Fast fashion retailers Shein and Forever 21 struck a major deal aimed at cross-promoting brands to a similar audience of younger apparel shoppers heading into a closely-watched holiday season. It’s a marriage of mall, retail and brand experience with a production and distribution machine driven by tech and social savvy. But there’s a shadow cast by concerns over Shein’s business practices.
American Circular Textiles Group (ACT) is a coalition seeking to establish U.S. leadership and policy in textile waste and circularity, with a focus on the waste hierarchy. Founding members include Rent the Runway, The Real Real, thredUP and Fashionphile. ACT director and founder talks about the momentum behind circularity in apparel, and how ACT is working to influence legislators and industry leaders.
Unless Collective, a Portland, OR startup creating plant- and mineral-based footwear and apparel, is one of a handful of companies making a difference by its conscious choice of materials and manufacturing. Co-Founder and CEO Eric Liedtke, a nearly 30-year veteran of Adidas, talks about the company’s vision in our MCM CommerceChat podcast.
Making a bigger push into selling fashion online, Walmart said it is acquiring Israeli virtual dressing room provider Zeekit for an undisclosed sum. The owner of acquired fashion brands Eloquii, Moosejaw and Bonobos is looking to make the online clothing shopping experience more fun, while also cutting down on returns.
As a bored, locked-down country lurched from trend to trend, retailers scrambled to cover demand. It’s no surprise ecommerce marketplaces thrived, connecting customers with 3P sellers to outperform even the strong growth of ecommerce as a whole. Their diversity gives them resilience during periods of complex change.
RTW Retailwinds, parent of apparel retailer New York & Co., filed for bankruptcy protection, adding it plans to close most if not all of its nearly 400 stores and seek a buyer for its ecommerce business. The company plans to continue operations, including re-openings where appropriate, paying vendors and suppliers and employees.
Retail and food sales jumped a record 17.7% in May compared to April, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, a hopeful sign of a recovery from the ongoing effects of the pandemic, after tanking an adjusted 16.4% in the March-to-April period. Ecommerce posted strong gains, increasing 30% in May from the previous month.
Amazon is continuing to dominate in apparel sales online, according to a new report from CoreSight, which reports 70% of apparel shoppers bought clothing or footwear on Amazon in the past 12 months, up from 60% a year ago. This compares to 51.2% who said they did so on Walmart, 44.6% at Target and 35.3% at Kohl’s.
Known as the largest generation in U.S. history, Millennials are changing the retail shopping game. Here is an inside look at the Millennial shopper and how to market to them.
Apparel is the most popular retail category among all channels, according to a survey by OneStop Internet. See how online is influencing a shopper’s decision to purchase.