Beauty platform Thirteen Lune raises 8 million US dollars

Image: Thirteen Lune Beauty Thirteen Lune, the inclusive beauty e-commerce platform founded by Nyakio Grieco and Patrick Herning, has raised 8 million US dollars in a seed plus investment round, with new participation from the BrainTrust Fund. The latest round of investment will be used to drive Thirteen Lune’s omnichannel expansion in 2023, support brick-and-mortar and experiential retail, including its continued expansion into 600 JCPenney locations nationwide and open its own flagship store in Los Angeles. The platform also has plans to expand its private-label brand Relevant: Your Skin Seen. Since its launch in 2020, Thirteen Lune has grown from an e-commerce destination featuring 13 foundational Black-founded brands to offering more than 160 beauty brands, 90 percent of which are BIPOC-founded, with the remaining 10 percent being from “ally brands”. In 2022, the platform reported a strong 2022 performance, with the business seeing a 2,000 percent sales growth year-on-year, fuelled by its national in-store partnership with JCPenney Beauty and the launch of Relevant: Your Skin Seen. Inclusive beauty e-commerce platform Thirteen Lune plots omnichannel expansion in 2023 Image: Thirteen Lune Grieco, co-founder at Thirteen Lune, said in a statement: “As a 20+ year Black beauty entrepreneur, it’s an honour to shape the landscape of inclusive beauty, acting as an agent of change for BIPOC brand founders to receive recognition and opportunity. “Our partners share Thirteen Lune’s mission to support diverse founders who have historically had fewer resources and opportunities to build a business and create generational wealth.” Grieco and Herning launched Thirteen Lune in 2020, which included initial investments from Fearless Fund, Capstar Ventures, Sean (Diddy) Combs, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hannah Bronfman and Naomi Watts. This capital, with new participation from The BrainTrust Fund, led by Kendra Bracken-Ferguson and Lisa Stone, along with the initial seed round, together represents 12.5 million US dollars in total funds raised. Herning, chief executive and co-founder at Thirteen Lune, added: “Since the launch of Thirteen Lune in 2020, we’ve proven that inclusivity and scalability are not mutually exclusive. "With a mission to inspire the discovery of BIPOC-founded brands for people of all colours and backgrounds, we enter 2023 continuing to lead with intention and authenticity that will position us to continue our growth and momentum.”
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Ole Henriksen names Anine Bing as brand advisor

Beauty Image: Ole Henriksen by Jojo Korsh; Ole Henriksen and Anine Bing To celebrate its 40th anniversary, skincare brand Ole Henriksen has named fashion designer Anine Bing as its first global Scandi brand advisor. The strategic partnership will “bring forward the richness of Scandinavian culture,” explains beauty brand Ole Henriksen in the press release. With Bing’s help, the aim is to showcase the benefits associated with Scandinavian lifestyle, wellness and skincare, while placing Scandinavian values, such as hygge, “back on the map”. Bing’s role with the brand will include creating social media content and cross-branded collaborations, with the fashion designer spearheading a six-part mini-series, providing an inside look into the best of Scandinavian skin and wellness. She will share her style secrets, morning wellness tips, and favourite Ole Henriksen products. Commenting on the appointment, Ole Henriksen said: "There are few people I've met that are as strong and elegant as Anine. I've admired her impactful, eclectic, and classic designs for years, and couldn't be happier to have her join the Ole Henriksen team as our first-ever 'global Scandi brand advisor. "Not only can we relate on the many elements that make Scandinavian culture so rich, from hygge philosophies to leading a simple life that's full of joy and positive affirmation, we have many things to come that infuse this palpable energy into the brand. Anine has brought a new and fresh meaning of Scandi-cool both globally and within America, all while staying true to her Danish roots. Her leadership and expertise within the space, paired with her perspective on Scandi lifestyle, wellness, skincare and style, make her the perfect partner for Ole Henriksen." Ole Henriksen to highlight Scandi culture with Anine Bing partnership to celebrate 40th anniversary Bing added: "I've been a longtime fan of Ole Henriksen's skin care, so when the brand approached me for this partnership, I was immediately interested. Our shared passion for Scandinavian culture creates such a unique synergy and I'm really looking forward to bringing to life the many exciting concepts we have in the works." Danish-born Henriksen launched his wellness-focused skincare line following his personal experience with cystic acne. Inspired by his Scandi roots, the beauty brand's products are infused with powerful acid blends and plant-powered ingredients sourced from Scandinavia, such as Nordic Birch Sap, Snow Lotus and Alpine Willowherb Extracts. Ole Henriksen has also tapped other key Scandinavian creators, including Linda Hallberg, Ceval, and Nnenna Echem to create content highlighting the Scandi lifestyle. With content rolling out as early as this month on the brand’s social media channels. On the importance of leveraging the brand's storied history, Rachel Berg, vice president of global marketing at Ole Henriksen, said: "We are a Scandinavian-born brand, and as we enter our 40th year, we're going back to our roots anchored in Scandinavian skin wellness, understanding this overarching ethos sets us apart from the rest. “By signing on Anine Bing as our global Scandi brand advisor and partnering with other Scandi influencers on a global scale it will help amplify diverse elements of the culture and our Scandinavian-inspired skin wellness approach in a fresh, modern way."
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Dua Lipa, Federer to host Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala

Dua Lipa for the Versace SS22 show. Image: Spotlight Launchmetrics New York - Pop phenom Dua Lipa and tennis legend Roger Federer will be among the hosts of this year's Met Gala, whose theme will be "In honor of Karl." The dress code pays homage to the late Karl Lagerfeld, a top designer for decades who helmed major houses including Chanel, Fendi, Balmain and Chloe, as well as his own eponymous label. The glamorous night, which sees the entertainment world's brightest stars parade through New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in extravagant outfits, will as usual be accompanied by an exhibit at the museum's Costume Institute. This year it will feature the show "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," which is set to include some 150 pieces of his design as well as sketches from the German designer. Along with Lipa and Federer, Penelope Cruz and Michaela Coel will join Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour in hosting the May 1 gala, one of the season's premiere events. The Costume Institute relies on the Met Gala to fund its work including exhibitions and acquisitions. The gala was first held in 1948 and for decades was reserved for New York high society. High priestess of fashion Wintour took over the show in 1995, transforming the party into a catwalk for the rich and famous and social media extravaganza.(AFP)
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Watch reseller Wristcheck raises 8 million US dollars

Image: Wristcheck Hong Kong-based luxury watch consignment retailer Wristcheck has raised 8 million US dollars in a seeding round led by Gobi Partners GBA, which manages Alibaba’s Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund and AEF Greater Bay Area Fund, with participation from K3 Ventures. Since launching in 2020, Wristcheck reports that it has experienced 75 percent year-on-year growth in its total value of consigned watches and reported a 127 percent year-on-year growth in its number of consignors. The platform, founded by 25-year-old Austen Chu and Sean Wong, is looking to revolutionise the way people buy and sell watches by taking a fixed rate from each sale. It takes 8 percent from the seller and 4 percent from the buyer, unlike traditional dealers, competitors and auction houses. Austen Chu, co-founder and chief executive of Wristcheck, said in a statement: “Transparency is infused into every aspect of our ethos at Wristcheck and guides our mission of revolutionising the space from one that has been traditionally shrouded in obscurity to a more equitable playing field. “Buyers know what sellers net, and sellers know what buyers pay. We’re incredibly excited to further build our vision of democratising the secondary watch space with our new partners.” Hong Kong-based Wristcheck secures investment led by Gobi Partners GBA To date, Wristcheck has amassed more than 50,000 community members and adds that its primary demographic is the next-gen watch enthusiasts. As 43 percent of its paying customers are under 30 years old, which it states signals a previously untapped segment of the market - young high net worth individuals with increasing spending power. It also opened its first flagship space in Landmark, Hong Kong in 2021 to bridge the gap between offline and online retailing. Image: Wristcheck Wristcheck’s new funding will enable the second-hand luxury watch platform to expand into “underserved” markets regionally in Asia, as well as develop a state-of-the-art web platform and launch a mobile app in Q2 2023. The new Wristcheck platform will offer users an improved, seamless online-offline experience with fully authenticated timepieces, safe transactions, and other professional services that are currently under development to drive further efforts to build an inclusive global community. It is also looking to become the first second-hand luxury watch platform that utilises AI and deep learning capabilities for its authentication process. With watches being one of the most counterfeited product categories in the world, Wristcheck's founders are hoping to make this industry a safer environment for consumers. Chibo Tang, managing partner of Gobi Partners GBA, added: “Combining Hong Kong’s competitive edge as a global-facing watch market with Wristcheck’s leading team and capabilities, we are confident that the company will be able to continue building on their current momentum and become a dominant player in the global secondary watch market.”
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Richemont Q3 sales up 8 percent despite Covid impact in mainland China

Image: Richemont Swiss luxury giant Richemont has reported an 8 percent increase in sales in the third quarter of the year despite a resurgence of Covid impacting its important mainland China market. Total group sales came in at 5.4 billion euros in the three months to December 31, up from the 4.98 billion euros reported a year earlier. On a constant currency basis, sales were up 5 percent as tourism returned in force following the end of most restrictions in international markets. Excluding the impact from Russia, sales rose by 7 percent at constant exchange rates. The group, whose portfolio includes Chloé and Cartier, saw its strongest growth once again in Japan, where sales jumped 30 percent, followed by Europe where sales rose 17 percent. International tourism boosts Richemont in Q3 In Europe, growth was driven by continued strength in local and tourist demand, particularly from the US and the Middle East. France, Italy, and Switzerland were standout performers. In the Middle East and Africa sales increased 20 percent, and in the Americas sales rose by 16 percent. The only region where Richemont recorded a drop in year-on-year sales was Asia Pacific, which was down 7 percent. The region was “significantly impacted” by Covid restrictions in mainland China, where sales dropped 24 percent. Overall sales increased across all distribution channels, with online retail sales up 12 percent, physical retail sales up 9 percent, and wholesale and royalty income up 5 percent. In terms of business area, sales across Jewellery Maisons increased by 11 percent, and in ‘Other’ - which includes fashion and accessories brands - by 10 percent. Sales at Specialist Watchmakers dropped 3 percent. For the nine-month period, group sales increased 18 percent, or up 12 percent at constant exchange rates.
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TEXHIBITION Istanbul Fabric, Yarn and Textile Accessories Fair - March 8.-10. 2023

Image courtesy of Texhibition via Jandali PR Third edition of Texhibition Istanbul will take place from 8-10 March 2023 at the Istanbul Expo Center Organizers focus on growth: more than 25,000 international visitors are targeted for March 2023 More than 400 exhibitors show fabrics, yarns and accessories at the Istanbul Expo Center Trend seminars and trend area with special focus on sustainability presents the trends for spring/summer 2024 The third edition of Texhibition Istanbul Fabric, Yarn and Textile Accessories Fair, 8-10 March 2023 builds on the successful editions of the fair last year. The fair is organized by the Istanbul Textile Exporters' Association (ITHIB) and with the support of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC). More than 400 exhibitors from the areas of knitwear, woven fabrics, denim, yarns and accessories will present their 2024 spring-summer collections on 15,000 square meters in the Istanbul Expo Center. These include well-known names such as Kipaş, Bossa, Yünsa, Btd, Çalık, Hefa, İskur, Universal, Gülle, and Migiboy. At the last event in September 2022, a total of 20,606 visitors took the opportunity to start business discussions and place orders. Among them international visitors from 97 countries, including the EU, UK, USA, North Africa and the Middle East. Over 25,000 visitors are expected at the upcoming Texhibition in March 2023 such as large clothing manufacturers, purchasing managers of international chain stores and department stores, managers of international brands and chains with their own brand collections, managers of online sales platforms, importers, wholesalers, distributors, designers, etc. “With Texhibition Istanbul we have created a platform that efficiently networks high-quality Turkish textile production and the international fashion business. Texhibition meets the industry's need for secure nearshore supply chains. Texhibition is a catalyst to boost Türkiye's exports,” said Ahmet Öksüz, Chairman of ITHIB (Istanbul Textile Exporters' Association). With an export volume of approximately 13 billion US dollars in 2022, the textile industry achieved its best result and exported to a total of 200 countries and regions. An export volume of around US$ 15 billion is targeted for 2023. Because of its high quality products, reliability and short delivery times, Türkiye ranks fifth in the world and second in the EU as an important sourcing market for all over the world. Vice Chairman of the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB) and President of the Fair Committee, Fatih BİLİCİ, after the conclusion of Texhibition 2022: "Our exhibitors have given us unanimously positive feedback. The fair is a suitable platform for making new business contacts and opens up access to new markets. The quality and quantity of visitors was convincing. Numerous cooperation talks took place with visitors from all over the world. Texhibition has contributed significantly to our companies being able to increase their exports. The great attention the fair has received from exhibitors and visitors strengthens our opinion that this platform meets the needs of our industry." Texhibition made a significant contribution to ensuring our companies achieve exports with bigger added value while also facilitating entrance of our companies to new markets and establish new cooperations with the range of visitors that attend the exhibition from all across the world. The profound attention of both exhibitors and visitors reinforced our opinion that this exhibition meets a major need of our industry.’’ The trend area at Texhibition will show the spring-summer 2024 trends with a focus on sustainable aspects. Texhibition Istanbul completes the full package offer in combination with IFCO, Istanbul Fashion Connection, which takes place from 8.-11. February 2023, also for the third time at the Istanbul Expo Center.
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Vogue magazine to reduce print issues to 10 editions per year

Image: Jean Picon / Saywho The future of printed fashion magazines has once again come under scrutiny, as Vogue, arguably the world’s most recognisable style publication, is to shrink its schedule to 10 issues per year. The number of publications will be reduced from 11, a schedule Conde Nast has adhered to over the past three years, prior to being a monthly release. With the most recent issue called “Winter” issue, it will likely combine two months. The publisher also combines its June and July issues since 2020. Many publications have ceased print issues or drastically reduced their physical magazine presence as consumer shift to digital. In a digital-first world, content connects people, engages readers, and build brands, in addition to allowing publishers to track data and readership.
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YNAP fined 5.25 million euros by Italian watchdog for misleading pricing

Image: YNAP Luxury pureplayer YNAP, which operates the Net-a-Porter and Yoox e-commerce businesses, was fined 5.25 million euros by Italy’s antitrust body. The hefty fine for misleading prices came as the etailer was alleged to limit the right to return merchandise purchased between 2019 and 2022 Shoppers experienced limited rights to return merchandise with the websites blocking completed online orders, without informing customers, when certain return levels were breached. Other allegations by the antitrust say YNAP misrepresented sale prices and the discounts that were effectively applied. The retailer advertised reductions on products on which the final sale price was “substantially the same” said Reuters. Yoox has 60 days to inform the regulator on the measures it has implemented to be in compliance. In 2022 Swiss luxury group Richemont sold YNAP to Farfetch and Emirati businessman Mohamed Alabbar.
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Nordstrom’s chief merchandising officer Teri Bariquit to retire

Image: Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. announced that its chief merchandising officer Teri Bariquit is retiring. To ensure a smooth transition, the company said in a release, Bariquit will remain in her role until the company identifies her successor. Throughout her 37-year career at Nordstrom, the company added, Bariquit has held a variety of leadership roles across the company's merchandising organisation, supporting inventory audit, merchandising technology, planning and more before becoming the company's first-ever chief merchandising officer in 2019. "We're extremely grateful for the contributions Teri has made to our company over the past 37 years," said Pete Nordstrom, president and chief brand officer of Nordstrom, adding, "During her tenure, she's transformed every element of our merchandising organisation and positioned our merchandising team for continued success." "It has been a privilege to spend my career at Nordstrom and work alongside such a talented team – one with a relentless focus on providing customers with the most relevant and inspirational products from the world's best brands," added Bariquit.
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KidSuper’s Colm Dillane co-creates Louis Vuitton AW23 collection

Louis Vuitton look from the Fall-Winter 2023 Homme pre-collection "The Desert Race". This collection was designed by the Louis Vuitton Men's Ready-to-Wear Studio Following the death in 2021 of creative director Virgil Abloh , the Louis Vuitton Homme studio team took the reins and imagined, season after season, the men's collections of the luxury label. But things are changing. Louis Vuitton's autumn/winter 2023/24 collection was, this time, co-designed with Colm Dillane, founder of the KidSuper label. The information, posted on Vogue magazine's website, stated that the collection “was created by the [Louis Vuitton] studio 'with the participation' of Colm Dillane”. This appointment is also temporary. The American does not replace the great Abloh, and the questions about the potential successor therefore do not end. During a conference organised by Women's Wear Daily in early November 2022, Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke confirmed that the French luxury brand was in no rush to find a successor to Abloh. "We're not trying to replace Virgil, not because he's irreplaceable but because he's unique," Burke said. Who is Colm Dillane? Winner of the Karl Lagerfeld Prize (awarded as part of the LVMH Prize and including Virgil Abloh on its jury) in 2021, Dillane created KidSuper in 2018 and is based in Brooklyn. The arty label, for men and women, presents itself as a creative collective that designs and manufactures clothing but also organises art exhibitions, records music, shoots films and music videos. Dillane is therefore, in a way, what is called a “jack of all trades”. In a video interview with the FHCM (Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode) in 2021, Colm Dillane said: "For me, it's about telling stories and building a fan base who appreciate your vision that they don't care what it is.” The Louis Vuitton Men's collection will be unveiled on January 19, 2023, as part of Paris Fashion Week. The KidSuper label will also show within the official calendar, on January 21, at 9 p.m. This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and edit by: Rachel Douglass. Read more: * Louis Vuitton after Virgil Abloh: A ship without a captain?
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