Editors' Top Reads: News from Farfetch, Ascot, Scoop and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.
Farfetch is fast becoming the 'Russia' of online luxury etailers
We knew the Farfetch saga was far from over when it was bought by South Korean retail giant Coupang, and we weren't wrong. This week CEO and founder José Neves stood down (or maybe he was asked to?) and luxury brands seem to be intent on denying the platform oxygen.
Once they all flocked to supply the platform directly and now Kering has become the first major group to say it will pull its brands. Many of its products may still be available from Farfetch via third-party retailers represented on the platform but it's still a blow and others may well follow.
Word has it Farfetch is trying to persuade boutiques to list their most prestigious brand (under anonymity if necessary) so it doesn't lose the cachet and pull, causing our columnist Marcus Jaye to liken the practice to that of Russian retailers who are still managing to list brands who have otherwise officially exited the company. Read his insightful and entertaining take here.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor in Chief.
Ascot appointed Daniel Fletcher as its first-ever Creative Director
British designer Daniel Fletcher, who established his eponymous label DANIEL w. FLETCHER after graduating from CSM, made headlines in 2015 when Harry Styles was seen donning his boxy shirts. Despite featuring in Netflix's Next in Fashion in 2020, the designer has flown under the radar in recent years. However, we're pleased to see him back in the spotlight after Ascot Racecourse appointed him to the role of its first-ever Creative Director.
Fletcher, renowned for creating crisp clothing for the city-dwelling man, has designed for some of the world’s most prestigious houses including Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, JW Anderson and Fiorucci. It'll be interesting to see how his relaxed style translates into formal Ascot attire for both men and women.
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
How Apple TV+'s The New Look depicts the legacy of Christian Dior
I am still traumatised after watching the first three episodes of The New Look on Apple TV+ this week. I tuned in expecting to see an extravaganza of fashion and loveliness and was hit by a shocking, moving and gripping tale of survival in occupied Paris in World War II.
It's not really about fashion at all – or it isn't just yet (I am hoping we get more on the development of the Bar jackets, full skirts, round-shoulders and A lines in future episodes) – it's about what people are prepared to do for love, to live and to create in the most trying of circumstances.
In this feature some of the stars of the series talk about the impact Christian Dior had on women and fashion during his lifetime and still today. Once you've read it, you have to watch the show. It's not an easy watch but, for any fashion fanatic, it's an essential one.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor in Chief.
Scoop delivers fashion positivity despite recession news
With the news this week that the UK has finally officially been declared in recession, which many have thought we have been in for quite some time anyway, it was great to see such genuine positivity from many of the exhibiting brands at this week’s Scoop at London’s Olympia West.
Of course, if the retailers hadn’t been showing up and adding to the upbeat mood with optimistic outlooks – as well as order placing for AW24 – then that wouldn’t have been the case, so that is hopefully a sign that things could be on the turn for the better. After all, there’s nothing quite like a good trade show to get a taste of the state of the current market and what lies ahead. While there are plenty of tales of woe across the fashion industry, there is also talk of some green shoots.
