Hello Lauren Sherman here, we are interrupting our regularly scheduled programming today to share some news. After ten years of writing for BoF I am moving on to pursue some new projects and that means, sadly, that I no longer be hosting the debrief. It's been an absolute pleasure recording this podcast every week. I want to thank you, to the tens of thousands of listeners who have tuned in each week this past year. I hope we entertained you and that you learn just a little bit more about this crazy industry that we all love. I have a feeling we'll meet again.
Stay tuned, we will be back! 

 Subscribe for agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Goodbye from Lauren Sherman

Welcome to The Debrief, a new weekly podcast from The Business of Fashion, where we go beyond the glossy veneer and unpack our most popular BoF Professional stories. Hosted by BoF’s chief correspondent Lauren Sherman, who after covering fashion and beauty for nearly two decades, will be your guide into the mega labels, indie upstarts and unforgettable  personalities shaping the $2.5 trillion global fashion industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

Occasionwear’s late-pandemic comeback may have felt like a reactionary fluke, but retailers and designers are betting it’s more than a trend. 
Background:  Post-pandemic, occasionwear has been booming. During the second half of 2022 US and UK retailers introduced nearly twice as many dresses embellished with sequins, beads and jewels compared to 2019, according to retail intelligence firm Edited,. Over the same period, sequined dresses sold out 52 percent more compared to 2019, while high-heel shoes sold out 121 percent more. Retailers and designers don’t think the trend will slow any time soon as bold looks continue to flood runways and shop floors.
“It's natural that now that the world is even more open compared to last year when we had just gotten vaccinated, that there's this desire for a little bit of escapism,” said Cathaleen Chen, BoF retail correspondent.  
Key Insights: Outside of work-from-home and sweatpants, there’s a growing appetite for loud, statement pieces that go beyond old occasionwear staples like sequins and bold colours, and expand into split-hem pants, corset tops and velvet shoes. Much about dressing up has changed too. Consumers are looking for versatility now more than ever, and demanding comfort out of occasionwear — opting for kitten heels rather than stilettos, and slip dresses rather than form fitting looks. Though some of the uptick can be chalked up to a pandemic hangover, and some styles will stay while others fade away, the statement dressing category will remain strong through 2023. Still, cycles of consumption and consumer sentiment remain unwieldy amid wider economic uncertainty.
 Further Reading: Hyper Growth Is Over for Sneakers. What’s Next?Why Sequins and Platform Heels Are Here to Stay

Join BoF Professional today with our exclusive podcast listener discount of 25% off an annual membership, follow the link here and enter the coupon code ‘debrief’ at checkout.
Want more from The Business of Fashion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
Follow The Debrief wherever you listen to podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Getting Dressed Up Is Here to Stay in 2023

Priya Rao, executive editor, Business of Beauty, joins Lauren Sherman to unpack how the singer’s lifestyle label has managed to build a loyal fan base — without his direct involvement. 
Background: 
Harry Styles has managed to pull off a feat that has eluded countless celebrities, despite their many attempts: Building a popular beauty brand. He’s managed to do so even while taking a backseat when it comes to running Pleasing, his lifestyle line which predominantly sells nail polish as well as skin care and sweatshirts. Since launching in November 2022, Styles has not talked much about Pleasing publicly or on social media. But, the brand, created in partnership with his stylist Harry Lambert and creative director Molly Hawkins, has generated a plugged-in community of loyalists nonetheless. 
“[Celebrities] are coming out with these really full lines that have nothing to do with what they’ve been about before. Pleasing really feels like Harry … like you’re getting a piece of Harry when you buy [products],” said Priya Rao, executive editor, Business of Beauty.
Key Insights: The Pleasing team, including stylist Harry Lambert and creative director Molly Hawkins, have distilled Styles’ aesthetic into a burgeoning brand — with fans who feel they’re buying a piece of the singer when they shop. Styles’ hands off approach has given the brand an interesting air of mystery, and his fanatical fans have helped build hype by visiting the brands’ maximalist pop-ups and collecting every colour of polish. Just because a celebrity or influencer has fans doesn’t mean their brand will be a hit — products have to be effective and messaging has to be on point for a label to have staying power.  
 Additional resources:Why Harry Styles Fans Can’t Get Enough of Pleasing Why Do We Root Against Celebrity Beauty Brands?The State of the Celebrity Beauty BrandWhy Male Celebrities Are Launching Nail Lines
 Join BoF Professional today with our exclusive podcast listener discount of 25% off an annual membership, follow the link here and enter the coupon code ‘debrief’ at checkout.
Want more from The Business of Fashion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
Follow The Debrief wherever you listen to podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Harry Styles Built a Nail Polish Empire

A new BoF Insights report tracks the evolution of the fast-growing high-end footwear market — and why luxury shoppers are willing to spend more than ever on the perfect shoe. 
Background:   Luxury footwear is booming as consumers opt to spend more than ever on shoes with soaring prices. The market for designer shoes is set to grow to $40 billion by 2027, up from $31 billion in 2022, according to Euromonitor International. As consumer demand grows, competition is heating up for brands from Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin to Chanel and Prada who stake much of their businesses on the core segment. The market is much-changed: shoppers crave comfort, but also newness and uniqueness. They also have more choices than ever: cowboy boots, Mary Janes, stilettos and mules have been trending recently. 
“There was this vibe shift occurring post-pandemic. The shoes that consumers want today look and feel very different from what they had before,” said Diana Lee, BoF’s director of research and analysis, on the heels of publishing BoF Insights’ latest report “The Statement Shoe: Reimagining Designer Footwear.”   Key Insights:  The footwear category is poised for growth this year: 84 percent of consumers surveyed across the UK, US and China told BoF Insights they were planning on investing in footwear in the coming year. At the same time, prices for women’s footwear have increased 10 percent from 2019. Shoes have gotten more expensive, partially, thanks to streetwear’s hype cycle, which has conditioned consumers to shell out for limited edition items. Of course, inflation and rising costs across the supply chain have contributed to increases. Much about the footwear market has changed. Mass trends toward casualisation have led consumers to seek out comfort, primarily, when buying shoes. Still, high heels are performing well following the return of in-person events. And, the high heel space has seen a sort of reinvention as brands opt for designs that grab consumers attention — like Loewe’s eggshell and balloon designs. Meanwhile, newcomers like Amina Muaddi are stealing share. 
 Additional resources:BoF Insights | The New Statement Shoe: Reimagining Designer FootwearBoF Insights | What’s Next for Luxury Shoes in 5 Charts

Join BoF Professional today with our exclusive podcast listener discount of 25% off an annual membership, follow the link here and enter the coupon code ‘debrief’ at checkout. 
Want more from The Business of Fashion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
Follow The Debrief wherever you listen to podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Designer Shoes Are So Expensive

Background: 
For fashion, one of the most alluring prospects for NFTs is how they could help brands collect royalties — forever — on secondary sales of physical goods. Though the mechanics of doing so are not ironed out yet, brands could ideally code NFTs tied to physical products with smart contracts triggered by certain conditions and benefit every time an item is sold, not just at the initial sale. But, technical loopholes used to circumvent loyalties and finicky marketplaces leave brands and creators without ways to enforce rules. 
“One of the big principles of Web3 is these royalties are the idea that it's a creator led economy, it wouldn’t necessarily be controlled by a big centralised organisation … Except that’s not really playing out,” said BoF technology correspondent Marc Bain. 
Key Insights: Marketplaces are responding to controversy over enforcing royalties. Opensea, one of the biggest Web3 marketplaces, wants to attract creators, so it has an incentive to honour creator royalties. Newer marketplaces just looking for sales are willing to cut fees for buyers. This has led to an existential crisis for the NFT community, showcasing that creators are not entirely in charge in a space that was touted as having enormous potential to empower them. Marketplaces and infrastructure for fashion brands that would want to get royalties for secondary sales don’t exist right now. It also remains to be seen how brands would scale such a system. A number of start-ups including EON and Aurora Blockchain Consortium are working on linking digital identities to physical goods, but doing so is complicated. 
 Additional resources:Is Fashion’s NFT Dream Over Before It Started?How Fashion Is Using NFTs to Sell Exclusive Physical ProductsThe Secrets to a Successful NFT Drop
 Join BoF Professional today with our exclusive podcast listener discount of 25% off an annual membership, follow the link here and enter the coupon code ‘debrief’ at checkout. 
Want more from The Business of Fashion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
Follow The Debrief wherever you listen to podcasts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Goodbye from Lauren Sherman

Download our free app to listen on your phone