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This week, Skims partners with The North Face, beauty brands bet on indie fashion collaborations to capture new audiences, and more.
RETAIL NEWS
Promotions Drive Black Friday Weekend Gains, Retailers Stay Upbeat on Season
A spike in online shopping and sufficient turnouts in the malls, outlets and urban shopping districts over Black Friday weekend portend a healthy stretch ahead in the days leading to Christmas.
Fixing Luxury’s Value for Money Problem
As consumers sober up from post-pandemic exuberance and luxury’s value proposition faces increased scrutiny, brands need to take action on creativity, quality and pricing, writes Luca Solca.
Affordable luxury handbags are booming
Luxury handbag prices have been rising at a significant rate over the last few years. Since 2019, luxury prices overall have risen by 52%, on average, according to the British bank HSBC. Consumers, meanwhile are flocking to more affordable options in response. New retail and wholesale data reveals that the affordable luxury handbag category is growing at a faster rate than any other sector of the handbag market.
Saks Owner HBC Seen on Track to Close Deal for Neiman Marcus Group
The $2.65 billion deal, combining Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off 5th, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman under the Saks Global umbrella, could close in a matter of weeks, sources said.
Simon sees traffic bump during Black Friday weekend
The mall parent company has bucked the trend of declining in-store traffic during the industry’s busiest shopping period.
Luxury and Fast Fashions Are Creating Billionaires Galore
After technology and finance, fashion is the "third biggest wealth-producing industry," with LVMH's Bernard Arnault and Inditex's Amancio Ortega in a two-horse race to be fashion's richest, a new analysis shows.
The North Face, Skims Partner for Limited-edition Collaboration That Goes From Slopes to Après-ski
The North Face and Skims are planning a rendezvous on the slopes. The two brands have come together to introduce a collection of archival styles from The North Face reimagined with Skims‘ innovative fit and signature color palette, available starting Dec. 10. The partnership offers full head-to-toe all-day looks that go from the mountains to après-ski and beyond. The lineup features a down jacket, fleece jacket, down one-piece, a shell waterproof pant, Lycra adaptive bodysuit, top and bottom, and DotKnit top and bottom, along with accessories such as a beanie, gloves and insulated mules.
Calvin Klein to Open a New York City Flagship in SoHo Next Year
The company plans to open a new flagship in New York next year. Following the opening of its Paris flagship in June 2024, Calvin Klein continues to expand its retail footprint with flagship openings in key markets around the globe.
Ralph Lauren: Selling a Dream at Every Price
The American brand is seeing rising sales even as consumers rebel against high prices. For the BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2025, CEO Patrice Louvet spoke about how pricing and merchandising strategies have set up the company for success in uncertain times.
Why Fashion Needs the Art World More Than Ever
Art Basel Miami Beach has become a cultural tentpole that attracts America’s wealthiest and an evolving art customer base that may prove key in reversing the luxury downturn.
BEAUTY NEWS
Dove expands to ‘face-grade’ body care
Dove is going deeper into body care with the launch of Cream Serums and a Targeted Serum Concentrate. The desire to address consumers’ wider body-care concerns led the Dove team to research and develop “face-grade” level body-care products. The new products focus on improving the appearance of uneven skin tone, dark spots, elasticity and stretch marks by using derm-inspired ingredients including niacinamide, prebiotic glycerin and stearic acid.
Target Leans on Beauty to Navigate Challenging Quarter
“In terms of category performance, sales and market share gains were strongest in beauty again this quarter with comparable sales growth of more than 6%. This strong performance was broad-based with growth in our core beauty business as well as our Ulta Beauty at Target offerings.”
How the Different Generations are Shopping for Beauty Products: NielsenIQ Report
NielsenIQ’s report, “Beauty Behavior Through the Generations”, released in October of 2024, takes a deeper look into how consumer beauty shopping habits can differ across generations. Brands can increase growth and brand loyalty when able to quickly adhere products and campaigns to beauty trends in different age groups. Beauty is an industry that is still consistently growing, with a 9.3% boost in dollar sales from 2023 to 2024, per NielsenIQ. But there are differences based on generation.
Gen Z Prioritizes Sustainability & Value on Black Friday
Online marketing firm Hostinger investigated consumer behavior regarding sustainability for this year’s Black Friday season. Gen Z stands out for its environmental awareness, with 64.4% of respondents indicating that sustainability is an important factor in purchasing decisions. This drops to 44.7% for Millennials, 35.7% for Gen X and 29.0% for Baby Boomers. Regardless of age, most respondents are not willing to pay significantly more for eco-friendly products. This willingness decreases with age, showing that younger consumers are more motivated by sustainability than their older counterparts.
Summer Fridays, Glow Recipe Among Top 10 Skin Care Brands by Market Share at Sephora
Summer Fridays, fueled by its buzzy (and ever-expanding) Lip Butter Balm and Jet Lag franchises, is now the top brand by skin care market share at Sephora, insights from YipitData show. The influencer-founded brand, which gained a majority investment by TSG Consumer Partners this summer, jumped five ranks in 2024 to the number-one spot, claiming 10.5 percent of skin care sales at Sephora.
Violette_FR Lands Series B Funding
Violette_FR, the beauty brand founded by New York-based, French-born makeup artist Violette Serrat, has raised series B funding. The funding round was led by New York-based emerging growth equity firm Silas Capital, alongside Experienced Capital, a Paris-based operational growth equity fund. Monogram Capital Partners and Felix Capital also participated. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. This new capital infusion will drive Violette_FR’s next phase of growth, focusing on global expansion, product innovation and digital enhancement.
The Evolution of Promotions in Beauty
Retailers and brands are becoming louder around promotions, while consumers are increasingly hunting down deals.
Mass Men’s Brand Harry’s Introduces $250 Fragrance
The shaving label aims to build “scent equity” with its first fine fragrance, a collaboration with artist Matt McCormick.
Why Estée Lauder is leaning into football
Estée Lauder is making sports a full pillar of its marketing as it aims to introduce one of its most famed products, its Double Wear Foundation, to a new and more diverse generation of fans.
Hailey Bieber and Matilda Djerf Teamed Up for Rhode's Shimmery Holiday Lip Treatment
On Tuesday, December 3, Hailey Bieber's beloved Rhode announced its newest limited-edition Peptide Lip Treatment, a holiday special dubbed Peppermint Glaze and crafted in collaboration with fan of the brand and queen of cozy Matilda Djerf.
Tatcha Expands Into Ulta Beauty, Marking Significant U.S. Expansion
Tatcha has tapped another retailer to expand its U.S. presence. The skin care brand, founded by Vicky Tsai in 2009 and acquired by Unilever Prestige in 2019, will be joining Ulta with its core assortment of hero products online, as well as an expanded assortment on Jan. 1. The partnership is part of the brand’s efforts to bolster its foothold domestically while expanding abroad.
The Multi-Step Beauty Routine Moves Beyond the Face
The “skinification” trend, using skincare-grade formulas on the hair and body, continues to drive growth in the beauty industry thanks to TikTok influencer content and consumer thirst for innovation. A wave of product launches including hair and body serums, masks, treatments and oils has given way to seven-step hair care routines, 15-step hand-care routines and viral “everything showers.” Despite backlash over hyper-consumerism, brands continue to lean into the trend with an emphasis on self-care and efficacy.
Beauty Brands Are Betting on Indie Fashion Collaborations to Capture New Audiences
Brands like RMS Beauty, Doré, Merit and Ole Henriksen are teaming up with independent fashion labels in an effort to expand their communities of chic consumers.
Coty Wins Swarovski Beauty License
Swarovski will join Coty’s wider portfolio of licensed fragrance brands, including Hugo Boss, Tiffany and Burberry, with its first new fragrance set to launch in 2026.
COMINGS & GOINGS
