Photo: Courtesy of Ray-Ban
These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.
Ray-Ban names A$AP Rocky first creative director
A$AP Rocky is Ray-Ban’s first-ever creative director, the brand announced on Friday. In the top position, the musician will guide creative projects for Ray-Ban Studios. To kick off his appointment, A$AP Rocky designed the Blacked Out collection, a redesign of Ray-Ban’s Mega Icons with a new lens type expected to be released in April 2025. “I’ve always admired Ray-Ban’s ability to stay true to its roots while constantly evolving,” A$AP Rocky said in a statement. “I’m excited to be part of the strong heritage and develop the next chapter for an iconic brand like Ray-Ban.” {Fashionista inbox}
Why London designers are doing things their own way for Fall 2025
London Fashion Week is officially here, and the schedule is missing some familiar names: JW Anderson, 16Arlington, Chopova Lowena, Nensi Dojaka, Ahluwalia, Knwls, Molly Goddard, Aaron Esh, Karoline Vitto and Johanna Parv. The challenging economic landscape is one reason why some brands are opting out of showing, as costs can run more than $75,000 per show. Karoline Vitto is instead releasing a lookbook and a video for spring, while 16Arlington is hosting a dinner for some of the brand’s biggest supporters (who will all be wearing its Fall 2025 creations). While young designers explore new formats, deciding not to show each season also allows them to build out other areas of their businesses. For example, Chopova Lowena, which has been showing once a year for the past three years, launched its fragrance line last month. {Vogue Business/paywalled}
T Magazine lists the most influential shoes and bags of the past century
T: The New York Times Style Magazine, compiled a list of the 25 most influential shoes and handbags of the past 100 years with the help of five members of the American fashion community. The publication consulted stylist and T contributing editor Ian Bradley; former Creative Director of Barneys New York Simon Doonan; Brother Vellies Creative Director and Founder Aurora James; Senior Vice President for creative merchandising of Nordstrom Olivia Kim; and Luar Founder Raul Lopez. With two criteria (the accessory must have been designed after 1925 and sold in stores), the jury decided on influential picks such as Maison Margiela’s Tabi Boot, L.L. Bean’s Boat and Tote, Birkenstock‘s Arizona Sandal, Telfar’s Shopping Bag and more. See the full list here. {The New York Times/paywalled}
California bill would ban the sale of anti-aging skin care to children
California Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban the sale of anti-aging skin-care products with “potent and harsh ingredients” (retinol, glycolic acid, vitamin C, etc.) to children under 18 years old. Lee previously introduced a version of the bill, which failed to pass last year, requiring those under 13 years old to show a form of identification when purchasing skin-care products. The bill has yet to pass a number of committees, and if approved, it will be signed into law by October, with the new restrictions going into effect in 2026. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}
The toughest job in fashion? Top designer for a luxury brand
The top design job at luxury brands is one of the toughest posts in fashion, given that high-end brands churn through creative directors in relatively short periods of time. About 13 major luxury brands have recently replaced their creative heads, including Gucci, Celine, Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Valentino, Tom Ford and Fendi. Luxury companies are shaking up their talent partly because demand is weak and sales are slowing, aggravated by price increases that have pushed many middle-income shoppers out of the luxury market. To bring consumers back, brands need to debut exciting new products, which places much of the pressure of reinvigorating a luxury brand in a creative director’s hands. Brands pay top dollar for that kind of talent (creative bosses at the biggest luxury houses can earn $10 million or more a year), but designers are now often replaced after three years. {The Wall Street Journal/paywalled}
Amanda Steele returns to fashion with eponymous label
Amanda Steele has returned to the fashion world with the launch of Steele, a clothing brand specializing in sleek wardrobe staples. Launching on Friday, Steele’s debut collection — Collection 001 — features a nearly all-black selection including a structured corset, button-up leather jacket, boot-cut pants, mini dress, strapless romper and more. “Fashion has always been a part of my identity, but I wanted to create something that wasn’t just about trends — it’s about feeling strong in your own skin,” Steele said in a statement. “Steele is about effortless style with depth — staples that fit every version of you, no matter where you are in your journey.” With sizes ranging from XXS to XXL, Steele is exclusively available to shop at steeleofficial.com. See images of the brand’s first collection, below. {Fashionista inbox}
Amanda Steele for Steele. Photo: Courtesy of Steele
How the rise of GLP-1 drugs is upending apparel inventory planning
Apparel brands are changing their size curves to adapt to the rise of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. An estimated 6% of Americans actively use these drugs for weight loss, and apparel brands have noticed their small and medium sizes are flying off the shelves more quickly than usual. Clothing brands use size curves to determine how many of each size they want to include in a given assortment, but now brands are updating these models more than before to meet the need for small sizes. Many apparel brands previously followed a 1-2-2-1 ordering model, Gabriella Santaniello, founder of A-Line Partners, told Modern Retail. This corresponds to the following ratio: one part S, two parts M, two parts L and one part XL. Now, Santaniello recommends a 2-2-1-1 model, which is two parts S, two parts M, one part L and one part XL. {Modern Retail/paywalled}
Saks Global’s new payment terms spark strong industry reaction
Saks Global announced its new payment plan effective March 1 which states vendors will be paid 90 days from receipt of inventory and all past due balances will be paid in 12 installments beginning July 2025. Many vendors have raised concerns about the retailer not paying, or being slow to pay, its bills since the pandemic. The retailer is understood to owe hundreds of millions of dollars to vendors for past orders. Saks indicated that all payments for new merchandise will be made through wire/ACH at the earliest date commercially possible. Vendors are concerned about Saks keeping its promises, being pressured to sell more doors than they care to or selling to both Saks and Neiman Marcus if they’ve been selling one or the other. {WWD/paywalled}
Source: Fashionista.com
