WWD Voices

Apparel companies know they should be more sustainable, but with consumers already tightening their purse strings, is sustainable fashion a sustainable business model?

Apparel brand Eileen Fisher, with its 60-plus stores and $300 million in sales would certainly say yes. The certified B Corporation has an almost cult-like following among its very eco-minded consumers, and sustainability factors prominently in sourcing, manufacturing, worker treatment, consumer marketing and more.

In this chat for Retail Rx, Susan Scow, sustainability impact specialist, Eileen Fisher, chatted with Ian Fredericks, CEO of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and executive director of Hilco Global's retail and consumer platform, and Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio on Eileen Fisher's model and what the industry can learn.

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Gen Z and Millennials may live their lives online, but savvy brands and marketers are finding this cohort increasingly enjoys shopping in real life—or IRL as the kids say.

a.k.a. Brands, whose portfolio of digitally native brands includes Princess Polly, Petal and Pup, Culture Kings and mnml, has been engaging with the brick-and-mortar space, from new stores to a push into wholesale distribution.

Princess Polly opened its first U.S. store in September 2023 in LA to “really great response,” and now the brand has 11 stores plus a “nice halo effect for the online business,” noted Ciaran Long, CEO of a.k.a. Brands in a Retail Rx podcast with Alex McKeown, senior vice president of Hilco Global Consumer Retail.  

The stores have added a new layer to the shopping experience. Meanwhile, Petal and Pup rolled out chain-wide at Nordstrom after a test, while the Culture Kings store in Las Vegas is about “retail-tainment,” from its half basketball court, licensed bar, car racing simulators and DJ booth to the hat wall with 4,000 skus.

“Over the last 18 months, as we've looked to scale the brands, we've taken the approach of, let's put our product in front of our customers, wherever they are… from a channel and marketing perspective,” said Long.

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Ernesta, an accessible luxury direct-to-consumer rug brand launched in 2023 by a Peloton co-founder, is revolutionizing the home décor industry with quick-turnaround custom rugs measured down to the inch.

In this episode for Retail Rx, Ian Fredericks, CEO of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and the executive director of Hilco Global’s retail and consumer platform, chatted with Jennifer Parker, chief sales officer at Ernesta, about the brand’s innovative approach, commitment to customer experience and retail expansion plans.

Parker credited her diverse career background—from Bloomingdale’s to Peloton, where she worked with Peloton CEO and Ernesta founder John Foley—for shaping her leadership style and passion for customer-centric strategies. At Ernesta, her focus is on building a strong foundation for growth, fostering collaborative teams and embracing an omnichannel retail strategy.

The company’s unique value proposition includes rapid delivery (Ernesta custom rugs arrive in two to four weeks, an impressive timeline for any custom category). The podcast also highlighted Ernesta’s dedication to both consumers and trade professionals through services like virtual consultations, design renderings and seamless purchase experiences.

The brand’s hybrid model also allows customers to customize rugs and view real-time pricing online, then step into showrooms to touch and feel the rugs, receive personalized advice and procure samples to experience back in their home.

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It's not easy to maintain relevance in an industry that always seeks the next shiny thing, but Cynthia Rowley has enviable longevity. This year alone, the energetic fashion designer wrapped her 101st runway show at New York Fashion Week, collaborated with everyone from State Bags to Pottery Barn to Airbnb Experiences, and will receive the CFDA’s Founder’s Award in honor of Eleanor Lambert in November. And you can still find her catching a wave in Montauk on a printed Cynthia Rowley designer surfboard and matching wetsuit.

In this WWD Voices podcast for Retail Rx, Cynthia Rowley chats with Ian Fredericks, CEO of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and the executive director of Hilco Global’s retail and consumer platform, about her distinguished career, whimsical creativity and why she’s never slowing down.

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In the latest “Savage Fashion” podcast episode, WWD’s chief content officer Jim Fallon and style director Alex Badia sat down with Carolina Cucinelli, vice president and co-creative director of Brunello Cucinelli, to discuss her journey in the company and how her family business continues to evolve as it looks to the future.

“When I started in the business, I was 19,” Cucinelli said during the podcast, which was filmed at the Four Seasons on 57th Street in New York. “You can imagine: I was 19, a woman and the daughter of Mr. Brunello [Cucinelli], the owner of the company. In the beginning, people don’t trust you because everyone thinks that things are easy for you. But I realized that I needed to do 20 percent more than other people [to be taken seriously].”

Before Milan Fashion Week, Cucinelli was in New York to attend the WWD x FN x Beauty Inc Women in Power summit; she was named one of ⁠WWD x FN x Beauty Inc’s 55 Women in Power⁠ for 2025.

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When it comes to logistics and technology, machines and humans continue their symbiotic dance to get goods loaded, shipped, railed, trucked, stored, sorted, picked, packed and delivered with ever-greater efficiencies.

And what they’re achieving, is nothing short of amazing, although not without its challenges.

In this episode, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studios, dives into SJ's "Logistics Report: The Technology Issue" with two Sourcing Journal editors, logistics editor Glenn Taylor and business editor Meghan Hall, business editor. They discuss what's now, what's next, and what it all means for your business.

Download the report at: ⁠www.sourcingjournal.com/report

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Premium childrenswear brand Hanna Andersson is known for its bright, playful prints, family pajamas and a highly sustainable ethos. The label has grown considerably since its start in the 1980s, and shepherding the brand’s most recent growth and digital expansion is Aimée Lapic, who became CEO in 2022.

During her tenure, she launched the Hanna-Me-Downs resale marketplace, introduced the Hanna Rewards loyalty program that quickly grew to nearly 1 million members (and today drives 70 percent of sales), reimagined the family holiday pajamas experience with a first-of-its-kind mix and match offering, and scaled its unique childrenswear Personal Shopper program to record participation – further cementing Hanna Andersson’s position as a retail innovator.

In this episode of Retail Rx, Ian Fredericks, CEO of Hilco Global Capital Solutions and the executive director of Hilco Global’s retail and consumer platform, chats with Lapic on its pivot to an online DTC sales model, future category expansions and that fiercely loyal customer base.

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In this episode of Savage Fashion, Jim Fallon and Alex Badia sit down with Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times media correspondent and author, to discuss his new book, "Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America."

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In this new “Savage Fashion” podcast episode, WWD’s chief content officer Jim Fallon and fashion director Alex Badia sat down with Michael Kors to discuss his fashion-obsessed childhood, industry success and return to "Project Runway." The session was filmed at the newly renovated and recently reopened Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

Kors discussed his brand aesthetic and how it responds to the different sides of his fashion consumer. “I’m a bit of a contradiction myself. I am super casual but I love luxury and I love indulgence. I’m either the life of the party or I’m a loner. I’m levelheaded but silly.”

Kors' turn as a permanent judge on the hugely popular “Project Runway” for its first 10 seasons not only spotlighted the Michael Kors global brand and its nascent Michael Michael Kors line, but also opened up the world to better understand fashion. "I've had parents tell me that their children, who were 5 or 6, were watching the show and saying, 'This is what I want to do,'" he said. Kors will return this season as a one-time guest judge.

Additionally, Fallon and Badia discussed the latest fashion news, with second-quarter earnings reporting from luxury groups largely in decline.

Read more about the episode at WWD.

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Is there anything more quintessentially American than blue jeans? Denim is so entrenched in the American psyche that it can be easy to forget that most jeans have been manufactured overseas for decades.

To explore this disconnect—and to dive into the trials and tribulations of bringing domestic denim manufacturing back—WWD sister publication Sourcing Journal themed its Summer SJ Denim edition the “Made in America” Issue.

In this episode, Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal's executive editor and denim editor, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about what Made in America denim really means.

Read the report ⁠HERE⁠.

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