NEWS
Week In Review
Model Ayesha Tan-Jones made a protest while walking the runway of a Gucci Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show Sept. 22 during Milan Fashion Week. Models were required to wear the collection’s styles, which resembled straitjackets that are used to restrain patients who are being treated for mental-health issues. Tan-Jones, who identifies as nonbinary, wrote on their palms, “Mental health is not fashion.” The model posted to Instagram, informing followers that their entire model fee would be donated to support mental-health charities.
Marshalls announced a new marshalls.com website on Sept. 24, which the off-price retailer said will offer unique features such as Swipe to Shop. The mobile shopping feature allows shoppers to quickly view and sort styles by swiping left or right on items they like. The new marshalls.com will also showcase curated online shop that will spotlight the latest trends. It will also feature a special section called Influencer + Shopper Finds.
Maurices, a women’s specialty retailer headquartered in Duluth, Minn., donated 35,000 pairs of jeans Sept. 19 during the first denim drive in the retailer’s Best Day Ever volunteer day. The jeans were donated to nonprofit organizations such as women’s shelters and community clothing closets in 900 neighborhoods around the United States and Canada, said George Goldfarb, Maurices’ president and chief executive officer. Maurices operates 940 stores and offers inclusive sizing ranging from sizes 0–24.
Hudson Bay stores in the Netherlands will close before Dec. 31, according to a Sept. 20 announcement from HBC, which also runs Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson’s Bay, Lord + Taylor and Saks Off 5th. Closing are 15 Hudson’s Bay bricks-and-mortar stores in the Netherlands, its Dutch e-commerce site and the retailer’s headquarters in the Netherlands. The operation is a joint venture of HBC and SIGNA Retail Holdings. The announcement did not disclose a reason for the closure of the Dutch operation.
Foot Locker Inc. invested $3 million in NTWRK, a Los Angeles–headquartered youth-culture e-commerce and content platform that was started by Aaron Levant, founder of the Agenda trade show. Levant started NTWRK in 2018 using the domain thentwrk.com. The platform mixes content creation, product activations and exclusive launches with its digital commerce. Sneakers are a significant focus at NTWRK. Richard Johnson, Foot Locker’s chairman and chief executive officer, said that NTWRK has been pioneering how brands tell their stories. “We look forward to working closely with Aaron and the NTWRK team to deliver exclusive products and experiences for our customers and extend our reach in youth culture,” Johnson said in a statement. Foot Locker’s entrance wrapped up a Series A round of investment, which reached a total of $10 million. This round of investment was led by Foot Locker and Live Nation. Initial investments were led by Warner Bros. Digital Networks and MSA Enterprises.
