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These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Monday.
The ups and downs at Pat McGrath Labs
Business of Fashion’s Brennan Kilbane reported that renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath’s makeup brand is struggling to keep up with the demands of today’s market. Pat McGrath Labs has difficulty translating its namesake’s celebrated artistry into commercial success. Part of this is attributed to McGrath’s preference for privacy, making it hard for consumers to connect with the face behind the brand. Other turbulence is largely happening behind the scenes, with a fragile supply chain strategy, long work hours and an allegedly abusive chief of staff, former employees told Kilbane. Despite the problems, many employees remain at the company out of love and admiration for McGrath. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}
Carven appoints new director of design
French fashion label Carven has named Mark Howard Thomas the new director of design. He replaces Louise Trotter, who exited the company last year for Bottega Veneta. The Central Saint Martins graduate presented his debut Fall 2025 collection via lookbook, and will hold his first runway show for the brand for Spring 2026. Previously, Thomas has held design stints at Helmut Lang, Givenchy, Lacoste, Neil Barrett and Joseph. {WWD/paywalled}
How brands can approach DEI going forward
As the swift attacks against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continue, Vogue Business’ Maliha Shoaib questioned the best brand strategies to approach the initiative in the future. The biggest issue with DEI is that it’s turned from a people-focused value to a political viewpoint, leaving companies uncomfortable to address it. Going forward, it’s easiest for brands to rename DEI wording to broader words like “belonging” or “workplace community.” Companies should also use this as an opportunity to rethink their tokenistic strategies and instead implement nuanced ones that think more holistically. {Vogue Business/paywalled}
Fashion theatrics became a distraction at Paris Fashion Week
At Paris Fashion for Fall 2025, The New York Times‘s Vanessa Friedman criticized Valentino’s Alessandro Michele, McQueen’s Seán McGirr and Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri for getting lost in the theatricality of their collections instead of focusing on crafting clothes that propose new ideas of dress. “It’s as if they believe that, with enough decoration, no one will notice that they haven’t actually come up with any new ideas,” she wrote. “It’s just a distraction, when what is going on beyond the runways is more than distracting enough.” Balenciaga’s Demna, however, got it right: He staged a straightforward runway show, and offered equally straightforward clothes subverted with the label’s signature design quirks. {The New York Times/paywalled}
Source: Fashionista.com