paul williams – LAZIN MAGAZINE

The Business of Fashion
The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

Price hikes, diminished quality, growing inequality and the meaning of luxury itself were under the microscope at the FT’s Business of Luxury Summit this week as the sector struggles to [...]

In Defence of the Millennial Dream

Don’t mistake Everlane’s reported sale to Shein for a generational eulogy. The ideals the brand helped popularise — conscious, informed consumption — are still very much alive. [...]

The BoF Podcast | Leena Nair and Matthieu Blazy on Creativity and the Power of the Human Hand

Two years before they would work together at Chanel, the house’s chief executive officer and its future artistic director spoke at BoF VOICES — separately making the case for craft, [...]

Has Fashion’s Exploitative Business Model Gotten Worse?

A new report finds suppliers and workers are absorbing the industry’s relentless push for lower prices more than ever before, while Shein’s acquisition of Everlane underscores how fashion’ current growth [...]

Rihanna’s Puma Exit Proves the Celebrity Sneaker Bubble Has Burst

Once upon a time, having a cultural superstar under a brand’s umbrella was a huge win across fashion. Today, it’s clear that strategy doesn’t work as well. [...]

Shein’s Everlane Acquisition, Explained

It’s official: The fallen direct-to-consumer darling known for ‘radical transparency’ is being bought by fast-fashion behemoth Shein. BoF dissects the deal and what it means for the millennial DTC playbook, [...]

What’s Behind Niche Perfume’s Culinary Turn

Desire for more refined niche fragrances and addictive ‘gourmand’ ingredients has led to the arrival of brands like Moëhr, which takes its scent cues from haute cuisine. [...]

Richemont Sales Soar as Cartier Outpaces Rivals

The Swiss group’s jewellery brands gained further market share on the back of continued demand in the US and Chinese interest in new product lines at Cartier and Van Cleef [...]

How RaiseFashion Prepares Independent Fashion Brands For AI Discoverability

BoF speaks with six designers from RaiseFashion's 2026 masterclass — Andrew Kwon, Mckenzie Liautaud, Natasha Das, Patricio Campillo, Rodney Patterson and Shao Yang — on the challenge of building discoverability [...]

Why the Estée Lauder and Puig Deal Collapsed

The much-telegraphed potential merger fell apart after months of negotiations, the two companies confirmed on Thursday, as they face up to the limits of their strengths and weaknesses. [...]

How Weird Shoes Became a Business Strategy

Bolder styles are dominating footwear trends as brands aim to spark sales and shoppers look for pick-me-ups. [...]

Master Perfumer Olivier Creed Has Died

The sixth-generation leader of the company and creator of the blockbuster Aventus perfume has died, the company confirmed on Wednesday. [...]

Estée Lauder Companies and Puig End M&A Talks

Discussions of a merger between the beauty giants have fallen through after reports that Charlotte Tilbury was renegotiating her contract. [...]

Zara Bets on Bad Bunny Once More in Brand Expansion Push

The Puerto Rican singer wore Zara during his Super Bowl performance and at the Met Gala this year. Now, the duo is partnering to launch a 150-piece collection. [...]

Oura Files Confidentially for IPO

The maker of popular smart rings that track health, fitness and sleep filed confidentially for a US initial public offering, a source told Bloomberg. [...]

Authentic Brands to Buy Lee Denim in Up to $1 Billion Deal

The brand management firm will buy the denim label from owner Kontoor Brands for an initial $750 million payment ⁠and a potential $250 million earnout tied to future performance. [...]

What’s at Stake for Jo Malone London?

This week Priya Rao dives into one of fragrance’s biggest properties and why gourmand scents have gone bananas. [...]

Nykaa Posts Profit Surge on Strong Beauty Demand

The Indian retailer posted a near-fourfold jump in quarterly profit on Thursday, aided by its rollout of celebrity labels like Kay Beauty and Fenty Beauty. [...]

Ralph Lauren Shares Jump 10% as Strong China Sales Drive Growth

CEO Patrice Louvet said the brand had an ‘exceptionally strong’ Lunar New Year with more than 50 percent sales growth in the country. [...]

Exclusive: How Victoria’s Secret Brought Sexy Back

As the company changes its stock ticker from VSCO to VSXY, CEO Hillary Super speaks to BoF about how she rescued Victoria’s Secret from cultural irrelevance by refocusing on its [...]

Lilly’s Next-Gen Weight Loss Shot Cuts Body Weight by 28% in Study

Nearly half of patients who got a high dose of Eli Lilly's experimental obesity shot retatrutide lost the equivalent weight of bariatric surgery, sending the drugmaker's shares up in premarket [...]

AI Mockups of Fake Products Raise Real Questions for Brands

AI has made it easier than ever for creators to circulate their ideas of what a brand’s next release should look like. But while these mockups help build hype, they [...]

Knowledge Report | Building Cultural Relevance on TikTok

To recapture consumer attention and inspire loyalty, brands and publishers are exploring new creative approaches on TikTok. This knowledge report examines how players in the fashion, beauty and media industries [...]

James Murdoch Buys New York Magazine

In a deal announced Wednesday, Murdoch’s media and technology holding, Lupa Systems, acquired the publication, as well as the Vox website and podcast network. [...]

E.l.f. Beauty Signals Caution Despite Rhode-Driven Growth

The US beauty conglomerate tempered its outlook for 2026, despite 25 percent growth last year led by Hailey Bieber’s beauty label Rhode. [...]

Giambattista Valli Buys Back Namesake Label From Artémis

The return to independence follows the abrupt cancelling of fashion shows earlier this year. [...]

The Debrief | Inside The Swatch x Audemars Piguet Global Frenzy

As Swatch and Audemars Piguet sparked a global retail frenzy over the weekend with a $400 plastic pocket watch, BoF’s Cathaleen Chen and Mimosa Spencer dissect whether high-low collaborations democratise [...]

Exclusive: Marquee Brands to Acquire Roberto Cavalli

The Italian brand known for its animal prints and flamboyant aesthetic will be taken over by the brand management company behind Martha Stewart. [...]

Target Doubles Growth Forecast, but Cites Caution as Consumers Remain Stretched

The $59 billion retailer has started to repel cost-conscious shoppers, and failed to attract higher-income consumers. [...]

TJX Raises Annual Forecasts as US Shoppers Hunt for Value

Lower-income consumers are increasingly shifting to discount retailers, as economic uncertainty forces them to tighten budgets. [...]

Without Its Founder, Sol de Janeiro Looks to Its Next Act

With new leadership, the Brazil-inspired body-care giant must find fresh paths for growth amid greater volatility, slowing sales and market saturation. [...]

Vogue Philippines Names Trickie Lopa Editor in Chief

Owned by Mega Global Group Inc, the licensed edition of Vogue promotes its deputy editor for art and culture to lead the publication. [...]

How ESW Is Shaping the Future of Cross-Border Commerce in Fashion

As brands face mounting complexity in international e-commerce, a system that supports global business operations is an increasingly valuable advantage. BoF sits down with Eric Eichmann, chief executive of global [...]

Report: Charlotte Tilbury Complicates Estée Lauder-Puig Merger Talks

According to Spanish newspaper Expansión, the founder of the British cosmetics brand’s desire to renegotiate her earn-out and compensation structure has stalled merger discussions. [...]

Google and Samsung Reveal Designs of Upcoming Smart Glasses

The companies are collaborating with eyewear makers Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. [...]

Chanel Returns to Growth as Blazymania Kicks In

The French giant, which returned to high single-digit growth at the end of 2025 on the wings of designer Matthieu Blazy’s brand revamp, plans to maintain elevated investment levels while [...]

Salomon Sales Spur Outlook Boost for Amer Sports

The sports company, which also owns Arc'teryx, raised its full-year guidance as its first-quarter results beat estimates, buoyed by demand for Salomon shoes. [...]

Swatch’s Audemars Piguet Collab Is Filling the Gap Sneakers Left

Audemars Piguet took a page out of the sneaker industry’s book to democratise its brand and release the most discussed product of the year so far. [...]

India’s Under-the-Radar Luxury Opportunity: Kolkata

The country’s third-largest metropolitan area may lack the retail infrastructure of Mumbai or Delhi, but its affluent consumer base is becoming harder for global luxury brands to ignore. [...]

Meet Our Finalists for The Business of Beauty Global Awards 2026

Mexico’s Productos Latina, the US’ Sarah Creal Beauty and Korea’s Borntostandout are among the 15 shortlisted brands for this year’s Global Awards in Napa Valley, California. [...]

Forging an Edge in Fashion and Sports E-Commerce

Last week, BoF and Amazon Fashion and Sports gathered industry leaders for a panel event to unpack how brands can drive attention and conversion on- and off-screen through a compelling [...]

The BoF Podcast | What’s Really Happening in Luxury Right Now

In their regular conversation with System Magazine, Imran Amed and Bernstein’s Luca Solca cut through the noise on Chanel’s frenzy, Gucci’s work-in-progress reset and why the industry can no longer [...]

Why Can’t Sneaker Brands Let Go of Nostalgia?

Reebok’s upcoming reissue of a mid-2000s shoe is a symptom of a bigger problem in the sneaker industry: its dependence on nostalgia. [...]

The Ordinary’s Stunts Are Getting Bolder. How Far Can They Go?

The Estée Lauder-owned skincare brand is staging immersive, local pop-ups all over the world. Its newest, in New York, may be one of its most audacious yet. [...]

Beauty Is Inherently Political. In 2026, That’s a Problem.

This week, Priya Rao goes into it all: apolitical beauty brands, Armani sale rumours, Skky Partners’ undoing and more. [...]

Violette Serrat, Andrew Dahling, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford and Jane Hertzmark Hudis to Speak at The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2026

The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2026 returns to Napa Valley this June. Request your invitation to attend our annual gathering for leaders shaping the global beauty and wellness industry. [...]

Why Nike’s SNKRS App Isn’t Going Anywhere

Rumblings of the dissolution of Nike’s SNKRS app popped up over the weekend following layoffs at the brand, but you shouldn’t bet on it going anywhere. [...]

BoF Professional Masterclass | The New Hype Playbook: From Drops to Stories

Watch on demand a BoF Professional Masterclass on “The New Hype Playbook: From Drops to Stories” which unpacks how brands cultivate hype through community-based storytelling, the role of hero products, [...]

The Platform That’s Critical to Success in China

RedNote’s 350 million users have helped make it a powerful force in China’s beauty market. Here’s how to stand out. [...]

What Comes After the Golden Age of Travel Retail

While passenger numbers have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, sales in duty-free hubs like airports are sluggish. The reality is pushing many brands to rethink their presence: those that want to [...]

Bill to build Smithsonian women’s museum fails in US congress amid disputes over Trump and trans rights

The previously popular bipartisan legislation was undone by Republican additions about “biological women” and allowing Trump to override its location on the National Mall [...]

Roberto Lugo brings monumental tribute to Puerto Rican culture to Manhattan park

The artist’s new large-scale sculptures in Madison Square Park pay homage to the island’s diaspora and its most beloved figures [...]

Untitled Art will launch four new prizes at Houston fair's second edition

Combined, the prizes will provide as much as $113,200 for acquisitions at the fair [...]

Heffel’s spring sales, featuring rediscovered royal portrait and E.J. Hughes seascape, tally $16.2m

Works by famed Canadian figures including Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, Jean Paul Riopelle and Takao Tanabe also notched major results [...]

Fifty years after Franco, Spain begins to give back art seized during the Civil War

Tens of thousands of works were taken and most were never returned, but Museo del Prado identified 166 from its collection and is leading the return efforts [...]

Giant glacier painting disappears from Argentina’s presidential palace after new law passes loosening protections for these icy regions

A government spokesperson claims that Helmut Ditsch’s photorealist painting was removed for maintenance, but a leading historian places it within a history of cultural and historical erasure [...]

New York auctions, James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain, Edvard Munch—podcast

In this week's episode, Ben Luke speaks to correspondent Judd Tully on the New York spring auction results and takes a tour of the James McNeill Whistler exhibition at Tate [...]

Mexican film-makers to co-host Serpentine Summer Party

Co-host Salma Hayek Pinault may be best known to the art world for her Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Frida Kahlo [...]

Chanel gives Centre Pompidou financial boost with new five-year partnership

The “commitment will strengthen Centre Pompidou’s work across access, scholarship, and the preservation of public knowledge” according to a statement [...]

A hated portrait and a forged masterpiece: two new thrillers with paintings at their centre

Oscar de Muriel is inspired by a real Frida Kahlo painting, while Lynda la Plante invents a Jean-Michel Basquiat forgery [...]

Rocked on their heels: how exhibitions can change the course of artists’ lives

The revelation of witnessing a groundbreaking show can redefine an artist's creative trajectory [...]

London exhibition explores untold history of how homelessness was criminalised

Work by artists and activists including 10 Foot, Matt Bonner and Gemma Lees shows how land enclosures and early colonial expansion began to change how unhoused people were treated [...]

Shoot and branch: new photography book highlights the enduring majesty of trees

"Trees of Great Britain and Ireland" offers a handsome insight into early 20th-century botanical photography [...]

Why did Van Gogh sign his paintings as ‘Vincent’?

And why did he sign so few? The intriguing story behind his signatures [...]

Museums in England largely oppose proposal to charge admission for foreign tourists

A storm of opinion is raging in the arts world on whether an admission fee is needed, with some museums arguing the income would be offset by a loss of [...]

US Commission of Fine Arts approves Trump’s Washington, DC arch despite public opposition

While the public comments about the proposal were said to be 99.5% unfavourable, the commission signed off on the proposed arch with its golden statuary [...]

India's Kiran Nadar Museum to take over Christie's London headquarters this summer

A month-long non-selling exhibition from the collection of the New Delhi patron will feature 60 Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi artists working from the 1950s to the present day [...]

New residency in upstate New York will give Indigenous artists access to neon fabrication studio

A partnership between Lite Brite Neon Studio and the Walker Youngbird Foundation, the residency will launch with the artist Sarah Rowe in September [...]

Venice show brings together two leading figures from the Polish avant-garde

The the 20th-century artists Tadeusz Kantor and Maria Jarema feature in a collateral exhibition at the 61st Biennale [...]

British Museum reveals ticket prices for Bayeux Tapestry exhibition

The first tranche of tickets can be booked from 1 July; members, meanwhile, will only be able to visit free-of-charge twice [...]

Lagos curator establishes private art society with focus on cross-disciplinary exchange

Ugoma Chinelo Ebilah is opening Mbari Kola, a public gallery and private members club that will host exhibitions, residencies and more [...]

Richter and Judd works top Christie's solid if not stellar sale of post-war and contemporary art

The $162.6m evening auctions featured a trove of Gerhard Richter works that had belonged to the late dealer Marian Goodman, and canonic Minimalist sculptures from the estate of collector Henry [...]

Authorities in New York return more than 650 looted antiquities, valued at nearly $14m, to India

The objects were recovered through investigations into trafficking networks, including those linked to convicted smuggler Subhash Kapoor and trafficker Nancy Wiener [...]

Israeli organisation threatens legal action against Canadian Museum for Human Rights over Palestine exhibition

The Tel Aviv-based group Shurat Hadin is urging the museum in Winnipeg to pause its upcoming exhibition on the Nakba and its legacy to allow for a “legal and scholarly [...]

Boats and trains, not planes: reflections on a greener—but sometimes greenwashed—Venice Biennale

From curator Koyo Kouoh’s foregrounding of “all earthly elements” to Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo's new sustainable art island, references to the environment can be found throughout the Italian city [...]

Final proposals for Billie Holiday monument in New York City revealed

One of the six shortlisted designs, by artists including Tavares Strachan and Thomas J Price, will be chosen this summer and erected at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Queens [...]

New Richard Avedon documentary chronicles how he shaped the evolution of photography

Ron Howard's documentary, which recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, is enjoyable even as it treads well-worn ground and repeats familiar anecdotes [...]

Stonewall monument targeted by Trump administration among the US’s most endangered historic places

The latest edition of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list spotlights federal erasure and rollbacks to public land conservation [...]

The shifting market for luxury: can legacy brands navigate new trends and buyers?

An exhibition in New York on "250 Years of Franco-American Luxury Stories" shines a light on current changes to the once European-dominated industry [...]

Sainsbury Centre receives one of largest ever UK museum donations

The £91.2m donation from British politician and businessman David Sainsbury will be used for essential renovations to the building [...]

Expansion plans for Rome's Galleria Borghese draw fierce response

Italian heritage preservation organisations object to new construction for the museum which is located within a historically sensitive area [...]

Sold-out Phillips auction in New York brings in $115.2m, more than double 2025 result

The sale offered signals for optimists that the market is rebounding, and set new auction records for Joseph Yaeger, P.S. Krøyer and Pat Passlof [...]

Bidding battle for Matisse leads Sotheby’s $303.3m Modern art evening sale in New York

Henri Matisse’s "La Chaise lorraine" sold for $48.4m with fees as strong results for Picasso, Van Gogh and Giacometti lifted the evening auction's total [...]

In the new film Nagi Notes, art is a vessel for characters’ desires

Japanese writer-director Koji Fukada’s new film, which recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, is set in a remote town where artmaking is central to many residents’ lives [...]

Tate Britain's James McNeill Whistler exhibition aims to show he was more than just a combative ‘coxcomb’

The show will bring to light the “incredible skill and magic and variety” in the painter’s work [...]

M+ and Centre Pompidou announce multi-year partnership

The Hong Kong and Paris institutions will stage a major exhibition with work from both collections, to open at the revamped Centre Pompidou in 2030 [...]

Seoul’s new Centre Pompidou Hanwha museum opens next month—can it live up to expectations?

The French institution’s partnership with the Hanwha Foundation of Culture promises a “reciprocal exchange”, but there are concerns it will be too Western focused [...]

Migrants were a continuous feature of medieval Britain, archaeological study shows

Scientific research shows that rather than a victim of invasion, early medieval Britain was a cultural melting pot [...]

‘Entertainment is often violence shrouded in a fun disguise’: Marianna Simnett on being tickled for hours and having Botox injected into her throat

With a new show in Vienna, the artist explains that her work is “about creating the perfect amount of openness for others to become open too” [...]

Christie's nets $1.1bn from back-to-back S.I. Newhouse and 20th century evening sales in New York

New auction records were set for Pollock, Rothko, Brancusi, Miro and Neel [...]

British artist says the Met ‘should take responsibility’ for dress copyright dispute

Anouska Samms claims a dress she has IP over is included in the museums' costume art exhibition without any credit to her [...]

Guatemala stakes claim to stone lintel by ‘the Michelangelo of the pre-Columbian era’ that was repatriated to Mexico

The artefact is a rare surviving work created by the artist Mayuy more than 1,000 years ago [...]

59th Carnegie International tests the limits of connection and inclusion

Titled ‘If the word we’, the recurring exhibition's 2026-27 edition strives to celebrate both world-class artists and the community in and around Pittsburgh [...]

Tate Britain previews new garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Featuring a Barbara Hepworth sculpture, the display is framed as a "taster" of Tate Britain's public sculpture garden to open next year [...]

Art bartering: artists start viral social media trend to fight cost of living crisis

From help with websites and video editing to free accommodation and haircuts, artists are trading their work on Instagram and TikTok to escape the traps of capitalism [...]

The art world remembers Valie Export, Austrian pioneer of feminist performance art

Best known for daring audiences to face and feel the female body on her own terms, the performance artist died in Vienna on 14 May at 85 years old [...]

‘The story can be almost as important as the piece itself’: philanthropist Christian Levett on his approach to collecting

After ditching investment management to make time for his true passion, the founder of the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in France has swapped Old Masters for Modern art [...]

At Birmingham's Ikon Gallery, Angela de la Cruz's audacious, visceral art takes no prisoners

“Upright” is the artist's first exhibition in a UK institution since 2010 [...]

Finnish museum creates a new and radical support model for artists

Espoo Museum of Modern Art has committed to supporting four artists over the next several years with financial, practical and institutional backing [...]

In a new home, Photo London gets down to business

The navigable Olympia in west London is a welcome change from Somerset House for the fair's exhibitors hoping to maximise exposure and get deals done [...]

The Warrior Prince – Lazin Magazine – September 2025