Drink more water

Jil Sander music drop, Weeknd’s $1B financing, Castore buys Belstaff, Canada Goose goes private, Armani buys nightclub, M&S resale play, and Alo’s four-bag debut.

Author

Olga Merzlyakova
September 01, 2025

I don’t usually follow celebrity news, but this I can’t miss: Taylor Swift’s engagement. Call it gossip, sure—but it’s probably the best thing that’s happened in marketing this year. I’m genuinely wondering: was it a coincidence that her fiancé Travis Kelce announced a collaboration with Abercrombie just a couple days later? Do celebrity deals now factor in personal milestones, or did Abercrombie just hit the jackpot with the most-talked-about engagement?

And here’s the micro version of the same idea—hype that actually moves behavior. Remember the Stanley Quencher (just a fancy word for a mug?) hype from a year or two ago? I rolled my eyes, too. I finally bought one this week, and—no idea how—this overhyped, overpriced, and honestly quite ugly mug actually makes me drink more water. If you’re in the same boat, try it.

Caught my eye

Jil Sander music: a collaboration between Creative Director Simone Bellotti and electronic artist Bochum Welt (who, despite the German name, is Italian) — I’ve listened to the track “Wanderlust” on repeat the last couple days, and the video is a gem, too.

Trends — what’s bubbling underneath the headlines

  • Blinding lights loans: $1B against the catalog

    Abel Tesfaye, whom we all know as The Weeknd, is in advanced talks to raise ~$1B without selling his catalog, with Lyric Capital leading a package reportedly split $500M senior debt / $250M junior debt / $250M equity, secured against portions of his publishing and master rights. If it closes, it would be one of the largest artist-level financings to date. We’ve seen plenty of “music as asset class,” (for example here and here) but this goes a step further: now music catalogs can fund growth without a sale—non-dilutive cash for creators and their holdcos.

  • M&S launches resale on eBay

    Shoppers can trade in pre-owned M&S clothing, footwear, and accessories via an online take-back/QR flow; Reskinned cleans, repairs, and lists them on the official M&S x eBay store. Sellers get a £5 voucher when at least one M&S item is listed. Smart move: with resale booming, this pulls M&S product out of Vinted/Depop and into a brand-controlled storefront—if you can’t beat it, own it.

  • Alo launches its first luxury-handbag line

    Alo is entering leather goods with Italian-made bags priced $1,200–$3,600, launching Sept 9 via pre-order and in the stores by Sept 22. The debut features four shapes: Voyage Duffle, Odyssey Bowler, Tranquility Tote, Balance Bucket in calfskin/suede, each tied to Alo’s wellness story with gemstone/“intention” hardware. It is super exciting business move - moving from leggings to high-margin leather and testing whether its Gen-Z audience will buy the athleisure lifestyle narrative for a luxury price.

Business moves, big numbers & “wait, what?”

  • Castore buys Belstaff; INEOS swaps brand for a stake.
    Castore—a British performance-sportswear label and team-kit supplier founded in 2015—will acquire 100% of Belstaffon a debt-free, cash-free basis; former owner INEOS takes an equity stake in Castore’s holdco. Belstaff lifts Castore upmarket. Belstaff plugs into Castore’s supply chain, e-com, and retail for global growth, while INEOS exits day-to-day but keeps upside via equity.

  • $1.4B take-private offers for Canada Goose

    Controlling shareholder Bain Capital (in since 2013) has received bids valuing the brand at ~$1.35–1.4B, with Goldman Sachs advising. Couple weeks ago I flagged likely interest from Asia/strategics—and that’s what’s showing up: Advent International, Boyu Capital, Bosideng, and an Anta Sports + Fountain Vest consortium. Another week, another fashion privatization. Off-market, Canada Goose can better tackle seasonality, margin pressure, and tariff/China risk without quarterly pressures.

  • Armani buys La Capannina (Forte dei Marmi’s 1929 iconic nightclub). Giorgio Armani has acquired La Capannina di Franceschi, one of the world’s oldest still-running nightclubs, with operations shifting to Armani Group from summer 2026. Terms weren’t disclosed; Italian outlets frame it as a heritage move tied to Armani’s long personal link to Versilia. This is sooo Armani: build a brand world —hotels, yachts, restaurants, beauty, EA7, home—and now a heritage nightclub.

Wish I were there - pop-ups,  collabs, etc.

Pencil in, book the ticket, or just follow on social media — choose your option and let’s discuss afterwards!

Thanks for reading! Have a great week.

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