Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.
What will Frasers Group do with its luxury monopoly when it gets there?
This is a good question, posed by contributing editor Marcus Jaye this week. What is Frasers Group’s end game when it comes to luxury? To be the last multi-brand retailer standing? At the rate it is hoovering up UK independent retailers (its latest acquisition was Northampton’s Thakerays and it is linked with a potential bid for Net-A-Porter having already swallowed up Matches) if that is the ambition, then there is a very real chance of it getting there. But what then? Just because Flannels will have a monopoly, it doesn’t mean the luxury consumer will simply shop there.
Luxury is seriously challenged right now. Major brands simply hiking their prices and thinking high-net-worth consumers will stomach it are starting to come unstuck. Even if you can afford luxury items, it doesn’t mean you will tolerate being ripped off. A whole raft of consumers are being turned off luxury and re-engaging them will not be easy. On top of hiking their prices, the big brands also want to control their distribution channels, so a Flannels monopoly does not necessarily mean it will get the brands it wants.
Marcus discusses all of this and more this week and it’s food for thought. Could Flannels end up getting a taste of its own medicine before too long?
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
Roberto Cavalli unveils Selfridges pop-up including cased archive pieces
This week saw Roberto Cavalli launch an exclusive pop-up shop-in-shop at Selfridges in London, and as you’d expect, it’s an eye-catching space that fans of the Italian ‘King of Bling’ – who sadly passed away aged 83 in April – will no doubt love.
The pop-up space, running until 18 August, is designed to offer an immersive shopping experience and is adorned with two striking bandana print walls with a “cushion” effect, adding a touch of visual intrigue.
As well as housing the brand’s autumn 2024 pre-collection for women, designed by Fausto Puglisi and featuring a bold Spaghetti Western theme, there’s also five archive Roberto Cavalli denim pieces from the early 2000s displayed in dedicated cases, consisting of four pairs of jeans in typical flamboyant style and one skirt. The archive pieces “guide customers through a dialogue between past and present” and are not purely there for nostalgia, as the items can be made to order, providing customers with a unique connection to the brand’s heritage. Clever retailing, I’d say.
Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.
The Interview: Luxe Collective’s Ben Gallagher on tapping into the luxury resale market
I recently had the opportunity to pick Ben Gallagher’s brain. The question that everyone wants to know the answer to is how a teenager built a fashion business worth over £5 million in just six years. Gallagher, the Co-founder of Luxe Collective, deep dives into his road to success in this interview with TheIndustry.fashion.
From rare vintage gems to cult-classic designer sneakers, Luxe Collective has become one of the go-to places for luxury re-commerce. With every designer piece guaranteed to be 100% authentic, it’s no surprise that the company has garnered a solid reputation and caught the eye of Steven Bartlett on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, who gave the founders £100,000 for a 3% cut.
In this interview, we discuss everything from starting the company to why he thinks every small business should go on Dragons’ Den and whether or not the future of luxury is resale.
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
John Lewis launches in-store repair trial
Following in the footsteps of Marks & Spencer, which last month launched a dedicated clothing repair service, John Lewis this week became the latest retailer to bolster its investment in circular fashion.
The department store has introduced a 16-week repairs trial in select stores – Oxford, Liverpool, Cheadle, Milton Keynes and Welwyn – providing mending, restoring and dry cleaning by Timpson Group’s Johnsons. As part of this, John Lewis said it will attempt to learn what customers want during the trial, including the services shoppers are looking for, the type of garments most repaired, and the type of customers seeking the repair service. If successful, I imagine this service will be extended to additional John Lewis stores across the UK.
The move forms a part of John Lewis’ circular economy strategy and follows the launch of its 20-piece circular collection last month. The collection aims to support the retailer’s commitment to ensure that 100% of new own-brand products are designed with circularity in mind by 2028, with the aim to “minimise waste and maximise longevity”.
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
