Signs from the Women’s March on Washington. (Photographed by Jonno Rattman, via Vogue)
Top of the news agenda this past week has of course been the US inauguration of President Donald Trump, and the subsequent Women’s Marches that took place around the world. Credit to some of the intelligent coverage coming out of traditionally “fashion” (not to mention “teen”) publications, above and beyond the mere commentary around what the new First Lady and First Daughter are wearing. A particular nod to Fashionista for deciding not to comment on the latter. Lots to read, support and get behind, and the fashion industry has the potential to be a big part of that in terms of equal rights for all.
Meanwhile, other big news to know about, includes a view on what UK prime minister, Theresa May’s Brexit speech means for fashion, as well as an inspirational keynote from Richard Branson at NRF Retail’s Big Show on entrepreneurialism in retail. Also check out our recent view on whether Twitter is still relevant for fashion brands, as well as below further insight on how the industry is using Whatsapp, what to expect from Pinterest, and yet more updates on the chatbot space.
TOP STORIES
The most inspiring moments from the speeches at the Women’s March on Washington [Vogue]
Decoding Theresa May’s Brexit speech and what it means for fashion [BoF]
Richard Branson: Retail brands must ‘be entrepreneurial’ to survive [Retail Dive]
Shoes of Prey and Indochino on mass customisation and the future of retail [NRF]
BUSINESS
Bitter end to American Apparel as wind down accelerates [WWD]
Fashion house BCBG closing stores, restructuring [Retail Dive]
Fashion brands fear Trump’s trade policies will disrupt global production chains, with risk of tariffs squeezing profits [SCMP]
Fashion ‘unicorns’ have become an endangered species
This week’s round-up of relevant fashion business, digital comms and tech news neatly sums up a series of things to be tracking at present: the evolution of social media businesses into greater advertising and commercial retail opportunities, the role customer service and messaging apps play together, the explosion of all things virtual and augmented reality, and an ongoing bevy of start-ups to know about.
Meanwhile, also worth reading this week is detail on David Lauren’s promotion to the role of chief innovation officer over at Ralph Lauren, Dior’s catch up strategy on YouTube, and the growth of physical stores by online players including Warby Parker and Bonobos.
TOP STORIES
Fashion ‘unicorns’ have become an endangered species [BoF]
Dior’s borrowing Chanel’s strategies to catch up on YouTube [Glossy]
One of the most interesting things about taking a decent summer break, and particularly one in August, is observing what happens during that time. Traditionally still the month that most of Europe closes down, it is also the time just before fashion weeks begin again and therefore the perfect opportunity for quiet on the news front full stop. We’ve certainly noticed that with regards to digital campaigns or tech stories over the past six years that Fashion & Mash has been running. And yet, not so much this year…
August 2016 proved busier than ever in terms of news in this space, ranging from Burberry’s new see-now buy-now campaign to Kate Spade’s wearables launch, Dior’s WeChat moves and various new high-tech store openings. What that does of course is continue to prove the relevancy of this world to the industry’s growth and success.
Read on for a full breakdown of what you might have missed…
PS. We’ve rebranded our regular “Digital Snippets” series to this “What you missed” feature in a bid to bring you a broader range of relevant stories, as well as a breakdown by category to make your consumption that much easier. Note: this version includes a month’s worth of links – normal weekly service will now resume.
PPS. A new must-read site/newsletter in this space is LeanLuxe – edited by Paul Munford, and providing “stories, analysis, and opinion on the world of modern luxury business”.
TOP STORIES
Fashion needs a more robust approach to technology education [BoF]
Burberry reveals campaign it hopes will woo shoppers to first ‘straight-to-consumer’ collection [The Drum]
Dior in first with luxury WeChat handbags [China Daily]
Consumers prefer see now, buy now, wear now model, says Verdict [The Industry]
BUSINESS
Luxury armageddon: Even Chanel takes a hit as sales and profits plunge [Trendwalk]
Gucci among world’s hottest fashion brands, while Prada cools [BoF]
Prada sales slide as weak demand weighs on luxury-goods maker [Bloomberg]
Macy’s to shutter 100 stores as online players pressure brick-and-mortar [WWD]
How Demna Gvasalia is revolutionising Balenciaga from the inside out [Vogue]
SOCIAL MEDIA
Burberry sponsors Snapchat Lens for My Burberry Black launch [The Industry]
For Kit and Ace, Snapchat doubles as a TV channel and customer service assistant [Digiday]
Nike and others dive into Instagram Stories: why marketers already like it better than Snapchat [AdAge]
While some retailers ignore Snapchat, others are killing it with lens and geofilter ads [AdWeek]
Snapchat found a way to bring its ads to the real world [QZ]
Burberry becomes first luxury brand to personalise on Pinterest [Marketing Week]
Grindr officially gets into the menswear game [Fashionista]
