxury authentication in L.A. (WWD)
  • Facebook debuts shoppable livestream with Anne Klein (Retail Dive)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Why social media advertising is still necessary (BoF)
  • In a digital world, first impressions can make or break a luxury brand (Jing Daily)
  • The power of Youtube in the era of COVID-19 (Retail Dive)
  • Ralph Lauren going virtual for the holidays (WWD)
PRODUCT
  • H&M’s latest Conscious Exclusive collection made from waste (Fashion United)
  • Canada Goose to introduce sustainable parka in January (WWD)

BUSINESS

  • Target continue to grow, in-store and online, even as COVID-19 cases surge (WWD)
  • Zalando expects faster growth in 2021 (Reuters)
  • Leading luxury brands are more dominant than ever (Vogue Business)
  • Alibaba Group’s sophisticated game of monopoly (Jing Daily)
  • Richemont needs a transformational move (BoF)
  • Thom Browne expanding retail footprint significantly (WWD)
CULTURE
  • Angelica Cheung left Vogue China, what’s next for Chinese media? (BoF)
  • Seizing fashion’s homeware opportunity (BoF)
  • As Instagram becomes a shopping mall, Twitter becomes Instagram (High Snobiety)
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VF acquires Supreme, Ulta and Target partner, at-home beauty boom

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • Fashion is set for an M&A frenzy in 2021 (BoF)
  • What a vaccine could mean for retail (Retail Dive)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Clothing businesses urged to protect their profits and the planet with ambitious climate change pledge (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • The UK watchdog is tackling greenwashing. Will others? (Vogue Business)
  • Allbirds to raise prices on Black Friday to fight climate change (Retail Dive)
  • Barbour places sustainability at the heart of Christmas campaign (Fashion United)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • How Aesop plans to keep it culty (BoF)
  • Walmart taps self-driving vehicle startup for autonomous deliveries (Retail Dive)
  • At-home beauty tech see a lockdown boom (Vogue Business)
  • DTC brands reimagine the mall (Glossy)
  • Can fashion finally crack the ‘last-mile’? (BoF)
  • Misguided ramps up contact-free collection ahead of Christmas (Fashion United)
  • Is click-and-mortar the future of China’s luxury retail? (Jing Daily)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Olding is the new blanding: luxury brands look back to get ahead (BoF)
  • Taking advantage of multi-level marketing MLM in China (Jing Daily)
  • L’Oreal offers first line of makeup for social media, video calls (Retail Dive)
  • How Rite-Aid’s rebranding takes cues from digital competitors (Modern Retail)
PRODUCT
  • H&M Home taps DVF for interior collection (Fashion United)
  • Judith Leiber launches customizable fragrance (WWD)
  • This sweater was grown in a bioreactor (Fast Company)

BUSINESS

  • VF to acquire Supreme, valuing brand at $2.1 billion plus (WWD)
  • Mytheresa plans for US IPO (Bloomberg)
  • Alibaba boasts over $70 billion sales as first post-virus Singles Day nears end (Reuters)
  • Farfetch talks “Luxury New Retail” initiative (WWD)
  • How the Farfetch-Alibaba-Richemont alliance could change the game in the world’s largest luxury market (BoF)
  • Ulta Beauty and Target announce partnership (WWD)
CULTURE
  • Seizing Shanghai Art Week’s fashion opportunity (WWD)
  • Millenial women lead as China’s most important customer (Jing Daily)
  • How to market to a divided America (Business of Fashion)
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Walmart launch new test stores, TikTok Shopify partner, LVMH Tiffany deal

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • The US election: what’s at stake for fashion? (BoF)
  • The one thing luxury brands must do in times of uncertainty (Jing Daily)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Amazon unveils new Climate Pledge Friendly initiative to help shoppers buy more sustainably (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • The rise of ESG ratings: what’s the score? (Vogue Business)
  • Sustainable fashion needn’t be boring (SCMP)
  • Lululemon sets out new social and environmental targets (Fashion United)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • The evolution of omnichannel (BoF)
  • Saks Fifth Avenue reconstructs its ecommerce experience (WWD)
  • Walmart launches new test stores to further blend tech and in-store ops (Retail Dive)
  • Frame bets on clienteling to bolster sales in new stores (Glossy)
  • What makes a mall work in 2020 (BoF)
  • Macy’s introduces virtual, in-person stylist appointments for the holidays (Retail Dive)
  • Canada Goose banks on interactive pop-up to woo Chinese consumers closer to home  (Jing Daily)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Brands are scrambling to sell you stuff before the election (Vox)
  • What brands have perfected digital storytelling in China? (Jing Daily)
  • TikTok partners with Shopify on social commerce (TechCrunch)
  • BryanBoy: how fashion’s original influencer became a TikTok star (BoF)
PRODUCT
  • Mango launches new activewear and scraps plastic packaging (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • COS launches cashmere collection using traceable and recycled cashmere (Fashion United)
  • This custom furniture is 3D printed to fit the exact space it’s supposed to go (Fast Company)

BUSINESS

  • Kontoor warily eyes recovery from COVID-19 impact (WWD)
  • Levi’s shuffles senior leadership to focus on ‘digital strategy’ (Retail Dive)
  • Rimowa makes its case for the future of travel (FT)
  • Alibaba adds 3 more days to Singles Day sale (WWD)
  • How the LVMH and Tiffany deal with reshape luxury (BoF)
  • Cath Kidston reveals new ‘digital first’ strategy (Fashion United)
CULTURE
  • The Met unveils ‘About Time: Fashion and Duration’ with virtual walk-through (WWD)
  • Can fashion photography survive the pandemic? (NYT)
  • Inside NYC’s lavish Makeup Museum, where the history of beauty is not always so pretty (Fast Company)
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Moncler sustainability goals, Burberry uses gaming technology, Allbirds launches apparel

LOS ANGELES

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • Luxury’s coronavirus recovery: Who’s ahead and who’s behind (BoF)
  • Fashion’s pivot to e-commerce and the future (WWD)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Sustainability, transparency are “do or die” for fashion (WWD)
  • Moncler close to carbon neutral goal (Vogue Business)
  • Ace and Tate launches recycled programme on Depop (Fashion United)
  • UGG unveils long-term sustainability commitments (Fashion United)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • How to tap into the world’s largest online shopping festival (BoF)
  • Whatsapp introduces in-app purchases (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • Burberry is using gaming technology to streamline design process (Fashion United)
  • Designing the store of the future (WWD)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Live stream shopping, social selling help evolve retail industry (WWD)
  • New ways of marketing luxury in China (Jing Daily)
  • Affordable beauty brands are finding fame on TikTok. What’s next? (Vogue Business)
  • Selling fashion on instagram: expectation vs reality (BoF)
PRODUCT
  • Allbirds launches apparel with sustainable essentials collection (WWD)
  • Fashion makes people with disabilities feel invisible. This designer wants them to stand out (Fast Company)

BUSINESS

  • How Kohl’s intends to “reignite” its women’s business (WWD)
  • ThredUp confidentially files for IPO (Reuters)
  • Bulgari focuses on local customers as Covid wipes out tourism (Bloomberg)
  • Global crisis is not stopping Stone Island’s expansion (WWD)
  • Ferregamo family explore selling minority stake of business (Reuters)
  • Adidas reportedly mulling sale of Reebok (Fashion United)

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5G and digital fashion, Miu Miu’s sustainable collection, IKEA enters resale

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • How fashion brands are preparing for lockdown 2.0 (BoF)
  • Retailers brace for more pandemic trouble (Retail Dive)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Tommy x Mercedes capsule zeroes in on sustainability (WWD)
  • Selfridges launches sustainability focused Christmas shop (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • Long snubbed, secondhand luxury catches on in the Middle East (Vogue Business)
  • The sustainability goals Chanel, Kering and H&M could all agree on (BoF)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • How 5G will change AR and digital fashion (Vogue Business)
  • How digital beauty brands make wholesale work (BoF)
  • How small retailers are doing Amazon Prime Day amid pandemic (CNBC)
  • The pre-order model: why it’s working (Vogue Business)
  • Who you need to hire for te e-commerce boom (BoF)
  • Amazon’s AR app turns boxes into shareable AR experiences (WWD)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • In the age of COVID-19, social media proves a savior for sales (WWD)
  • Allure designs holiday shopping issue around virtual try-on experiences (Retail Dive)
  • Why luxury brands are desperate for digital desire (Jing Daily)
  • What does winning a post-COVID marketing plan look like? (BoF)
PRODUCT
  • Banana Republic re-releases necklace to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Fashion United)
  • Miu Miu launches upcycled collection (WWD)
  • Hyundai just released a sustainable fashion collection (Fast Company)

BUSINESS

  • Kohl’s pivots in the pandemic (WWD)
  • Fate of formal fashion hangs by a thread (Reuters)
  • Shiseido’s Carol Zhou builds on innovating beauty (Jing Daily)
  • IKEA just entered the resale game (HighSnobiety)
  • Will Amazon luxury stores really attract high-end shoppers? (SCMP)
  • John Lewis outlines five-year digital heavy strategy (Fashion United)
CULTURE
  • Creativity is dead, long live curation (HighSnobiety)
  • Is it streetwear or is it art? (NYT)
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Gucci goes into resale, future of fashion week, Burberry and IBM collab

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • The pros and cons of virtual showrooms (BoF)
  • Department stores’ decade of decline (Retail Dive)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Burberry, IBM interns collab on product tracing system (WWD)
  • H&M launches the first and only-in-store recycling machine (Fashion United)
  • How the climate crisis is reshaping luxury (BoF)
  • How Tommy Hilfiger is working toward a more sustainable and inclusive fashion industry (Fast Company)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • Has the Gen Z gender neutral-store arrived? (Vogue Business)
  • H&M launches virtual assistant, live chat with Google services (Retail Dive)
  • Browns introduces new services, from fitness to hypnotherapy (WWD)
  • David’s Bridal debut AR, 3D dress shopping (Retail Dive)
  • Why Gucci is getting into resale (BoF)
  • Will luxury players embrace China’s D2C’s revolution? (Jing Daily)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Will beauty’s TikTok love affair last? (BoF)
  • Party City tapped by Nextdoor for Halloween AR ‘treat map’ (Retail Dive)
  • Instagram expands shoppable beauty commerce for IGTV and Reels (Glossy)
PRODUCT

BUSINESS

  • Levi’s returns to profitability (WWD)
  • Arnault buys influence through media deals in France (Bloomberg)
  • Should luxury build resale into its business model? (BoF)
  • Rent The Runway CEO discusses how coronavirus impacted business (WWD)
CULTURE
  • The future of fashion week? Look to Shanghai (Vogue Business)
  • What will consumers really want to wear come spring? (WWD)
  • Petwear: the emerging marketing in the fashion industry (Fashion United)
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Nordstrom bans fur and exotic skin, Levi’s new retail store, Poshmark plans IPO

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • Can a new mall make it in 2020? (BoF)
  • Holiday hurdles: what retailers are up against (WWD)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Stella McCartney dishes the dirt on farming and its planetary impact (WWD)
  • Approaching sustainability as a mass-market retailer (Fashionista)
  • Asos debuts 29-piece ‘circular fashion’ collection for fall (WWD)
  • Nordstrom announces new ban on fur and exotic animal skins (Fashion United)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • Brits to avoid in-store shopping this Christmas (Fashion United)
  • Amazon’s new palm recognition biometric device lets you pay without touching (Fast Company)
  • Online shopping as you know it is about to change, enter The List (HighSnobiety)
  • Inside Levi’s new ‘NextGen’ retail store (Vogue Business)
  • Are online marketplaces the new department stores? (BoF)
  • 3 critical steps luxury brands must take to rebound from COVID-19 (Jing Daily)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Christian Louboutin plunges into gaming world for Paris Fashion Week (WWD)
  • How not to be a boring direct-to-consumer brand (BoF)
  • Air Jordan release shoppable sportswear for Snapchat’s bitmoji avatars (Retail Dive)
  • Prada experimented with a new digital fashion show format. Did it work? (BoF)
PRODUCT
  • Aesop to collaborate with Raeburn on ‘closing the loop’ (Fashion United)
  • Walmart tries again in apparel with new private label (Retail Dive)
  • Lane Crawford celebrates 170th anniversary with 7 exclusives (WWD)
BUSINESS
  • Altuzzara to sell on Amazon’s luxury stores (WWD)
  • H&M to close hundreds of stores as online shift accelerates (Reuters)
  • Poshmark plans IPO (Retail Dive)
  • How PVH is positioning itself for fashion’s new normal (BoF)
  • Why American Eagle is the last mall brand standing (Fast Company)
CULTURE
  • Coronavirus is rewiring the symbiotic relationship between brands and media (BoF)
  • Paris museum to exhibit first introspective of Gabrielle Chanel (Fashion United)
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Walmart and Tiffany’s reveal sustainability plans, Uniqlo’s styling app, Chanel issues bond

Signage specialists install LED rope neon sign ‘Let’s Change The Way We Shop’ ahead of the launch, on Monday 17 August, of Selfridges’ transformational sustainability initiative, Project Earth, with five year commitments to change the way we shop. PHOTO MATT WRITTLE/SELFRIDGES © copyright Matt Writtle 2020.

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • 6 ways the pandemic has changed how people shop (BoF)
  • Department stores have failed customers. Here’s how to fix them. (Fast Company)
  • Can luxury fashion ever regain its luster? (NYT)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Are exotic skins out of fashion? (NYT)
  • Walmart says it will reach zero emissions by 2040 – without using any offsets (Fast Company)
  • Tiffany reveals 2025 sustainability plan, milestones (WWD)
  • Amazon launches program to help customers identity sustainable products (Fashion United)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • AR takes a more functional role in consumer experience (WWD)
  • Overcoming excess inventory challenges with a digital approach (WWD)
  • How luxury brands are leveraging the power of data in China (Jing Daily)
  • Uniqlo launches Stylehint search engine app (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • Face mask vending machines are now a thing (Fast Company)
  • Footlocker launches new interactive hub for Nike Air Max (WWD)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Gap expands loyalty programs across core brands (Fashion United)
  • Why media strategies matter (WWD)
  • Garnier tests new virtual experience to debut sustainability plans (Glossy)
  • Shiseido partners with Nintendo Switch’s Animal Crossing (TheIndustry.Fashion)
PRODUCT
  • Ben Sherman launches sustainable eyewear collection (Fashion United)
  • Walmart tries again in apparel with new private label (Retail Dive)
  • Jenna Lyons reimagines false eyelash category with LoveSeen (WWD)
BUSINESS
  • The ins and outs of selling a fashion or luxury business (WWD)
  • Chanel issues bond linked to climate targets (Reuters)
  • The pandemic isn’t Stitch Fix’s only problem (Retail Dive)
  • LVMH vs Tiffany: Deal or No Deal? (BoF)
  • Saks Fifth Avenue’s CEO on what’s next (WWD)
CULTURE
  • Reinventing fashion week for a new era (WWD)
  • Can China save travel retail in 2020? (BoF)
  • Saks Fifth Avenue launches “Register to Vote” initiative (Fashion United)

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Burberry sustainability bond, virtual fashion, Amazon’s own Black Friday

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • Fashion Week can’t just be another online video festival (BoF)
  • America waits in lines, even as stores go bankrupt (NYT)
  • Why luxury brands must be innovative (Jing Daily)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • L’Oreal’s new sustainability initiative to save 900 tonnes of new plastic in the UK (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • Burberry to raise money for sustainability projects with bond (WWD)
  • Inside fashion’s switch to green electricity (Vogue Business)
  • JD.com and partners works to bring transparency to gem industry (Jing Daily)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • This new clothes-sharing platform lets you borrow clothes from someone else’s closet (Fast Company)
  • The future of IT in retail: where data, devices and retail strategy meet (Fashion United)
  • Kohl’s revamps loyalty program (Retail Dive)
  • Retail is having a Darwin moment that will transform it forever (Fast Company)
  • Farfetch launches curated galleries to lure out China’s consumers (Jing Daily)
  • The ‘Zero Inventory’ solution (BoF)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Would you spend $10,000 on a virtual dress? Gucci is betting on it (Fast Company)
  • Burberry launching global pop-up series and Snapchat VR experience (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • How Gucci, LV leveraged China to survive COVID-19 (Jing Daily)
  • Beauty influencer events are making a comeback (BoF)
PRODUCT
  • Jimmy Choo announces collaboration with Timberland (Fashion United)
  • This hoodie is made from pomegranate seeds and completely biodegrades (Fast Company)
  • The fashionable sneakers with an adaptive concept (Fashion United)
BUSINESS
  • Nicholas Kirkwood takes back ownership of his brand (WWD)
  • No pandemic pause in IKEA’s US shopping mall plans (Reuters)
  • Who is buying bankrupt retailers like Brooks Brothers and Forever 21? (NYT)
  • LVMH calls off mega-deal with Tiffany (BoF)
  • Amazon creates its own Black Friday (PYMNTS)
  • Bankrupt retailers face a new hurdle: getting rid of inventory (Washington Post)
CULTURE
  • Streetwear was declared dead. It’s still here (Vogue Business)
  • How the pandemic has changed China’s fashion industry (Jing Daily)
  • The fashion show will go on. But how? (Fashionista)

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Cos launches second-hand retail, retail’s pandemic imperative, Nike launches maternity line

A round-up of everything you might have missed in relevant fashion, retail and tech industry news over the past week.

TOP STORIES
  • Will American retail rise again? (BoF)
  • Struggling retailers brace for a muted holiday season (NYT)
  • Global fashion weeks adapt to post-coronavirus landscape (WWD)
SUSTAINABILITY & PURPOSE
  • Tommy Hilfiger commits to going circular. Will it work?  (Vogue Business)
  • French fashion players ask consumers for help with sustainability (WWD)
  • Cos launches second hand platform, Resell (Fashion United)
  • Timberland’s products will be fully circular by 2030 (Fast Company)
RETAIL & COMMERCE
  • Retailers embrace outdoor-oriented events and features to boost pedestrian traffic (WWD)
  • Will travel retail rebound? Beauty says yes (Vogue Business)
  • How invisible technology and infrastructure overhauls will save retail (Digiday)
  • Retail’s pandemic imperative: reinventing the front end (Retail Dive)
  • Why poor service will destroy your luxury brand (Jing Daily)
  • Wholesale isn’t dead, it just needs to take risks, return to its roots (WWD)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
  • What the future of TikTok means for retail (Retail Dive)
  • Retailers are turning to AI for in-store marketing (Modern Retail)
  • Instagram’s livestream shopping sees early beauty adopters (Glossy)
  • How to improve digital fashion shows (WWD)
PRODUCT
  • Tommy Hilfiger taps into modest fashion market, with launch of first hijab (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • Nike launches a maternity line (Fast Company)
  • UGG gets into apparel in a more serious way with launch of seasonal ready-to-wear collection (WWD)
BUSINESS
  • Will Bloomingdale’s grab hold of the luxury products market? (Retail Wire)
  • Levi’s reshapes BTS strategy with group video and augmented reality (WWD)
  • PVH posts surprise profit as stay-at-home lifts casual clothing demand (Reuters)
  • Increasing prices during Covid-19? Chanel, Louis Vuitton show it works (Vogue Business)
  • Zalando expands its luxury offering (TheIndustry.Fashion)
  • Victoria’s Secret’s next move (WWD)
CULTURE
  • Shift in consumer behavior post-lockdown (Fashion United)
  • Domestic luxury shopping is here to stay in China – to the dismay of overseas retailers (Jing Daily)
  • How influencers are protecting themselves against misbehaving brands (BoF)