Performance basketball shoes have long been embedded in fashion culture, from the iconic Air Jordans of the 1990s to the stylised sneakers worn in NBA tunnel walks. But over the last decade, interest in basketball shoes waned as sneakerheads turned to minimalist silhouettes, running shoes and fashion collabs. 

Now, a new wave of signature athletes, innovative design from emerging and legacy brands and growing energy around the WNBA are bringing basketball sneakers back into the fashion spotlight.

In this episode of The Debrief, BoF correspondents Lei Takanashi and Mike Sykes join hosts Sheena Butler-Young and Brian Baskin to unpack what's changed, what's still missing and what the future might hold.

Key Insights: 

• Basketball sneakers lost momentum with consumers when design became too functional and aesthetics too uniform. "All the styles just seemed kind of homogenous... There wasn't much difference there," said Sykes. "If you're not going to give us anything that looks different or anything that's unique, then people are going to go back and look into the past." This lack of innovation pushed sneakerheads toward nostalgic retro styles rather than new performance models.

• New stars like Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are reigniting interest in signature sneakers, not just through performance but personal style and personality. "He's got the bravado. He's like everything that you want from a signature athlete," said Mike of Edwards. "A lot of these new players... they have this grip on the culture," added Lei, referring to how their on-screen charisma and tunnel fits are helping bring basketball sneakers back to relevance.

• The women’s game has long been rich in style and creativity — a fact the market is only now starting to catch up to. "Just seeing the creativity and the colour that has always been around the women's game when it comes to the sneakers that they've worn," said Mike. "It just makes it all the more disappointing... if we saw what we see today maybe five or 10 years ago, then the market right now would be completely different."

• In the past decade, attention shifted away from professional athletes and toward celebrity collaborators like Kanye West and Travis Scott. That dynamic is beginning to change. "From a brand perspective, the athletes just weren't the interesting players in the field," said Mike. "And so now I think the brands are circling back around and recentering athletes in a way that I think we haven't quite seen in a long time."

Additional Resources:

• The Fashion Revival of Basketball Sneakers | BoF
• How Soccer Conquered the US Sneaker Market | BoF  
• Sign up to Mike’s newsletter - Sports by Mike D. Sykes 

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In the five years since the pandemic, fashion and beauty workplaces have undergone seismic change. Amid mounting economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and the ongoing climate crisis, a workplace reckoning is underway. Employees are re-evaluating what truly matters at work and for many, that means reassessing everything from their employers’ values to compensation and flexibility.

According to BoF Careers’ 2025 global survey of over 1,000 professionals in 74 countries, only 15 percent of respondents said they were satisfied in their current roles. Meanwhile, 45 percent are actively looking for new jobs and workers today are prioritising fair pay, career progression, flexibility, value alignment and transparency over legacy prestige or perks.

On this episode of The Debrief, senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young speaks with BoF’s commercial features director Sophie Soar to explore what talent really wants today and what employers need to do to attract and retain the best.

Key Insights: 

• Employees don’t just want transparency; they expect it as a foundation for trust and progression. From salaries to promotions, clarity enables professionals to visualise their future and stay engaged. “Transparency allows people to see their career trajectory at a business, as well as really visualising their future there and what it will look like,” said Soar. “Maybe they don’t find that motivating, but it can also set clear expectations and goals for them to work towards.”

• Hybrid work remains popular, but it’s not just about flexibility. Without visible leadership, the in-office experience falls flat and fails to deliver meaningful career support or culture. “If you are just providing a space that has a few desks and Wi-Fi, that is not creating the right kind of environment, the right set-up for community, as well as a comprehensive and effective working culture,” said Soar. “If you want employees to be back in the office, then leaders need to be there as well. They need to lead by example.”

• While high-profile brands still appeal to candidates, they’re no longer enough on their own. Employees are increasingly prioritising ethics, compensation, and leadership over legacy status. “When we were asking individuals as a part of the survey to share which companies they would most like to work for within the fashion and beauty industries, leaders were quite often called out by name,” said Soar. “Lina Nair at Chanel and Brunello Cuccinelli, they were called out individually as being very inspiring to individuals and a very motivating reason to want to work at a company.”

• As jobseekers increasingly rely on tools like ChatGPT to craft their CVs and cover letters, authenticity and personalisation are becoming critical differentiators. Top employers aren’t looking for generic admiration; they want thoughtful, tailored applications that clearly map experience to the role. “You kind of need to emphasise past the point of saying, ‘I love your brand, and it would be great if I could work at your brand’ – that is really not going to resonate with individuals hiring,” said Soar. “I would highly recommend making sure that if you're using this technology, you try and think about how you can put yourself into it.”

Additional Resources:

• What Fashion and Beauty Professionals Want From Employers

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The luxury industry trades on a carefully constructed marketing image, deeply linked to artful claims of exclusivity, craftsmanship, and impeccable standards. But a slew of Milanese court cases linking some of luxury’s biggest names to sweatshops on the outskirts of the fashion capital have sent uncomfortable shockwaves through the sector. Last week, LVMH-owned cashmere brand Loro Piana became the latest company caught up in the scandal. According to prosecutors, inadequate supply chain controls meant thousands of the brand’s cashmere jackets were made under exploitative conditions in illegal workshops. The scandals raise critical questions about luxury’s supply-chain integrity at a time when trust in the sector’s value proposition is already eroding.

This week on the Debrief, chief sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent joins Sheena Butler-Young to unpack the investigation and what it means for brands and consumers.

Key Insights: 

• Prosecutors in Milan argue that luxury brands’ links to local sweatshops are a feature, not a bug in the system. Companies are negligent in how they monitor their supply chains and routinely turn a blind eye to red flags in order to maximise profits they say. "The crux of these cases is that big luxury brands are not really doing their homework," said Kent. Brands caught in the investigation say they have strong systems of controls in place and that they have cooperated with authorities to understand where things went wrong. 

• Loro Piana, a brand long considered the pinnacle of luxury craftsmanship, is the latest — and perhaps most surprising — name to be swept up in the investigation. Renowned for its control over production and its sourcing of rare materials like baby cashmere and vicuña, Loro Piana sits in one of the most exclusive tiers of fashion, alongside labels like Hermès.

• Brands caught up in the scandal have been placed under court oversight to ensure they tighten up their supply-chain controls, but the broader systemic issues revealed by the Milanese investigations have no easy fix. "There are deep-seated economic challenges for an industry that is still largely very fragmented, made up of mom-and-pop shops competing on a global stage with countries that have much lower labour costs," said Kent. Manufacturers are under intense pressure on price, speed and flexibility, conditions that have helped give rise to “a cottage industry of cut-price suppliers that are not meeting Italy's own labour laws," she said.

• In the past, luxury brands have proved remarkably resilient to such scandals."What feels different this time is there is more jeopardy than there has been historically,” said Kent Hefty price increases over the past few years coupled with online complaints about declining quality are already fuelling a noisy debate about whether luxury brands are really worth the money. The sector’s alleged sweatshop links are “feeding into a bigger conversation that's already happening in a dangerous way,” said Kent. “This is not just a one-off scandal affecting one brand that can fade into the background.”

Additional Resources:

• How Loro Piana Was Linked to Labour Exploitation | BoF 
• If You Can’t Trust Loro Piana, Who Can You Trust? | BoF 

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In nearly two decades since the first “Real Housewives” franchise debuted, reality TV has moved from the fringes of entertainment to become a major cultural force. Today, “Housewives” stars are influencing fashion trends, driving sales, and making inroads into luxury circles that once ignored them. Brands previously wary of the stigma around reality TV are now leveraging the passionate and loyal fanbase of the franchise, positioning these women as both influencers and aspirational figures.

Senior news and features editor Diana Pearl joins The Debrief to explore this evolution, uncovering how and why fashion has finally learned to love “The Real Housewives.”

Key Insights: 

• Reality TV's path from lowbrow entertainment to cultural staple can partly be credited to the Kardashians, whose acceptance by fashion opened the door for shows like “Real Housewives”. “The Kardashians, for a long time, were not embraced by the fashion industry, and then in the 2010s that started to change,” says Pearl. Even when the fashion industry hesitated publicly, its insiders were already hooked privately. “People started watching the shows themselves… That guilty pleasure has just sort of come out of the shadows,” Pearl explains. 

• Fashion has become integral to the storytelling on “Real Housewives.” What started as subtle displays of wealth, such as Chanel bags or accessories, has evolved into head-to-toe designer ensembles and full-blown fashion storylines. “They’re all decked out in designer looks and it’s like the designers play a role in the show. There’s plot points around, ‘This dress costs this much money,’ or ‘Did you buy that diamond necklace?’” Pearl says. “People are more into the Housewives’ clothes now. It’s just become much more a part of the fabric of the show.”

• The demographics of the “Housewives” audience significantly overlap with those targeted by fashion brands. The fanbase, consisting largely of women and gay men, is aspirational, engaged and passionate about style. “People of all stripes like reality TV. Lots of luxury customers watch reality TV,” says Pearl. “If you want to connect with consumers, you have to meet them where they are.”

• Despite increased acceptance, luxury brands remain cautious about fully embracing “Housewives,” partly due to cultural and geographic divides. “The Real Housewives is a very American show. A lot of the luxury industry is in Europe,” Pearl notes. Yet, she adds, embracing these stars can pay off: “When we've seen brands embrace the Housewives, I think the fans reward them for that.”

Additional Resources:

• How Fashion Learned to Love The Real Housewives | BoF

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After years of disillusionment with fashion tech, investors are once again excited about its potential, but with a very different mindset to the hype-fuelled boom of the last decade.

From AI-powered personal styling apps to virtual try-on tools and personalised search engines, a wave of start-ups is gaining traction – and big backing – by offering real technological solutions to long-standing fashion industry problems.

In this episode, senior e-commerce correspondent Malique Morris joins The Debrief to explore how fashion tech is finally growing up, and which companies are leading this more grounded, results-driven wave of innovation.

Key Insights: 

• In the previous fashion tech boom, investors were heavily investing in e-commerce startups with little true innovation. “DTC brands … positioned themselves as tech companies because they sold goods online, but there was nothing really revolutionary about them listing products on a website. And I don't know how investors didn't cop to that,” says Morris. Today’s backers are more discerning, favouring startups with clear technical roadmaps and founders who can evolve their product in meaningful ways.
• Investor interest in fashion tech reignited thanks to the rise of generative AI. As Morris explains, venture capital had been sitting on the sidelines during a broader funding freeze, but AI’s real-world applications reignited excitement. “Startups like Daydream are building a platform for personalised search using AI tools from companies like OpenAI and Google, and they want to be the ChatGPT for fashion and be disruptive in the way that ChatGPT has changed how we use the internet,” says Morris. “What was once a dream is now closer to being tangible and investors want to be the first ones in on that.”

• Today’s investors are looking beyond flashy pitches and prioritising founders with real technical know-how. “Something that is really separating the people who are just trying to raise money and not breaking through from those who are, are having some sort of technical experience, technical expertise,” says Morris. With the complexity of AI and other advanced tools, investors want to back teams that can build efficiently and with minimal lift. “They want to back founders who know what they're doing,” he adds.

• While new fashion tech apps offer highly personalised experiences, their complexity may limit mainstream appeal. The question of scale is still unanswered: “There may be a billion people out there who want to do that… There may only be a million. We don't know that just yet.”

Additional Resources:

• How Investors Fell Back in Love With Fashion Tech | BoF 

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As major luxury brands struggle to maintain momentum amid an industry-wide slowdown, one category is bucking the trend: jewellery. While demand for handbags and apparel softens, fine jewellery sales continue to rise, driven by consumer desire for lasting value, emotional resonance and self-expression.

Simone Stern Carbone and Joan Kennedy join The Debrief to discuss how independent jewellers are thriving with creativity and personality, the rising popularity of novelty pieces, and why jewellery is uniquely positioned to attract buyers in today's luxury market.

Key Insights: 

• Despite slowing luxury sales, jewellery sales have continued to boom. As Stern Carbone notes, consumers perceive luxury jewellery as an inherently safer investment. She says, “Instinctively, a lot of people associate jewellery – especially if it's got gold, gemstones or diamonds – with something you would dish out more money for more readily than for a handbag potentially made out of nylon.”

• While big jewellery brands are growing, smaller competitors are booming as they foster deep customer relationships and maintain flexible, manageable supply chains. Stern-Carbone highlights, “Jewellery is so personal. When you have a very distinct aesthetic, you really connect with your customers long term, potentially for life. This is a really personal relationship that smaller brands can capitalise on.”

• Kennedy emphasises that modern jewellery marketing resonates by being accessible and relatable. “One designer I spoke to puts her charm necklaces next to candy necklaces, so that feels fun,” she says. “A lot of these designers are doing things that are very lo-fi. It’s like a picture of a wrist on Instagram. And then they reply to DMs, like, ‘Hey, show me that bracelet with something else.’ So the way that they present it is also really relevant to shoppers, versus the very high-gloss and traditional style of high jewellery.”

• Novelty jewellery began gaining popularity post-Covid. “People were buying camp jewellery, but they were paying $50 for a funky, colourful ring. And then more recently, people are like, okay, let’s bring in the value piece of this,” says Kennedy. Novelty jewellery has surged as consumers seek personal expression in response to uniform dressing and quiet luxury trends. Kennedy continues, “You're leaning into things that are uniform dressing, so how do we spice that up? Let's go for more novelty in jewellery.”

Additional Resources:

• Why Jewellery Feels Like a Better Deal Than a Handbag | BoF 
• Who Would Pay $20,000 For a Hamburger Ring? | BoF
• How Small Jewellery Brands Are Seizing The Moment | BoF 

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Earlier this month, cities across the US saw the most significant wave of demonstrations since the 2020 protests following George Floyd's murder. These latest protests have been sparked by immigration raids conducted by the Trump administration, and while some of those enforcement actions have targeted garment workers, the fashion industry has mostly stayed silent. 

Executive editor Brian Baskin, senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young, and retail editor Cat Chen explore the reasons behind the industry's cautious stance, whether fashion can find a new way to engage with politics, and practical steps brands can take to support vulnerable workers.

Key Insights: 

• During the Black Lives Matter movement, fashion brands were quick to voice support. Today, in the face of immigration raids affecting garment workers, many brands are noticeably quiet as companies now worry that taking a stance on divisive political issues could trigger backlash. “There's a lot of anxiety and discomfort and frustration behind the scenes, but there is also this other piece of the pie, which is fear of retaliation from the Trump administration,” says Chen. Despite the fear of retribution, Butler-Young also notes how the lack of response is being interpreted outside of the industry: “I think that people see the industry as acting cowardly as an industry that does rely on immigrant labor, legal and otherwise.” 

• Fashion isn’t providing much concrete support behind the scenes, either. “I think another huge issue is that people are feeling really helpless in the sector. There aren't any resources,” says Chen. “We're not seeing trade organisations emerge and come up with guidelines for what employers can do in case of a raid.” She adds, “You have these executives who are operating very blindly.”

• Brands that lean too heavily on public declarations of diversity and inclusion without backing them up are losing credibility with values-driven shoppers. As Butler-Young explains, “The liberal consumer is just a little bit over hearing companies say something and then not do it.” Instead of splashing their values across LinkedIn or homepage banners, she notes that “some of the brands that are doing a good job by doing the work internally first and then talking about it.” 

• The focus should also shift from performative allyship to practical, on-the-ground support—ensuring that businesses are equipped to respond meaningfully when their workers are directly impacted by policies like immigration raids. As Chen points out, “The most vulnerable people right now don't need big brands to post something on social media or grand political gestures. What they need is a solution to the problem. What they need is for their employers to be prepared.” 

Additional Resources:

• Garment Workers Are at Risk. Fashion Can’t Afford to Look Away.
• Five Years After George Floyd: Can Fashion Still Stand for Something? 

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Nike has been synonymous with sports for decades, but that cultural and commercial cachet has mostly been driven by male athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods (Serena Williams being a prominent exception). As a result, despite substantial sales, Nike historically struggled to resonate authentically with women, and has at times faced pointed criticism from female athletes, employees and consumers. 

That appears to be changing. Nike’s “So Win” campaign, which launched with the brand’s first Super Bowl ad in decades, centres entirely on female athletes. A’ja Wilson’s sneaker release was a smash, and a new brand with Kim Kardashian’s Skims will be out soon. The head of Nike Women’s now leads the entire Nike brand. 

Key Insights: 

• Nike’s current momentum comes after past attempts to boost its women’s business, including a failed 2005 campaign involving catalogs and dedicated stores. Defections by prominent female athletes to rivals, and media investigations into gender equity issues prompted Nike to rethink its approach starting about five years ago. Sheena explains, "They started a think tank with women athletes and women consumers, and what they heard was that women wanted more from the company. This marked the beginning of initiatives driven by women's opinions and taking more women into leadership roles to guide efforts that would genuinely resonate with women."  

• Featuring her first signature shoe, the Nike A'One, WNBA star A’ja Wilson’s campaign was the latest and biggest in a string of successful marketing and product initiatives targeting women, including maternity lines, leak-proof activewear, and technical collaborations like supporting Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon’s quest to break the four-minute mile. Sheena emphasises, "Nike’s investing end-to-end. They're not just investing in her wearing the logo at a race someday—they're actually supporting her personal goals."

• The recent appointment of Amy Montagne as Nike’s first female brand president symbolises substantial internal change. Sheena highlights, "Having a woman lead as Nike brand president is another way to activate that lever and get after women's." But consistency remains crucial for lasting success. Sheena stresses, “They've taken their swing before, but it's like the follow-through that counts. Consistency will be the most important thing. If they don’t keep doing all the right things, it could easily shift back.”

Additional Resources:

• Why Women’s Basketball Stars Are Finally Getting Big Sneaker Deals | BoF 
• Nike Forms New Team for Secretive Brand With Kim Kardashian | BoF 
• Is Nike Finally Winning With Women? | BoF 

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Bieber, a celebrity and influential beauty figure with a strong Gen-Z following, launched Rhode just three years ago, quickly distinguishing the brand with minimalist product offerings closely tied to Bieber's personal aesthetic. She just sold to E.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion, even as rival celebrity beauty brands struggle to grow sales or attract buyers. 

Priya Rao, executive editor at The Business of Beauty at BoF, joins the Business of Fashion's Brian Baskin and Sheena Butler-Young to discuss how Rhode distinguished itself in a crowded celebrity beauty landscape, why E.l.f. Beauty saw strategic value in the acquisition, and what this landmark deal signals about the evolving beauty industry.

Key Insights: 

• Rhode’s clean, minimal brand aesthetic also mirrors e.l.f.’s broader mission, albeit at a different price point. "There’s something about Rhode’s branding that really makes sense with what E.l.f. already does. They both want to be accessible but aspirational," Rao notes. Like Rhode, "E.l.f. has always had a really good sense of what young people want," says Rao.

• The success of Rhode demonstrates that differentiated, clearly communicated value propositions continue to resonate strongly in the beauty market. "From the consumer side, this just shows that the right brand can find the right price at any time, as long as you're able to point and show you offer something different," explains Rao.

• Rao highlights how rare it is for a celebrity beauty brand to resonate beyond hype. "Most celebrity beauty brands are not succeeding at this level," she says. Rhode’s limited and focused product assortment have also contributed to its success. "She's not launching everything under the sun," says Rao. "She’s focusing on what she knows and what her audience connects with, and that’s why it’s working."

• The acquisition isn't just about short-term gain – E.l.f. sees lasting value. "This isn't a flash in the pan for them," says Rao. "They’re betting on Rhode being a long-term growth engine, not just a trendy pick-up."

Additional Resources:

• E.l.f. Beauty Acquires Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Skin for $1 Billion | BoF 

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The beauty sector historically thrived during economic downturns, earning a recession-proof reputation encapsulated in the “lipstick index.” However, recent earnings from major beauty conglomerates like Estée Lauder, L'Oréal, Coty and Shiseido indicate that beauty’s resilience is being tested. Sales are declining, layoffs are coming and consumer habits appear to be shifting dramatically. 

BoF Senior Beauty Correspondent Daniela Morosini joins Brian Baskin and Sheena Butler-Young on The Debrief to examine what's driving this slowdown and how the industry is adapting.

Key Insights: 

• Traditionally, small luxury purchases like beauty products thrived during economic pressure. But the landscape has changed. “Prices have really, really grown, and there's just so much more to choose from,” says Morosini. The combination of escalating prices, excessive market saturation, and a shift to online platforms like Amazon and TikTok has diluted the impact of small luxury indulgences. "It's really hard to get seen. So even if you have a more affordable product that more people can afford, you still have to get people to come and look at you and come and interact with you," she adds.

• Brands once benefited from consistent replenishment and customer loyalty. Today, consumers are more transient, constantly seeking newness. “Customers seem to have this insatiable appetite for more products and more newness,” Morosini notes.  But after years of heavy consumption, shoppers are starting to tire of new for the sake of new. “Something that’s really starting to come into focus is that, specifically, American middle-class shoppers are starting to buy fewer beauty products – and that’s having a big knock-on effect.”

• As consumers become more price-sensitive, brands need to redefine value beyond just pricing. Morosini suggests brands return to basics, emphasising their core strengths and fostering loyalty through consistent, quality products rather than frequent launches. "People are really, really attuned to perceptions of value," says Morosini.

Additional Resources:

• The Beauty Slowdown, Explained | BoF
• The End of the Lipstick Index | BoF 

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