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 indelible image of Bernie Sanders bundled up in a jacket and mittens at the US presidential inauguration didn’t just spawn memes around the world — it also led to a massive spike in sales.
Burton Snowboards, the Vermont outerwear company that made the coat the senator wore at Joe Biden’s inauguration, said its website has been inundated with visitors in the past few days. Sales of the Edgecomb down jacket on Wednesday were more than double that of the previous 17 days combined, and the specific color worn by Sanders has sold out.
Viewers worldwide seized on Sanders’s amusingly pragmatic outfit as the latest example of his “grumpy chic” aesthetic — leading to a popular meme showing manipulated images of him sitting in other locations. The style has caught the attention of designer fashion labels, and a 2017 collection from European brand Balenciaga riffed on his campaign logo.
As Burton sold its jackets, the woman who made the senator’s mittens was inundated with orders too. Jen Ellis, the Vermont teacher who gifted Sanders the mittens years ago, told disappointed shoppers Wednesday night that she had already sold out.
By Kim Bhasin
Antitrust enforcers said Tapestry’s acquisition of Capri would raise prices on handbags and accessories in the affordable luxury sector, harming consumers.
As a push to maximise sales of its popular Samba model starts to weigh on its desirability, the German sportswear giant is betting on other retro sneaker styles to tap surging demand for the 1980s ‘Terrace’ look. But fashion cycles come and go, cautions Andrea Felsted.
The rental platform saw its stock soar last week after predicting it would hit a key profitability metric this year. A new marketing push and more robust inventory are the key to unlocking elusive growth, CEO Jenn Hyman tells BoF.
Nordstrom, Tod’s and L’Occitane are all pushing for privatisation. Ultimately, their fate will not be determined by whether they are under the scrutiny of public investors.