Photo: Catherine McGann/Getty Images
These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.
Polly Mellen dies at 100
Polly Mellen, an esteemed Vogue fashion editor, has died at 100. During WWII, Mellen worked as a nurse’s aide in Virginia and later moved to New York, where she held positions at Mademoiselle and Harper’s Bazaar under Diana Vreeland. She later followed Vreeland to Vogue in 1967, where she styled many memorable stories including Twiggy‘s 1967 cover with the painted flower eye. As a style icon, Mellen starred in ads for Michael Kors and Gap. She also received a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1994. {Vogue/paywalled}
The Independents acquires Lucien Pagès
Global marketing and communications group The Independents has acquired Lucien Pagès Communication, marking its fifth acquisition this year. The Independents acquired the PR and communications agency who represents brands such as Saint Laurent, Loewe, Schiaparelli and Ludovic de Saint Sernin for an undisclosed sum. After first meeting in 2016, Pagès became a friend of The Independents co-founders Isabelle and Olivier Chouvet. “In a world that is changing and permanently evolving, I felt the need to lean on strong partners,” Pagès told WWD. “By freeing me from certain pressures, I feel it will allow me to do my job even better.” {WWD/paywalled}
How the beauty industry is preparing for the possible TikTok ban
After a panel of judges upheld the ruling that TikTok must sell to an American company before Jan. 19 or be banned in the U.S. made a potential TikTok ban more likely, beauty brands are preparing strategies for a market with and without TikTok. Glossy surveyed beauty executives, marketing professionals and agency leaders for a look into how the industry could respond to this possible ban. Every brand Glossy spoke with is “already divesting from TikTok and reallocating resources to Meta platforms like Instagram and Facebook,” and Coresight Research analyst Sunny Zheng notes that this ban will primarily hurt indie beauty brands and content creators. {Glossy/paywalled}
Pratt’s new graduate program takes a critical approach to fashion
Pratt Institute‘s Fashion Collection + Communication two-year graduate program debuted this fall with its first 16 students and a goal to encourage them to think critically about the fashion industry while searching for solutions for climate, social justice and supply chain concerns. In addition to traditional sewing and pattern cutting courses, one class called Contemplative Practices aims to teach students how to connect with themselves via breathing practices and meditation. The program is now accepting applications for its second class, beginning in September 2025. {The New York Times/paywalled}
The rise of Temu and Shein is fueling cross-retailer return abuse
Some consumers have taken to social media to expose loopholes in retailers’ return policies that allow them to pocket a refund while still keeping the item. Modern Retail reports that one anonymous Reddit user said that they placed an order on both Amazon and Temu for the same product, received the Amazon order faster and then, when the slower shipment from China arrived, returned it to Amazon and pocketed the refund. This is an example of a common form of fraud known as cross-retailer return abuse. The growth of discount retailers such as Shein and Temu could usher in more instances of this behavior, thus potentially hurting Amazon and fueling growth for its competitors. {Modern Retail/paywalled}
Source: Fashionista.com
