Must Read: Vice Reportedly in Talks to Buy Refinery29, J.Crew Group Cut Dozens of Corporate Jobs

Plus, Condé Nast Britain returns to profit.

Refinery29 executives speak onstage during Refinery29 Presents: The World of Abundance at New Fronts NYC 2018. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Refinery29

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Monday.

Vice might buy Refinery29
According to The Wall Street Journal, Vice Media is in talks to buy Refinery29. The news comes as Vice Media is seeking to diversify its audience and expand into new revenue streams in order to meet Chief Executive Nancy Dubuc’s goal of returning the company to profitability. If Vice does go through the with purchase, the deal would unite two of the largest venture-backed media companies in the U.S. {The Wall Street Journal}

J.Crew Group cut dozens of corporate jobs
J.Crew Group eliminated several positions at its New York corporate headquarters last week, as the retailer continues to cut costs ahead of a potential initial public offering of its Madewell brand. However, the cutbacks only occurred at the J.Crew brand. “As part of our continued work to strengthen J. Crew’s business, we’ve reduced a limited number of filled and open positions primarily at our corporate headquarters,” a spokeswoman told WWD on Friday. “These are never easy decisions, but they are a result of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our balance sheet, position J. Crew for long-term success and maximize the value of the Madewell brand for future growth.” {WWD}

Condé Nast Britain returns to profit
Condé Nast Britain returned to profit in fiscal 2018, despite a 7.8 decline in turnover. The U.K. publisher, which operates 13 magazine brands, said it sold nine million magazines in 60 countries, had 17 million social media followers globally and produced 60 events in 2018. It also reported “strong” digital revenue and traffic across the brands. In a statement to WWD, Albert Read, managing director of Condé Nast Britain, said he is “pleased” with the company’s 2018 results and added that he’s cautiously optimistic about the future, despite market uncertainty. {WWD}

Gabrielle Korn says goodbye to Nylon
Gabrielle Korn does two things in her editor’s letter for the August issue of Nylon: Introduces the Choice issue, which is all about major choices, including, the right to choose abortion; she also bids farewell to the publication — one that gave her a space to talk about queerness, racism and homophobia within pop culture. “I’m excited to pursue other projects, and to see who else out there is interested in working with someone like me: a feminist infiltrator, and a perpetual media optimist who still believes storytelling has the power to change the world, and that absolutely everyone has a right to tell their own story,” Korn writes. {Nylon}

Estée Lauder launches partnership with Kode With Klossy
Estée Lauder brand has teamed up with Kode With Klossy, the STEM-focused coding program started by Karlie Kloss, for a multi-prong partnership in which program scholars will learn Estée Lauder coding curriculum to then design a consumer-facing website for its new Pure Color Envy Rebellious Rose collection debuting in September. “We wanted our scholars to experience the power that technology can have within the beauty industry, especially with how consumers are interacting with brands today on websites and mobile,” said Kloss. {Glossy}

WWD grades the Democratic presidential candidates on their style
Numerous studies have shown that fashion choices do impact votes. So, ahead of the second round of Democratic debates for the presidential nomination, WWD graded each candidate — from Elizabeth Warren to Bernie Sanders — on their recent looks. Tim Ryan, Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke came out on top. {WWD}

Victoria’s Secret has many problems, Jeffrey Epstein was just one of them
Jeffrey Epstein spent two decades as confidant, financial manager and right hand to Victoria’s Secret‘s Chief Executive Officer, Leslie Wexner. He’s also said to have influenced the way the company operated. But, the lingerie giant’s problems go deeper than its close ties to a registered sex offender; Victoria’s secret has failed to embrace changing norms about women and beauty, which has taken a significant toll on its finances. Sales, which had been on a steady rise since 2010, fell to $7.4 billion in fiscal 2017. Those poor results have led L Brands to shutter dozens of underperforming locations. {Bloomberg}

Scott Morrison of 3×1 explores the future of denim in new docu-series
Scott Morrison of the denim brand 3×1 has partnered with Convicts media for a docu-series, entitled “Common Thread,” on the history and future of denim, in particular the industry’s approach to sustainability. The first episode (watch below) follows Morrison to Italy, where he meets with experts in the denim industry and denim producer Candiani, which was founded in 1938 by Luigi Candiani. {Fashionista inbox}