Editors' Top Reads: News from Chanel, Moss, Stripe & Stare and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.
Chanel sees revenues rise following ‘year of exceptional creative momentum’
Chanel achieved revenues of $19.3 billion for the year ended 31 December 2025, up 2% compared to 2024, with operating profit of $4.7 billion, an increase of 5% compared to 2024.
This result was not attributed to eyewatering price rises (which makes a nice change), nor was it entirely down to the arrival of its new artistic director, Matthieu Blazy. However, while his designs didn't hit stores until February, his arrival resurrected interest in the house and it had a hit bag, the 25, on its hands.
Next year's numbers will clearly be the ones to watch, as the frenzy that greeted Blazy's designs was almost unseemly for a house that has traded on elegance rather than excess. What's interesting to me is how quickly the Blazy designs hit the secondary market. VIP customers bought them, wanted to be the first to wear them, and then some of them simply offloaded them.
The secondary market for Chanel and other luxury brands, such as Hermès, is cooling due to oversupply and price gouging. Customers are seeing through it. It will be interesting to see what happens when, and if, the Blazy hype calms down.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief.
H&M, Primark and Zalando back call for governments to fix 'broken economics' of resale and repair
I’m really excited to see that these retailers, alongside Vinted and Vestiaire Collective, are part of 68 fashion and textile organisations that have signed a statement by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation urging governments in the EU, US, and Canada to support policies that incentivise circular business models.
According to new research by the Foundation, the multi-billion-dollar circular fashion opportunity is being held back by a system that makes producing new clothes more profitable than repairing or reselling existing ones.
The statement couldn’t have been more timely. It follows less than a week after the recent sale of a US sustainable fashion brand to Chinese ultra-fast fashion retailer Shein, making it once again quite apparent just how hard it is to drive an ethical business within the boundaries of a capitalist system.
But just because this is currently the hard industry reality, it doesn’t have to be. I see a lot of potential in the three policy pillars that the Foundation is urging governments to adopt, from reducing VAT on resold products and repair services to lowering labour taxes and scaling extended producer responsibility (EPR). I believe these will be a great help in levelling the playing field for circular businesses.
And I’m not alone. The Foundation estimates that these policies could raise gross profit margins to up to 55% for resale and around 41% for repair, in a market projected to reach $393 billion (£291 billion) by 2030, growing at twice the pace of the wider industry.
I, for one, hope that this united call by key industry players will ignite a new discussion around policy changes for the EU, US and Canada.
Camilla Rydzek, Senior News & Features Writer.
How I started in fashion: Stripe & Stare co-founder Katie Lopes
Stripe & Stare has carved out a distinctive position in the crowded lingerie market with a simple yet confident promise: the world’s most comfortable knickers. What began as six years of dedicated research and development has since grown into a cult favourite, now stocked in retailers including Selfridges and Marks & Spencer.
The brand is built around Tencel Modal, a so-called “miracle fibre” derived from sustainably sourced beechwood. Exceptionally soft (trust me, they are), breathable, and more environmentally considerate than conventional cotton, it sits at the core of Stripe & Stare’s identity.
In this interview with TheIndustry.fashion, co-founder Katie Lopes explains that she didn’t set out to work in fashion but “fell into it” after working in TV and spotting a gap in the UK market, which led her to open a London retail store in 2004. She also discusses what she enjoys most about running Stripe & Stare and reflects on what advice she would give her younger self at the start of her career.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Moss launches first TV ad as part of new ‘Bring Back Stories’ SS26 campaign
I must say I was impressed to see British menswear brand Moss, formerly and more famously known as Moss Bros, launch its first-ever TV commercial this week - now being aired on ITV among other broadcasters.
It’s been conceived and produced by independent creative agency The Corner, a company that has been working with Moss since last year, and the ‘Bring Back Stories’ campaign is also running across video on demand (VOD), out-of-home (OOH) and digital out-of-home (DOOH), with many spots timed to target commuters.
Directed by Owen Kasparian at production company Presence and starring Alberto Perazzolo, the commercial just has a really good feel to it. It genuinely lifts the Moss brand and its tailoring and smart casualwear to new heights with some great storytelling, so bravo for that.
Aside from the bigger players, we don’t really see many fashion brands taking the TV advertising route these days, largely due to costs and budgets, so it’s refreshing to see. It’s also worth noting the power of it when it’s executed well, like this.
Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.
