Summer is over, and the last week of August still carries that “end of days” feeling for me. Where I grew up, September 1st marked the official start of school—fun over, reality back. These days, though, I see September differently: it’s fashion’s most important month. And this year feels bigger than ever. A wave of designer debuts, and—most intriguingly—the question of whether creativity can really push back against the macroeconomic headwinds weighing on the industry.

That tension—between artistry and economics, between imagination and market realities—is exactly what I’ll be watching this season—and what I’ll be writing about here.

Caught my eye

Gabrielle Chanel’s villa on the French Riviera has been restored to exactly the way she left it.

Trends — what’s bubbling underneath the headlines

• $160 Louis Vuitton lipstick

  In a soft economy, launching cosmetics is smart: beauty is the classic entry point that seeds early-brand aspiration with younger customers. But at $160, this isn’t the lipstick effect — affordable indulgence isn’t affordable anymore. When Hermès rolled out its $80 lipstick a few years ago, the category already felt stretched, now Louis Vuitton doubled that. Net: great funnel play, but quite risky pricepoint for mass trial.

• Pinterest’s autumn report: thrifted, deco, dotted. 

  The Fall 2025 trends skew vintage and sustainable: Gen Z is driving a shift from fast furniture/fashion to second-hand and “vintage prep,” with big spikes in searches like “dream thrift finds” (+550%) and cubicle makeovers (+2,700%); Art Deco and polka dots also resurface.

• Jewelry goes full sports mode.

  Fashion’s move into sports is well-trodden; for jewelry it’s even more logical. Two growth levers: (1) In-play visibility = free media. Some sports allow jewelry on the field/court, so pieces get real game-time exposure —e.g., Van Cleef Alhambra showing up in MLB and on tennis courts. (2) WAG effect = credibility + reach. Partners and spouses carry outsized pull with fans—e.g., Wove’s bracelet went viral after the Travis Kelce → Taylor Swift moment, triggering a reported ~2,000% sales jump.

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

• $1.4B take-private. Guess will go private at $16.75/share (≈26% premium), with Authentic Brands Group acquiring 51% of the brand IP. The Marciano family and CEO Carlos Alberini will retain the operating company—running day-to-day retail/wholesale—and license the brand from the new IP entity. I noticed, that more fashion names have exited public markets than entered lately—Farfetch, Superdry, Skechers—as investors punish sector volatility. The licensing playbook isn’t new, but I think it’s back in favor: split IP from ops, monetize via licensing, and run the business asset-light.

• $2.7B take-private. Soho House also leaves Wall Street. MCR Hotels (the owner of the High Line Hotel) will buy Soho House for $9/share (≈17.8% premium), valuing it at about $2.7B including debt. After a bumpy run post-2021 IPO, the business has ~214k members across 46 houses and has wrestled with crowding and uneven service. Expect a pivot from growth-at-all-costs to unit-economics and experience quality now that quarterly optics no longer drive decisions.

• $260M debt-for-equity. Rent the Runway cedes control to PE. RTR will hand majority control to Aranda Principal Strategies, Story3 Capital, and Nexus Capital via a recap that converts >$240M of debt to equity at $9.23/share and adds $20M of new cash—reducing leverage, trimming interest, and extending maturities.Survival > growth. Expect tighter buys & smaller assortments, more consignment/RevShare with brands, and ruthless cost cuts across cleaning, logistics, and warehousing.

• Canva hits $42B via employee share tender. This wasn’t a new funding round; it was a secondarysale where employees/early holders sold existing, vested shares to outside investors (e.g., Fidelity, JPMAM) at a set price implying a $42B valuation (up from $32B last year). Because it’s secondary, cash goes to sellers, not Canva (no dilution, unless a small primary slice was included). After Figma’s IPO, Canva looks next—proof that design/human creativity are ascendant, and the market is pricing up the platforms that enable them.

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!

• Until 01.09.25 | Paris - Amouage installation Galeries Lafayette

• Until 23.11.25 | London - Bar 45 Pahodon’s Exhibition

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