The Monday Morning Edit
Chanel's newest ambassador, Revolve is (maybe) in deep shit and Hèrmes is getting more expensive (if possible)
Happy Monday (if such a thing exists!)!
Just here gracing you with my presence to give you the industry intel you absolutely need and nothing you don't. And I know you're trying to power through your inbox after a long weekend (also, are you working or do you have the day off?) so I'll skip the small talk this morning (yap mode deactivated) and get right into it.
Your Monday morning edit starts now!
Kendrick Lamar Signs with Chanel: Chanel tapping Kendrick Lamar as their newest ambassador is a brilliant strategy, especially after their Jennie partnership for Chanel 25. They're clearly strengthening both ends of their consumer spectrum - K-pop stars driving Asian market recovery while Kendrick brings cultural credibility to their eyewear line. It's a known strategy that small goods and accessories are floating many luxury brands during the downturn - they're entry points where outlier consumers (who weren't going to purchase a bag or RTW anyway) can still participate or where loyalists can still get their luxury fix without breaking the bank- making this move with Kendrick all the more genius. We're witnessing a strategic evolution in luxury marketing - these brands are no longer just targeting HENRYs hoping they'll evolve into HNWIs. They're creating relationships with consumers at much earlier ages, cultivating brand affinity long before purchasing power materializes. Chanel is playing the long game, building tomorrow's loyal customers while competitors scramble for today's sales. Whoever's orchestrating these partnerships deserves a raise. Plus I know he sold the f*$! out of those Celine jeans after the Superbowl.
Revolve's $50M Influencer Lawsuit Drama: (kindly,) As a surprise to absolutely fucking no one, Revolve is facing a massive $50M class action lawsuit over undisclosed influencer partnerships. The suit claims they orchestrated a "scheme" where influencers disguised paid endorsements as genuine recommendations, violating FTC guidelines requiring clear disclosure of material connections. According to court documents, Revolve routinely pays influencers and provides free merchandise while not requiring them to disclose these relationships (like how tf did they think this was going to work out for them in the end? genuinely?). This is a reminder that as influencer marketing matures, the legal frameworks around it need to catch up - especially when your entire business model (hello, 70% of their revenue!) is built on getting hot people to convince us to buy things. Sidebar, have you guys read “Careless People” yet?
Target's DEI Rollback Backfires: Target traffic is down for the 10th straight week amid their DEI reversal backlash. While visits fell 7.9% in late March, Costco (who maintained their DEI commitments) saw 7.5% growth. What's fascinating is the speed of this consumer reaction - politics shifted, Target pivoted without conviction, and their sales tanked immediately. The 40% of Gen Z consumers who've abandoned brands over DEI rollbacks aren't playing games. These aren't just social issues anymore; they're legitimate business risks. Consumers today have unprecedented access to information and can smell authenticity from a mile away - making half-hearted policy reversals not just morally questionable but financially disastrous. Too early to say what the long-term effects will be (and Target has so many issues beyond DEI: see here) but I’m personally not excited about a world where Target doesn’t exist so I truly (selfishly) hope they get their shit together.
Jean Paul Gaultier Names Duran Lantink Creative Director: JPG has finally settled on a permanent designer after their 5-year rotating cast experiment. Lantink will oversee both couture and ready-to-wear (which is returning for the first time since 2015! hooray!) with his first collection debuting this September. The Dutch designer feels like quite literally the perfect match- bringing the ultimate blend of provocative energy and technical skill that feels spiritually aligned with Gaultier's legacy. I mean, this is the guy who put a model in prosthetic bouncing boobs at his last show - so the enfant terrible legacy lives on! Between the LVMH Special Jury Prize, Woolmark Prize, and those viral moments, Lantink's star was already rising - now he's truly arrived. I, for one, am quite bored by all of the quiet luxury and safe moves lately and am very VERY excited for this.
Daydream Beta Launch Rumors: Word on the street (the street is my Google Meet calls) is that Daydream might finally launch to the public in June. No confirmation from their team yet, so be aware that I may be completely lying to you. Please note that I'm still not off beta no matter how much I beg/kiss ass on LinkedIn and I’m just ready to see what’s going on. If the rumors aren't true, maybe we'll start the rumor and then it'll come true. Some call it manifesting.
Jonathan Anderson's Dior Debut Set for June:
Fashion industry supervillainLVMH chairman Bernard Arnault finally unveiled fashion's worst-kept secret – Jonathan Anderson will debut his vision for Dior Men's on June 27th after quietly assembling his team and strategically stepping back from both Loewe and JW Anderson shows. Following Kim Jones's transformative tenure feels like an impossible act (was such a favorite of mine!), yet Anderson brings precisely the intellectual creativity and commercial instinct needed to evolve the house during luxury's challenging climate. The bigger question remains whether he'll eventually take over womenswear from Maria Grazia Chiuri after her upcoming travel shows. With luxury sales stumbling across the board, Anderson's unique creative vision might be exactly what Dior needs to reinvigorate consumer excitement.LA's Melrose Renaissance: The stretch between Melrose Triangle and Melrose Place is seeing a retail revival that feels like a post-COVID miracle. Khaite is taking over 8409 Melrose Avenue after recently opening at South Coast Plaza last month, while just blocks away, Jacquemus is making its West Coast debut in a 4,000-square-foot former FWRD pop-up space at 8804 Melrose. Staud will be just steps away at 8816 Melrose Avenue, taking over the Eskandar space - making this a second LA location for Sarah Staudinger's brand. This used to be one of my favorite shopping strolls before it became a retail ghost town, but we're back baby! With these openings placing these brands near existing spots like Chrome Hearts, John Elliott, and Acne Studios, suddenly LA luxury retail feels vibrant again. It's a hopeful sign amid the luxury downturn that brands are still betting on physical retail when it's done right.
Hermès Raising US Prices by 10%: Hermès announcing a 10% US-only price increase tied directly to tariffs perfectly illustrates why they recently dethroned LVMH as the world's most valuable luxury company. Unlike competitors who've been aggressively hiking prices simply because they could (spoiler alert: they couldn’t and they’re all paying the price now), Hermès continues its disciplined approach to pricing that maintains exclusivity and brand without crossing into exploitation. Their impressive 11% US sales growth in Q1 amid tariff uncertainty validates this strategy – consumers respond to transparency and perceive these increases as legitimate rather than opportunistic. The luxury landscape is littered with brands that pushed astronomical increases post 2020 justified by nothing but marketing hype (big flop), yet Hermès consistently respects its clientele's intelligence by raising prices only when economically necessary and communicating the rationale clearly (playing devil’s advocate here like how much more expensive could we get???). Buy your Birkins before May 1st (or don’t) and expect Hermès to be just fine in the coming months. I don’t foresee any damage to either their sterling reputation or robust sales trajectory in a market that clearly understands their value prop.
Time 100 Lists Two Fashion Forces: Miuccia Prada and Willy Chavarria both made the Time 100 list this year - and rightfully fucking so may I add. No shock for Miuccia given Miu Miu's cultural dominance these last two years, but I'm genuinely thrilled for Willy as one of only six Latinos recognized. Both represent what happens when designers stay true to their vision and heritage rather than chasing trends. Bravo!
Valentino Reports 3% Revenue Drop: Adding to the luxury downturn narrative (I know, the horse has turned to glue, but it’s impossible not to talk about), Valentino's revenue dropped 3% to €1.31 billion. Their silver lining? Direct retail up 5%, e-commerce jumping 37%. They did put out a banger of a pre-fall campaign that had people talking, but let's be real - what are these heritage brands actually going to DO to reinvigorate consumer interest? The old playbook feels exhausted, and we're all waiting for someone to show us something genuinely fresh. Valentino has both the legacy and creative foundation to make bold moves - they just need to stop playing it safe when the market's clearly demanding something different.
In the sake of transparency, it is 2am, I haven’t washed my hair after a heated class this morning and I need to be up in 6 hours so I’m ending this abruptly. See ya Thursday!
LYLAS <3
xx
Carly
DEI: it's easy to dilute the importance of these programs when it's stated/talked about as an acronym. But when saying the full name, "We are pulling back on our diversity, equity and inclusion program"... now THAT has the needed punch of, "Oh shit... we're assholes as we're deliberately excluding people"..
Revolve: insert facepalm emoji here.. thats just sloppy business on both Revolve and influencers - CIA people.
Hermes: you could NOT be more spot on! They are both transparent and strategic on the increases but also they continue to produce quality goods (ahem, Chanel going down hill on that front). If I'm shelling out 5 figures on a Kelly 25 (a girl can dream) I sure as hell want that piece to have the quality to go along with it. Plus there is always the resale market as well