Photo: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.
Levi’s signs on to Pakistan Accord
On Thursday, Levi’s signed the Pakistan Accord, a legal agreement to ensure safe working conditions for garment workers in Pakistani factories. “The signing of the Pakistan Accord by Levi’s marks a critical moment for American brands stepping up to protect their workers,” said Emily Stochl, vice president of advocacy for Remake, an advocacy organization that has campaigned for years to encourage Levi’s to join the accord, in a statement. {Fashionista inbox}
Clare Waight Keller’s strategic career path
Clare Waight Keller, designer of Meghan Markle‘s wedding dress and new creative director of Uniqlo made the unexpected shift to mass-market fashion in September. In an interview with Laura Neilson for The New York Times‘s, the designer discussed her strategic career shifts, navigating motherhood in the fast-paced fashion industry and designing affordable, ageless basics (which the Duchess also wears). {The New York Times}
The challenges facing Nike’s new CEO
CEO Elliott Hill assumed his position at Nike on Monday. He faces a number of challenges at the brand, including rising competitors, low demand for retro silhouettes and an oversaturated supply. While Nike remains the favorite footwear brand of U.S. teens, its popularity has fallen on the wholesale and secondhand market, indicating that it needs to innovate to keep up with the buzz of competing brands. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}
Black-owned beauty brands face investment challenges
While Black consumers have spent $9.4 billion in the beauty category this year, Black-owned beauty brands have raised only $16 million or 5.36% of industry-wide funding. “There’s a misalignment between our research-first approach and investors’ demands for rapid commercial traction,” Tendai Moyo, founder of Ruka Hair told Vogue Business. “We’re told to hit financial benchmarks before receiving funding, but without funding, it’s a vicious cycle.” {Vogue Business/paywalled}
Leading beauty scientists discuss the changing industry
Five leading female beauty scientists from Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder and more discussed their trailblazing careers, the future of beauty technology, roadblocks and the true meaning of their work at a WWD panel. Read the full conversation here. {WWD/paywalled}
Is underconsumption just another trend?
Sustainability experts worry that the internet’s latest craze, “underconsumption-core” could have the opposite effect of its mindful origin. The movement, which started as a noble expansion upon the “de-influencing” trend has, in many cases, become another way to say “buy this, not that.” Elle‘s Véronique Hyland weighs the trend’s pros and cons with experts Aja Barber and Andrea Cheong. {Elle}
Source: Fashionista.com
