Photo: Courtesy of Rowing Blazers
These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.
Jack Carlson leaves Rowing Blazers
After founding Rowing Blazers in 2017 and serving as the prep-forward brand’s designer and creative director, Jack Carlson is stepping down. Rowing Blazers sold to Tory Burch co-founder Christopher Burch in 2024, and Carlson stayed on for a year as a creative advisor. Carlson’s next venture has yet to be announced, but he is writing a book exploring the history of the rugby shirt and plans to pursue design projects in watches, cars and interiors. “I’ve checked off so many of the things I dreamed of doing with Rowing Blazers — collaborations with my favorite brands, photoshoots with my favorite actors and musicians, designing pieces and collections for myself and then seeing them resonate them with people all over the world,” Carlson said in a statement. “When I started the brand, people thought ‘preppy’ meant stuffy, static, elitist. Old, dead, white clothes basically. I think we’ve shown it can be creative, inclusive, edgy, even fun. Selling last year meant that I could begin the process of stepping back and starting to explore new ventures and new creative outlets, and now I’m ready to begin that next chapter.” {Fashionista inbox}
Fashion Group International announces Rising Star nominees
The Fashion Group International will hold its Rising Star Awards ceremony on April 16 in New York City hosted by Tiffany Haddish. The event will honor Robert Chavez, executive chairman of Hermès Americas, with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The nominees for the Accessories award are Sangmin Park of 4ccccees; Montserrat Messeguer; Nanette Adair of Rex Shoes; Sydnie Peebles of Sydnie Banks; Rob Bacon of The 3rd Jewelry; and Alicia Stemper of Wondermint Goods. The 2025 nominees for Fashion Apparel: Ready-to-wear are Bonnie Young of BY. Bonnie Young; Joe Millman of Chamberlin; Diego Binetti of Love Binetti; Lee Evans Lee of Mrs Momma Bear; Tania Mackey of Niczka; Papa Oppong; Najla Burt and Cynthia Burt of Dur Doux; Alice Kim of PerfectDD; Jack Sivan of Sivan; and Shwetambari Mody of Shwetambari. See the full list of nominees here. {WWD/paywalled}
E.l.f. Cosmetics becomes the National Women’s Soccer League’s first beauty sponsor
E.l.f. Cosmetics is partnering with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to become its first-ever beauty sponsor and further its mission of expanding access for women in sports. E.l.f. and NWSL are teaming up on the Glow for Glory Contest, which will host an open tryout in key NWSL markets to inspire the next generation of players. E.l.f. is the Presenting Partner of the NWSL Challenge Cup for the next three seasons, through 2027. “Both E.l.f. and the NWSL are united by a shared passion for harnessing the explosive momentum and growth of our league to attract and engage audiences as we head into the 2025 season,” Julie Haddon, chief marketing and commercial officer of the NWSL, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to collaborating with the extraordinary E.l.f. team to elevate the Challenge Cup to unprecedented heights and create impactful, dynamic marketing programs that empower our athletes beyond the pitch.” {Fashionista inbox}
Trump’s threat to human rights in fashion’s factories
The Trump administration’s slash-and-burn approach to government is jeopardizing the network of organizations that sustain hard-won human rights protections in fashion’s supply chains. Trump signed an executive order freezing foreign aid in January, which kneecapped labor groups that promote advocacy work and offer a semblance of social security for millions of garment workers. Thousands of NGOs were sent letters informing them their grants were terminated, including organizations that play a major role defending human rights in the fashion supply chain. Governments in Europe are also slashing development spending as they earmark more money for defense. Abrupt cuts in the past few weeks have already had drastic effects on humanitarian efforts around the world, and they could undo decades of work building protections for workers in the fashion industry. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}
How beauty should prepare for a fragrance slowdown
For years, fragrance has been a major category for growth in beauty, but it’s now showing signs of decline in industry conglomerates’ recent earnings reports. Puig’s fragrance division saw a drop from 40% growth in 2022 to 17% in 2023, then down to 13.6% in 2024, on a reported basis. Inflation and price increases have also played a role in slowing volume purchases among price-sensitive consumers. However, consumer demand is still high: According to Circana, fragrance remained the fastest-growing beauty category in the U.S. in 2024 based on sales and units sold. To maintain this momentum, brands should focus on filling unmet needs and tapping white space opportunities through innovation, evolving formats and even acquiring niche fragrance brands. {Vogue Business/paywalled}
How Chemena Kamali transformed Chloé
Chloé’s Creative Director Chemena Kamali has collected more than 1,500 blouses over 25 years, and her love for the versatile garment informs her collections. With her signature flowing, lacy blouses, Kamali has transformed Chloé into one of fashion’s hottest labels with Suki Waterhouse, Sienna Miller and Kamala Harris as fans. Kamali worked as an intern at Chloé during the Phoebe Philo era; got a degree from Central Saint Martins; worked at Alberta Ferretti; Chloé again, under Clare Waight Keller; and then Saint Laurent before returning to Chloé as its creative director. Kamali collects blouses with design details that catch her eye, and she connects to Chloé’s house values through her own blouse designs, which reflect back on the easy-breezy-feminine tone set by founder Gaby Aghion. Through Kamali’s collections, she has “taken the Chloé girl and grown her into a woman,” The New York Times‘ Vanessa Friedman writes. {The New York Times/paywalled}
Prada Group and UNFPA renew fashion training program in Mexico
Prada Group and UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, announced the third edition of the “Fashion Expressions: The Stories She Wears” program on Friday. The initiative launched in Mexico in 2023, following the Ghana and Kenya edition in 2022. It aims to cultivate women’s talent, advocate for the prevention of gender-based violence, ensure access to sexual and reproductive health and foster the professional growth and economic independence of participants. The 2025 program will engage 46 artisans from Querétaro: 26 of whom completed the training last year and will continue with advanced sessions, alongside a new group of 20 young women aged 25 to 28 with embroidery and craftsmanship experience. This year’s edition will introduce employee engagement opportunities, encouraging direct exchanges and learning between the Group employees and the participants. “We are honored to partner with UNFPA for the third consecutive year to bring this cultural program to life, where fashion serves as a vehicle for hope, independence and empowerment – both for individuals and their communities,” Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group head of corporate social responsibility, said in a statement. {Fashionista inbox}
Source: Fashionista.com
