Loretta Choy

Guess appoints Andrew Rosen as CEO of Rag & Bone. The appointment comes nearly two months after Guess Inc. and WHP Global will complete the acquisition of the New York-based brand. In February, Guess and WHP Global announced a final deal to acquire Rag & Bone, which was completed in April. Under the terms of the agreement, Guess paid more than $57 million for the purchase, in addition to contributions from WHP Global, according to a press release. OptimaRetail.eu: Experts in worldwide #Retail #maintenance and #repairs - SMART FACILITY MANAGEMENT  #RetailInnovation #FutureTrends #OptimaRetail #facilityManagement #PreventiveMaintenance #ReactiveMaintenance #NewsOptimaRetail #NewsRetail #OptimaRetail

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A trainwreck long in the happening. ‘Increased competition in the fast-fashion space’? ‘Lower demand as consumers cut back on discretionary spending or funnel dollars to e-commerce giants like Amazon or Shein’? Sure, that is the context. But EXPRESS’ woes, similarly to other retailers on the edge of the precipice, are of their own making. While the world was pivoting to e-commerce and direct-to-consumer brands and the dynamics in the young professional’s market (Express’ core audience) were shifting to more casual work wear, the focus of leadership at Express has been on salvaging shareholder value, or cutting costs, closing stores, layoffs. If the retailer had intended to refocus the brand, it would have hired an experienced and dynamic retail and merchandising exec team, realigned the vision and laid out strategies to win back consumers’ preference. Growth lies in uncertainty. But it always requires a vision in the corporate suite and, especially, experience. #retail #fashion #fastfashion #dtc #ecommerce #transformation #vision #growth #sales #linkedinpostsbymariopace

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What are the key insights on the fashion industry rapidly changing policy and legislation landscape? How do we talk about equity in the construction and compliance to these emergent legislative framing? Will they lead to rapid action or just bury everyone with ever persistent requirements for reporting? Join me as I discuss these critical issues and more at the Better Cotton Conference in Istanbul (or online)! #BCI #sustainability #climateaction #equiry

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Hear from our Co-Founder and CEO, Wilson Griffin, on the latest episode of Talk Commerce.

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Get to $1MM in Sales for your Fashion Brand with Wholesale! Everyone wants to get into Saks, Anthro and Revolve and other large retailers, but one BIG question to ask is: Can you afford to do wholesale? It’s crucial to understand the margins for wholesaling your line. Typically, you'll need to give wholesale accounts a generous margin for them to make money. At Alala, we use aim for a 60-65% margin when pricing for wholesale and then a 2.25-2.5x markup from wholesale to retail. If you don’t have strong COGS, you might end up losing money going wholesale, especially when factoring in other costs like warehousing and shipping. Get your COGS under control before considering selling to other stores. At the very least, try to break even initially. More insights coming soon! Subscribe to my Substack for weekly newsletters about how to grow your fashion brand to $1MM in sales. #Wholesale101 #Margin #COGS #FashionBusiness

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Despite competition from second-hand market disruptors and a dip in birth rates, childrenswear continues to outperform other sectors. Find out how by subscribing below. #childrenswear #kidswear #secondhand #resale #fashionnews #fashionretail

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At Ethik Brands, we embrace the risk of being a lone leader in the denim industry and the discomfort that comes with it. I’ve been in this for more than 30 years. The fashion industry is not doing enough, and we are committed to creating more sustainable practices and making a positive social impact. By developing and shifting more brands into our factory and process, we aim to drive down carbon emissions and save water. We need to reach more people who care and deliver them better products. “The Global Fashion Summit, launched back in 2009 to put sustainability on the map, celebrated its 15th anniversary this week. But what has actually changed in the fashion industry since it first began? “Honestly, I am disappointed that we’re not further [along],” Eva Kruse, founder of the summit, told Vogue. “When we first started, we didn’t think it would go on for so long, I thought we would solve the problem and get on with another topic.” Why aren’t more factories, brands, retailers, and consumers making more progress? “…a stark report by the Apparel Impact Institute found that greenhouse gas emissions are set to rise by 40 per cent by 2030, despite the fact that the industry needs to slash emissions by half in order to be in line with the Paris Agreement’s ambition to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” Legislation is crucial to initiating this change, as well as six other points made by Emily Chen. One stands out to me in particular: #1 Bold leadership is lacking. The need for “bold and brave leadership” was emphasized multiple times during the summit, given the amount of work that still needs to be done. “Do you care?” Paul Polman, author of *Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take*, questioned the audience, adding that if people weren’t “uncomfortable” then they weren’t doing enough. I invite you to learn more about us. Contact me directly here or reach out to our leadership team. Together, we can create positive change. Ninfa Fergadiotti Carter Case Caroline Rothwell Gerstein Leeann Rahman

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Good article on Puma outlined by Ken Pucker on how they were able to decouple increased growth from lowering emissions. Impressive data that since 2017, Puma has doubled revenues to $9.3 billion, while cutting carbon emissions by 30%. On a per unit basis, that is a 66% reduction. At my last company, I created a model to show that the consolidation of markets, with a calendar adjustment could reduce emissions by 18% allowing a reduction in carbon emissions and creating a savings from air to sea freight alone. This is one of the highest impact adjustments companies can make to really lower emissions.

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These are the things I like to see, we cant solve every toxicity issue ASAP, but this is an example of how I think many of them will be solved; not out of the goodwill of the material producers or the brands by proactively taking responsibility for the products effects on people and planet. There is some healthy debate around what will be the catalyst for change to the materials that are used in footwear/fashion (and other industries), my bet is on this type of catalyst - but any voluntary effort from brands, startups, individuals is meaningful and welcomed. Much more light will be shined on the subject of toxicity within existing supply chains in the very near future, the good news is there are solutions available, and some merely require oversight, not even change... some.

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As they say: ‘The riches are in the niches.’ With its fourth acquisition in just over a year, FULLBEAUTY Brands is rapidly advancing on its mission to establish a plus-size fashion empire. The current market dynamics in direct-to-consumer brands have presented FullBeauty with a unique opportunity to not only enhance its existing business but also to actively target diverse shoppers in the $81 billion women’s plus market. Full Beauty’s niche-focused strategy is evident through the acquisition of plus apparel specialist Avenue, strategically positioning their brands to cater to a wide range of consumer demographics. From younger shoppers at Dia & Co and ELOQUII to a more mature audience at Catherines, FullBeauty is covering the full spectrum of the market with precision. It’s refreshing to witness such a clear brand strategy in action, especially during a time when many companies are aiming to broaden their appeal to a wider target audience. Kudos to FULLBEAUTY Brands for their focused approach in the ever-evolving fashion landscape. #fashion #retail #dtc #sales #plussizefashion #inclusivity #marketplaces #readytowear #linkedinpostsbymariopace Read more: https://lnkd.in/e_pEijEZ

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What are some of the KEEN (Side) Effects of purchasing KEEN boots? Max Romey gives a quick overview. Check out our full 2023 Impact Report at: https://lnkd.in/gKDyjfm7 #KEEN #KEENEffect #ConsciouslyCreated

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I've been giving much thought about Signet Jewelers’ first quarter earnings report and conference call. As always, the company provided a wealth of information and insights to its business, and, with that, its view of the the US jewelry market. The most important point for me was the need to boost the bridal segment. Signet needs to deliver on its expectation that engagements are about to spike, resulting from a lag in dating caused by the pandemic. It has played up that notion over the past year. One would have expected to start seeing the effect of the delay over the holiday season and into the first quarter. But Signet’s bridal sales fell 11% and 12% respectively in the two periods. The numbers suggest a fundamental weakness in the market that extends beyond the effects of the dearth of romance during Covid. It re-emphasizes the the importance of Signet’s collaboration with De Beers Group to promote natural diamonds through joint marketing and training of Signet sales personnel. One cannot rest on one's laurels... it will take a major marketing effort to reverse the trend. Here’s my summary of Signet’s 1Q results along with some additional thoughts. 👇 https://lnkd.in/g6kD68nr

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