I'm writing this on the way back from a founders summit. 10,000 attendees — some building companies, most selling something to people building companies. One person called it "founders cosplay," which felt about right.

I'm not a fan of Steven Bartlett — I barely know who he is. And I'm generally skeptical of motivational Tony Robbins-style speeches. But I liked his.

His point: strategies and tactics have a shelf life. Principles don't. And the principle that matters most for business success? Failing — fast, and as often as possible. Building dedicated teams for testing, experimentation, and failure. The successful person isn't the one who got it right — it's the one who tried, and failed, more than everyone else. It's a numbers game in the end.

Caught my eye

Schiaparelli dress from their spring 2024 collection blending artistry and technology

Trends — what’s bubbling underneath the headlines

• The most mispriced trend in fashion: AI. 

  AI is already showing up in the numbers. UBS analyst Jay Sole found that sales per employee in fashion rose to $272,000 for 2021–2025, up from $222,000 in 2017–2019. More output per person — and that should ultimately translate into profits. The logic is simple: more revenue, fewer hires, better margins.

  Sole's argument: AI isn't a future story. It's already reshaping operations — inventory, demand forecasting, personalization. But "investors' attention seems occupied by events in Iran”. His view: AI is "an important reason to own softline stocks"— and the market hasn't priced it in yet.

• Men are the new women.

  Zara opened a men's-only store. It's a pop-up — 2,150 square feet, open through June — but it's part of a bigger pattern. This is not Zara's first men's-only location. The company says menswear is experiencing "strong demand”

  And here's the thing: this isn't just Zara. Across fashion, beauty, and grooming, brands are finally treating men as a primary consumer — not as a plus-one of a central female character.

  The numbers back it up. Men's beauty spending grew 9.9% in 2024, nearly double the rate of women's (5.8%), according to Barclays. And men still hold most of the wealth.

  The approach is changing. Dedicated stores. Dedicated product lines. Dedicated marketing. The male consumer is finally getting his own front door.

• Meta is coming for the "link in bio" business. Meta announced that creators on Instagram and Facebook can now embed affiliate shopping links directly into Reels. This is Meta's answer to TikTok Shop. For brands, this is another push toward creator-led distribution. Over half of shoppers say influencers shape their purchase decisions. Meta is betting the best path from discovery to purchase runs through content, not ads. And it wants to own the whole funnel.

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

• A quiet exit and a loud balance sheet problem. Stefano Gabbana quietly resigned as chairman of Dolce & Gabbana back in December. The news only surfaced this week. Founders of popular 80s–90s brands are retiring — that's natural. But the context tells a different story. D&G's lenders are pushing for up to €150M in fresh capital as part of a broader refinancing of €450M in debt. Revenue for the year to March was €1.9B — with a net loss of €143M. The company is exploring real estate sales and licence renewals to raise funds.

  When the founder of one of Italy's most iconic fashion houses is stepping away from the business while the company negotiates with creditors. This looks more like restructuring than retirement.

• When consumers trade down, Vinted scales up. Vinted hit €1.1 billion in revenue in 2025 — up 38% year-over-year. GMV reached €10.8 billion, up 47%. The company became the leading clothing retailer in France, with higher sales volumes than Amazon. "What we do know is that Vinted is a very useful tool if people have less money and things become more expensive," according to CEO.

  The company is reportedly exploring a secondary share sale at an €8 billion valuation — but an IPO isn't in the short-term plans. For now, they're building the rails: 500,000 pickup points across Europe, their own logistics arm, their own payments wallet. This is the Amazon playbook — own the infrastructure, then own the market. Second-hand becoming first choice.

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!

• Ongoing | London - Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Style exhibition

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