The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
THE CHEAT SHEET
Burberry's Results Will Finally Reflect Tisci's Impact
Burberry Autumn/Winter 2019 | Source: InDigital.Tv
The Bottom Line: One area to watch closely in this week's results is leather goods, a perennial weak spot for Burberry that the brand is eager to fix.
Amazon Prime Day Conquered E-Commerce. Will it Conquer Fashion?
Amazon website | Source: Shutterstock
The Bottom Line: Many retailers are trying to wean themselves from relying on heavy discounting to move products. Amazon is cleverly undermining these efforts by forcing rivals into a cycle of annual Prime Day-adjacent sales.
Two Conventions Offer Very Different Visions for Fashion
Daniel Jacob's Air Jordan sculptures and jewellery will be among the attractions at ComplexCon | Source: Instagram/@complexcon
Superheroes' superfans have been gathering for decades to worship their idols, preview upcoming releases and buy plenty of merch at annual conventions. It's a bit surprising that nobody thought to adapt the format to fashion until recently. The gold standard for fashion conventions is ComplexCon, the annual streetwear gathering in Long Beach, Calif. The event has proven so popular — and lucrative for media platform Complex and its owners, Hearst and Verizon — that a second edition is planned in Chicago this week. Today there's a thriving circuit of fashion and beauty-themed conventions, with companies ranging from Sephora to Hypebeast getting in on the act.
Meanwhile, in San Diego, well over 100,000 people are expected at the 50th annual Comic-Con. The event has become an unconventional source of new fashion trends; after all, its Marvel movies are dominating the box office and science fiction offerings like Black Mirror are driving the cultural conversation. There are more ties between ComplexCon and Comic-Con than you'd think; Netflix is sponsoring ComplexCon and will no doubt have a heavy presence at Comic-Con, and hypebeast favourite Nike released tie-in sneakers timed to the release of the latest season of Stranger Things.
The Bottom Line: Packed conventional halls are a sign of the times; as the cultural mainstream fractures, formerly niche subcultures are a source of commerce and inspiration for fashion brands and designers.
Editor's Note: This article was revised on 15 July 2019. A previous version of this article misstated that Burberry had recently set a goal to go carbon neutral by 2022. This is incorrect. Burberry announced this goal in 2017; it recently set new greenhouse-gas emission targets.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
The Levi's "batwing" logo T-shirt has become a common sight on city streets worldwide. | Source: Getty Images/Christian Vierig
"Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best." @cointrelle, commenting on "
[ How Levi's Sells a Logo Tee a Second ]
"
SUNDAY READING
Professional Exclusives You May Have Missed:
The Week Ahead wants to hear from you! Send tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments to brian.baskin@businessoffashion.com.
Was this BoF Professional email forwarded to you? Join BoF Professional to get access to the exclusive insight and analysis that keeps you ahead of the competition. Subscribe to BoF Professional here.
The 10 themes in The State of Fashion 2023, the authoritative annual report from The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company, highlight how businesses can deploy realistic yet bold strategies to drive growth, even amid challenging times.
The women’s rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke with BoF’s Imran Amed about education, growing up as an activist and the evolution of her own activism at BoF VOICES 2022.
BoF’s Imran Amed and McKinsey’s Achim Berg unpack what opportunities and challenges businesses should be on the lookout for in 2023.
Tim Blanks sits down with Ziad Ahmed, chief executive of JUV Consulting and Stephanie Simon, the former head of community at Clubhouse to reflect on VOICES.