The Moment of Truth for the Athlete Endorser Is Here
The sportswear industry is at a crossroads as athlete endorsement models shift from flat‑fee deals to performance‑based, revenue‑share contracts. Brands now demand granular data on sales lifts and social engagement to justify spend, reflecting a broader move toward measurable marketing ROI. Nike’s recent earnings slump and 11‑year low stock underscore the urgency, prompting deeper NBA ties and World Cup collaborations to revive relevance. Rising oil costs and geopolitical tensions further pressure companies to rethink endorsement budgets and pricing strategies.
Is the Future of Shopping Hiding Inside Luxury Hotels?
Luxury brands are reimagining hotels and villas as retail "third places," blending hospitality with shopping to create immersive brand experiences. LVMH’s recent purchase of a Cannes villa for roughly $55 million underscores this trend, while BoF Insights projects the $4.3 trillion lifestyle...
Fear of God CEO Exits Label
Fear of God’s chief executive Bastien Daguzan is leaving the Los Angeles‑based luxury streetwear label after less than two years. The company announced it is eliminating the CEO position from its organisational chart, signaling a shift in governance. A source...
How to Bring Back a Beloved Watchmaker: The Resurrection of Universal Genève
The iconic Swiss watchmaker Universal Genève is being revived with a limited‑edition collection, signaling a broader push to rejuvenate heritage brands in the luxury watch sector. At the same time, TAG Heuer appoints Béatrice Goasglas as CEO to sharpen its...
Levi Boosts Full-Year Outlook on Strong Sales; CFO to Retire
Levi Strauss & Co. reported $1.7 billion revenue for the quarter ending March 1, beating analyst forecasts and prompting an upgrade to its full‑year organic and net‑revenue outlook as well as adjusted EPS guidance. CEO Michelle Gass highlighted resilient consumer demand and...
Can the World Cup Solve Nike’s Problems?
Nike’s third‑quarter earnings revealed an 11‑year low in its stock, underscoring a disconnect between the brand’s product slate and consumer demand. Rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions are inflating supply‑chain costs, forcing the company to consider price passes. To revive...
How Fragrantica Became the Internet’s Perfume Bible
The fragrance sector is reshaping itself with layering concepts and neo‑gourmand scents, creating a split between niche premium offerings and mass‑market body mists. Unilever has divested its food businesses to concentrate on beauty, while L’Oréal‑licensed Maison Margiela is launching a...
Unpacking Saks Global’s Post-Bankruptcy Plan
Saks Global secured $500 million in post‑bankruptcy financing and aims to emerge from Chapter 11 by summer, backed by a total of $1.75 billion in court‑approved funding to stabilize vendor relationships. The luxury group’s leaner store footprint signals a shift toward a more...
US Tariff Refund Portal to Exclude One-Third of Imports at First
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection will launch an online portal to refund tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, initially covering about 63% of the 53 million import entries at issue. The first phase will process only non‑final duties, leaving...
LVMH Shares Fell Most Ever in First Quarter on Luxury Slump
LVMH’s shares tumbled about 13% in the first quarter, marking the steepest decline ever for the luxury conglomerate. The slide reflects a broader luxury slowdown, intensified by the ongoing war in the Middle East that is curbing consumer confidence in...
Pandora Opens Distribution Centre in Canada to Reduce US Tariff Impact
Pandora has opened a new distribution centre in Mississauga, Ontario to process Canadian online orders locally, reducing reliance on U.S. facilities and exposure to higher tariffs. The move follows President Trump’s increase of import duties on Thai‑made jewellery, which Pandora...
How the Middle East’s Fashion Industry Is Navigating War
The Middle East’s luxury fashion sector, long buoyed by Dubai’s stability, is now confronting heightened risk as the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict escalates. Volatile oil prices, rising freight costs and supply‑chain disruptions are pressuring regional brands and retailers, prompting extensive crisis‑management measures....
Inside Pixel Moda’s Human-Led Approach to AI-Powered Fashion E-Commerce
Pixel Moda, a global e‑commerce content producer, uses generative and assistive AI to accelerate fashion visual asset creation. By combining AI with human creativity, the company can generate up to 15 high‑quality images per SKU within 24‑48 hours, cutting image costs by...
Is Your $3,000 Handbag Worth It? Tanner Leatherstein Has the Answer | The BoF Podcast
Tanner Leatherstein, a former tannery apprentice turned social media analyst, deconstructs luxury handbags to reveal the true cost of materials and craftsmanship. By applying acetone, flame and hardware tests, he calculates retail multipliers often ranging from fifteen to twenty times...
Italy Investigates Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics Over Marketing to Children
The Italian competition authority AGCM has opened investigations into LVMH‑owned Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics for alleged unfair commercial practices that market adult cosmetics to children and adolescents. Regulators say the brands employ very young micro‑influencers on social media to push...
BoF to Convene Luxury Leaders in Lake Como During Milan Design Week
The Business of Fashion and Marriott International’s Luxury Group will host a closed‑door Luxury Leaders Salon on Lake Como during Milan Design Week. The event, timed with the March 2026 opening of Marriott’s new Lake Como Edition, will bring together senior executives...
Nicolas Di Felice Exits Courrèges
Nicolas Di Felice is departing Courrèges after a five‑year stint that revitalized the historic Parisian label. His tenure featured reimagined Space‑Age silhouettes, immersive runway shows and techno‑infused brand events. Artémis, the Pinault family holding, is expanding Courrèges with new boutiques in Paris,...
Puig, Estée Lauder Companies Considering Merger
Spanish fragrance group Puig and U.S. beauty giant Estée Lauder Companies have entered talks about a possible merger, which could create a combined entity valued around $40 billion. The discussion follows a sharp decline in Estée Lauder’s share price, down nearly...
New Luxury Store Openings Rise in Europe, Cushman Data Shows
Luxury brands opened more European stores last year, with a 13% rise on premier retail streets despite a broader sector slowdown. Cushman & Wakefield recorded 96 new outlets in 2025, down from 107 in 2023, and noted that LVMH was the...
In a Pricing Pinch, Mass Beauty Brands Get Creative
Mass beauty brands are feeling a pricing pinch and are turning to curated bundles, jumbo‑size formats and subscription models to keep shoppers from defecting to competitors. At the same time, consolidation accelerates as Estée Lauder and Spain’s Puig enter merger talks,...
Executive Memo | Navigating the Unravelling of Multibrand Retail
The fashion wholesale ecosystem is undergoing a structural reset as a cascade of bankruptcies—Matches, Ssense, and Saks Global—exposes the fragility of the multibrand retail model. Historically, wholesale offered emerging labels credibility and established brands geographic reach without the cost of...
Why H&M’s Sustainability Report Is So Unusual
H&M’s latest sustainability report stands out by foregrounding ambitious emissions targets at a time when many fast‑fashion players are scaling back ESG disclosures. The document not only details a roadmap for supply‑chain decarbonisation but also teases a preview of its...
Bella Freud on Fashion and the Art of Getting People to Open Up | The BoF Podcast
Bella Freud, founder of the eponymous label since 1990, built her business on modest beginnings and a pivotal early market in Japan. After surviving cash‑flow crises, a chance production of 50 "Ginsberg is God" sweaters sparked a revival, eventually leading...
How to Protect Work-Life Balance in the Fashion and Beauty Industries
Fashion and beauty workers are confronting chronic overwork, prompting a shift toward work‑life balance as a top employment criterion. A BoF Careers survey of over 1,000 industry professionals found 65 % value flexible schedules above perks, while 33 % prioritize employers that...
Exclusive: Nvidia and Antoine Arnault Are Moving Into Virtual Try-On
AI-driven virtual try‑on and direct checkout are reshaping online fashion shopping, with generative models now able to render realistic outfit previews inside search engines. The Business of Fashion report highlights a surge of investment, noting 17 AI‑powered startups have raised...
Paris Day Seven: The Importance of Play
Paris Fashion Week’s seventh day highlighted a shift toward playful experimentation, most notably in Jean‑Paul Gaultier’s runway where Duran Lantink reimagined the archive with distorted tailoring, sportswear and provocative silhouettes. The collection blended sculptural, sexy and kinky elements, emphasizing the...
Pete Nordstrom on the Enduring Power of Retail’s ‘Best Mousetrap’ | The BoF Podcast
Nordstrom celebrated its 125th anniversary while navigating a turbulent U.S. department‑store landscape. The family partnered with Mexico’s Liverpool to take the retailer private, preserving a 51% stake and freeing the business from quarterly market pressures. Pete Nordstrom highlighted the company’s...