Clubhouse has only been around for a few months and yet it is already valued at $1 billion, with 10.1 million registered users. Standing side by side with Uber and Airbnb, this new social media app has been named a Unicorn start-up. Born in Silicon Valley, Clubhouse’s purpose is to connect its users through audio-only chats focused on specific issues, aiming at constructive conversations between professionals, celebrities and ordinary people. Clubhouse works on an invitation-only basis, creating a certain buzz around its exclusivity, leading to an increased popularity among social media users. Brands’ presence on the app is still uncertain due to its newness, yet one may wonder what advantages can…

Bottega Veneta started 2021 with a bold move. Without warning and with no explanation the Kering-owned Italian luxury brand deleted all of its social media platforms. The move has caused a stir in the fashion industry as the brand even deleted Instagram (where it had over 2.5 million followers), an app that brands heavily rely on to curate their image, market new products and as a result of the app’s recent updates – even make sales.  The brand has declined to comment on the strategy at hand, leaving many bewildered by the idea of a brand as powerful and on the rise as Bottega Veneta going dark.  Although this move came…

The pandemic is undoubtedly leading to drastic changes in fashion’s retail paradigm, particularly when it comes to fast fashion. As noted throughout the past months, the recipe for success has consisted in shaping retail strategies on e-commerce or, at the very least, omnichannel. Inditex has clearly exemplified this phenomenon: for the first half of 2020, online sales grew by 74 percent, while net sales decreased by a third compared to the same period in 2019. Indeed, despite falling sales, the fast fashion Group’s strategy envisaged an expansion of the e-commerce to new markets: up to now, Zara (Inditex’s major label) has launched online sales in 16 new countries across South…

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. The fashion industry has proven to seriously take this old proverb into account, considering the huge proliferation of collaborations between brands over the past several years. The question, then,  is: “When did this all start?  Back in January 2017, Paris: Supreme and Louis Vuitton announced their very first and unlikely collaboration, dropping on the fashion world the bomb that since then sharply modified the fashion industry brands’ trend. Let’s step back for a moment. The truth is that collabs, including those with artists, celebrities and musicians, have always been around since the 1930s. However, it was a rare phenomenon until the…

The Chinese video-sharing social network TikTok has seen a tremendous 92% increase in downloads in the last year: the platform jumped from 157M users worldwide in Q2 of 2019 to 301M in the same quarter of 2020. Moreover, around 75% of these users are active on a daily basis, and 40% of them are aged between 16 and 24. The newest social media seems to be a great opportunity for luxury brands to target Generation Z, who is more dynamic on TikTok than on any other social network. Yet, its unique peculiarities make it difficult for high-end maisons to thoroughly understand how to engage with their audience and make good…

July 19th, 2018: a typical summer day that most of us have spent peacefully sunbathing on a beach. This was certainly not the case for the managing team of Burberry, though, who had to deal with a drastic article published by The Times: Luxury brands including Burberry burn stock worth millions. In 2017, the British brand, like many others in the luxury industry, including Louis Vuitton and Richemont, reportedly burned £28M of unsold inventory. This strategy was adopted to maintain brand image and prevent products from being sold at discounts to the “wrong people”, the paper reported. This event, despite not having led to tragic falls in revenues (-1.2% from 2017…

A timeless piece of clothing is becoming more and more of a radical idea in this era of fashion characterised by an ever increasing pace. A pace of creation, production, and consumption that is becoming more apparently harmful, yet also one that is very hard to curb as it has almost become synonymous with fashion itself.  As if to add fuel to the fire, beyond the countless collections that are being rolled out more frequently than the seasons, fast-fashion retailers have also been venturing into the world of collaborations. Collaborations are, by design, created to generate buzz. Although they are great ways for brands to leverage on each others strong…

Lisbon: the 2020 European Green Capital, the first among the Southern European countries to achieve the title. In October 2020, the city hosted the Sustainable Fashion Business conference: an event portraying the country’s role as a facilitator to a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.  The sustainable fashion conference 2020 The conference welcomed many speakers from across the globe: Manufacturers, the Portuguese Minister of the Environment, Designers such as Priya Ahluwalia, and Organizations like The Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The topics of discussion centered on how the industry could possibly move forward in sustainability, green financing schemes, textile waste and the importance of technology. The Minister José Fernandes added that the country is taking greater responsibility…

Last month, Gucci dethroned sportswear giant Nike as the world’s hottest brand according to fashion shopping platform Lyst. Initially, some people may be surprised to discover the presence of a non-luxury brand, Nike, on this list, considering the remaining top ten is packed with major luxury houses such as Prada and Balenciaga. Nike’s highly prolific marketing strategy, exclusive collaborations and its sharp focus on consumers’ needs have certainly contributed to the creation of the global powerhouse that it is today. Despite the fact that Nike is not a traditional luxury brand it has adopted certain characteristics of the luxury industry that have contributed to the strength of the brand today.…

It’s that time of the year again: we are less than two months away from Christmas, the time when people pour out into the streets of their cities, grouping in and out shopping centers, rushing around looking for the perfect gift, or simply having a relaxing walk enjoying the spirit and magic of Santa Claus’ season. However, nothing will be the same this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which upended people’s habits. This includes the way they shop, as well as the amount they spend. Retailers hoped that September could help them recover the lost sales, however, especially for the fashion industry, this did not happen. According to the…