The Monday Morning Edit: What You Missed in Fashion This Weekend
Saks x Amazon flop, We're conflicted on shopping smarter, plus the 2 fashion houses with their foot on everyone's necks
Hiiiii ;)
Did you miss me? I missed you!
I’ll be honest, I didn’t intentionally plan a week off. I sat down last Sunday to write this newsletter and was SO uninspired by everything going on.
It felt like because of tariffs (my new least fav topic) that every brand was at this awkward stand still and the only news out there was PR and I would rather skip over the BS than clutter your inbox with something you truly didn’t need. Then I was traveling Thursday and decided to just be in the moment and it turns out the world kept spinning.
But the news this week / weekend has been poppin so we’re back baby! Just know that I’m lying when I say this is all the news you need to know in under 5 minutes (give me 10 today- there’s so many goodies!).
Silence your slack and kill some time between meetings with me- Your Monday morning edit starts now!
Indyx Wardrobe Data: Fashion tech company Indyx (re:
, ) just dropped their 2025 State of Wardrobes Report and it confirms what we all secretly knew about our shopping habits. The average wardrobe? 166 items, with a staggering 68 tops and just 31 bottoms. (Yes, we're all doing the "jeans and nice top" formula still apparently. Millennials rule!). The most damning stat?: we're wearing each piece only 10 times before relegating it to closet purgatory and getting the same wear from our luxury pieces as most of our fast fashion pieces. Only Barbour managed to hit the 30-wear benchmark, proving heritage brands actually deliver on their longevity promises while everyone else is just playing dress-up. When 75% of our wardrobes were purchased in the last three years, we're not building style – we're just accumulating stuff. The opportunity here isn't sustainability marketing; it's actually creating and purchasing pieces worth keeping beyond a season. Either way, follow Devyn - she too is a resident Quince skeptic!Kohl’s CEO drama: Kohl's just fired their CEO Ashley Buchanan after FOUR MONTHS because he allegedly directed millions in corporate funds to his undisclosed romantic partner. This is Kohl's fourth CEO since 2018, which says everything about their leadership strategy (or lack thereof). Remember when both Hudson's Bay and JCPenney tried to buy Kohl's? Talk about the blind leading the deaf. Their fundamental problem isn't just terrible leadership (though clearly that's an issue) – it's that nobody can answer the simple question: why shop at Kohl's? Not discount enough to compete with Walmart or Amazon, not treasure hunt enough to go up against T.J. Maxx + HomeGoods, just stuck in retail purgatory collecting Kohl's Cash that nobody remembers to use. The middle doesn't just die; it implodes spectacularly with romantic scandals, apparently.
LVMH's Reality Check: LVMH is cutting approximately 1,200 jobs at Moët Hennessy, and Alexandre Arnault just delivered the quote of the year: "all of LVMH's biggest divisions are in crises." When the ruling family of fashion admits they're struggling, you know the luxury slowdown is real. Three major banks (HSBC, TD Cowen, and Barclays) all downgraded LVMH within a week, which is basically the financial equivalent of your three best friends all deciding they hate your situationship simultaneously. Analysts are pushing expected recovery timelines from "H2 2025" to "a later time frame" (aka "we have no idea when this gets better"). After years of pushing prices ever higher while delivering less actual innovation, luxury brands are discovering that even wealthy customers have limits. The rapid expansion of the last decade is reversing, forcing brands to actually earn their premium rather than just expecting it. (complete ADD side note here but did you guys watch SNL this weekend? I love Quinta and have talked about my love of Abbott many a time but the “Forever31” skit was so good and also is like everything I hate about “quiet luxury” right now and every brand trying to jump on the trend for no reason. That’s all!)
Prada's Growth Strategy: Speaking of struggling, Prada isn’t. While luxury peers announce layoffs, downgrade forecasts, and swap CEOs, Prada Group just casually reported 13% revenue growth with Miu Miu absolutely exploding at 60% year-over-year. Their strategy? As CEO Andrea Guerra put it, they see this downturn as "a period where we can win market share with great performance." And excuse my language but no fucking shit! While competitors retrench, Prada is expanding – completing their €1.25 billion Versace acquisition and investing in new stores. Miu Miu's leather goods success with the Wander and Arcadie bags shows they understand what's actually selling right now (accessories over ready-to-wear), while their limited distribution creates genuine scarcity rather than artificial constraints. The contrast with LVMH couldn't be clearer: Prada is playing offense while the industry plays defense, and it's working. This is luxury's natural selection moment, and Prada's proving that creative relevance trumps size during challenging markets.
Saks x Amazon: Saks just launched their Amazon Luxury Stores storefront featuring brands like Balmain and Dolce & Gabbana, and the timing tells the whole story. Saks Global's bonds are currently trading at 62 cents on the dollar as they frantically explore "options to boost liquidity" – including potentially selling real estate assets. This Amazon partnership isn't innovation; it's a life raft. The shopping experience is intentionally stripped of everything Amazon-like (no reviews, no dynamic pricing), but with limited brand selection and awkward merchandising. A $1,890 Balmain cardigan with free Prime shipping feels like an identity crisis in product form. The question isn't whether the interface works – it's whether luxury shoppers actually want this format, or if this is just a desperate move for cash while they figure out their next step.
Zara's Retail Glow-Up: Zara just unveiled their new store concept at Hudson Yards, and it's a complete reinvention of the fast fashion experience. Gone are the chaotic merchandise piles and endless rummaging (miss u LF), replaced with porcelain flooring, wood fixtures, and area rugs that could easily be mistaken for a premium boutique. Their RFID technology enables genuinely useful services like two-hour pickup for online orders and automated returns processing (finally!). This isn't just a renovation; it's a strategic positioning shift and a complete understanding of current consumer shopping habits (hello convenience and ease! Quickest path to increased sales in this environment). As consumers increasingly blur their shopping habits between price tiers, Zara is delivering premium retail moments at accessible price points. They're not just selling clothes; they're selling the feeling of luxury without the actual luxury price tag – and rolling this format out globally. Smart move as price sensitivity increases even among aspirational shoppers.
Vinted Ventures Launch: Re-commerce platform Vinted just launched their own corporate venture arm investing up to €10 million in other secondhand startups, and the timing couldn't be better. Their latest financials are jaw-dropping: 36% revenue growth and 330% profit increase year-over-year. (Yes, you read that right – 330% profit growth. In this economy!) The secondhand market has exploded from $140 billion in 2020 to over $200 billion today as inflation-squeezed consumers seek quality without premium pricing. While traditional retailers struggle with slowdowns, the resale ecosystem is thriving by delivering exactly what consumers want: guilt-free shopping that feels financially and environmentally responsible. Vinted isn't just capitalizing on the trend; they're consolidating power in the circular economy by backing other innovators in the space.
Urban's TikTok Marketing Win: Urban Outfitters just delivered a masterclass in reading the room. When a girl on TikTok posted about spotting someone at the Silverlake flea market wearing boots she loved but who refused to identify them, Urban recognized the viral moment. They immediately jumped in with a promotional text: "we found the perfect pair of boots to gatekeep at the farmers market but couldn't help and share" with a link to their Azalea Wang studded suede cowboy boots – the exact ones from the video. Pure genius – connecting their existing product to the cultural conversation without creating anything new. No overproduced campaign, no celebrity endorsement, just perfectly timed insertion into what people were already talking about. AI could never be so funny. Also the boots sold out!
REN Skincare Closes: Unilever is shutting down REN Skincare after 25 years, marking a turning point for the clean beauty movement. REN pioneered paraben-free formulations back in 2000 when "clean" was revolutionary, not a marketing checkbox. Their journey perfectly illustrates beauty's cruel irony – by successfully creating the clean category, they made themselves obsolete as every brand adopted their innovation. While REN was busy eliminating parabens, sulfates and petrochemicals, competitors like Drunk Elephant and Summer Fridays built stronger brand aesthetics and communities around the same principles. The lesson is brutal but clear: first mover advantage means nothing if you can't continue evolving beyond your original innovation. Pour one out for the OG clean brand that made space for everyone who eventually outshined them.
Gap x Doen Vol. 2: The Gap x Doen second collection dropped Friday and TikTok was flooded with girls literally camping outside stores. I feel like I was transported back in time to the good ol’ days of Target x Lilly Pulizter when brand partnership actually made sense (and it’s helping me forget the Gap Studio fiasco). Doen's elevated prairie girl meets California cool aesthetic fits perfectly with Gap's accessible basics positioning – it's not a reach, it's an extension. Most interesting: the collection hasn't completely sold out yet, suggesting they actually planned inventory like grown-ups instead of manufacturing scarcity. This is what happens when brands align on values and aesthetics rather than just chasing headlines. The only two pieces I would’ve grabbed actually did sell out (the denim jacket and the gingham set) and the collection overall is genuinely cute – especially at Gap prices rather than Doen's usual "I'll just eat ramen this month" price tags.
Sidia x Hotel Chelsea: Sidia just dropped their Hotel Chelsea spa candle collab with Ruby Aldridge as the face of the campaign, and I'm already clicking buy. Unlike the endless “luxury” candle cash grabs, this partnership actually has cultural depth – connecting Sidia's minimal luxury aesthetic with one of New York's most iconic creative spaces. The product itself is simple but the storytelling is impeccable. In a market where everyone and their podcast host has a candle line, Sidia continues pulling ahead by attaching to genuine cultural touchpoints rather than whatever trend is hot this week. They've mastered the art of creating desire through associations that actually make sense, rather than churning out endless seasonal scents. Brb, buying immediately.
Freck Beauty's Founder Exit: Freck Beauty founder Remi Brixton just sold her brand to undisclosed investors and stepped down, despite those viral TikToks about their freckle pen and their coveted Sephora distribution. Her candid Instagram post about struggling to "acquire additional funding needed to move forward" in a "rocky economy" tells the real story behind countless founder exits (and I’m sure hits home for the many female founders who are all too familiar with this same story). Freck's journey proves the massive gap between social media success and financial sustainability – you can have celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Lady Gaga using your products while still struggling to make the business work (side note: I am truly baffled by the amount of people I talk to who think that IG + TikTok followers = $$$ and signs of success?). Meanwhile, they were hosting influencer houses at Coachella while apparently preparing to change ownership. Nameless CPG (a roll-up company that previously acquired Wander Beauty) is now operating the brand for its new mystery owners.
ChatGPT's Shopping Play: OpenAI just launched enhanced shopping capabilities for ChatGPT with product cards showing images, prices and ratings for shopping queries. This isn't just another comparison tool – it's the first step toward completely AI-mediated product discovery. The results are organic (no ads yet), with OpenAI working with undisclosed partners to ensure accurate pricing. While their Nintendo Switch 2 results show the system's current limitations (showing products that don't exist yet), the trajectory is clear: shopping is moving from search-browse-decide to simply asking an AI what to buy. Brands that optimize for this new discovery layer will gain massive advantage as consumer shopping habits evolve. The days of SEO optimization alone are numbered, we’re all going to become AIO girls now (artificial intelligence optimization) – AI systems will increasingly determine which products get suggested, making brand recognition and clear differentiation more crucial than ever. BTW- how do we still not have our Clueless closet?
Estée Lauder's Ongoing Struggle: Estée Lauder Companies just revised their forecast to expect sales dropping up to 9% this year while cutting between 5,800 and 7,000 positions (absolutely hate news like this). Their travel retail business (once the golden goose of beauty) collapsed 28% year-over-year due to ongoing Asia market challenges (I cannot stress this issue enough). The category breakdown tells the real story: skincare down 11%, makeup down 7%, but fragrance only down 1% thanks to strong performance from Le Labo. This confirms what we're seeing across beauty – consumers are prioritizing "signature" purchases (like a distinctive fragrance) while cutting back on experimental or easily duplicated products. When even prestigious beauty conglomerates are slashing forecasts and staff, it's clear the category isn't rebounding as quickly as hoped. The post-pandemic beauty boom has officially ended, forcing brands to compete for a smaller slice of consumer spending.
Enough yapping from me! Consider yourself caught up on all the industry chaos and our weekly bonding time you’ve so missed.
I’ll be back on Thursday (pinky promise this time!)
LYLAS <3
xx
Carly
I enjoy this in my inbox every Monday. The way you breakdown the news with your unique point of you is the absolute best.