Made It to 10 — Thanks to You!

Pilates for bros, parkas in July, Substack goes mainstream, Meta sees through your glasses and AI gets a face

Author

Olga Merzlyakova
July 14, 2025

Well, this is the 10th issue of the newsletter — and thank you for being here!
I absolutely love writing this. Every week I learn something new, get to connect the dots, and share it with you. And yes — there were a few crunch-time moments (including scheduling the post at 2:00am so it hits your inbox by 7:00).

They say only 20% of podcasts make it past episode 10. I haven’t seen the stats for newsletters, but hitting double digits feels like a small win. One we can share.

Last week I kicked off a new consulting project — and, as usual, it’s taken over everything. Life is more or less on hold for the next 10 weeks, with all my energy going into it. But I’m staying optimistic (and genuinely excited) to dive deep into the future of retail with my client. I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes takes and trend deep-dives here too — stay tuned.

And you? How’s your summer going?

Caught my eye

Trends — what’s bubbling underneath the headlines

  • Redefining masculinity

    Pinterest’s first men’s trend report shows a shift from locker-room basics to wellness and style. Pilates searches are up 125%, hair growth routines up 150%. Nearly half of Gen Z men on the platform use it for fashion inspiration, driving trends like “older brother core” (+95%) and “vintage grunge” (+50%).
    Men are just below 50% of the population — but still only ~20% of fashion spend. Maybe we are witnessing the gender gap in fashion starting to close.

  • Stacking > Broadcasting
    Substack just reached more traffic than The Wall Street Journal and CBS News. In June, the platform hit 73.9 million visits globally. But this isn’t only about media disruption. Brands are paying attention too. Tory Burch, The RealReal, and Byredo have already joined the platform—less to push products, more to build community. Substack is becoming the new town square.

  • Digital humans are getting too good

    London startup Anam closed a $9 million seed round led by Redpoint Ventures. Anam isn’t just another chatbot startup — it’s redefining how we interact with machines. With fully animated, conversational avatars, the platform has ambition to become the new face of education and customer service. In an age where people crave authenticity — even digitally — Anam’s humans might be more human than humans.

  • Luxury’s rich problem

    The BCG × Altagamma report shows a 1% decline in luxury market — and a deeper shift underneath: the aspirational shopper is disappearing. Once 74% of the market, they’re now just 61%, and many are redirecting budgets to wellness, tech, secondhand, and… savings! Brands are doubling down on the ultra-rich — a 0.1% of clients now drive 23% of spending. The tradeoff is: higher margins, but lower volumes, which will inevitably result in lower traffic, and fading buzz. Will luxury still be luxury if the masses won’t want it anymore?

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

  • Who’s ready to buy a parka brand in a warming world? Bain Capital bought Canada Goose back in 2013 when the brand was worth about US $250 m and generating C$200 m in revenue. They IPO’d it in 2017 at roughly US $1.8b, and sales have since climbed past C$1.35 b. Now Bain Capital is looking to sell its stake. I think the asset is very attractive — and wouldn’t be surprised to see interest from Asian groups or strategic fashion players.

  • Heron Preston bought back his brand. Heron Preston has re-acquired full ownership of his label from New Guards Group, ending what he called a “very difficult business relationship.” He’s not alone — Off‑White, Palm Angels, and Ambush have all reclaimed direction after launching under NGG. The incubator once looked like the future of fashion. But today, creative control seems more valuable than a licensing playbook.

  • Meta invested $3.5 billion into EssilorLuxottica, owner of Ray-Ban and Oakley. Unlike clunky tech like Google Glass or Apple Vision Pro, Meta is betting on smart glasses that look like… regular glasses. Lower price, better design, and hands-free access to AI. What I find interesting is that EssilorLuxottica doesn’t just own eyewear brands — it licenses dozens more, from Prada to Burberry. If the tech works, it could scale fast — and show up across every luxury brand’s eyewear line.

  • Shein files (quietly) for Hong Kong IPO. The ultra-fast fashion company has confidentially filed to go public in Hong Kong — after it wasn’t able to get the green light from regulators in London. And in this context, we’re learned that IPO venues aren’t purely financial choices but geopolitical leverage. What Shein does now, others will follow. Expect more companies to file in multiple markets to negotiate better terms, avoid regulatory scrutiny, and optimize valuation.

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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