Must Read: Kering Sets New Sustainability Goals and Pledges to Hire Only Over-18 Models, How to Make It as a Full-Time Reseller

By The Citizen on May 15, 2019

Plus, the internet has officially canceled James Charles.

Looks from the Saint Laurent Fall 2019 runway show. Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Wednesday.

Kering sets new sustainability goals and pledges to hire only over-18 models
At the Copenhagen Fashion Summit this week, Kering has announced a series of new initiatives. On Monday, the company revealed stricter animal welfare standards, and on Wednesday, Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault called on his peers to join him in setting challenging goals that will drive the industry in a more sustainable direction. Earlier in the day, the luxury conglomerate also extended its commitment to protect young models, by pledging to only hire people who are over 18. {Business of Fashion}

How to make it as a full-time reseller
There are a select few who earn a comfortable living off reselling apparel and accessories. WWD spoke with two such power sellers, who both started their businesses as a side gig in college, to learn the ins and outs of the reseller community and about what it takes to flip sneakers and denim. {WWD}

The internet has officially canceled James Charles
YouTuber James Charles got a coveted ticket to the Met Gala last Monday and then became Twitter trash that subsequent Friday. The former — and brief — face of CoverGirl is at the center of an ongoing debate about betrayal among a group of people who post videos of themselves doing makeup. This feud has caused the internet to cancel the 19-year-old makeup artist, meaning Kylie Jenner took time out of her very busy schedule to hit “unfollow,” three million people have unsubscribed to his YouTube channel and those that still follow him, are leaving constant hate mail in the comments section. {The New York Times}

Fashion has shockingly few women in top positions
Fashion is filled with women working in middle management roles, but only 12.5% of clothing companies in the Fortune 1000 today have female CEOs, according to a new report by the global accounting and consulting firm PwC. What’s more, among 61 womenswear companies in the Fortune 1000, 75% had mostly male corporate teams. The report cites a number of structural barriers as to why women are not getting top jobs, and it also contains data that shows female-led companies are almost twice as profitable as companies with male CEOs. {Quartz}

Welcome to the world of clickbait fashion
“Brands such as Asos and Topshop, as well as high-end labels such as Balenciaga and Y-Project, have all been the subject of much-shared news stories where a single item is ridiculed for being – delete as appropriate – unwearable/ugly/ludicrous/laughable,” writes Lauren Cochrane on the rise of meme-worthy clickbait fashion. “If that sounds like a negative for brands, don’t be fooled. This is a case of all publicity being good publicity.” Take Janties for example: The jean-panty hybrid was blasted on Twitter at the beginning of April, but by the end of the month, there was a 2,250% increase in searches of the design according to Lyst, and they had sold out on Ssense. {The Guardian}

Away is valued at $1.4 billion after a Series D investment of $100 million
Away announced the close of a $100 million Series D investment round on Tuesday evening, bringing its total valuation to $1.4 billion. The new investment was led by Wellington Management Company LLP and includes participation by Baillie Gifford, Lone Pine Capital and Global Founders Capital. With the fresh injection of capital, the direct-to-consumer travel brand company plans to expand its product line, grow its physical retail footprint and establish itself worldwide beyond the 39 countries where Away products are currently available. {Fashionista inbox}

Battling over New York’s proposed fur, shearling ban
Furriers and designers are expected to have a showdown with animal-rights activists at a public hearing on Wednesday regarding New York City’s proposal to ban the sale of new fur and shearling apparel and accessories. If successful, it would become the largest city in the U.S. to do so and would join a wave of anti-fur laws taking effect across the county. {WWD}

Virgil Abloh addresses plagiarism claims
In a new interview with Vogue, Virgil Abloh discusses his design philosophy and responds to critics who claim his work lacks originality: “For me, design is about whatever I find is worthy to tell a story about,” Abloh says. “I don’t believe that culture benefits from the idea that this line on a piece of paper has never been drawn in this exact way ever before. My goal is to highlight things — that’s why I collaborate a lot, that’s why I reference a lot, and that’s what makes my body of work what it is.” {Vogue}

Reformation is looking for a big price tag in Goldman Sachs-run auction
First-round bids for Reformation are due Wednesday in a Goldman Sachs-run auction, and one financial source says the valuation expectations are high at 18- to 20-times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of a projected $30 million for this year. This would value the company at around $600 million. {WWD}

Dotdash buys Brides from Condé Nast, Scraps Print
Dotdash, a digital media company that operates as a subsidiary of IAC, has bought Brides from Condé Nast for an undisclosed price. Condé Nast put the publication on the market last year as a part of a cost-cutting campaign. Dotdash, which recently acquired Byrdie and MyDomaine from Clique Brands, plans to scrap the 85-year-old print magazine and redesign Brides.com. According to The New York Times, the majority of the editorial staff, including the executive director, Lisa Harman Gooder, will make the move from Condé Nast’s Lower Manhattan offices to Dotdash’s facilities in Midtown. {The New York Times}

Edie Parker is getting into the cannabis business
Founder and designer Brett Heyman is expanding the Edie Parker business while cashing in on the green rush with Flower by Edie Parker. Priced between $20 and $500, the cannabis-focused collection includes leather vape covers, stash jars, lighters, ashtrays, grinders, rolling papers and matchboxes that take on the brand’s signature acrylic bag aesthetic, as well as ceramic and hand-blown glass smoking accessories handcrafted by artists in Italy, Nashville and Oregon (which you can see in the gallery below). The new launch is available online and at the Edie Parker flagship on Madison Ave. in New York City. Heyman also has plans to launch three different strains of cannabis flower in partnership with Northern California-based Flow Kana, and upon the launch of an Edie Parker foundation later this summer, will donate a portion of the new business’s sales annually towards organizations that focus on the well-being of families and children. “We plan to use this platform to advocate and support children with incarcerated parents who are in jail for low-level drug offenses, as well the children and family services affiliated with the Women’s Prison Association,” says Heyman in a statement provided to Fashionista. {Fashionista Inbox}