Much like the cottagecore trend that came onto the radar a few years ago, LoveShackFancy is selling more than just a frilly pink dress –– they’re selling a paradigm. They’re hawking a paradigm of a traditional idyllic femininity experience that’s reminiscent of the Victorian era ideal of the “angel of the house” role that women played in England in the 1900s. The clothing is straight from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” but with much more liberal use of hot pink and ruffles. LoveShackFancy falls into the entry-level luxury category. The …
Hit Show Euphoria Alters Next Gen Fashion Landscape
It doesn’t get any cooler than HBO’s hit show Euphoria. With high school age characters in no-holds-barred scenarios, the series follows the life of a teenage drug addict named Rue, played by Zendaya. The cast features a diverse array of LGBTQ+ characters of various ethnicities, body types, and gender orientation. But beyond that, Euphoria has singlehandedly urged an entire generation to take bigger fashion risks and abandon dated rules about what to wear for their body type. Unlike most teens on TV dramas, Euphoria high schoolers aren’t …
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High Times for Cannabis in the Retail Industry
Cannabis has come of age and on the “high” heels of 4/20, the cannabis insiders’ unofficial/official holiday, fashion retailers should take note. The 2022 Cannabis Festival takes place in Washington DC the weekend of April 24. We’re in a weed wave and retailers are in love with the concept of Maryjane. Nary a day goes by when I’m not sent a pitch for some type of new cannabis product or accessory. What a different world it is from less than a decade ago, when cannabis was still illegal for recreational use across the U.S. Cannabis consumption …
Discounting, Sustainability, and the Grey Economy: A Reconciliation
How do we reconcile consumers’ sustainability obsession with booming off-price sales? Recent data from Meta show that consumers are 1.3 times more likely to purchase sustainable product since the onset of the pandemic. However, much of what we’re hearing about where consumers are shopping seems counter to the idea of sustainability as a purchasing priority. Here’s a fact: Not only is the Dollar General opening more stores than any other retailer this year, it’s also opening more stores than every other retailer combined. Like most discount …
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Sephora and Kohl’s: Mismatched?
The groundbreaking Sephora and JC Penney collaboration has ended. And then just as quickly, Kohl’s tripled down on their in-store Sephoras, with plans to expand from 200 to 600 stores by the end of 2022 with an additional 250 stores in 2023. This will bring the total number of Kohl’s locations with in-store Sephoras up to a whopping 850 by the end of next year, eclipsing the number of Sephoras that were ever inside JC Penney, which peaked at around 650 stores in its heyday. An while we’re on that subject, Sephora stores in JCP looked like they …
Fenty’s New Mall Stores Have a Lot to Teach Us
Rihanna’s intimates brand, Savage X Fenty, opened its first physical store at Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, Nevada in January. Four more locations are scheduled to open in the next few months in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Houston. The Las Vegas store has five rooms with a dollhouse-inspired aesthetic that’s constantly changing. There are different “vibe settings” in each fitting room so customers can experience their boudoir apparel in the proper atmosphere. Rihanna’s physical Fenty experiences will set a new precedent …
Gen Z Doesn’t Want Retailers’ Platitudes
Sorry, mall-based retailers… Gen Z is just not that into you. Yet don’t take this to mean that they don’t visit your stores. Gen Z still prefers to browse online and purchase in store –– particularly when shopping for clothing. They’re also still willing to pay a premium for memorable, unique in-store experiences. Notable variances in generational shopping behavior have emerged during the pandemic. Namely, the fact that Gen Z and millennials are more interested in connecting with brands than retailers. But brands can’t be passive in the …
Makers Dominate the Entry Level Luxury Market
The luxury market has been built on exclusivity. The U.S. is still the largest global luxury market and luxury sector sales continue to soar – even through the pandemic. But how we define luxury is changing. First of all, the very tenets that the legacy fashion houses hung their hats on –– exclusivity, high price points, etc. –– are proving less relevant to younger customers. Luxury has always been about status. The concepts of craftsmanship, style, innovation and the desire to be “the person in the know” still resonate with today’s young …