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The fashion industry may be grappling with the onslaught of AI and commercialized sameness, but over at Parsons School of Design, the next generation of fashion designers is having fun. Set at Manhattan's The Glasshouse on Sunday afternoon, the Parsons 2026 BFA Graduate Runway Show, entitled "Ensemble," put forth an optimistic vision for fashion's future defined by students' unwavering creativity and appetite for inclusivity.

Backstage, student designers shared this positive outlook while discussing their hopes for the future of fashion: "I'd like to see more diverse bodies on the runway, especially when it comes to size inclusivity, and also just fun, fantasy, spectacle, lots of color and print and sparkle," senior BFA student Alexander Flores told Fashionista. Senior BFA student Olivia Colley concurs: "I would love to see a lot more fun with materiality and textiles. I think that's what we're heading towards and I'm really excited to see how that intertwines with new silhouettes and just overall more fun."

Last year, all 283 graduating designers unveiled their creations on the runway, but for 2026, Parsons approached the end-of-year showcase differently. Faculty and a panel of industry professionals (including Sarah Kozlowski, Aaron Potts, Tracy Reese, Narciso Rodriguez, Peter Som and Wendy Waugh) selected the top looks from the graduating class, culminating in a total of 66 looks from 31 student designers.

"We have an amazing group of very different, unique voices this time," Parsons BFA Fashion Director Anna Lerner-Zwick said. "It's the top selected students of the year and everybody has strong things to say individually."

On the runway, Parsons' student designers explored a wide range of inspirations, including cultural homages and calls to action. Lulu Bozzino transformed actual 19th-century textile waste into a collection inspired by Spanish historical garments and bullfighting; Blue Achenbach sourced a taxidermied goose wing from a rural Ohio artisan as a focal point in a nest-inspired collection; Vy Le honored Vietnamese queer culture through bold prints and custom textiles; and Elisabed Amiredjibi turned fashion into a form of protest by addressing political instability in her home country of Georgia.

"I hope that these changemakers are really going to change what we're seeing right now in fashion," Lerner-Zwick said. "I always like to say fashion hasn't really changed much since I left and I would like to see a bit more diversity across the fashion industry in terms of what we're doing and who we're doing it for."

Ahead, see all the looks from Parsons' 2026 BFA Graduate Runway Show.

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The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) may not be located in a "big four" fashion capital, but its annual invite-only student runway event is on par with what you'd experience at a major fashion week (or, dare I say, even better). That expectation was met once again this year: On Friday in Savannah, Georgia, press, professors, students and industry insiders took in a bold show, filled with imaginative looks pushing the boundaries of creativity.

The show began with a performance by break dancer Lil Buck (who was wearing a look by graduating designer Noah Drew). Then came the runway show, opened by Coco Rocha, a supermodel and coach to the SCAD student models.

The 2026 show was one of SCAD's largest to date, spotlighting the work of more than 60 designers selected from the school's largest-ever graduating class in fashion design. Each of them presented a three-piece collection, resulting in a nearly 200-look lineup.

Despite the large cohort, the collections and their inspirations couldn't have been more unique: Courtney Cope's Victorian "soft goth" collection was inspired by the emotional transition from childhood to adulthood; Stella Beltranena made an eveningwear collection referencing the architectural beauty of shells; Juliette Hamilton's upcycled lineup referenced Swedish folklore; Valentina De Ponte created wearable versions of luggage, inspired by migration; and Natalie Clickman used handbraiding techniques to honor her Middle Eastern and Jewish culture.

Students from SCAD's Atlanta campus also got their work spotlighted: Jinseo Park's conceptual eveningwear line captured the hope and optimism to emerge from the chaos of South Korea's 2024 candlelight vigil; Teresa Zacapa referenced the Rococo era through a cosmic futuristic lens; and Madison Osborne addressed the catastrophe and "casual racism" surrounding Hurricane Katrina by leaning into how her family overcame the hardship.

"One way we as a family bonded was by watching the Saints games every Sunday," Osborne tells Fashionista, referencing sport elements in her collection. "We are talking about something really sad, but it's also beautiful and I wanted to have fun with this and pay homage to where I'm from and my family."

Closing out the show were eveningwear looks by six student designers who
were each mentored by Lanvin's creative director, Peter Copping.

"I really feel like SCAD gets overlooked sometimes because of our location," student designer Cope says. "So I hope you can see the amount of construction that is in each of these garments and how much work is put into every single person's collection. I hope everyone can realize that there's a good combination of conceptual and innovative collections, but also technique, functionality, and construction that back it up."

Ahead, see every look from SCAD's 2026 Student Fashion Show.

Disclosure: SCAD paid for Fashionista’s travel and accommodations to report this story.

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These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Monday.

New York Magazine has appointed former GQ editor Samuel Hine as its senior men's style editor, effective May 26. He will write features, oversee a weekly menswear newsletter and produce social content. Hine will also contribute to New York Magazine's first-ever standalone men's style print issue, launching this fall. {Fashionista inbox}

On Saturday, Gucci took over Times Square to present its Cruise 2027 collection, "GucciCore." VIP guests, including Mariah Carey, Lindsay Lohan, Iman, Kim Kardashian and Shawn Mendes sat front row. The collection itself was inspired by the stylistic cross-section of New York City. {Fashionista inbox}

Following the in-store release of the Swatch x Audemars Piguet collaboration, Swatch closed nearly 20 stores in the U.S. and canceled events worldwide due to public safety concerns. Crowds formed long queues outside several Swatch locations, leaving the watch company concerned that its staff would be overwhelmed by customers. {Bloomberg/paywalled}

The rise of "point-of-view" retail videos — customers filming their shopping experiences with smart glasses or phones — is generating negative sentiment toward luxury labels. The videos are leading audiences to view certain high-end brands as elitist, posing reputational risk for many of them. Brands are responding by improving customer service and training their staff to recognize smart glasses technology. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}

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In a world of inflation, shrinkflation, tariffs and rising ingredient and manufacturing costs, it's pretty surprising when a beauty brand (or any consumer brand, really) lowers its prices. And when said brand is an indie (i.e. not owned by a well-funded mega conglomerate who can absorb any profit losses), that's downright newsworthy. On Monday, skin-care darling Dieux permanently lowered the price of its bestselling Deliverance 3-in-1 Repair Serum from $69 for a 30mL bottle to $62.

Simultaneously, it debuted a new jumbo 60mL size ($89), which, per the brand, was a "direct response to consumer demand." (It's $35 cheaper than buying two 30mL bottles, for those who don't want to sit around doing the math.) And finally, the brand also upgraded its previously plastic packaging to a bottle made from 100% recycled aluminum. (The pump top is still made from plastic, but it's a notable move toward more sustainable packaging.)

"So often we see beauty brands increase their prices as they get bigger, and it’s always been confusing to me: You’ve increased your economies of scale… why are you raising the cost?" Dieux Co-Founder & Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Palermino tells Fashionista. "While inflation and some ingredients and materials can skyrocket in price — which sometimes explains a price hike — it’s also because, sometimes, as a product gets more popular, a 'business opportunity' is seen."

Dieux has always touted price transparency, often making production cost breakdowns accessible to consumers. So this move is very much in keeping with its ethos. "It's fascinating and fun to go through the process of making a product from scratch and then scaling it. Being educated allows for more informed decision making, and we want to empower our community," explains Palermino. "Not every price is for everyone, and we wanted an explanation for why our serums aren’t $20 or $300. We use high-quality actives, do a lot of work to stabilize our formulas and Joyce [de Lemos, co-founder and formulator] does incredible work in making sure those ingredients actually do what they are supposed to with your skin."

But why drop the price of its most popular product — and moreover, how, exactly, can Dieux afford to do so? "We are still going to be profitable by selling Deliverance," assures Palermino. "It felt like the right thing to do to readjust the price. Our community and the popularity of the product is what got us here, and if we win, our community should win, too."

It's also a strategy for continued growth: "Lowering the price hopefully makes more people open to trying [it]," she says. "We know the power of Deliverance and we want to get it into more people’s routines."

The lightweight antioxidant- and peptide-rich serum also includes other gold standard ingredients (niacinamide, glycerin, shea butter) as well as less conventional ones (cannabidiol and purple passionflower, for example). In addition to soothing skin and calming redness — Palermino credits it for enabling her skin to tolerate retinoids — it also helps with dark spots, fine lines, wrinkles, firmness and tone. It can be used by any skin type, is vegan, cruelty-free and a true crowd pleaser.

When asked about the possibility of future price drops, Palermino is enthusiastic. "Yes! We are going to keep evaluating our pricing," she says. "We don’t have anything on the horizon but will continue to do yearly audits."

Related: How Dieux Skin's Charlotte Palermino Co-Launched a Viral Skin-Care Brand

So, should other beauty brands be dropping their prices as well? The founder acknowledges that each business is unique: "Some brands have been battered by tariffs; others are currently collecting refund checks after raising prices. The more of an indie brand you are, and the smaller you are, the more you’ve been hurt. For us it’s our voice and on-brand to try to teach about how economics, manufacturing and business works, it’s not for everyone," she says.

Ultimately, Palermino is hopeful that Dieux's customer base will feel more connected to the brand as a result of the price drop: "Hopefully our current devotees will see how much we appreciate them and we’ll sell Deliverance to an even wider audience. It’s been a rough year for most Americans, we’re hoping people see there are businesses that are trying to do right by them."

Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.

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In today's surprising fashion industry news, private equity firm L Catterton is selling Everlane to none other than Chinese ultra fast-fashion giant Shein, Puck reported on Sunday. The deal valued Everlane at $100 million, and was reportedly approved by the board on Saturday.

It's a rather...unique pairing, given that Everlane is a "sustainable" fashion darling with its transparent path to achieve net-zero emissions and its commitment to responsibly-sourced materials, and Shein is, well, Shein. The fast fashion e-commerce company has faced its fair share of controversies, including allegations of unethical labor practices, hazardous chemicals in its clothing and copyright infringement. Perhaps Shein is now seeking a reputational facelift by aligning itself with Everlane's "radical transparency."

Founded by Michael Preysman, Everlane launched in 2010 as a direct-to-consumer label offering minimalist basics to sustainably-minded shoppers. In its early days, Everlane stood apart in the industry by offering consumers a behind-the-scenes look into its production by explaining how and where each of its products were made.

L Catterton took a minority stake in the company in 2020 and later became its majority owner in 2024. However, the brand has stalled in recent years. L Catterton and Everlane CEO Alfred Chang had been searching for an investor to clear about $90 million in debt, Puck reported, but the private equity firm was also open to offloading the label.

Everlane did not immediately respond to Fashionista's request for comment, and Shein declined to comment.

Fashionista's audience includes 1 million site visitors, 110,000 newsletter subscribers and 4.74 million social media followers. Want to know how to reach them? Learn more.

In case you missed them, we've rounded up our most popular stories of the week to help you stay in the loop. No need to thank us — just toast an iced mocha in our honor when you're discussing who did what over your bagel and lox.

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Related: Iris Van Herpen's 'Sculpting the Senses' Exhibit Bridges Couture, Science and the Sublime

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Homepage photo: Kevin Mazur/MG26/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Fashionista's audience includes 1 million site visitors, 110,000 newsletter subscribers and 4.74 million social media followers. Want to know how to reach them? Learn more.

Marking Pratt Institute's 125th annual showcase, the New York-based university held its 2026 Pratt Fashion Show at Powerhouse Arts on Thursday. Split between an afternoon and evening presentation, the runway event spotlighted 155 looks by 28 graduating fashion design students.

Womenswear, menswear and unisex silhouettes debuted on the runway, with many students exploring weaving, embroidery, hand-dyeing and other textile techniques through their creations. Sustainability also played a crucial role in the designs, as the graduating students were required to commit to a minimum of 20% responsibly or sustainably sourced resources within their collections (though many students exceeded this requirement, Fashion Department Chairperson Lisa Z. Morgan said in a statement).

Before the runway began, Korina Emmerich of Emme Studio was awarded Pratt Institute's 2026 Fashion Visionary Award. "I was so impressed by how much every student at Pratt held their collection so close to their heart," Emmerich said. "It wasn't about something that was easy to reproduce. It was about making something that meant something."

Pratt's Fashion Department also honored graduating student Caleb Callahan with the 2026 Christopher Hunte "On Point" Award for his "Cork, Kerala" collection, which sartorially explored Irish and Indian anti-colonial histories.

Ahead, see all the looks from Pratt Institute's 2026 Fashion Show.

Fashionista's audience includes 1 million site visitors, 110,000 newsletter subscribers and 4.74 million social media followers. Want to know how to reach them? Learn more.

To know the work of designer Iris van Herpen is to know the beauty of a mushroom gill (her Spring 2021 collection drew patterns from the mycelium network), the glow of bioluminescent algae (Fall 2025 included a “living dress” made with 125 million Pyrocystis lunula organisms) and the movement of a bird mid-flight (as seen in the glass wing pleats of her Fall 2018 collection). Since founding her namesake brand in 2007, the forward-thinking Dutch couturier has looked to fields spanning mathematics, neuroscience, marine biology, paleontology, mycology, mineralogy, astronomy, architecture and dance to inspire her fantastical haute couture garments.

Those wide-ranging sources of inspiration are at the center of Brooklyn Museum’s newest fashion exhibit, “Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses.”

“What I found amazing about Iris was that she had a very different source of inspiration than most designers,” Matthew Yokobosky, senior curator of fashion and material culture at the Brooklyn Museum (who has staged exhibitions on Dior, Virgil Abloh and Thierry Mugler), tells Fashionista. “Of course, we have designers who are influenced by orchids or flowers… but Iris is looking at it beyond just a flower, just a leaf. She's looking at structures. She's looking at growth systems. She's looking at how the world's weather is changing, the ocean, the sky. It's a much more complex box of inspiration.”

Having originated at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2023, the “mid-career retrospective” brings together more than 140 haute couture creations alongside contemporary art pieces, design objects, scientific artifacts and natural history specimens. The show is not chronological. Instead, it offers an immersive look into van Herpen’s mind over the last 19 years. “The exhibition feels like a diary,” van Herpen tells Fashionista. “Shows that have been done, and processes, and collaborations.”

The exhibit is organized into 11 thematic sections that mirror the breadth of van Herpen’s inspirations and commitment to environmental preservation. “Sensory Sea Life” dives beneath the ocean’s surface with otherworldly looks inspired by marine organisms, while “Cosmic Bloom” (above) looks outward to space and the multiverse beyond with dresses that are displayed sideways and upside down. A 2016 glass-sphere dress, set in the “Water and Dreams” space (below), opens the show and brings to mind the sculptural mini Eileen Gu wore to the 2026 Met Gala, alongside liquid-like sculptural gowns and air-like fabrics that evoke waves, waterfalls and drops. On the other end, “New Nature” concludes the exhibit by imagining a post-human world with the possibility of rebirth and transformation, with garments including a look that Beyoncé wore on the Amsterdam stop of her 2023 "Renaissance" tour.

Van Herpen is a master sculptor of silhouettes that appear to defy the laws of physics. That sense of impossibility is inseparable from her passion for experimentation. In 2010, she pioneered the use of 3D printing in haute couture with the “Crystallization” collection, setting the stage for the fusion of technology and craftsmanship that has come to define the brand. In the years since, she's worked with innovative processes including laser cutting, magnetic sculpting and silicone molding and made progress in sustainable material development (her most recent collection featured a fiber made from sugarcane) — all while preserving couture practices. 

“There have always been those experimenters in the history of art and the history of fashion, and I loved that Iris has taken it to another level. She's incorporating new technologies that haven't been addressed before,” Yokobosky says. “[But] Iris is not just technology. She's also those traditional handicrafts, and she's finding the place where they come together. Iris is an artist who's looking at the past and the future and finding a way to bring them together.”

That marriage of technology and technique comes into focus in the “Atelier,” which captures the essence of the brand’s Amsterdam studio, where each collection begins with “hands-on material experimentation.” The room highlights the work of van Herpen’s many collaborators (who are credited throughout the exhibition), like biodesigner Chris Bellamy and architect Philip Beesley, while offering a look at the making of the garments through embroidery samples, laser-cut drawings, 3D-printing materials, and a sketchbook visitors can touch. “You're really going inside my process and my mind here,” says van Herpen. “The spirit of my atelier is embodied in this space.”

For a designer known for creating universes around runway shows, the exhibition similarly builds a distinct atmosphere for every vignette. Videos, lighting, movement and a soundscape — the latter by composer, music producer and van Herpen’s partner, Salvador Breed — help activate the galleries. The sound is especially potent in “Skeletal Embodiment” (above), where a visceral rattling sends a chill through the space as visitors pass garments that mimic human remains and fossils. The eeriness bleeds into “The Mythology of Fear,” which includes the snake-covered dress (below) worn by Björk on tour in 2011.

Van Herpen sees a connection between putting on fashion shows (which get a dedicated video space in the exhibit) and an art retrospective. “I love doing the shows because it carries a certain energy. But what is somewhat frustrating about the show is that we work for months and months on these pieces — sometimes a year! — and then they are gone in like 10 minutes,” she says. “[At an exhibition,] people can come so much closer to the work. You can have your own personal time with a piece. You can be there for an hour if you want, and you can understand the work so much better, and you appreciate the craftsmanship that goes in there, and that is just not possible to embody in a fashion show.” 

Plenty of fashion exhibitions have succeeded at showcasing beautiful garments. What makes “Sculpting the Senses” compelling is the way it places van Herpen’s avant-garde designs in cerebral conversation, not only with contemporary art, but also with artifacts and natural history specimens. Van Herpen’s color-forward gowns (including a red dress seen on Anne Hathaway in "Mother Mary") naturally come alive alongside the pigmented works of collaborator Kim Keever, as well as pieces from artists like Nick Knight and James Turrell; but it is often the less expected pairings that invite the deepest dialogue.

An ornate 19th century maple-and-beech chair sharpens the eye to the details of a wood-like dress from the 2012 collection, inspired by Europe’s Gothic cathedrals (above). Early 20th-century renderings of marine life and brain function from scientists Ernst Haeckel and Santiago Ramón y Cajal, respectively, reveal visual precedents for the patterns and structures echoed in the garments nearby. An 80-million-year-old dinosaur skull brings out the edges and coiled lines of the mollusc-inspired dress from van Herpen’s 2016 collection.

Van Herpen sees these pairings as entirely natural. “Artifacts in the exhibition speak to our origins, who we are, and I think fashion ultimately asks that question: Who are we, and where are we going?” Beyond offering fans a deeper understanding of her artistic process, she hopes the exhibition becomes “a point of interest for people that normally are not into fashion.”

“Everything that I do is very intuitive. My mind combining all of the disciplines into one, that's just natural to me… but not everyone sees the connection,” she continues. “It made me realize how important it is to have these conversations to broaden the perspective on fashion. People tend to narrow it down to a very small isolated bubble, but it is connected to all of these worlds.”

“Sculpting the Senses” refuses to treat couture as an echo chamber. Van Herpen’s work may begin with the spectacle and beauty, but it rarely stops there. It opens the door to exploration — to the ocean floor, to bone structures, to Greek myths, to microscopic organisms, to distant galaxies — and argues that couture can be more than a display of aesthetics or technique. It can be a way of asking how humans fit into the larger world around us.

“Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses” is on view at the Brooklyn Museum from May 16 through Dec. 6, 2026.

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.

NYC Alliance, a global multi-channel apparel company, has acquired Derek Lam 10 Crosby from Public Clothing Company. The transaction of an undisclosed amount was completed on April 30, 2026. NYC Alliance's portfolio includes 525 America, 89th & Madison, and licensed brands Juicy Couture and Frye. With this acquisition, NYC Alliance plans to strategically grow wholesale and retail presence across all product categories. {Fashionista inbox}

Ferragamo released its Q1 2026 earnings on Thursday, which showed the group's total revenue dropped 1.2% to €209 million ($243 million). North American sales increased by 18.8% at constant exchange rates, while Europe declined by 17% and Asia Pacific dipped by 5.4%. Global instability, exacerbated by war in the Middle East, has impacted luxury sales, but the Italian company said it will "continue to prioritize top-line and distribution quality" moving forward. {Ferragamo}

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), the organization behind Milan Fashion Week, released its voluntary guidelines on the use of fur during the event. The guidelines invite brands not to show any garments, accessories or other items made with animal fur, but CNMI will not prevent participating brands from using fur. This move comes after engagement with LAV, Collective Fashion Justice and Humane World for Animals. {Fashionista inbox; Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana}

Loro Piana named The Swedish School of Textile with students Viola Schmidt and Halla Lilja Ármannsdóttir as the winners of this year's Knit Design Award. The winners received a trophy, a scholarship and a job experience at Loro Piana. They can also complete their design project in Loro Piana's yarn and knitwear workshops in Piedmont to be showcased at the brand's booth at Pitti Filati. {Fashionista inbox}

Dupes have become standard practice in the fashion industry. Followers often request affordable alternatives to influencers' expensive designer garments, but sharing dupes could risk upsetting the brands influencers hope to partner with. At the same time, sharing dupes is often more lucrative when it comes to affiliate since many users can afford those pieces. Today, influencers are prioritizing building follower trust rather than charming potential brand partners. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}

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Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.

For our Weekly Drop Watch column, Fashionista scours the market to curate the most noteworthy releases from our favorite fashion and beauty brands. Keep scrolling for this week’s highlights.

Intimates brand Cuup partnered with Miami-based label Éliou on a range of swimwear and beach-ready jewelry (shown above). The collab fuses Cuup's minimalist design approach with Éliou's vibrancy and boldness. With swim prices ranging from $78-$188 and jewelry from $145-$255, the limited-edition lineup is available at cuup.com.

Jenny Bird's Summer 2026 collection, dubbed "La Spiaggia," launched this week with a range of statement button earrings, tapered hoops, pendant necklaces and bangles. Shop the pieces — priced from $128-$298 — at jenny-bird.com.

Korean handbag and accessory label Stand Oil's collaboration with New York-based fashion label Collina Strada (first unveiled at the latter brand's Fall 2026 runway show) dropped this week. The limited-release capsule includes reimagined versions of Stand Oil's popular silhouettes — the Mushy Bag ($275) made with cactus leather, the Ringo Bag ($215) and the distinctive mobile phone accessory, the Grip Ring ($50). Other items in the capsule include the Wave Knot Bag ($190) made with recycled cotton and cactus leather and the More Plaid Baguette Bag ($190), which features Strada's signature plaid pattern. Shop the collection now at standoil.global, the Collina Strada New York City flagship and in select global Stand Oil stores in Asia.

Fragrance brand Dedcool partnered with linens brand Brooklinen on a sleep-focused collection featuring a pillow spray ($18) and robe ($159). (They're also available as a set for $177.) The former is "powered by Dedcool's Rest Note, a fragrance molecule developed with perfumers and neuroscientists to help the body enter a more restful state," per a press release. Its scent profile includes notes of coconut, marshmallow, lavender, amber, vanilla, cedarwood and musk. Shop the collab at dedcool.com and brooklinen.com.

Hair tools brand T3 tapped hair-care and accessories brand Emi Jay for a limited-edition collab in the form of a vibrant "Lychee Pink" colored Aire 360 Ceramic Dual Voltage Air Styler. The tool uses multiple attachments for versatile styling across all hair types and retails for $350. Shop it at t3micro.com.

Makeup brand Kosas unveiled a new addition to its color cosmetics lineup this week: the Impressionist Multistick ($34), a pigmented cream stick designed to be used as a blush and lip color. Per the brand, the formula "was developed by founder Sheena Zadeh as a response to the way real skin looks in motion and light," with a "creamy, glide-on texture [that] blends seamlessly across cheeks and lips, delivering up to 12 hours of comfortable, natural wear with a non-tacky, second-skin finish." Shop all seven shades at kosas.com and sephora.com.

Medik8 is the latest brand to get in on the PDRN skin-care trend with the launch of its new Exo-PDRN Prismatic+ serum ($96). The blend of exosomes and vegan PDRN helps rejuvenate skin, reduce wrinkles, boost luminosty, refine tone and texture and optimize recovery, according to press materials. Get it now at medik8.com.

Crown Affair added a new product, The Radiance Hair Oil ($48 for 1.7 oz; $28 for .68 oz), to its lineup this week. Touted by the brand as a "next generation formula [that] goes beyond surface gloss to deliver deep hydration, frizz control and heat protection up to 450°F," the serum-like oil was developed to absorb easily into hair without feeling greasy or weighing hair down. Shop it now at sephora.com.

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The San Francisco-based Academy of Art University (AAU) hosted its annual fashion show entitled "Us Now" on May 7, which spotlighted creations by 16 graduating B.F.A. and M.F.A. designers. Each student presented five or more designs, culminating in more than 120 looks.

"I am inspired by the extraordinary talent and bold vision of this year's 16 graduating designers," AAU President Elisa Stephens said in a statement. "Each collection reflects not only a mastery of craft, but the discipline, courage and distinct point of view that define the next generation of fashion."

Before last week's fashion show commenced, AAU held an honorary doctorate ceremony recognizing the legacy of iconic designer Roy Halston Frowick (known mononymously as Halston). In a partnership between the With Love Halston foundation and the AAU School of Fashion, 10 students unveiled designs inspired by the designer's legacy and his archives, with a focus on his signature floral motifs.

At a separate runway show held in San Francisco's Union Square on May 8, those 10 student designers competed for the With Love Halston scholarship and the foundation selected Master of Fashion Design student Eva Kam as the recipient. Kam's winning design — a black-and-yellow dress with a billowing flower-printed skirt — honored Halston's yellow cocoon dress.

In addition to Kam, the "Us Now" participating student designers also included Brittany Patterson, Patric Yikun Wang, Fiza Riyas, Ella Romano, Justin Federico, Katelyn Knapp and Katherine Van Kraut, among others. While exploring both womenswear and menswear categories, students challenged conventional silhouettes and refined their own design aesthetics. For example, Patterson (a U.S. Air Force veteran) transformed uniform codes into colorful expressions and Wang utilized horsehair to reveal traditionally unseen fabrics.

Ahead, see all of the looks from AAU's 2026 student showcase.

Fashionista's audience includes 1 million site visitors, 110,000 newsletter subscribers and 4.74 million social media followers. Want to know how to reach them? Learn more.

At a moment of cultural transition, as the internet began seeping into modern life, "The Devil Wears Prada" was released just one year before the iPhone. Looking back, it feels almost mythic: a glossy snapshot of the last gasp before fashion, media and culture were flattened by algorithms and redirected ad dollars. Despite arriving in the shadow of a world still recovering from post-9/11 anxiety and inching toward economic collapse, the era retained a kind of aspirational charm rooted in the unreachable glamour of print magazines and the fantasy of New York City.

Maybe that’s why the film has endured. All of us in fashion and adjacent worlds know David Frankel’s 2006 film all too well — the cutting one-liners, the cerulean monologue and its distinctly noughties sense of glamour defined by a world still lived fully in the moment. It captured an industry on the cusp of immense change, when print journalism still held cultural authority. Now, the internet has completely transformed that world, and it’s on this stage where the sequel enters the fray. It has already generated millions in buzz alongside surpassing the original film’s box office total — garnering over $433 million globally within its first 10 days, including roughly $76.7 million domestically on opening weekend according to box office stats.

The sequel sees Andy Sachs drawn back into the orbit of Miranda Priestly years after leaving Runway, as the magazine attempts to survive a collapsing print ecosystem and a fast-fashion scandal triggered by the publication of a feature on a Shein-like conglomerate that Miranda had overlooked.

At the same time, Andy and her team at a more “serious” publication are abruptly laid off — an early sequence that immediately situates the story within the precarity of today’s media industry. From there, Andy’s return to Miranda’s world unsettles old power dynamics as she is pulled back into efforts to stabilize and save the institution she once escaped.

Running alongside this is a billionaire storyline, as tech-backed patrons enter the orbit of fashion media, endeavoring to reframe editorial influence with private capital as the main driver. Ring any bells?

It’s in this framework that the film both nods to and arrives within an even more tumultuous moment for journalism, media and the fashion industry at large, as it faces shrinking budgets and strain across all sectors — where instability is no longer confined to the newsroom, but felt across the entire production and consumption chain of fashion. This raises the question of whether this is, in fact, the right moment for the film’s release.

For fashion writer and consultant (and former The Zoe Report editor) Aemilia Madden, it is. The film’s relevance extends beyond an industry still navigating an identity crisis, and speaks just as clearly to the structural gaps within the film industry itself, which is facing a parallel set of pressures and recalibrations. “To have a movie that passes the Bechdel test, that’s aimed directly at women, and doesn’t center relationships is what we need more of; and what studios don’t always take risks on today,” she says. 

Amy Odell, a veteran fashion journalist, author of the bestselling “Anna: The Biography,” as well as the voice behind the Back Row podcast and newsletter, also underscores the film’s value as a cultural document — one that captures not only surface-level shifts within the industry, but the slower structural erosion beneath them. It is, she suggests, a deliberately sobering reflection of a sobering era.

“I think the commentary on the media industry is really on point,” she notes. “The first film presented a fantasy of the world, and this one presents more of the grim reality…Condé Nast has been cut down to size — it’s almost like a clipping company now.”

That grim reality is hardly an exaggeration. In just the last six years, major media companies including Condé Nast, Vice Media and Vox Media have collectively undergone thousands of layoffs, with Glamour among the most affected in Condé's latest rounds, which eliminated much of the title's editorial and support staff. 

While the fashion world has transformed in many ways over the past two decades, Odell, who has reported extensively on its internal structures, is direct about what has not changed: “There are still a lot of toxic assistant jobs,” she says. “A lot of people still aren’t getting paid.” Even as the industry has become paradoxically more corporate and ostensibly more democratized, its internal hierarchies remain largely intact.

For Madden, who now authors the newsletter Taeste Bud, there is a lot to reconcile in navigating an industry that is on increasingly fragile footing. “Right now, things can feel quite bleak — AI is replacing our jobs, expenses are rising, politics are toxic,” she says. Perhaps that’s why we keep returning to these stories, especially when it juggles our harrowing reality with a healthy dose of satirized whimsy. “I think there’s something comforting about looking back and viewing the past as simpler times, even if that’s not how it felt living it.”

Nostalgia is a driver of many sequels, but "The Devil Wears Prada 2" feels especially resonant given how the first film captured the golden age of magazines. Social media strategist and fashion creator Jay Choyce-Tibbitts zooms out to the system that reshaped everything around it — the internet. “Before that transformative period, culture was filtered through a relatively small number of gatekeepers. Condé Nast and Vogue were really the documenters, filters and distributors of culture," he says. "But today basically every single person is their own publisher.”

In that shift, legacy media has been forced into competition with the very audiences it once shaped. Choyce-Tibbitts points to one of the film’s quieter lines as unexpectedly precise: Stanley Tucci’s character Nigel Kipling, the unwavering art director of Runway, makes a lighthearted yet pointed remark about the ’90s, when magazines operated with seemingly infinite budgets and could “spend three months in Africa” for a photo shoot. This isn’t an exaggeration: In their heyday, annual magazine budgets often ran into the multimillions, funding international shoots, large creative teams and time to cultivate their work into something beautiful and memorable. That pace is now incompatible with a digital-first landscape.

Now, magazines produce content that, according to Nigel, “people watch while they pee.” These fundamental changes in the way that magazines operate have left their most dedicated audiences increasingly niche. “The magazine now has to be a place for the enthusiast,” explains Choyce-Tibbitts. “If they are not deeply invested, they can get that information online. It’s changed from a macro perspective.” (Therein lies the clipping farm.)

Choyce-Tibbitts also reads the sequel as unusually accurate in how it captures the economics of contemporary media. “The power play between the magazine and brands, the ‘no us, no you’ moment between Emily and Miranda, is so real,” he says. What emerges is a system where even cultural institutions function as revenue engines first and storytellers second.

Emmy-nominated journalist (and Rolling Stone’s former Senior Multimedia Editor) Kyle Lamar Rice, who now writes the menswear-culture hybrid Substack The Cultured Swine, wasn’t as swayed by the film's charms.

“I went into the movie with low expectations because I love the original and sequels rarely land in the same way,” he says. For Rice, the issue is not whether the sequel succeeds on the surface, but what it chooses not to confront: The instability of media exists in the background, but never fully enters the frame as Andy Sachs gallivants throughout New York City contending with a new guard of fashionistas and singlehandedly restoring Miranda Priestly’s reputation. While the film acknowledges the Jeff Bezos-sized elephant in the room, it may not fully account for those in the industry left picking up the pieces. “Media is probably in one of the toughest spots it’s ever been in its entire lifespan,” Rice says. “We are at an inflection point — it’s do or die.”

Like Rice, many established writers have left their magazine posts (by way of choice or necessity) and launched their own platforms — be it a Substack or independent title — as editorial roles contracted and independent publishing became both a creative outlet and an economic necessity for survival. But even in all these evolutions, one thing remains the same: an unrelenting dedication to the craft.

Something the film captures across both installments — and that remains an enduring truth of this industry — is that, underneath all its instability and toxicity, is a love for the game that can’t be entirely shaken. Miranda’s now-famous line from the first film — “Don’t be ridiculous, Andy, everybody wants this,” delivered in the car during Paris Fashion Week, remains fairly relevant. While we know the gloss is a façade and the industry is ultimately sustained by hard work and exhaustion in equal measure, there remains an almost intrinsic pull toward it.

“When we were kids, media was pure magic,” recalls Rice. “I think to an extent, a lot of us still have that fight in us. But we also have a better sense of what’s realistic now.”

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What’s the opposite of gatekeeping? Welcome to “Payment Processing,” in which we ask stylish, generally cool people who’ve tried it all about their favorite fashion and beauty buys.

Content creator Eni Popoola knows a thing or two about taking risks. After all, she left her law career to pursue influencing full-time. So, it should hardly come as a surprise that her daring mentality extends to personal style as well. One day, she's putting an architectural spin on the LBD in Issey Miyake; the next she's endorsing a playful take on resortwear with a red, hand-crocheted raffia Nia Thomas set.

"I would describe my personal style as elegantly eclectic," she tells Fashionista. "I dress for whatever the occasion is in an elegant way." Take, for example, her appearance at the 2026 Fifteen Percent Pledge Fundraising Gala: a black-and-blue striped hand-beaded dress by Hertunba — one of her favorite looks to date.

Her time in the corporate law world left an imprint on her style choices as well: "It did give me an appreciation for a tailored look and a structured look," she says. "But now that I'm free, I feel like I get to play around with things like color and texture a little bit more." (See also: her bold green Christopher John Rogers suit.)

Ahead, the content creator gives a rundown on her fashion and beauty must-haves — including the niche fragrance brand she's loving, sneakers she buys on repeat and the SPF spray that gives her body a glow.

What's a luxury beauty item you have your eye on right now?

There is this body scrub from Omorovicza. I saw one of my mutuals post about it, and I was like, 'I need to have it.' She said it was one of the best body scrubs she's ever used in her life.

What's a drugstore beauty item you swear by?

Maybelline Super Stay Lumi-Matte Foundation. It is so incredibly good. Do not sleep on the drugstore foundations.

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What's an accessory you're eyeing right now?

I want another classic pair of studs. Anyone who has a good pair of diamond studs, I'd be into that for sure.

What shoes do you want to buy right now?

There's this pair of Aquazurra heels that are hot pink, metallic and have these cool circles all over them. Not only are they super fun, but I'm attending a Nigerian wedding and I think they'll go really well with what I have planned to wear.

Any other luxury items you're lusting after?

This might be a little bit niche, but I've really been into the fragrance Printemps Blanc by Maison Mataha. I got that bottle in February and I'm probably going to need a new one. It smells so incredibly sweet. If you love sweet fragrances, I have been loving it for this season.

What's a beauty staple you love so much you've bought multiples of?

I bought two bottles of the Danessa Myricks Water Powder Serum. It was sold out at Sephora during the Sephora sale. I was trying to wait for it to come back in stock, but it hasn't, so I was like, 'I need that now.' It is the perfect mattifying, smoothing primer, especially if you have acne-prone or oily skin.

What's a fashion staple you love so much you've bought multiples?

I always have a pair of Converse. I might wash them, but once I've worn them down, I will definitely get a pair of fresh white Converse.

What's a summer beauty must-have?

Sunscreen — specifically body spray sunscreen, because it'll give you that glow. I really like the one Sol de Janiero has.

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What about a summer fashion must-have?

I love raffia, be it bags, shoes or clothes. I just love raffia material for the summer.

What's the last product a celebrity or influencer influenced you to buy?

Folake Aina posted about the One/Size Oil Blotting Spray. It's a new product that's basically a spray that will do the work of an oil blotting paper. She used it and I was sold, so I'm absolutely going out to get that.

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It's the end of an era — a 29-year-long one. On Thursday, LVMHannounced it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Marc Jacobs brand to WHP Global, the firm behind labels including Vera Wang, Rag & Bone and G-Star. G-III Apparel Group will also join WHP Global in ownership of the brand through a newly formed joint venture. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In a statement, Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, called Jacobs “a designer of rare creativity and unique vision,” while Jacobs thanked Arnault and the LVMH group: "I am forever grateful to Bernard Arnault for his support, belief and trust in me over the last 30 years. It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside the Arnault Family and LVMH," he wrote on Instagram.

As for Jacobs, he's not going anywhere. The designer will remain in his role as founder and creative director following the transaction, continuing to oversee the brand’s runway collections. "As I continue on my journey as Creative Director, I want to express my indebtedness to all of the passionate, hardworking, devoted, creative and talented teams of people at Marc Jacobs International," he continued.

For WHP Global, the acquisition represents one of its largest fashion deals to date. According to the New York-based company, the addition of Marc Jacobs will push its portfolio to more than $9.5 billion in global retail sales. Meanwhile, G-III’s involvement underscores the company’s goals beyond licensed apparel. It's best known for a portfolio of owned and licensed brands, including DKNY, Donna Karan and Karl Lagerfeld.

The move comes at an interesting moment for the brand itself. Marc Jacobs has recently seen a boost in cultural relevance, particularly among younger consumers, through buzzy runway shows, the ongoing Y2K resurgence and its sub-label Heaven by Marc Jacobs. The designer is also set to revive his beloved makeup line, Marc Jacobs Beauty, after Kendo Brands (under the LVMH umbrella) discontinued it in 2021. The brand will return under a long-term licensing agreement with Coty Inc.

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday.

Louis Vuitton will present its Cruise 2027 collection at The Frick Collection in New York City on May 20. "Presenting the Cruise collection at The Frick Collection offers a unique dialogue between contemporary creation and such a remarkable artistic setting, where, surrounded by masterpieces spanning from the Renaissance onward, we enter into conversation with a place where art, history and beauty have long been preserved and celebrated," said Louis Vuitton Artistic Director of Women's Collections Nicolas Ghesquière in a press statement. Louis Vuitton will also support the Frick's dynamic exhibitions program and be the lead sponsor of the next three major special exhibitions at the museum. {Fashionista inbox}

Burberry Group reported its preliminary 2025/2026 earnings on Thursday, highlighting a return to comparable sales growth and improvement in profitability (despite flat year-on-year growth) for fiscal year 2026, ended March 28. "This financial year marks a meaningful inflection point for Burberry," said CEO Joshua Schulman. "We’ve returned to profitable comparable sales growth, with a strong fourth quarter driven by momentum in Greater China and Americas. Our strategy is working and there are clear opportunities for further growth...With increased brand relevance and product authority, I am more confident than ever that Burberry is firmly positioned for long-term value creation.” {Burberry Group PLC}

Jonathan Anderson showed his Cruise 2027 collection for Dior in Los Angles on Wednesday, a collection that "explores the House’s longstanding relationship with Hollywood," per show notes. The presentation referenced the Californian poppy and Alfred Hitchcock's film "Stage Fright," offering Anderson's interpretation of "a dream of LA’s creative personae." The collection also introduced new bag silhouettes such as a "streamlined update of the Saddle," a bucket bag and a shoulder bag with a crescent base.  {Dior}

After years of embracing short-form video on social media, brands are shifting back toward longer form content, reports Amy Francombe for Vogue Business. Research conducted by Vogue Business and youth culture agency Archrival in 2025 reflected that 88% of Gen Zs and millennials use YouTube to find or discover new products. Fashion brands like Coach, Chanel and Nike are increasingly turning to documentary-style content, long-form storytelling and brand-building episodes on YouTube. {Vogue Business/paywalled}

Fashionista's audience includes 1 million site visitors, 110,000 newsletter subscribers and 4.74 million social media followers. Want to know how to reach them? Learn more.

Agentry PR is a full service marketing communications agency. We specialize within the fashion, lifestyle and entertainment sectors across all facets of marketing and public relations, from brand strategy and media outreach to events, sponsorships and VIP relations. Agentry currently houses and manages 20+ clients in the menswear, womenswear, and accessory divisions. Clients include Abercrombie & Fitch, AKNVAS, JanSport, A.Potts, Florsheim, Saucony, Hollister, and Gola, among others. Agentry PR seeks organized, motivated individuals with strong multi-tasking abilities for the upcoming semester. Our interns help the PR teams across all accounts.

This internship is for the Fall/Winter 2026 semester from August/September to December, or longer if you wish.

**COLLEGE CREDIT IS REQUIRED. YOU MUST BE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN CLASSES TO APPLY. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO WORK AT LEAST 3 DAYS A WEEK IN PERSON. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS.**

Job Description: Daily tasks will include, but are not limited to: learning and working with Fall/Winter 2026 and Spring/Summer 2027 collections, working at various press events including client cocktails, dinners and press days, assembling press kit mailings, various research projects and handling daily showroom trafficking. Interns will assist in market research, building influencer lists, handling giftings and monitoring coverage. Interns will also have the opportunity to attend client meetings to see how a PR agency and the marketing side work collaboratively.

The candidate must have strong communication and writing skills and must be comfortable dealing with all levels of staff and clients. Previous PR/fashion internships preferred. Must be eligible for school credit.

Please contact Sofia and Carrie with your resume and weekly fall availability at sofia@agentrypr.com and carrie@agentrypr.com

@agentrypr

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The satisfying feeling of switching out your winter wardrobe for your spring rotation is one that will never get old. Gone are the days of swaddling ourselves in dark-hued knits and insulated coats and in enters the season of short hemlines, bare arms and lots of floral prints. Plus, the arrival of spring means a thorough handbag overhaul.

If you want to know our pick, a tried-and-true Coach bag will never lead you astray. For one, there are plenty of styles to choose from: On the hunt for a reliable, on-trend oversized bag? Look no further than the Brooklyn tote, an ideal everyday carryall: spacious and versatile. Plus, the soft leather texture and various light colorways align with any spring outfit, whether you're wearing a simple jorts-and-tee combo or dressed up in a flowy maxi dress.

Mini bag lovers should turn towards the Nolita and Teri shoulder bags. Sleek, compact and affordable, they're practical enough to hold all your small items. Both bags also sport detachable straps, transforming them from a daytime crossbody to a chic shoulder bag or wristlet.

For anyone who likes to customize their accessories, Coach's Tabby bag makes for the ideal canvas. A modernized version of a 1970s design, the Tabby comes in a wide range of finishes — leather, metallic, puffy, patchwork and more — letting you truly make the bag your own. And if you want to find subtle ways to spruce up your outfit, try clipping on a bag charm or two to add to the vibe.

Coach Brooklyn Shoulder Bag 28, $295, available here

Coach Brooklyn Shoulder Bag 28, $295, available here

Coach Brooklyn Shoulder Bag 34, $395, available here

Coach Tabby Shoulder Bag 34, $695, available here

Coach Nolita 19, $109, available here

Coach Nolita 19, $109, available here

Coach Teri Shoulder Bag, $199, available here

Coach Teri Shoulder Bag, $199, available here

Job Summary:
The Public Relations & Events Senior Coordinator will support the execution of PR, VIP, and event initiatives to drive brand visibility and awareness. This role assists with outreach, sample coordination, press coverage tracking, and event logistics, while partnering cross-functionally to support key brand moments across retail, wholesale, and brand channels. Contributes to reporting and day-to-day operations to ensure smooth execution and consistent brand presence.

Responsibilities:
VIP / Celebrity / Influencer and Editorial Styling Opportunities

• Support strategic outreach and cultivate relationships across VIP, influencer, and editorial contacts to contribute to securing regular brand placements.  
• Execute consistent outreach with strong follow-through, demonstrating ongoing progress in building and strengthening active media relationships
• Support and attend VIP fittings for key brand moments including but not limited to; NYFW presentations, CFDA Awards, ambassador campaigns, retail activations, and branded content shoots
• Track, compile, and proactively share editorial coverage and VIP placements across internal and external channels in a timely manner
• Coordinate incoming VIP requests across cross-functional teams, ensuring clear communication, responsiveness, and adherence to timelines

Press / Editorial

• Contribute to consistent and strategic pitching efforts to support securing across relevant fashion outlets
• Support pitching across seasonal collections, collection launches, and timely editorial opportunities, including shopping stories and key brand moments
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with editors and stylists through press previews, market appointments, and targeted off-site meetings
• Assist in coordination and on-site execution of press days and showroom appointments, including guest list development, outreach, and overall experience
• Ensure timely sharing of hi-resolution imagery, accurate credits, and sample requests to support editorial placements
• Review outreach lists and pitches for affiliate agency partners, ensuring alignment with brand positioning, target audience, and editorial strategy

Events

• Support implementation and ongoing maintenance of internal event systems (e.g., Smartsheets, Concur) to track timelines, budgets, and key success metrics
• Coordinate VIP dressing for events as needed, ensuring alignment across teams and timelines
• Contribute to execution across different internal stakeholders including but limited to PR, Retail, Wholesale and Atelier Direct.

Cross-Functional Work

• Contribute to a consistent cadence of VIP and event placements for social use, ensuring alignment with product priorities, adjacent brand narratives, and visual direction
• Support communication and coordination across Retail, AD, Wholesale, Design, Social, and Content teams to align on key initiatives and brand moments
• Compile and share reporting on PR activations, including influencer gifting, event recaps, strategy decks, and media placements, with support from the PR & Events Assistant and Director oversight
• Support image selection and content creation for approval with Social and Content teams
• Track invoicing, budgets, and expenses, ensuring accuracy and timely submission

General Support

• Coordinate sample trafficking across sendouts, returns, follow-ups, and confirmations, ensuring accuracy and timely communication
• Track and share editorial coverage, VIP/influencer placements, and earned social media across internal channels
• Compile and organize industry news and research for distribution to leadership teams
• Assist with submission and tracking of PR & Events-related invoices
• Contribute to event logistics, including planning tools, event supplies, and vendor coordination
• Build proficiency across internal systems and platforms, including Smartsheets, ShopMy, Launchmetrics (Fashion GPS), Instagram, and LinkedIn
• Provide guidance and onboarding support to interns, when applicable

Experience:

• 2+ years of experience in Fashion, PR, Marketing or Social Media
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Internship experience preferred

Skills:

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and execute with accuracy
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication, paired with sound judgment and problem-solving in day-to-day execution
• Collaborative, proactive and professional approach, with the ability to work independently and adapt within a fast-paced environment
• Thoughtful and creative thinking aligned with brand positioning and business objectives
• Demonstrates a strong interest in the evolving fashion, media, and cultural landscape, with an awareness of industry conversations, emerging talent, and relevant news and trends.
• Working proficiency across key platforms and applications, including Microsoft Office, Blue Cherry, Launchmetrics (Fashion GPS), Dash Hudson, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Smartsheets, ShopMy, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Base Salary Range:

The base salary range for this position is $60,000 – $66,000. Base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, and location.

To Apply: Please send your resume to Ali.Argyrou@lafayette148.com.

lafayette148ny.com
@lafayette148ny

HQ: Miami, FL
Founder: Mauricio Esquenazi
Social:Instagram
Category: Resortwear
E-comm:peixotowear.com

Price Range: $88-$298
Stockists:Revolve, Bloomingdale's, Shopbop
PR Representation: RK Communications
How to get in touch: sales@peixotowear.com

Peixoto was founded with a mission: to create looks made for your moment in the sun. At the core of its mission is a commitment to foster economic empowerment, health, safety and equality in all it does while celebrating the sunnier side of life. When starting Peixoto, founder Mauricio Esquenazi knew he wanted to create opportunities in his hometown of Cali, Colombia. Cali became the heart of Peixoto's business and home to its production factory. There, Peixoto has created an environment of skilled workers who are encouraged to share their knowledge and expertise. From the seamstress to the head designer, each employee has a valued voice at Peixoto.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Nikki DeRoest was born into beauty — in the literal sense, her mother was a hairdresser who ran a salon in their home. But on a deeper level, DeRoest was fascinated by the industry from a young age. Case in point: At 12 years old, her shelves were stocked with Bobbi Brown's books. She got her start in 2006 working at Nordstrom's makeup counter, followed by a stint as a hairstylist, a love-match with makeup artistry, a gig as a beauty brand consultant and, in a full-circle plot twist, a position as global artist in residence for Bobbi Brown.

The Los Angeles-based makeup artist — whose celebrity client list boasts stars like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Hailey Bieber and Phoebe Dynevor — first ventured into beauty entrepreneurship in 2018 with eye-shadow brand Róen Beauty. She stepped away from the label in 2020, but soon returned to the brand-building game in 2023 with Ciele Cosmetics, an SPF-infused, "acne-safe" color cosmetics line.

"I feel like I have my PhD in beauty because I've worn so many hats," DeRoest tells Fashionista. "And I think that all of that has definitely influenced the way that I created Ciele."

Though DeRoest now works with sculpted canvases (read: celebrity visages), she credits encounters with real beauty consumers in her early retail career as a key influence while developing Ciele's problem-solving products. Her inspiration for the brand initially came from her own skin concerns: DeRoest dealt with acne flare-ups and sun damage in her early to mid-30s and had a thought: "'Why can't I layer on more sunscreen through my blush? Because this is the area that has all of my problems.'" A light bulb went off, and Ciele was born. But finding a chemist that would help bridge the gap between sunscreen and color cosmetics was an uphill battle.

"A lot of chemists are comfortable making a tinted moisturizer with SPF 20 or 30," DeRoest expands. "But working through high-performance color cosmetics that you're using on a red carpet that have pigment is a new kind of challenge. I found early on that it's limited to who will play ball with you for that."

As a self-described "hands-on formulator founder," DeRoest eventually found a chemist who would combine mineral sunscreen filters with makeup, resulting in Ciele's hero Blush & Protect SPF 50+ ($34). Ciele has since expanded its "sun-smart" assortment to include a tinted serum, concealer, liquid highlighter, primer, liquid bronzer, loose finishing powder and powder blush — all of which are formulated with mineral SPF 30+ to SPF 50+ (and without pore-clogging ingredients).

It's important to keep in mind that adding SPF to makeup isn't a sun-care loophole, but rather an addition to a minimum base layer of SPF 30. But let's face it: "No one is putting on enough sunscreen," DeRoest says. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that adults apply one teaspoon of SPF to their face, which is roughly the amount needed to cover the length of your index and middle fingers. However, only about 13.5% of Americans wear sunscreen daily, according to a 2023 national survey.

"I'm still using sunscreen, but if I'm able to create formulas in makeup that are layering on top of that... people are getting more out of their makeup," says DeRoest.

Out of Ciele's SPF-spiked offerings, DeRoest names its pressed powder blush, Flush & Protect SPF 45+ ($34), as the brand's "most challenging formula" since "that was a new innovation that hadn't come about," she explains. To get the formula measurements right, she turned to Korean labs that were "willing to go there with the innovation and the technology." Ciele will also be expanding into a new product category this fall with a launch that has been two years in the making. "It's a real labor of love, but I think that that is also what really excites me about what I'm doing is that I really do feel like I'm solving a problem," DeRoest says.

After exclusively launching in 270 Sephora doors in 2023, Ciele is now available in every Sephora store nationwide. When it comes to sustainable brand growth, DeRoest's philosophy is "slow and steady wins the race." While intentionally scaling the brand, she's also eyeing potential global expansion to Europe, Australia, Asia and India. "There's so many markets out there, but I want to do it in a way that's really thoughtful and not getting too big for our britches," she continues.

As Ciele celebrates its third anniversary this year, DeRoest teases that its next chapter may segue into "more artistry" as the brand prepares to "showcase some new ideas and innovation beyond just singularly SPF." As it expands, Ciele doesn't plan on adding SPF to formulas where it doesn't make sense, such mascara. Above all else, DeRoest is laser focused on positioning Ciele as an "evergreen brand."

"It's not a trend brand," she continues. "It's not something that's just a flash in the pan so that I can sell it and make a lot of money. This is just really about creating something that we'll look back in 20 years and still see it in major retailers."

Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.

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THIERRY LASRY USA is seeking a highly organized and service-oriented Office Manager / Customer Service Manager to join our New York Team.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced luxury fashion environment, enjoys building strong client relationships, and is comfortable managing both customer service and operational responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain relationships with wholesale accounts, including optical stores and fashion boutiques
• Communicate with clients professionally via phone and email
• Process customer orders accurately and efficiently
• Prepare, pack, and ship orders
• Coordinate product replenishment requests with our Paris headquarters
• Respond promptly to customer inquiries and resolve issues with professionalism
• Maintain detailed records of customer interactions, transactions, and communications
• Monitor and manage inventory levels to ensure timely order fulfillment
• Support daily office operations and administrative tasks as needed

Qualifications

• Strong organizational and multitasking skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Customer-focused attitude with strong problem-solving abilities
• Experience in customer service, wholesale operations, office management, or luxury/fashion environments preferred
• Ability to work independently and manage priorities efficiently
• Comfortable working with inventory and order management systems
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel)and general administrative tools

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work with an internationally recognized luxury eyewear brand
• Dynamic and creative work environment
• Exposure to the fashion and luxury wholesale industry
• Collaborative and entrepreneurial team culture

Location: New York City
Employment Type: Full-time (Monday to Friday) / In-Person

Compensation: from $60,000 depending on experience

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to contact@thierrylasry.com

About THIERRY LASRY :
Founded in 2007, Thierry Lasry is a Paris and New York-based luxury eyewear brand known for its bold, avant-garde designs.

Handmade in France and Italy, using the finest acetate, the brand has garnered a cult following among celebrities (Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna, Jay-Z, etc) , tastemakers, and high- fashion aficionados.

The brand has done a handful collaborations including Acne Studios, Fendi, Barbie, Rhude, Kelly Wearstler, Cult Gaia etc and is sold in stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks or selected optical stores.

To learn more about the brand, visit thierrylasry.com / follow the brand on @thierrylasry

Company: BEV95 Agency
Location: New York- USA -Remote worker
Type: Full-time Freelance contract

About BEV95 Agency
BEV95 Agency is a dynamic and forward-thinking communications agency specializing in PR, media relations, and brand storytelling across fashion, art, culture, specialising in photography and lifestyle sectors. We work with innovative clients to shape narratives, build visibility, and create impactful media presence.

Role Overview
We are looking for a results hungry, motivated and detail-oriented, US based Junior PR Assistant (with one to 2 years agency or in-house experience) to support our PR team in executing press campaigns, managing media outreach, and assisting with day-to-day communications activities. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to grow within a fast-paced, boutique, creative agency environment who is passionate about fashion and the arts.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in drafting press materials (press releases, media alerts, pitches)
• Build and maintain media lists and press databases
• Support outreach to journalists, editors, and influencers
• Monitor media coverage and compile press reports
• Help coordinate events, launches, and press days
• Conduct research on clients, trends, and industry developments
• Assist with social media and content coordination when needed
• Provide general administrative support to the PR team

Requirements

• Team player with a passion for what you do!
• Finding the next next
• Degree or studying in PR, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or related field
• Multilingual skills bonus asset
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational abilities
• Interest in fashion, art, culture, and media
• Ability to multitask and work under deadlines
• Proactive, enthusiastic, and team-oriented mindset
• Knowledge of media monitoring tools is a plus

What We Offer

• Hands-on experience within a creative PR agency
• Opportunity to work with exciting clients and projects
• Mentorship and professional development
• Dynamic, collaborative work environment
• Offering the candidate the opportunity to prove YOU ARE THE BEST at what you do and to secure amazing results for our amazing clients

How to Apply
Please send your CV and a short cover letter to electraa@beverleyluckings.com with the subject line: “Junior PR Assistant Application – BEV95”

@bev95_agency

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Wednesday.

Rent the Runway Co-Founder Jennifer Hyman is stepping down as CEO, president and board member, effective May 15, 2026. She will remain an advisor to the company through January 2027. Teri Bariquit, current board member of Rent the Runway, has been appointed interim CEO and president. "Rent the Runway is stronger today than it has ever been, and that is exactly why this is the right moment for me to step down so Rent the Runway can write its next chapter," Hyman said in a statement. {Rent the Runway, Inc.}

In partnership with WWD, BCG released the second edition of its Beauty Consumer Study, which explores how beauty shoppers are moving into aesthetic procedures and performance and longevity. "Optimizers," or a highly-engaged consumer segment of around 6% of U.S. adults turning to a wider range of solutions to meet their needs, are leading this trend. The "optimizer" spent $3,000 on average in the past year across traditional beauty, aesthetic procedures and performance and longevity categories. {BCG}

In celebration of the CFDA Scholarship Fund's 30th anniversary, it is awarding a record $1.5 million in scholarships to design students across the country. This milestone year is made possible in part by a new scholarship partners including Bezos Earth Fund, Carolina
Herrera, The Melvin and Monique Rodriguez Family Foundation, The PVH Foundation and Veronica Beard. This year's scholarships challenge students to explore wearable technology, digital fabrication, mastery of traditional techniques as well as sustainability and material sourcing. {Fashionista inbox}

Birkenstock released its Q2 2026 earnings report on Wednesday, which showed revenue growth of 14% in constant currency to €618 million ($723.5 million). Birkenstock's shares were down 8% in premarket trading in New ​York. The company reported that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran negatively impacted EMEA revenue by approximately €6 million ($7.02 million). {Birkenstock; Business of Fashion/paywalled}

Hims & Hers is launching an AI companion designed to support users on their weight-loss journey. The company did not share a specific date for when this will launch. Hims & Hers also recently launched Labs AI, which is an agent that explains each customer's biomarker results and flags important stats. {Modern Retail}

In Under Armour's Q4 2026 earnings report released on Tuesday, the company shared that its revenue decreased 1% to $1.2 billion. North America revenue declined 7% to $641 million, while international revenue increased 10% to $539 million. By category, apparel revenue was flat at $778 million, footwear was flat at $282 million and accessories grew 2% to $94 million. {Under Armour}

Jean and Judith Touitou sold a majority stake in their French denim brand A.P.C. to private equity firm L Catterton in 2023. L Catterton management has since struggled to figure out how to scale A.P.C. without spending down its cultural equity, Puck's Lauren Sherman writes. In France, sales have been on the decline in the three years since A.P.C. was bought—from €91 million in 2022 to €85 million just a year later. {Puck/paywalled}

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Thomas Jefferson University is undergoing a strategic academic restructuring that will result in three new colleges. As a result, Jefferson is establishing the College of Fashion & Textiles, representing a powerful alignment of heritage, innovation and industry advancement. By uniting our distinction as the nation's first textile school with our globally recognized fashion programs, we have created a dynamic ecosystem designed to educate the next generation of talent — a collaborative community of students — where creativity, purpose and possibility come together.

In state-of-the-art maker spaces at Jefferson's Fashion & Textiles Futures Center, our students engage in immersive experiences that unite conceptual, artisanal craftsmanship with emerging technologies. Through partnerships with industry leaders, students gain hands-on experience, real-world insight and the professional fluency needed to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape. The result is a pipeline of graduates who are confident, agile, collaborative and ready to contribute from day one.

In the College of Fashion & Textiles, we cultivate empathetic, ethical problem-solvers who understand the complexities of today’s global marketplace. They are designers, technologists, merchandisers and strategists who bring purpose, intelligence and innovation to every facet of their work. We improve lives by fashioning the future of our disciplines — advancing creative and sustainable practice and responsible business.

For Jefferson's industry partners, this moment marks an opportunity to engage more deeply with our students, our faculty and our shared future. In the College of Fashion & Textiles, the boundaries between disciplines blur, ideas expand, and students are invited to define their paths — grounded in purpose, driven by curiosity and open to possibility. Together, we are shaping the future, with students equipped to meet the challenges ahead with creativity, integrity and vision.

Learn more  — Create the future, find your joy, change the world.

Beauty has always sold aspiration to its consumers, but increasingly, it's also selling predictability — to its investors, anyway. From prestige skin care to mass cosmetics, the category has become one of private equity’s most reliable investments. The appeal is straightforward: repeat purchasing, strong margins and scalable brand equity. However, as more firms invest in beauty, a growing tension is emerging: Growth capital can accelerate success, but it can also upend the identity that made a brand worth investing in to begin with. The challenge for founders is not just scaling a business and hitting lofty goals, but also protecting the point of view that made it stand out.

Few industries offer the kind of built-in demand that beauty does. Products are used daily, replenished frequently and tend to inspire loyalty. This consistency makes revenue more predictable than in many other consumer categories.

“Private equity has shifted the conversation toward profitability over pure top-line growth,” says Tim Schaeffer, CEO of Luminary Brands, whose holdings include Seaweed Bath Co., Mineral Fusion and Andalou Naturals. “We spend more time looking at gross margins, product margins, trade spend and customer profitability. Growth is still important, but it must be disciplined.”

Across the industry, high-growth beauty brands have shown how quickly funding can accelerate expansion, while also introducing new operational and creative pressures.

Private equity does not simply provide funding. It introduces a defined timeline and a clear outcome — accountability is important, as is efficiency. In practice, this often leads to faster retail expansion, broader distribution and increased pressure to scale hero products into full assortments. Launch cadences can accelerate, and pricing strategies may shift to meet financial targets. Marketing also becomes more performance-driven (as opposed to simply brand- or world-building), with a focus on measurable return.

That tension also extends to how brands maintain trust as they scale. “When a brand is smaller, you tend to be highly curated in every detail," says Schaeffer. "As you scale, the push for efficiency can start to reduce those choices.” The challenge, he adds, is knowing where simplification supports the business and where it begins to erode what made the brand resonate with consumers in the first place.

Related: Indie Beauty's Go-To Investors on What They Look for in a Brand

One of the most significant challenges of private equity backing is maintaining a distinct brand identity while scaling operations. As companies grow, they often centralize supply chains, data systems and operational infrastructure to improve efficiency.

Schaeffer says this requires careful separation between backend operations and the consumer-facing brand. “Operationally, we centralize where it creates leverage,” he explains. “But from a consumer perspective, each brand has a very distinct voice, target and product philosophy.”

Even with that intention, there is risk. “Once operational convenience drives creative decisions too much, that’s when brands can lose their identity,” he says. In a crowded market, where many brands are optimizing against similar metrics, that loss of identity can make differentiation even more difficult.

That dynamic becomes even more pronounced as brands scale within larger systems. At Grande Cosmetics, president Sabeen Mian says differentiation today goes beyond product performance alone. “Efficacy is still the foundation, but today that alone isn’t enough,” she explains. “Consumers are looking for brands they trust.”

That trust is built through a combination of clinical credibility, transparency and consistent results. These elements can become harder to maintain as operations expand and decision-making becomes more centralized. “Consumers want to feel connected to the brand behind the product, not just the claim on the packaging,” Mian adds. As brands scale, particularly within larger portfolios or under investor pressure, maintaining that connection requires intention.

For founders, the trade-offs of private equity often extend beyond operations into culture and community. Accepting outside investment can mean giving up a degree of control over how the brand evolves.

At Buttah Skin, president Tomara Watkins describes a more measured approach to growth. “We’ve had to build slowly and prioritize sustainable growth over rapid expansion,” she tells Fashionista. “While funding challenges are real, they’ve ultimately shaped a more resilient and focused business model.”

That slower pace has allowed the brand to stay closely connected to its audience. “Authenticity for us comes from consistency,” Watkins explains. “Continuing to listen to our community, invest in products that genuinely serve their needs, and avoid chasing trends that don’t align with our DNA.” Her perspective highlights a key contrast: While private equity often prioritizes speed and scale, founder-led brands may prioritize trust and long-term connection. Both approaches can succeed, but they are built on different values.

Private equity firms typically approach beauty as a portfolio strategy, allocating resources based on opportunity across multiple brands and categories. This model is similar to how large conglomerates like L'Oréal operate at scale.

“The areas with the largest, most actionable opportunity tend to get prioritized,” says Schaeffer. At the same time, he emphasizes the need for adaptability. “Unexpected opportunities come up, and when something material presents itself, you have to be flexible enough to lean into it.” For founders, that shift can feel like a loss of control, as decisions become tied to portfolio performance rather than a singular brand vision.

Related: How Klur's Lesley Thornton Is Scaling Her Skin-Care Brand Without Ulta, Sephora or Investors

Private equity is not inherently at odds with creativity, but it does redefine how success is measured. With this model, financial discipline, operational efficiency and quantifiable performance become central to how brands are evaluated. That brings up another concern: “Private equity brings discipline, capital and operational expertise, which can help brands scale and compete more effectively,” says Schaeffer. “At the same time, there’s a risk that brands start to converge if they’re all optimizing against similar metrics.”

That discord is becoming one of the defining dynamics of the modern beauty business. Brands are built on emotional connection, storytelling and a distinct point of view, all of which are difficult to quantify — thus, they can get lost in the equation.

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Tuesday.

WWD analyzed CEO compensation for the publicly traded companies on the 2025 WWD Beauty Top 100 and revealed the highest-paid CEOs in the beauty industry. Procter & Gamble CEO Jon R. Moeller took the top spot at $21,909,816, followed by Galderma CEO Flemming Ørnskov at $21,015,644 and former Coty Inc. CEO Sue Nabi at $19,691,333. See the full ranking of the 27 public companies that disclosed CEO salary information here. {WWD/paywalled}

In an interview with Business of Fashion, Saks Global CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck discussed the company's post-bankruptcy strategy. Van Raemdonck and his team eliminated expenses such as $55 million in annual rent to Saks' real estate joint venture for Lord & Taylor stores that had shuttered years ago and the closing of most of its off-price business. "Where we have more work to do is differentiating the voice, the positioning, the imagery," he told Business of Fashion. "Part of what the industry should expect is a greater differentiation over time." {Business of Fashion/paywalled}

In place of its previous creator program, Target launched Club Target and Target Ambassadors, with the latter made in collaboration with creator commerce platform LTK. Club Target is made for smaller creators or enthusiastic Target shoppers, while Target Ambassadors is designed for larger creators, offering commissions and monthly bonuses for eligible content. These programs coincide with Target's new strategy centered around its "merchandising authority," guest experience and technology. {Modern Retail}

Olivia Jade Giannulli is launching her beauty brand O.Piccola on Tuesday. The brand is debuting with its Bronze & Glow Balm, a dual-sided bronzer and highlighter stick, which is available for $44 in three shades. The venture is self-funded, and Giannulli is currently O.Piccola's only employee. {WWD/paywalled}

In a U.K. trial, Shein accused Temu of "astonishing" levels of copyright infringement, while Temu said its rival waged an "aggressive and relentless battle" using copyright allegations to undermine competition. The trial offers a rare window into Shein and Temu's supply chains, and the outcome will influence their supplier relationships as the two fast-fashion giants pose a threat to European retailers. {Bloomberg/paywalled}

Celebrity stylist Kithe Brewster died at 60 on May 3 in Dubai. Brewster's clientele included Julianne Moore, Janelle Monáe, Beyoncé, Adrien Brody, Cate Blanchett, Drew Barrymore, Salma Hayek and Winona Ryder, among others. Brewster died of a heart attack while en route to the hospital after having respiratory difficulties. {WWD/paywalled}

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Former The Cut beauty editor Christina Han dreamed of opening a Korean spa, but she quickly realized that many people recoiled at the concept of public nudity, which is commonplace in traditional Korean bathhouses. While the modern spa experience is private, silent and often seen as a self-care ritual, Korean bathhouses double as vibrant community centers. "It's a bathtub — a giant bathtub — and people are just there to get clean and catch up on the latest gossip," Han tells Fashionista.

To bridge the gap between a Korean spa's signature exfoliating treatments and consumers' valued privacy, Han and her business partner Esther Nordlinger created Sluff, a body-care brand launching on Tuesday with a $48 kit that brings the bathhouse experience (sans public nudity) into your shower.

Sluff's three-step routine begins with its Pre-Sluff Bar to get what Han calls "the slip" off, a.k.a. removing all the creams, lotions, body oils, SPF and other surface oils present on the skin. The bar soap is formulated with coconut and olive oils, along with charcoal and pumice for a textural experience. The inclusion of charcoal and pumice was also inspired by Jeju Island ("the Hawaii of South Korea," Han adds), which is home to cliffs of volcanic stone.

"I just wanted to have these small but meaningful elements of my Korean heritage brought into the products to pay homage to that," she says.

After rinsing the suds off, manual exfoliation with Sluff's bright green abrasive mitt is up next. This is where the magic happens: "Your skin starts rolling off like eraser shavings," Han says. "It's immensely, disgustingly satisfying." The 100% viscose mitt (which features thumb holes for extra grip) sloughs off dead skin, product build-up and sweat to reveal softer, smoother skin.

"The second you get out of the shower, it really feels like you've shed a pound of skin off," Han says. "With the scrubbing and the motion and the physicality of it too, sure, you get the blood pumping, so you pop out and you feel completely refreshed, revitalized, all of the above."

The third and final product in Sluff's routine — a lightweight eucalyptus body lotion — stands out as Han's favorite. Though, the post-shower lotion wasn't made for the glass skin trend currently dominating the body-care space via glossy body oils and shimmering creams. In fact, Han rejected that "wet feeling" altogether. "I really wanted something that seeped right into the skin and didn't leave that heavy layer on top," she expands. With a jelly-like consistency, the matte-finish lotion delivers hydration through jojoba oil, aloe leaf juice, centella asiatica extract and rice proteins.

Han recommends using Sluff's system once a week for a deep scrub, but it can also be used every day for gentle exfoliation. Sluff is launching exclusively through its direct-to-consumer channel, sluff.com, but is also looking to potentially partner with retailers like Ulta Beauty or Target in the future. As for its big-picture goals, a "Sluff House," or the brand's modern take on a traditional Korean bathhouse, could also become an eventual reality. For now, though, Han is focused on producing a functional body-care assortment. As she says, "no fluff, just Sluff."

"I want to take over your shower and I want to make sure that everyone's actually walking around with clean, soft, smooth skin," Han adds. "But really, I want to continue just creating products that don't necessarily add to the clutter."

Fashionista's audience includes 1 million site visitors, 110,000 newsletter subscribers and 4.74 million social media followers. Want to know how to reach them? Learn more.

HQ: Byron Bay, Australia
Founder: Rowie Moore
Social:Instagram
Category: Apparel
E-comm:rowiethelabel.com
Price Range: $139-$799

Hero Product:Annie Silk Mini Dress ($299), Marina Silk Midi Skirt ($269), Charlotte Rose Lace Top ($189)
Store Locations: Australia – Byron Bay and Bangalow
PR Representation: RK Communications
How to get in touch: hello@rowiethelabel.com

Rowie The Label was founded by its namesake designer, Rowie Moore, in her hometown of Byron Bay, Australia, where she first began selling handmade pieces at market stores as early as 2003. From its inception, the brand has garnered a loyal following through artisanally crafted clothing that pays homage to the effortless style of coastal towns, while transcending international borders and seasons.

A family-run business, Rowie prides itself on using high-quality, small-run productions and artisanal craftsmanship, while sourcing sustainable, natural materials wherever possible.

We all buy clothes, but no two people shop the same. It can be a social experience, and a deeply personal one; at times, it can be impulsive and entertaining, at others, purpose-driven, a chore. Where do you shop? When do you shop? How do you decide what you need, how much to spend and what’s “you”? These are some of the questions we’re putting to prominent figures in our column “How I Shop.”

Ciara Miller is everywhere right now. Yes, that's due in part to a certain ongoing scandal involving her "Summer House" castmates and now-former friends, West Wilson and Amanda Batula. But her moment in the spotlight is well earned: Aside from starring in the Hamptons-based Bravo reality show for six seasons, Miller also became a fan-favorite on "The Traitors" last year — not just for her charismatic gameplay, but also for her statement-making, castle-ready ensembles.

Following her appearance on the competition show, the stylish star began hosting red carpet interviews at high-profile events — from the premieres of "Euphoria" Season 3 and "Wuthering Heights" to her most recent gig as a Met Gala correspondent for E! News.

"For 'Wuthering Heights,' I wanted something that was more whimsical and a little bit of that time," Miller tells Fashionista. "And then with 'Euphoria,' I wanted to be able to do cool makeup since [the show is] so visually enticing. I definitely try to match the vibe of whatever the movie or show is. I just try to think of myself as a character and get dressed that way."

Miller's love for dressing up is nothing new. In fact, she says she's always been obsessed with clothing, a passion largely shaped by the women in her family.

"My grandmothers were very fabulous, on both my dad's side and my mom's side," she says. "They loved clothes, and I always remember sitting on the bed and watching them get dressed. One of them owned a designer shoe store, so we would always go there. That's honestly where my love of shoes and fashion came from."

Now, Miller is flexing her fashion muscles in a new campaign with Old Navy. Alongside fellow reality stars Paris Hilton, Kathy Hilton and Rob Rausch, the 30-year-old bops around a backyard barbecue and pool party, specifically to the tune of "Stars are Blind." "Old Navy has great linen sets that I love," Miller says. "In the summertime, a long, baggy linen pant goes the longest way."

@oldnavy

@ciaramiller___ repping zillennial divas everywhere who listened to this in 2006

♬ original sound - Old Navy - Old Navy

Below, Miller discusses her wardrobe staples, how her taste has evolved of late, what this new chapter in her life means for her style and more.

"I love a basic sweater and a low-rise jean. I love a cardigan that's either buttoned down or just a crew neck. I'll wear a tank top under it and a baggy pair of jeans. I feel like that is my day-off uniform. Simple.

"Moving to New York City, you're in the mecca of fashion and culture... I love being able to experiment with my look and change it up. I don't think I would box myself into anything...if I want to be girlier one day, if I want to be grungier... I love a little edge but I also love the bows in the hair and a pink set.

"In this industry, it's really easy to see [an outfit] and just want to duplicate that. But I think why people are attracted to people is because they're different. Their style is different, and it's a touch of yourself in every piece...You can't have great fashion looks without fashion mistakes, so it's all a learning process.

"I will hit a vintage market every now and then. In Soho, there's a vintage market that comes to town and I go there to poke around and see what I can find. I know Into Archive is a great store and Isle of Monday.

"I have what I call a 'Birthday Wishlist' of things that I want to buy for myself that I haven't yet. Or that when I reach a certain [goal], I'll buy it as a reward to myself. When I complete my first dance on 'Dancing with the Stars,' then I'll buy something [from the list]...

"I need more jewelry, so I definitely have my eyes on a few diamond necklaces and bracelets. I just need to buy things for myself. I even have colored kitchen glasses on this list. It's things that I could buy tomorrow but I just [don 't]...I don't know why. Pressing the 'Buy' button online sometimes takes me weeks to do. I think it's because I'm very frugal in mindset. [When] I know I'm about to be spending a ton of money — like the Met Gala is coming up — on stylists and glam, I'l try to be a frugal queen. But then I'll spend hundreds of dollars on Uber Eats. It doesn't really make sense.

View this post on Instagram

"Choosing my ['Summer House'] reunion look was definitely hard. It honestly came down to the morning of. So hopefully people like my look. I felt like my team really loved my look, but I don't know if I loved it 100% until I got into it at the venue and put accessories on with it.

"My confessional looks are also something that are very last minute, because a lot of times we're filming them in the winter, but you're trying to search for summer looks, which is very hard. You almost need to buy your confessional looks in the summertime, and I always forget to do that. It's a little bit of chasing your tail.

"One of my confessional looks this year was by a local designer, Madsinn Studio. She's friends with our friend group in the city and she always comes to our parties and creates her look from scratch. I'm always like, 'You need to create a store, create a line.' She loves fashion and making her own things. I'm like, 'You can do this. If you live in New York City, why wouldn't you do this?' I've been in her ear for the past two or three years. It was a pink corset with pink bows for the straps. She actually made me that and gave it to me on premiere night. One, I'm like, 'You have to support the girls.' But two, I was like, 'How cool would it be to see your design that you made on television for the first time?' I love being able to plug a small brand.

"[I find new designers by] doom scrolling. Just doom scroll on Instagram and you will run into them. I follow this account called 'UpNextDesigner' as well, and that can lead you down different rabbit holes.

View this post on Instagram

"Shooting a cover (for Glamour magazine) for the first time is an out-of-body experience. I really let the stylist just have their way because I don't know what I'm doing. It's my first time being a cover girl. I really wanted it to feel like a collaborative effort. It was really important to work with Black designers and Black stylists, photographers and creatives on that shoot. Pretty much everyone on that team were Black women and it was amazing.

"Fashion is art. It's a form of self-expression. I feel like, in this next chapter [of my life], I have the ability to influence on a different level and I'm aware of that and want to make sure I'm always dressing with that in mind, but also being comfortable in my own skin. It's a balancing act — I'm proud of where I'm at, I'm proud of this body that I'm in and I'm proud of the message that I can present to others with the clothes that I wear."

Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. In no way does this affect our editorial decision-making.

We offer unique services and partnership opportunities for brands big and small to get in front of Fashionista’s community of 1M readers. Learn More.

Fashionista is looking for a *PAID* Editorial + Multimedia Summer Intern to join the team remotely — but ideally you’re located in New York City or Los Angeles! Internship responsibilities span editorial, social media and video. The candidate does not need to be a current student/able to receive course credit, but can.

We’re on the hunt for a fashion- and beauty-obsessed candidate with an editorial and multimedia skill set. This role is suited for someone with one to two years of experience in writing, video and/or social media editing. Although professional experience is a plus, we’re also interested in those who have honed their skills through school, personal projects, etc.!

A familiarity with Fashionista’s tone, content and visual aesthetic is essential, as is a keen knowledge of the industry and pop culture. Strong time management, attention to detail and organizational skills are crucial. Success in this role may lead to future full-time employment opportunities with Fashionista.

• Ideate, pitch, write and/or produce 3-4 on-site stories/week
• Participate in monthly edit meetings
• Daily presence and responsiveness in team's Slack/internal email communications
• Compile a daily roundup of fashion and beauty industry news to share with the team
• Edit 25-30 minute episodes of Fashionista's podcast
• Edit 1-3 minute-long videos for Fashionista's social franchises
• Write informed, on-brand copy for video captions
• Create clicky thumbnails for social media posts
• Attend events as needed, potentially including New York Fashion Week
• Analyze social media performance weekly
• Assist editorial staff with editorial, social and video-related projects
• Pitch multiple social content ideas and deliver performance overviews monthly

• Strong interest in and knowledge of the fashion and beauty industries
• 20-25 hours a week availability between Mon-Fri (no weekends)
• Strong communication skills, openness to collaboration and feedback, the ability to complete projects independently and efficiently
• The ability to identify, pitch, research, report and execute on-brand written stories for Fashionista
• Existing knowledge of Fashionista's social, video and on-site coverage
• Eager attitude, ability to learn quickly on the job
• Ability to identify and edit clicky, engaging content from long-form, unedited video
• Up-to-date with social media, cultural and fashion/beauty trends — be very online and clued-in

• Based in New York City or Los Angeles 
• Experience with editing software (CapCut, Adobe, Descript, Final Cut Pro, etc.)
• Experience working in a fast-paced social media ideating and/or editorial role
• Experience using a CMS like Wordpress
• Proficiency with Canva

Compensation: $17/hr

To apply: Email a brief introduction (no need for a formal cover letter!), links to relevant written and/or social media content you've created, availability + resume to jobs@fashionista.com. Please do not reach out via social media or to Fashionista staff directly.

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Monday.

After 10 years in business, Marion Parke is shutting down. Effective immediately, the brand is offering 25% off sitewide. "Founding and running this brand has been a dream marked by incredible friendships, partnerships and countless beautiful shoes worn by incredible women," Parke said in a press statement. "I'm so proud of my team and of the many collaborators that supported us over the past 10 years. I'm also truly humbled that so many women trusted us and welcomed the brand into their wardrobes. It's a bittersweet moment, and also time to turn the page." {Fashionista inbox}

On Friday, a group of consumers sued Nike, accusing the retailer of failing to refund tariff-related costs. Nike reportedly raised prices on its products to offset the tariff hikes. However, after the Supreme Court ruled President Trump's tariffs illegal, consumers argued Nike should not be able to keep the tariff-related overcharges. The retailer has not responded to the lawsuit. {Reuters}

Tiffany & Co. and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) have expanded their partnership, launching a $25,000 scholarship and a summer internship opportunity for an emerging jewelry design student. The move builds on the success of the Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award, which awards one emerging jewelry designer a $50,000 grant to help run their business and a one-year fellowship with the Tiffany design team. Applications for the Tiffany x CFDA Jewelry Design Scholarship open May 14. The 2026 Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award program applications are open now through June 1. {Fashionista inbox}

Italian daily la Repubblica reported that Armani is allegedly considering ​selling a 15% stake in three ‌equal parts to L'Oréal, LVMH and EssilorLuxottica, according to uncited sources. The late founder Giorgio Armani stated in his will that he wanted an initial 15% stake of the company sold to major buyers within 12-18 months of his ​death. {Reuters}

President Trump is targeting forced labor as his latest avenue to impose global tariffs. If it takes effect, experts doubt it will adequately address the issue. Tariffs don't require traceability or labor reforms, and it's uncertain whether the cost of paying tariffs would exceed the cost of changing labor practices. {Vogue Business}

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Nearly a decade after opening up shop on the lower level of 8500 Sunset Blvd., Kith has reopened its West Hollywood flagship, taking over the ground floor of the former Fred Segal store. The transformation makes this the brand’s largest store in the world. (But don't feel jealous, New Yorkers — your Kith has an Erewhon now!)

The redesign was led by Kith founder Ronnie Fieg in collaboration with architect Ben Porto, with interiors that feel decidedly L.A.: warm woods, stone finishes and hyper-curated minimalism that evokes elevated West Coast retail. It feels more like a Hollywood Hills home than a traditional department store. The curved Footwear Gallery is the centerpiece, showcasing buzzy sneaker releases (Cecilie Bahnsen x ASICS SportStyle and Adidas Taekwondo, for example) and a handful of dressier styles from Maison Margiela and Femme. 

Elsewhere, shoppers will find Kith’s men’s and women’s collections alongside a multi-brand assortment that includes L.A.-favorite labels Miaou, Guizio and Agolde. Accessories and tech products are woven throughout the space, while the kids section feels intentionally designed to appeal to style-minded parents with books like “The ABCs of Fashion.” 

The reopening also introduces two concepts that are new for the store: beauty and VIP. Kith Apothecary is the brand’s first dedicated beauty and wellness space, with fragrance, candles, skin care and more from brands including Diptyque, Maison Margiela and Sidia. Meanwhile, the VIP Studio doubles down on the experiential side of shopping. Overlooking a scenic view of Downtown Los Angeles, the private area includes a custom McIntosh sound system created in partnership with Kith Records, alongside velvet furnishings and a private dressing room.

The biggest crowd, however, may gather around Ronnie’s Pronto, Fieg’s newest hospitality venture making its L.A. debut. Located just beyond the store, the open-air café serves breakfast sandwiches, salads, coffee and ceremonial-grade matcha, as well as desserts from Kith Treats. 

Kith is also using the reopening to launch a new New Balance collaboration featuring Made in USA 99X silhouettes in tonal neutral colorways, with exclusive early access available at the West Hollywood flagship. The lower level, Kith’s previous home, will eventually become New Balance at Kith, with a space dedicated to the brands’ collaboration. 

That’s not the only exclusive Angelenos can look forward to. We hear Kith’s summer collection will hit the West Hollywood store before anywhere else, adding yet another layer to the ongoing NYC-versus-L.A. rivalry. Get a first look at the store in the video and images below.

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Sundae School Founder and Creative Director Dae Lim wants to turn Manhattan's Chinatown into a calming sanctuary. Now, most New Yorkers wouldn't use "calming" to describe the bustling downtown neighborhood, but Sundae School aims to offer a momentary respite from the chaos with its new storefront inspired by a Korean temple.

"I was born and raised in Korea, I would go to temples once a month to pay homage to my ancestors and that felt like a break, so we wanted to bring that into Chinatown," Lim tells Fashionista.

Located at 117 Hester St., Sundae School's first-ever retail location sits just three blocks away from where Lim first launched the streetwear brand in 2018. Designed in partnership with architect (and Lim's husband) Nohar Lim Zask-Agadi, Sundae School's minimalist, 500 square-foot space is modeled on a traditional Korean Buddhist temple and draped in floor-to-ceiling pastel pink curtains. Metal pillars and gates (designed by co-architect and sculptor Andy Kim) mirror a temple's transitional courtyards.

Sundae School's latest designs — which Lim says he's approaching with more consistency than he has in the past ("Admitting is the first step," he adds) — line the walls, including embroidered hoodies, tie-clasp outerwear and hanbok-inspired garments. There's more to each piece than what meets the eye, as its quarter zips, for example, go through three washes (enzyme, bio and then a normal wash). The label's entire ethos, in Lim's own words, is to make its customers feel like they're "taking a mental vacation wherever [they] are."

Sundae School's retail concept is three years in the making and allows the label to showcase its small-batch production to an in-person audience. Sundae School will not be selling products from its sister brand Sundae Flowers, which offers tapioca-based THC gummies.

"Everyone told us to not move into physical retail, but I think it's really about expectations," Lim says. "I am not expecting this space to be like, 'Oh my God, we're going to rake money, that capitalistic pursuit of blowing up. This is the new Aritzia.' We're not here for that." Above all else, Lim envisions Sundae School's retail concept as a "community center."

"In a city like New York, there are so many people, but it gets lonely out here," Lim explains. "The [happenstance] encounters, you have to rely on Hinge, you have to rely on Grindr, so we wanted to build a community space where people can come hang out, where people can converse and where it smells good and you feel like you're on a little break."

In keeping with its emphasis on community, Sundae School plans to also use its space as a venue for regular collaborations, pop-ups and events for indie brands, creatives and community members. Sundae School's Chinatown store is now open Fridays through Sundays between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m.

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In case you missed them, we've rounded up our most popular stories of the week to help you stay in the loop. No need to thank us — just toast a flat white in our honor when you're discussing who did what over your seasonal fruit bowl.

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Related: See the Standout Looks From Kent State's 2026 Student Runway Show

Homepage photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

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Fashion's next wave of talent doesn't hail only from style capitals New York City and Los Angeles. Ohio's Kent State University boasts one of the best fashion design programs in the country. And that talent was on full display at its 2026 student fashion show.

The annual event closed the school's fashion week, a five-day lineup featuring digital presentations, a portfolio showcase, a behind-the-scenes experience for prospective students and a gala honoring this year's Fashion School Hall of Fame inductee, Fern Mallis, founder of New York Fashion Week.

On May 1, the entirely student-produced runway show featured 171 looks by 52 graduating designers. Garments spanned knitwear to streetwear to menswear, with themes ranging from sustainability to cultural heritage.

"The Class of 2026 demonstrates an impressive commitment to both innovation and responsibility," Dr. Mourad Krifa, director of the Kent State Fashion School, said in a press statement. "From accessible design to sustainability, their work reflects a deep awareness of how fashion can serve a broader purpose while maintaining a strong creative voice."

Before the show came to end, 13 students received design awards: Talia Fiscante (Best in Show), Lauren Turner and Emily Cranston (Celebration), Arabella Hammerich (Construction Technique), Drea Favorito (Innovation), Adelynn Prushing (Knitwear), Sanghyun Park (Market Ready), Nic Willingham (Niche Market), Arabella Hammerich (Special Occasions), Eduarda Candeo (Student's Choice), Catherine MacGregor (Sustainable Design), Ash Welch (TechStyle Lab) and  Ethan Griffin (Universal Design). Additionally, the show's senior co-producers Ryan Gibson and Ana Beatriz Fonseca took home the Fashion Management Awards.

Below, see standout looks from Kent State's 2026 Runway Show.

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Since starting at Fashionista just under four years ago, I've written nearly 900 stories, produced dozens of long-form video projects, done countless social posts and more. As my final (and most difficult) assignment, I'll be bidding adieu to one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. Today marks my last as Fashionista's Associate Editor and Social Media Manager.

I cannot overstate just how wonderful these past four years have been. From the very beginning, the Fashionista team welcomed me with open arms, so much trust and so much care. As an intern, I was given every opportunity to cover anything I wanted to — from the behind-the-scenes glamour of my favorite musical artists, to the costume design of Broadway's latest slate of shows, to the major designers who inspired me to pursue this career in the first place.

Upon joining the staff, I was able to push my pop culture-loving agenda by writing about the extremely niche outfits stars like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan wore for a maximum of three minutes on-air back in the early 2000s. Down the line, I got to have the most incredible conversations with people I've long obsessed over (see: my interviews with living legends Demi Lovato, Elle Fanning, PinkPantheress, Anna Sui and Brenda Song, just to name a few).

As my contributions to the site continued, I was able to grow with each passing year. I went on to be a Contributing Writer, then a Staff Writer. I then began overseeing our social presence and tacked on Social Media Manager. My final title of Associate Editor followed soon after. Throughout the years, my commitment to and desire for advancement were never shorted or questioned. In fact, I've been uplifted and embraced by my team at every turn, and I will always be so grateful for that unwavering support.

Through Fashionista, I've also been lucky enough to travel the world and attend events I used to dream of going to. I've been to Seoul, Iceland, London, Gran Canaria and more. I've visited some of the most beautiful U.S. destinations (standouts include Nemacolin, The Mayflower and Solé East), covered several high-profile red carpets (including the Met Gala and the Tony Awards) and sat front row at the most thrillingly stunning runway shows (my favorites including Marc Jacobs, Wiederhoeft, Ashish, Christopher John Rogers and Christian Cowan).

I'm also particularly proud of the progresss we've made in the video department over the last year and a half. We formally launched our podcast, The Fashionista Network, on YouTube and Spotify (check it out!) after I redecorated our entire office space to not only be a pink fever dream straight out of a Y2K coming-of-age rom-com, but also to double as a filming studio. I hosted our first-ever in-person episode (with Argent's Sali Christeson!) in the new space just a few months ago. As a result of this larger focus on original content, our following has grow by tens of thousands across platforms; Fashionista now has an overall social media audience of nearly 3.2 million.

None of what I accomplished at Fashionista would have been possible without the backing of such an amazing staff. I want to especially thank Dhani and Steph for being the greatest, most compassionate and encouraging bosses I could have asked for. Genuinely, not a day has passed by during my time here where I was not reminded just how fortunate I am to have learned so much from the kindest leaders, who have also created such a unique sense of community among a very small (but mighty) team.

Anyone who is given the chance to work at Fashionista — particularly with this group of extraordinary women — is truly the luckiest. (Beyond the phenomenal work, there's a reason everyone in the industry always emphasizes how much they love this team!) While I'm excited to take on this next chapter in my career, I'd be lying if I said this moment wasn't tremendously bittersweet. Fashionista has seen and carried me through a deeply transformative era of life. I started my time here as a young writer closing out her senior year of college, eager to deliver my absolute best to this publication, and am saying goodbye as a lifelong Fashionista and confident editor with endless appreciation, gratitude and pride for the work I've been able to do.

Trying to put this unending gratitude into words is by far the most challenging task I've had. I don't think I'll ever be done expressing my love for this experience. And I'll continue taking every chance I have to rave, cry and smile about it forever.

If you want to keep in touch, talk about the latest celebrity gossip or see photos of my dogs, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter (I'm never calling it anything else) and (for less serious content) TikTok.

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.

Chanel announced its next Métiers d'Art 2027 show will take place in Rome on Dec. 2, 2026. In the announcement, Chanel noted that house founder Gabrielle Chanel first visited Italy in 1920 and her Italian friendships (such as with filmmaker Luchino Visconti, pictured above) "fueled her imagination and made a strong impression on her work." Chanel's most recent Métiers d'Art collection was unveiled in New York City. {Fashionista inbox}

Italian menswear brand Canali has tapped Alessio Lillocci as its creative director. Lillocci previously served as the head of the men's style office at Brunello Cucinelli, and most recently as men's ready-to-wear collections director at Prada. Though Lillocci contributed to the design of Canali's Fall 2026 offering, his first collection in this new role is slated for Spring 2027. {WWD/paywalled}

Zara has denied infringing Estée Lauder's Jo Malone trademark, saying in U.K. High Court filings that it uses ‌the perfumer's name on fragrances it sells in collaboration with her in line with principles Estée Lauder set out in 2020. Estée Lauder's lawsuit against ​Malone, "Jo Loves" and Zara's U.K. business is based on the words "Jo Malone" being included in the product descriptions ⁠on Zara's website and "Created by Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves" on the back of the packaging. {Reuters}

On Thursday, investors valued Coach owner Tapestry at $27 billion to Gucci parent company Kering's $36 billion, marking the narrowest gap between the two companies in 15 years. Their current valuations reflect a shifting fashion market and the progression of their respective turnarounds. Sales at Gucci have fallen by more than 40% from their peak in 2022, while Coach's 2025 sales were up 14% versus 2022. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}

APR, the company behind Medicube, reported its Q1 2026 results on Thursday, which showed a 123% year-over-year (YoY) rise in revenue to 593 billion KRW ($405.3 million). Its cosmetics and beauty category saw a 174.3% YoY rise, and its beauty device category experienced a 46% YoY bump. APR's overseas revenue share increased from 71% in Q1 2025 to 89% in Q1 2026, with the U.S. representing 42% of the Q1 2026 revenue share. {APR}

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Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.

Hill House Home unveiled its summer collection, "a versatile edit of romantic dresses and refined co-ord sets, designed to form an all-encompassing summer wardrobe," this week. Shop the lineup at hillhousehome.com.

The latest installment of H&M X Stella McCartney arrived this week (the duo's first collection launched in 2005, and at the time was H&M's second-ever design collaboration). The range of apparel and accessories includes "playful, iconic hits from McCartney’s early archive," and current signatures like oversized shirting, trenches, tailored pieces and bejeweled prints.

“I see this collection as a journey through my fashion history. It is a true mix of current classics and some of my old favorites that showcase my first forays into fashion and the development of my signatures. It’s playful, strong, sparkling, joyful, refined," said McCartney in a press statement. Shop the collection — priced between $40 and $329 — at hm.com.

Telfar launched its new Utility Bag this week, "featuring the upgrades to our classic Shopping Bag that you've been asking for," per the brand. The washed canvas tote includes an adjustable strap, zipper top, inner pockets, camouflage printed twill interior and deep side gusset pockets for your water-bottle. The piece is available in two colorways for $198 each at telfar.net.

Anine Bing's Summer 2026 collection, titled "Dear Los Angeles," has arrived. Intended as a love letter to the West Coast city, the new drop evokes a place "where Californian sunlight, the Pacific, and the sharp lines of the PCH frame a balance of ease and refinement," according to a press release. Shop the lineup of shorts, dresses, tailored trousers, accessories, denim, summer whites, T-shirts and more at at aninebing.com.

Jewelry brand Dorsey launched its Enamel Collection of necklaces, bracelets and anklets. Inspired by "the joyful ease of childhood," the capsule features multicolored strands of enamel beads mixed with white moissanite stones. The pieces are intended for layering and range in price from $180 to $480. Shop them now at shopdorsey.com.

A.L.C. dropped its Summer 2026 collection, "a study in ease, refinement and modern dressing," on Thursday. The lineup incorporates cotton poplin, relaxed tailoring, polished silhouettes and breathable fabrics like viscose, linen and cotton. It also features colorful prints, delicate ties and playful textures. Shop it online at alctd.com.

This week, Ulla Johnson launched the fragrance she had teased during her Fall 2026 runway show. The collection includes three scents ($190 each) — Drift Rose, Baroque Garden and Adriatic Gold — created by British perfumer Lyn Harris and developed with French Perfume House Robertet. The expansion into fragrance also includes candles ($135), incense ($55) and an incense holder ($240). Shop at ullajohnson.com.

Sol de Janeiro expanded its body-care offerings this week with the launch of Body Badalada Lotion in three scents (Cheirosa 48, Cheirosa 39 and Cheirosa 62). Each formula also includes a unique texture and skin-supporting ingredients. Shop them for $28 at sephora.com and soldejaneiro.com.

Saltair also expanded its body-care lineup with the launch of its Vitamin C Body Brightener, a lightweight serum featuring L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Australian kakadu plum and glycerin to brighten and hydrate skin. Shop it for $23 at saltair.com.

Chanel introduced its Summer 2026 Les Beiges beauty collection, inspired by "the light that shines on the beaches of Biarritz," as described in press materials. The limited-edition lineup includes foundation, eye shadow, powder highlighter, blush, mascara, hydrating lip color and two nail polish shades. It's also available as a five-piece set, featuring an exclusive basket case (pictured above), for $250. Shop now at chanel.com.

Facial "workout studio" Facegym introduced a four-piece set of Facial Cupping Tools ($40) designed to stimulate circulation, release tension and sculpt. Shop now at facegym.com.

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YaYa Publicity is a fast-growing, jewelry-focused public relations agency representing a portfolio of fine and fashion jewelry brands. We are seeking a PR Coordinator to join our team in New York City.

This is a full-time, in-person role. Candidates must live in NYC and be comfortable working on-site daily.

We’re looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, team-driven environment and takes pride in being highly organized, detail-oriented, and dependable.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage all sample trafficking: track incoming and outgoing jewelry samples with precision
• Maintain accurate, real-time inventory of all client pieces
• Coordinate shipments, messenger services, and returns; ensure nothing is lost or delayed
• Prepare and organize samples for editor pulls, shoots, and client needs
• Keep detailed logs and ensure full accountability of high-value items
• Monitor and maintain office and showroom supplies; proactively reorder as needed
• Support team with day-to-day operational and administrative tasks
• Ensure all processes are organized, efficient, and consistently followed

What We’re Looking For

• Must live in NYC and be available for in-person work
• Strong team player with a collaborative mindset
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
• Extremely organized with exceptional attention to detail
• Strong communication and follow-through skills

Qualifications

• At least one year of experience in PR, especially having worked with jewelry or accessories
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office / Google Workspace /
• Experience with media databases (Cision, Muck Rack, etc.) is a plus
• Interest in jewelry, fashion, or luxury brands strongly preferred

Compensation

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Opportunity for growth within a fast-moving agency

For resumes please email: Info@yayapublicity.com

@yayapublicity

On Thursday evening, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)held its annual Future of Fashion runway show, located at the school's Chelsea campus in New York City. The presentation spotlighted the work of 80 graduates from the Fashion Design BFA Class of 2026.

"I want [the audience] to be struck by how imaginative and creative these designers are," FIT President Jason Schupbach told Fashionista over email, ahead of the event. "Their vision and execution are excellent. Our students learn not only the art of design, but also how to make the garments - they make all of these clothes by hand. These graduates have the entire package, and I couldn't be prouder of what they've accomplished."

The evening began with opening remarks the recently appointed Schupbach, followed by Troy Richards, dean of FIT's School of Art and Design, and Emily Erusha-Hilleque, senior vice president of Private Brands at Macy's (the show's sponsor). All three speakers proudly praised the students for their hard work and their new ideas that will shape the industry's tomorrow.

Then came the runway show itself: 91 looks spanning children's wear, intimate apparel, knitwear, special occasion and sportswear. Within the latter's category, students embraced relaxed tailoring, utilitarian styles and lots of black and white. The children's wear category showcased students' penchant for patchwork, while knitwear designs played with proportions. In the intimate apparel and special-occasion sections, designers took on various versions of corsets.

Among the class, 12 graduates were named Future of Fashion Critic Award Winners – Evan Ciurca, Ainsley Goldman, Selin Gültekin, Ellen Kim, Charlotte Falkman, Kat Lin, Xuan (Beatrice) Mak, Rachel Marino, Jonathan Marroquin, Julia McClement, Tyler Mervine and Naïma Naas — selected by a jury of industry professionals.  Additionally, designers Marina Malkhasian and Athmiha Saravanen won Macy's Empowered Design and Capsule Collection Awards, respectively. (Saravanen will have her collection sold in select Macy's stores in a limited run, available next spring.)

"Despite industry pressures — the disruption of retail, sustainability challenges and the advent of AI — our students weighed all these factors and developed stunning collections that are responsibly sourced and produceable," Schupbach added. "FIT considers itself the lab for the creative industries for the 21st century and we are here to help the fashion industry face its challenges head-on by producing the next generation of exceptional design talent."

To see all the looks from the night, scroll below.

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HQ: Bay Area, CA
Founder: Lorne Lucree
Social:Instagram / TikTok
Category: Allergy Care
E-comm:wizardwellness.com

Price Range: $15-$33
Hero Products:Daily Nasal Spray ($15), Multi-Benefit Oral Strips ($30), Happy Nose Inhaler Sticks ($25)
Stockist:Walmart
PR Representation: Foundation
How to get in touch:Contact form

Wizard Wellness is a next-generation allergy-care brand reimagining relief through a first-of-its-kind "cleanical" approach that blends skin-care logic and microbiome research with science-backed innovation. Founded by award-winning beauty and wellness formulator Lorne Lucree, Wizard delivers drug-free, high-performance products through a magically simple, clinically tested, three-step system (Cleanse, Relieve, Balance) designed to provide immediate relief while supporting long-term wellness from nose to toes. Launched in January 2026, Wizard transforms allergy care from a reactive, clinical chore into an intuitive daily ritual — helping people breathe easier, feel clearer and live better every day with powerful relief that works with their biology.

Welcome to "Face It," in which practitioners, dermatologists, facialists and other beauty experts answer our rapid-fire questions (quicker than you can say "just a few more units, please?"), revealing their hottest takes, most controversial opinions and the hard truths they wish their clients could come to terms with.

Amy Peterson has spent the last 20 years as a renowned medical aesthetician and educator in the beauty space — and she's also the founder of her own brand, Lenox and Sixteenth — so it's safe to say she has her fair share of skin-care hot takes. One of which is that more work is not always better.

"I really think it's all about the artistic thought behind using these treatments and modalities to make your skin look the healthiest," she tells Fashionista.

At her Miami Beach skin-care clinic, Peterson offers a range of innovative services. From an injectable fat matrix called Renuva that restores volume loss, to pulsed light device BBL HEROic (no, not that BBL), which stimulates cell regeneration and helps with texture.

"I remember when I was a young girl, being like, 'I'm going to get all these treatments for free because I work there.' And now I own this place and I pay for all my treatments. And now, I have a skin-care line [Lenox and Sixteenth], which I pay for," she says. "The whole thing can be expensive, to be honest with you."

In the video below, Peterson shares more of her favorite facial procedures to give her celebrity clients, including plenty of lasers, devices and bioregeneratives. Plus, she tells us about the not-yet-existing futuristic beauty technology that would "probably put me out of business," the skin-care products she thinks are a scam and more.

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Update, May 8, 2026, 11:00 a.m.: In the original version of this story, we noted that Peterson's "skin-care hot take" was that she believed "more work" led to better results. Peterson later clarified that she misunderstood the question to mean what she believed was the most controversial skin-care take in general.

Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. Some of these products were gifted. In no way do either affect our editorial decision-making.

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These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri wore Kartik Research, while VP of Fashion Eva Chen wore Proenza Schouler. Stewart Butterfield (Slack CEO) and Selby Drummond (founder of tech venture firm Plum Alley) both wore Conner Ives. Charles Porch, OpenAI's VP of global creative partnerships, wore Kallmeyer's first-ever men's look. "Opting for an emerging name signals a level of investment in fashion's rising stars, rather than its established houses," Madeleine Schulz writes for Vogue Business. {Vogue Business/paywalled}

James Murdoch is in "advanced talks" to buy Vox Media's New York magazine and podcast division, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The deal, which is through Murdoch's Lupa Systems investment company, isn't yet final. A challenging advertising market, changes in search traffic and increased competition have forced companies like Vox to recalibrate. {The Wall Street Journal}

Hailey Bieber is the star of Alaïa's Summer/Fall 2026 campaign titled "Archetypes." The beauty entrepreneur was photographed by Tyrone Lebon at his London gallery, Graces Mews, under the creative direction of Pieter Mulier. {Fashionista inbox}

Tapestry, Inc. reported its Q3 2026 results on Thursday, which showed a 21% increase in revenue to $1.9 billion. Coach led this growth, as the Gen Z-beloved brand saw a 31% bump in Q3 sales to $1.7 billion. Tapestry is raising its Fiscal 2026 outlook, now aiming to achieve revenue in the area of $7.95 billion. {Tapestry, Inc.}

Hair-care brand Crown Affair has raised a Series C funding round of undisclosed size led by Stride Consumer Partners. This marks Stride Consumer Partners' first investment in prestige hair care. This news comes on the heels of Crown Affair's all-door Sephora expansion. {WWD/paywalled}

OTB Group, the parent company of brands including Diesel, Jil Sander and Maison Margiela, is teaming up with Google Cloud to launch a new personalized shopping experience using Google Cloud's Virtual Try-On API. OTB designed this service to allow advisors to share curated, hyper-realistic visual previews with selected customers, offering a 360-degree view of the product. The project will initially launch with Diesel and Jil Sander across the U.S. and Europe, and will expand in the coming months to Marni and Maison Margiela. {OTB Group}

Fashionista's audience includes 1 million site visitors, 110,000 newsletter subscribers and 4.74 million social media followers. Want to know how to reach them? Learn more.

HQ: New York, NY
Founder: Kate Davis
Social:Instagram
Category: Apparel
E-comm:lovealltennisusa.com
Price Range: $16 - $225

Hero Product:Ainsley Top ($140), Anna Resort Dress ($195)
Stockists:Kohls, Nordstrom
PR Representation: LNA PR
How to get in touch: love@lovealltennis.com

Love All Tennis was founded by Harvard Business School graduate and lifelong tennis player Kate Davis. The brand was born from a gap she experienced firsthand as a club player: After years on the court, she found herself searching for pieces that felt both timeless and flattering, yet could perform seamlessly through a full day, on and off the court. Recognizing an opportunity to reimagine the category, she launched Love All Tennis in 2021. Inspired by vintage court style and the elegance of classic sportswear, the brand reinterprets traditional tennis staples through a modern, wear-anywhere lens. Feminine athletic tailoring, elegant trims and detailing and high-quality, moisture-wicking fabrics are designed to hold up through long sets and longer days. Each piece moves effortlessly between sport and lifestyle, bringing a sense of ease, polish and femininity back to the game.

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) stands apart from its peers thanks to its extensive hands-on training: Its film majors explore an 11-acre backlot, aspiring actors enjoy an on-site casting office and now, its fashion design students can sell their one-of-a-kind garments in a luxury boutique. Located at 318 E Liberty St. in downtown Savannah, GA, Bazaar by ShopSCAD opened its doors in March to showcase student, faculty and alumni creations while simultaneously preparing its collegiate designers for the realities of the retail landscape.

To Bazaar Director and Manager Ash Williams, the off-campus boutique functions as "a trading post of sorts for the school of fashion." "Students learn about design, branding and consumer behavior in the classroom, and Bazaar gives them a real-world environment to see those lessons play out," she expands. "When a customer picks up your product, examines it and decides to buy it, [it] allows a kind of feedback no assignment can fully replicate."

Mannequins bedecked in student designs welcome Bazaar visitors into a sartorial wonderland: Candy-colored stripes cascade down the walls from the ceiling, juxtaposing ornate Southern furnishings sprinkled throughout the space. Unique garments spanning hand-painted denim to romantic slips line the walls, offering a discovery-fueled shopping experience akin to that of a highly curated New York City boutique. Designs from notable alumni like Kate Barton and Christopher John Rogers are also stocked alongside current student creations.

"SCAD students were producing outstanding, market-ready work, but there wasn't always a clear pathway for that work to reach customers," Williams says. "We wanted to create a space that honored that talent."

Senior M.F.A. fashion design student Emily Chambers has multiple pieces available for purchase at Bazaar, including selections from the denim extension of her thesis that reimagines Pre-Raphaelite artwork by hand-painting them onto wearable garments. Chambers was approached by her professor, Maria Korovilas, SCAD associate chair of fashion, about participating in Bazaar and the two collectively determined which of Chambers' designs would translate best into a retail setting.

"To see the work that I've spent hours on end creating and 'perfecting' in a store catching people's eyes and bringing them joy is quite reassuring that the thing I feel that I'm meant to do is also meaningful to others," says Chambers.

Korovilas also tapped Jinseo Park, a senior B.F.A. fashion design student, to showcase her ready-to-wear designs in Bazaar. Park says she "explores hope through a feminine lens" via textile draping, natural dyeing and her own smocking technique inspired by blooming flowers. Looking ahead, Park shares that she wants to pursue a career as a couture or special occasion designer, and she credits Bazaar with teaching her "to interpret and communicate [her] design aesthetic in ready-to-wear pieces and work directly with customers."

Beyond ready-to-wear garments, Bazaar also spotlights student-made ceramics, accessories and jewelry. For example, visitors can shop jewelry by Paige Swope, a senior B.F.A. jewelry design student who melds traditional metalsmithing techniques with contemporary processes to create wearable, sculptural forms. "Seeing my work in a retail space has pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and realize that I enjoy designing for others," Swope says. "It has reinforced the idea that jewelry is meant to be worn, experienced and interpreted differently by each individual."

Related: Are Fashion Students Designing for the Algorithm?

Of course, many fashion design programs address the inner workings of luxury retail, but few offer students the opportunity to directly participate in the real-life retail market. Swope notes that Bazaar's luxury boutique concept encourages students to think beyond concept development and delve into branding, pricing, production and marketing, which she adds are "essential for building a successful design practice."

Park concurs: "While my thesis work is driven by creative ideals, this retail experience required me to think more critically about cost, time management and how my designs translate within a commercial setting."

Since Bazaar's opening, Williams says the boutique has been "very busy" with tourists, locals, current students and their parents, prospective SCAD students and even fashion industry names. "A few weeks ago, Michael Kors stopped in while visiting Savannah and mentioned that he wished something like this had existed when he was in school," she shares. The appetite for student designs is palpable: Alumni designer Timothy Underwood and his label Despise Gossip have nearly sold out, along with senior B.F.A. fashion student Rey Valera and his brand 4am.

With a revolving assortment filled with limited-run pieces ranging from $40 to luxury-priced items, Bazaar is open Monday and Tuesday by appointment only; Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

"Bazaar by ShopSCAD exists because of the trust and talent of the designers who contribute to it, and the enthusiasm of everyone at SCAD who believed in the vision," Williams says. "We're just getting started, and I'm excited to see how it grows and evolves."

Disclosure: SCAD paid for Fashionista’s travel and accommodations to report this story.

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With reports of a single ticket to the 2026 Met Gala costing $100,000 and tables priced at $350,000, the annual fête has become an increasingly difficult event for independent designers to be part of. At such astronomical costs, only major fashion labels with hefty corporate backing can typically afford to have a presence. But this year, a handful of New York's best indie creatives were given the opportunity to have their designs spotlighted on the carpet as well as attend. Such was the case for emerging talent Grace Ling.

"I'm very honored that Google invited me to the Met Gala this year. It's actually my first time at the Met Gala [with my work] on the carpet and I'm also dressing myself," Ling told Fashionista while getting ready on Monday. "Designing a piece for yourself is actually interesting because it's more mentally taxing than creating something for a client. But I was very fortunate because my team was helping me with it and they were also passionate and all-hands-on-deck about it."

Related: Indie Designers Had a Strong Showing on the 2026 Met Gala Red Carpet

For the milestone moment, Ling wore a 3D-printed bodice made from aero aluminum plated in chrome. "I wanted to sort of look like I was battered by the weather, standing there on the carpet and a bunch of thorns and flowers just flew into my face, but in a very chic way." With her team's help, Ling crafted the full look in just three weeks.

"It was absolutely insane. We were flying people to go pick it up because DHL would not make it in time," she said. "I was going to be really chill about it...and probably just [wear] something that I already had on the runway. But we just started ideating and then we spiraled and made a whole dress...it became a whole thing."

Ahead of her Met Gala debut, we caught up with the Singaporean-born designer as she prepared for fashion's biggest night. Below, Ling welcomes Fashionista into her getting-ready process, explains why her custom Charles & Keith shoes made for a "full circle moment" and discusses how this year's "Fashion is Art" theme aligns with her eponymous brand's DNA.

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In case you missed the memo, in-person brand events are so back.

Black Beauty Club, a community-based organization comprised of "builders and believers driving beauty's next chapter," is the latest to get in on the action. This week, it announced the launch of Beauty on the Block, an event that transforms a city block into a live shopping destination, where consumers can shop beauty brands and discover service providers (braiders, barbers, makeup artists and estheticians).

Taking place in New York City on June 21 and Chicago on Aug. 8, Beauty on the Block is part block party, part marketplace and part immersive experience. Participating brands include Blue Water Girls, Koba Skincare, Moodeaux, Hanahana Beauty, Good Weather Skin, Rebundle and JolieDen, with more to be announced. The event is free and open to the public.

Black Beauty Club Founder Tomi Talabi noticed a shift in how consumers are discovering beauty brands in interactive environments, like festivals, conventions and activations. Recently, Ulta Beauty World held a one-day immersive expo, attracting more than 3,000 attendees and featuring 220 brands. Earlier this year, Sephora also hosted an in-person beauty experience featuring brand activations and masterclasses.

However, Black beauty brands and consumers are being left out of these experiences, Talabi points out. "Through The Black Beauty Club, we have spent years building rooms for beauty founders, creators, operators and consumers. What became clear is that the community needs more than just visibility," she says. "It needs more formats that create real access, discovery, commerce and cultural momentum. Beauty on the Block is a response to the gap."

The event has been months in the making. The founder strategically chose Harlem and Chicago because they are both important cultural centers of Black life, style and entrepreneurship. Talabi was also mindful of the opportunity she hopes Beauty on the Block provides participating brands, which is to create direct access to consumers, provide product education, drive sales, gather feedback and build relationships in real time.

"That kind of proximity is incredibly valuable, especially for brands that may not yet have major retail distribution or large marketing budgets," she explains. "Beauty is built on trust, and live environments can build that trust in a way that a shelf placement or digital ad alone cannot. [...] The opportunity for all brands is to participate in beauty where it actually lives: in community, in public, through services, through discovery and through real consumer interaction."

Cash App and Square have partnered with Beauty on the Block to sponsor the events: All participating vendors will operate on Square as their point-of-sale system, while attendees using their Cash App Card will receive exclusive discounts.

Looking ahead, Talabi hopes Beauty on the Block will change how the industry thinks about Black beauty and its lack of infrastructure. "[Black beauty] should not be treated as a niche, a theme or a seasonal conversation," she says. "It is one of the engines of the beauty industry. Beauty on the Block is about building the kind of platform that reflects that."

Beauty on the Block will take place in NYC's Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building Plaza on June 21 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Aug. 8, it will be in Chicago's Fulton Market/West Loop area from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Wednesday.

A.P.C. has appointed Ludivine Poiblanc as Artistic Director. She'll help "shape the brand's image and visual universe," per the press release. Poiblanc will present her debut collection in a presentation format on May 20, followed by a runway on June 15. The French stylist's resume includes contributions to major publications such as Vanity Fair and Vogue, as well as consulting for fashion houses on product development and visual identity. {Fashionista inbox}

On Monday, Gap co-founder Doris Fisher died at 94. She founded the company with her husband, Donald, in 1969. She is survived by her three sons — Robert, William and John. {Gap Inc.}

Zendaya makes her Vogue Brazil cover debut in the month of the publication's 51st anniversary. Styled by Law Roach, she poses in a fringe Louis Vuitton dress. In the accompanying cover story, she discusses her intense professional year, how she chooses her roles and her fashion approach. {Vogue Brazil}

Salomon is opening another NYC store, located on the Upper West Side. This is its third opening in 20 months. The 812-square-foot space will feature the brand's largest product offering of the three locations. "The Upper West Side store will be a place for consumers to connect with like-minded people who have a passion for the outdoors and a strong connection to their community," LeeAnn Fallon, vice president of Retail for Salomon North America, said in a press statement. {WWD/paywalled}

Coty's Q3 2026 results showed a 1% drop in net revenue at $1.28 billion. Its Prestige division, which accounts for 65% of sales, was flat, while Consumer Beauty fell 4% in net revenue. However, the company reported the results beat profit expectations, especially amid ongoing geopolitical disruption. {Coty}

Lululemon investors are uncertain about the company's newly appointed CEO, Heidi O'Neill. The former Nike exec was the internal face of the shoe company's failed DTC plan — despite working under her boss's orders — and has a reputation for poor product judgment. Following her appointment announcement last month, Lululemon's stock fell 10% and its estranged founder, Chip Wilson, wrote a shareholder letter attacking the board's selection and nominating his own candidates. {Puck/paywalled}

Do you have an emerging brand you want to share with Fashionista readers? Jumpstart your business with our affordable digital offerings.

HQ: Australia
Founder: Georgia Geminder
Social:Instagram
Category: Body Care
E-comm:gem-products.us

Price Range: $7-$10
Hero Products:Antiperspirant Stick ($8), Antiperspirant Dry-Spray ($8)
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It all started when Gem's founder, Georgia Geminder, saw just how powerful routines can be in shaping your mindset and setting you up for success. This led to Gem, a range of elevated daily essentials that take you from bathroom to beyond. Combining delicious fragrances, with high-performing formulas, Gem's range of antiperspirants aim to take you from a mundane chore, to a self care ritual you'll adore.

Parsons professor Geoffrey Gertz remembers the days when peak visibility for a designer came from paying for an ad in the glossy pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar or another high-profile magazine. They might cost more than $30,000, but media ad placements were among the leading channels for driving consumers to brands, he tells Fashionista. Today, that objective can be achieved for free with one viral post online. 

Social platforms are now a crucial tool for designers: TikTok, Instagram and even Pinterest engage target audiences, shape trends and drive sales. According to Numerator, 44% of Gen Z consumers have made purchases on social apps, and 82% let social media influence their shopping decisions. 

Now that social media is woven into the fabric of the fashion business, design schools and their students are adapting. As early as freshman year, students create dedicated Instagram accounts that serve as their portfolios. Social media has become a major piece of the creative processes — a resource for inspiration, getting feedback, self-promotion and more, especially as students prepare to present their final collections and graduate this spring. But could it end up having too big of an influence on aspiring creatives? 

"The algorithm has a lot of influence on myself and my peers... Whether we realize it or not, we're consuming social media every single day," says Ellie Warnke, a senior fashion design student at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) who already has more than 60k Instagram followers. "Specifically on platforms like Instagram, its Explore page is so tailored to your style nowadays that it's so hard not to get inspiration."

Emily Bennett, a first-year fashion design student in Parsons' Associate's for Professionals Program, says that scrolling through social media for inspiration has become a first step in her design process. She follows various artists and photographers whose distinctive aesthetics always serve as a springboard for developing new design ideas. "Social media brings awareness to things I wouldn't necessarily know about," she explains. 

On the flip side, engaging with social media also brings visibility to design students themselves. It's a pathway for these young creatives to get their work on the radar of intrigued users and industry figures alike. That's why most design students today regularly post their work online.

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Instagram is the most popular platform for students, according to Selen Artuc, a senior fashion design student at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Arctuc uses her Instagram account to document her design journey by posting close-up shots of her work, from sketches to muslin mockups to the final result. TikTok is another student favorite. The platform allows creatives to show their more playful side by posting content centered on their lives as student designers rather than solely on their projects. "It's way more casual," Warnke shares. "It's more lighthearted and comical, and where I'm maybe trying to make a funny meme or something about fashion school."

Posting on social media can also help students get feedback on their work. That's at least the case for Warnke: While she doesn't listen to every comment that comes her way (especially hateful ones), she's open to what people have to say. The way she sees it, the more people engage with her work, the more motivated she is. "I love sharing my work," she explains. "I find that it's helpful for me to post my progress because when I see that people are responding well, it pushes me to be like, 'Okay, what I'm doing is important.'"

View this post on Instagram

But when students know they'll end up posting their work, it raises the question: How much does social media impact their design decisions? Are they choosing fabrics, colors, silhouettes and details just to land the best hit on the explore page?

"A lot of my personal design process comes from: What is a scroll-stopping element that is going to catch people's attention?" says Warnke, whose senior collection is inspired by social media overstimulation. "I'm thinking about, 'If this were to be pulled for styling a celebrity, how would this look on their social media pages?' You want to create something that will stand out."

Conversely, other students see social media's infiltration of the design process as creatively limiting. "I think if you are focused on designing for the algorithm, and while you're sketching, you're already thinking about, 'Oh, this color would look best on Instagram,' I think that does hold you back in creating truly innovative pieces," says Bennett. 

Whether or not students are creating for the algorithm, the reality is that their work will end up posted on social media. It's why fashion educators have adapted their curricula to address social media strategy. 

"In the curriculum, we really talk about the different storytelling tools, like why you would do a post versus why you would do a story versus why you would do a reel," says Gertz, the Parsons professor.

Parsons has a Professional Practices course in which students are assigned to develop business strategies for an existing brand. This past fall, when observing the final presentations, Professor Tiffany Webber noticed that the majority of the students prioritized digital strategies. "They thought of all these wonderful ideas for making social content," she shares. "Social media is becoming more and more a part of strategic thinking. They're thinking about it [in all stages], from design and development to sales and marketing."

SCAD professor Maria Korovilas dissuades students from creating for the algorithm and encourages them to use it only as a research tool. "We definitely push them to design from a place of authorship," Korovilas says. "We come from a place of depth, research and point of view."

"I don't think students are specifically trying to design for an algorithm, or at least we're not encouraging that," says. Dr. Lauren Copeland, a professor at Kent State University. "We want them to be unique to themselves and true to the brands that they'll be working for." Instead, Kent State teaches social media as a vehicle for trend forecasting. In both design and merchandising courses, Dr. Copeland sees students taking inspiration from the algorithm, but applying it to their design DNA. 

"Fashion is individual; what we wear and how we design is individual," she emphasizes. "If we were to only follow what we see on social media, we would never be creating something new. So how do we push that envelope? That's where we're challenging the students. Yes, take inspiration and understanding from what you're seeing on social media, but what new thing are you going to say through your designs?"

Professors acknowledge that provocative, eye-catching designs may be more likely to generate strong engagement. But they argue that making noise online is possible without them, and instead propose that designers get creative with styling choices and marketing tactics. 

Nicole Benefield, an assistant professor at FIT, teaches a class called Sportswear Development Concepts, in which students create a brand and its strategy from scratch. Part of the final presentation includes building a website and establishing a strong online presence. In her critique, she looks at composition, styling and presentation. "Students are thinking about what their editorial looks like," she says. "What do your style shots look like? And how will their work show up on social?"

Webber considers runway visuals in her class, Fashion Show Production. "One thing we always speak to is the 'money shot,' and that's always been a product of fashion shows in particular," she says. "When you develop a collection and want to put it into the world with a show or some type of in-person experience, there's that sense of designing to get that 'money shot' that people will look at and want to see, whether it's on Vogue Runway or social media."

While educators encourage students to embrace social media, they also warn against overexposure, given the risk of their ideas being stolen. "There's a fine line between a wonderful tease and getting people to see your process versus sharing too much," Webber says. "It's about showing just enough to engage, but still protecting your work. We're very conscientious of our students' intellectual property and really protective of it." Korovilas steers her students towards posting very close-up, detailed shots so they aren't giving away too much. 

Many students have come to accept that the risk of being copied comes with the territory of having a social presence. "Other people can try to replicate [a design] or take the idea," Bennett admits. "But I also think with design, we're constantly coming up with new ideas. So, say an idea gets taken, I still have a million more designs I'm thinking of, so you could just keep moving forward."

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For aspiring designers, the benefits, like potential job opportunities, often outweigh the risks. Today, Instagram is a visual resume in its own right. Warnke, for example, has landed job opportunities with companies like eBay and Apple thanks to her putting her work out there. Bennett, too, posts work content to get industry attention: "It can open up the door for a lot of opportunities," she says.

Looking toward the future, social media is likely to have an even bigger presence in fashion education.

"I think that [social media] should be integrated into our curriculum more," Warnke says. "It should be taught in school to learn how to block off a content calendar, learn where to pull inspiration from, know how often you need to post and learn how to read the analytics of your own Instagram. I feel like people often dismiss the importance of posting times of day and trending sounds. It sounds unimportant, but learning how to utilize these different things can really boost a designer and can lead to so many opportunities."

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It may seem fitting for fashion and beauty brands to dive further into social media to capture digitally savvy consumers, but much to Meta's dismay, the online generation actually yearns for in-person connection — and brands are getting smart about leveraging that fact. In partnership with global brand experience agency Focus, Launchmetrics released its latest report titled "The Event Renaissance," detailing the growing power of in-person activations in an increasingly digital media landscape.

Since 2019, brand events in the fashion, lifestyle and beauty spaces have increased by 54% globally and attendance has surged by 65%. We're talking after parties, trade shows, store openings, fashion shows, re-sees, collection launches, VIP dinners, press days and more. Brands are going all-in on physical touch points, which you've probably already observed from the brand activation overload at this year's Coachella. Put simply, in-person experiences are so back.

"The renaissance of the live event is a strategic response to the most pressing challenge in modern marketing — the collapse of attention — and the brands taking it seriously are pulling ahead," Launchmetrics Chief Marketing Officer Alison Bringé noted in the company's report.

As Bringé highlighted, consumers' attention spans are stretched thin, meaning brands need to cut through the noise in impactful ways to make an impression. Management consulting firm McKinsey's "The Attention Equation" study surveyed 7,000 consumers and found that audiences spend an average of 13 hours a day engaging with media, often across multiple screens at once.

So how do you grab a consumer's attention when they're simultaneously scrolling on Instagram and bingeing the latest reality show? Welcome them into your brand's universe, and allow them to escape from their phone for a moment (after capturing content of the actual event, of course). In-person experiences now generate the highest levels of consumer focus, Launchmetrics said in its report. That heightened attention also pays off for brands, as a 10% increase in focus is associated with a 17% increase in consumer spend.

That said, getting an in-person brand event right is an entirely different story. Successful activations set out to reach two core audiences: the actual attendees and those who will encounter the event through media coverage, influencer content and social posts. For example, Launchmetrics' proprietary data found that one undisclosed brand's activation at a recent fashion week outperformed its nearest competitor in media impact value (MIV) by more than 130% simply by intentionally curating its guest list. Boosting the brand's MIV didn't come down to an amplified budget, but rather the inclusion of a handful of "high-impact voices," or celebrities, influencers, media, owned media and partners.

"In our world, guest experience is brand experience," said Dominic Kaffka, Focus founder and managing director. "Every decision, whether creative, operational or strategic, must uphold that tenet. The most effective events today are doing two things at once; creating something unforgettable for the people in the room, and generating momentum that travels well beyond it."

Successful in-person activations treat the guest list as one of the biggest decisions, according to Launchmetrics. After all, whoever attends will shape the story of the event, whether they're press, influencers or even celebrities. Per the report, brands that master their guest list achieve 15% higher invitee-to-attendee rates.

As Bringé put it, "It's not the budget that separates the leaders from the rest, it's the intentionality behind their events strategy and management."

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HQ: Melbourne, Australia
Founder: Monica Upton
Social:Instagram
Category: Accessories
E-comm:us.shopvestirsi.com
Price Range: $240 - $700

Hero Product:Bella Bag ($459)
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How to get in touch: hello@shopvestirsi.com

Vestirsi was founded in 2019 by Monica Upton following a simple but persistent frustration: the inability to find a beautifully made, Italian leatherhandbag that felt both elevated and attainable. With a background in luxuryretail and public relations, Upton understood the importance of craftsmanship and design — but also recognized a gap in the market for pieces that balanced quality with accessibility. Drawing on her Italian heritage, she traveled through Italy to source skilled artisans and suppliers, ultimately creating her own solution.

Founded in Melbourne, Vestirsi was built on the idea that modern luxury should feel effortless, considered and within reach. The brand brings together traditional Italian leather craftsmanship with a relaxed Australian sensibility, resulting in timeless, versatile pieces designed for everyday life. What began as a small collection has since grown into a globally recognized handbag brand, known for its understated aesthetic, premium materials, and ability to elevate how women feel when they step out the door.

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This year's Met Gala dress code, "Fashion Is Art," left guests and designers with a lot of room for interpretation. As a result, the best looks on the red carpet were those that took advantage of that opportunity with maximum creativity and clever nods to famous artworks (and, sometimes, nipples).

Sabrina Carpenter wore a Dior dress made from actual film strips; Rihanna evoked medieval architecture in Maison Margiela; Emma Chamberlain turned heads with a long watercolor train by Mugler; Hunter Schafer embodied Gustav Klimt’s "Mäda Primavesi" in Prada; and Heidi Klum committed to the bit by transforming herself into a marble statue.

And yes, as always, some guests just wore very, very pretty dresses, and there's nothing inherently wrong with that, especially when you're Zoe Kravitz.

See all the best looks from the 2026 Met Gala below.

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