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.
"For Bonobos, a Good Fit in Stores as Well as Online" (The New York Times)
"Bonobos, the e-commerce business best known for its well-fitted men's pants, was never supposed to have brick-and-mortar shops. Then, all of a sudden, they opened a few and money came pouring in. In the company's most recent investment round, it has raised $55 million, [founder Andy Dunn] said."
"Why is Japanese E-Commerce Firm Rakuten Going Global With a New $100M Fund?" (The Next Web)
"Rakuten Ventures, the VC fund belonging to Japan's top e-commerce company, is going global after it announced a new $100 million fund. The fund is Rakuten Ventures' second, it is the follow-up to an initial $10 million fund focused solely on Asia."
"Shopping App Wish Lands $50 Million Financing Round" (The Wall Street Journal)
"Wish, a fast-growing mobile-shopping app, raised $50 million from venture-capital investors who believe there is still room for upstarts in an industry dominated by Amazon.com, eBay and Groupon. The funding came from new investor Founders Fund and existing investors Formation 8, GGV Capital and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, among others, and gives the San Francisco startup a valuation of roughly $400 million…"
"Mixed Predictions About Wearables Like Smartwatches and Google Glass" (The New York Times)
"After Google introduced Android Wear, a special version of Android tailored for wristwatches embedded with miniature computers, or smartwatches, several prominent research firms made predictions about where the devices were headed. The projections were all over the map."
"72Lux Launches Shoppable, Giving Users a Universal Wish List With Multiple Retailers" (TechCrunch)
"72Lux today announced the launch of Shoppable, a new website and e-commerce platform that allows consumers to manage their shopping wish lists over a variety of retailers and publishers in one place."
Brands are using them for design tasks, in their marketing, on their e-commerce sites and in augmented-reality experiences such as virtual try-on, with more applications still emerging.
Brands including LVMH’s Fred, TAG Heuer and Prada, whose lab-grown diamond supplier Snow speaks for the first time, have all unveiled products with man-made stones as they look to technology for new creative possibilities.
Social networks are being blamed for the worrying decline in young people’s mental health. Brands may not think about the matter much, but they’re part of the content stream that keeps them hooked.
After the bag initially proved popular with Gen-Z consumers, the brand used a mix of hard numbers and qualitative data – including “shopalongs” with young customers – to make the most of its accessory’s viral moment.