Since its founding 50 years ago, Moon Boot has built a legacy around its signature oversized boot — so much so that the shoe was included in a Louvre exhibition as a symbol of twentieth century design.

But when Mirko Massignan took over as general manager in January 2021, that legacy wasn’t propelling the brand forward: Moon Boot may have an iconic hero product, but its creative vision had stagnated.

“It was completely disconnected to what was happening in the world,” said Massignan. “The imagery was the super polished, beautiful girl in a shallow setting — so overused and not relevant today.”

Massignan set out to overhaul the image of the brand, starting a new marketing department led by head of marketing Allegra Benini, who nixed the “super polished” ski girl motif and replaced it with a number of campaigns featuring the Moon Boot styled with streetwear and shown in unexpected locations, such as a backyard pool in Los Angeles or on the streets of London. When it’s done the “beautiful girl” approach, it’s upped the star factor, enlisting famous faces like Kim Kardashian and Gigi Hadid.

So far, the formula is working. Sales are up fivefold since 2020, and the brand has won over new celebrity fans including Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber and K-pop sensation NewJeans.

The timing of its revival was astute: Just as Moon Boot was plotting its comeback, the “ugly” shoe trend had just reached the mainstream, with brands like Crocs and Hoka at the forefront. Emerging out of the pandemic, consumers were more interested in comfort than ever, and Moon Boot fit the bill. Nostalgia for all things Y2K helped, too.

But its growth wouldn’t have been possible without a recalibration, and venturing out of the après-ski category. In addition to the new campaigns, Massignan and his team pursued collaborations with brands such as streetwear label Palm Angels and sneakerhead-favourite website Highsnobiety, positioning Moon Boot as a fashion label while retaining the fun, light-hearted feeling of its core product.

“It’s just very much a moment of time, where actually they can capitalise on this much more playful approach,” said Matthew Attard Navarro, the creative director and founder of fashion-focussed creative agency ANCC Studio. “But they’re also able to really break the boundaries between what is playful and affordable and equally accessible.”

Beyond the Slopes

Moon Boot was founded in the 1960s by artist and designer Giancarlo Zanatta, whose footwear holding company Tecnica Group now includes Nordica and Lowa. The chubby snow boot emerged as an icon of mid-century fashion design, worn by wealthy skiers in Gstaad and stars like Paul McCartney in the 1970s. The iconic shoe is recognised in not only the Louvre but also the Museum of Modern Art in New York’s permanent collection.

By the time Massignan took over, its cultural relevance had waned. A resurgence in aughts was not enough to recover the brand, which had been slowly siloed into the ski category, sold in sportswear retailers. But Massignan and the rest of the team felt there was an opportunity for the brand to thrive in a fashion environment, particularly given that its eye-catching shape feels fit for social media.

“It’s kind of a surreal object because of the size and you need to be self-confident in order to to wear it, because it’s super visible,” said Massignan. “We define the community as … individuals that aren’t afraid of the spotlight.”

Like its marketing, the product itself also needed a refresh, particularly to recapture the male consumer. The brand made a Moon Boot without its signature laces, for wearers who wanted a shoe that would slip on more easily. A rain boot and sneaker boot — both in varying heights — were designed to appeal to urban-dwelling customers. Today, the brand offers 37 unisex styles, and 12 styles for women, men and kids, respectively.

Though it rolled out new variations of its core offering, the distinct, over-the-top silhouette remained the same, and in promoting this hero product, the brand leaned into the surreal, playful nature of the physical Moon Boot. This time, they wanted to adapt that approach for a more modern audience.

“The cultural relevance was something we’ve been discussing since moment one, it’s a product with such a big history,” said Benini. “We don’t want to change the heritage of the brand and lose the consumer that we already have, but we need to understand the consumer of the future and make it a bit more relevant for them.”

It ran campaigns featuring athletes in unconventional sports, such as the world championship-winning downhill skating team in 2021. Its Fall/Winter 2022 campaign, Icons of LA, captured real Angelenos, dressed in their actual clothes, wearing Moon Boots, in cheeky settings: a surfer sitting in a pool, wearing cargo pants and Moon Boots, reading a vintage newspaper with a front page that covered the first moon landing. The Fall/Winter 2023 campaign, “School of Life,” put Moon Boots at the centre of a cartoonish mock-up of high school students, complete with a kissing booth.

The only campaign that features Moon Boot in proximity to skiing is the Fall/Winter 2023 campaign “Snowchasers,” which shows wearers in their Moon Boots and carrying skis, but walking on the sidewalk in London, rather than on the slopes.

“We didn’t want to be too specific with fashion trends,” Benini said of the brand’s approach to its campaign strategy. “The easiest way to show the boot out of context, but to still be credible within that new context, was to dress up individuals with a super strong personality,”

But alongside those campaigns, it also rolled out other marketing materials that elevated the brand’s fashion credentials, like those starring Hadid and Kardashian, as well as a slew of collaborations. A tie-up with Netflix’s “Stranger Things” served as a nod to the brand’s heritage and popularity during the 1980s; other collaborations include Gucci Vault, the brand’s metaverse and digital fashion arm, and fellow Italian outerwear brand Moncler.

Next up, it wants to create summer-ready offerings with its first spring/summer collection in 2024, so it “can extend the brand’s shelf life,” according to Massignan, and boost sales outside of its top-performing window of November to January. The company also plans to expand in markets such as Japan and South Korea.

The challenge is to avoid falling prey to becoming a trend, as Moon Boots has in the aughts.

“We were the perfect brand for Y2K, but we don’t want to be too associated with a trend because there is a risk of becoming a fad,” Massignan said. “And when that trend is over, the brand could be over.”

Alo Yoga wants to be fashion’s next multi-billion dollar behemoth.

At least, according to a Reuters report this week, which claimed that the Los Angeles-based athleisure brand is “exploring a potential investment” that could value the company at as much as $10 billion. A spokesperson for Alo Yoga declined to comment.

Of the athleisure upstarts that are vying for pieces of the ever-growing sportswear market, Alo has managed to distinguish itself with its fashion-forward, celebrity-loved (Kendall Jenner, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift are fans) approach to the category. Still, a $10 billion valuation is one-fifth of the market capitalisation of Lululemon, the category leader, with over 650 stores worldwide compared to Alo’s 40-plus.

Whether Alo actually nabs such a high valuation remains to be seen. As last month’s Birkenstock IPO proved, the gap between a company’s perception of its worth and the market’s can be quite large. But it’s undeniable that, nearly two years after the direct-to-consumer bubble started leaking air, money is flowing into fashion and beauty brands again.

Skims, the Kim Kardashian-founded intimates and basics brand, raised $270 million in July at a $4 billion valuation. While Birkenstock’s IPO was considered a disappointment, its $8.6 billion market capitalisation after its first day of trading represented a substantial increase over what L Catterton paid for it two years earlier. In November 2022, ultra-luxe skin care brand Augustinus Bader was valued at $1 billion.

Those big-ticket valuations on the surface feel reminiscent of another era of fashion start-ups, the 2010s, a period that brought forth a slew of frothy valuations. Fashion and beauty companies like Allbirds, The RealReal and Rent the Runway raised hundreds of millions of dollars, reached unicorn valuations ($1 billion) without turning a profit.

Fast forward to today, and the risks of investing on the sizzle — the idea — rather than the steak — the financials — have been laid bare. Rent the Runway, once a unicorn, today has a market capitalisation of just over $33 million. While The RealReal initially saw its share price surge just after going public in 2019, its stock price has fallen by over 95 percent since then. Allbirds’ market capitalisation is over $137 million, with a stock price that’s fallen over 96 percent since its IPO.

Those sorts of trajectories, coupled with increasingly uncertain circumstances in the wider macroeconomic environment, have made for a more conservative investment landscape. Venture capital firms today are prioritising profitability above all else when it comes to choosing their next portfolio companies. Many start-ups are having trouble finding funding at all — look at Gen-Z favourite intimates brand Parade, which sold to little-known strategic Ariela & Associates International in August.

Companies like Alo Yoga and Skims that get attention from investors today have the sizzle and the steak. Both operate in sectors for which demand is either constant (underwear and other basics, in the case of Skims) or growing (Alo’s athleisure has been on a steady incline for the past decade and was further buoyed by the casualisation of the pandemic).

“These are more stable products, and people are willing to bet on a brand that has heritage and is utilitarian,” said Gary Wassner, founder and chief executive of consultancy Hilldun Corporation.

Patience is also a virtue. Alo Yoga was founded 16 years ago, well before most of the DTC brands that staged IPOs in the last few years. They’ve proven their products can hold consumer interest through trend cycles (Birkenstock has an even longer track record, dating its origins to 1774). Contrast that with Allbirds, which was founded in 2015, nabbed a $1 billion valuation in 2018 and went public in 2021, just in time for its minimalist sneakers to fall out of fashion.

In a conservative environment, there’s an opportunity to nab a big valuation if there’s a solid, dependable business behind it – with one notable exception of course.

“Unless your surname is Kardashian, these are decade-long, sometimes multi-decade, journeys, it really is a marathon,” said Daniel Gulati, founding partner at the venture capital firm Forecast Fund. “If people are willing to build their businesses from the ground up and make quality decisions day in, day out, over the long-term, things should work out.”

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

FASHION, BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Report: UK’s Asos is exploring the sale of Topshop. Asos bought the Topshop brand in 2021 from the administrators of Philip Green’s collapsed Arcadia group, along with its Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands for £265 million ($321 million).

Prada reports third quarter retail sales up 10 percent. Sales in North America were broadly stable, falling 1 percent in a market where rising interest rates and slower economic growth have provoked steep declines among some rivals.

Hugo Boss sees strong sales despite slowing consumer demand. The fashion maker has weathered the drop in European consumer sentiment so far, benefiting from luxury customers trading down to its refined casualwear.

Selfridges owner to give up control of €23 billion empire. Shareholders called on Signa Holding GmbH founder Rene Benko to cede his role as chairman of Signa’s advisory board and to give up his voting rights to German insolvency expert Arndt Geiwitz. The move is contingent on shareholders agreeing to fund the conglomerate’s turnaround.

VF Corp. withdraws its annual forecast due to slowing demand. Shares were down 4 percent in extended trading after VF Corp. also reported a lower-than-expected second-quarter profit.

Canada Goose cuts sales forecast on rocky China recovery. The Toronto, Ontario-based company expects fiscal 2024 revenue to be between C$1.20 billion ($864.30 million) and C$1.40 billion, compared with its previous forecast of C$1.40 billion to C$1.50 billion.

Matchesfashion saw a slight revenue drop in 2022. The company attributed the decline to external factors including Brexit-related logistical challenges, rising interest rates and declining consumer spending.

Asos expects sales to slump to continue as it is hit by near £300 million ($370 million) loss. Analysts have expressed fears that the online fashion site will need to raise new cash — potentially through the sale of its Topshop brand — with net debt including leases now at £648.5 million ($800 million), up from £533 million a year before.

Amazon punished its own sellers to limit Walmart’s reach, according to the FTC. Walmart’s 2016 acquisition of Jet.com reportedly triggered fears at Amazon that Jet.com would be able to offer shoppers lower prices online. This kick-started Amazon’s strategy of removing sellers’ offers from the Buy Box if shoppers could find the same products at lower prices on Jet.com.

Next raises guidance on strong third quarter sales. Full-price sales rose 4 percent from August through October, £23 million ahead of its previous expectations.

Zalando cuts its 2023 sales forecast as demand stays weak. Zalando now expects 2023 revenue to fall between 0.5 percent and 3 percent, having previously guided to a 1 percent decline at worst and a 4 percent gain at best.

Shein buys Missguided brand from Britain’s Frasers. Shein will acquire the intellectual property and trademarks of Missguided, while Frasers will retain its real estate and employees which have now been integrated into Frasers’ fashion division.

Bangladesh wage protests turn deadly. Tens of thousands of garment workers clashed with police this week amid protests over low wages that have left factories damaged and at least two dead.

Skims unveils partnerships with Swarovski and the NBA. The NBA tie-up will come to life in NBA marquee events while the new collection with Swarovski will include crystal-embellished Skims staples, like mesh dresses and bodysuits.

THE BUSINESS OF BEAUTY

Estée Lauder lowers outlook on China weakness and Israel-Hamas war risk. Net sales in the most recent quarter fell 10 percent. The company has been floundering in its crucial travel retail business in Asia due to weaker-than-expected demand.

Reliance Retail to take over Sephora India. As part of the partnership with LVMH-owned Sephora, Reliance Retail will take over the operations of Sephora’s 26 stores from Arvind Fashions Limited, and begin work to expand Sephora’s presence in the country.

E.l.f. Beauty raises outlook after sales surged 76 percent last quarter. The company also saw strength in skin care, where sales more than doubled from a year ago. E.l.f. acquired Naturium, a skin care brand founded by influencer Susan Yara, in October and remains open to future acquisitions, Tarang Amin said.

True Beauty Ventures and Unilever Ventures bet on fragrance. The companies have announced a minority investment in clean fragrance brand The 7 Virtues, the first time either venture capital firm has made a fragrance investment..

Aurelius Group is in talks to buy the Body Shop, according to a Reuters report. If completed, the deal is expected to value the Body Shop at a lower price than the £400 million to £500 million suggested in some reports.

PEOPLE

Ivan Bart, IMG Models president who pushed for diversity, has died. Over a decades-long career, Bart helped steer the careers of some of fashion’s most famous faces. Under his oversight, IMG represented models including Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Hari Nef and Ashley Graham.

British Fashion Council announced its ‘New Wave: Creatives’ Class for 2023. The annual list, which highlights 50 of “the most innovative and inspiring young creative talents” across the fashion industry, includes British makeup artist Alice Dodds and Ghanaian visual artist Sarfo Emmanuel.

Blumarine appoints Walter Chiapponi as creative director. The former Tod’s creative director will oversee the design team and replaces Nicola Brognano, who had held the top creative role at the Italian brand since 2020.

Milan Djacic will lead Vogue Adria. The Belgrade-based media leader will be the first editor-in-chief of the Croatian, Serbian and Slovenian edition of Vogue magazine.

Sarah Burton and Jonathan Anderson are among nominees for BFC Designer of the Year Award. The British Fashion Council also announced the shortlist for its BFC Foundation Award, which recognises a designer who has a major impact on global fashion. The winners will be named at The Fashion Awards on Dec. 4.

MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

Condé Nast is set to lay off 5 percent of its workforce. The publisher of titles like Vogue and Vanity Fair announced in a note sent to employees that it would lay off around 270 employees, primarily in its video division following a restructuring.

UK, US, EU and China sign declaration of AI’s ‘catastrophic’ danger. Twenty-eight governments signed up to the “Bletchley declaration” on the first day of the British government’s AI safety summit. So far, however, there is little international agreement over what a global set of AI regulations might look like.

Alibaba banks on aggressive singles day pricing to recoup sales. Brands were told to offer the best price of the year on Tmall or Taobao for the blockbuster shopping event, or risk losing the traffic and support given to event participants.

PR firm Science Magic shuts down. The company has gone into voluntary liquidation and has terminated its staff effective immediately. The company once represented clients such as Versace, Canada Goose and Max Mara.

Compiled by Yola Mzizi.

According to this week’s headlines, the United States might be on the precipice of financial disaster.

President Joe Biden and Republican congressional leaders are locked in negotiations that would trade spending cuts for an agreement to raise the limit on how much the US government can borrow. Both sides say they’re close to a deal. But Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the government will default on some debt payments if a resolution isn’t reached by June 1. While there’s a chance that the deadline could be pushed out by days or even weeks, all agree a federal default would have grave consequences not just for the US, but the entire global economy.

Meanwhile, a healthy portion of US consumers seem to be spending like there’s no tomorrow.

Also this week, a slew of major retailers reported surging first-quarter sales. Many took the opportunity to raise their outlook for the remainder of 2023. VF Corp., the owner of brands like Supreme, Vans and The North Face, also beat expectations, sending its stock up. So did Ralph Lauren, Urban Outfitters and E.l.f. Beauty. Even Kohl’s, a struggling department store chain, reported a surprise profit.

These gravity-defying earnings reflect an economy that has slowed from its immediate post-pandemic boom under the weight of high inflation and rising interest rates, but remains resilient. Unemployment is still low, and consumers with jobs and some savings are eager to spend, especially on brands like Abercrombie and E.l.f. that are stocking the right merchandise. People aren’t shopping indiscriminately: slumping retailers Express and Gap both reported declining sales this week (though the latter did post a surprise profit).

“Brands and new product seem to be resonating, coming off a year with a dearth in newness, and despite what we believe is a relatively stretched consumer,” wrote Dylan Carden, an analyst with William Blair, in a research note on Abercrombie’s results.

Strong results at mass retailers may be coming at the expense of luxury brands. Labels like Louis Vuitton, Armani and Chanel, which saw stunning growth in the US over the last couple years, now say they’re seeing a slowdown. On Thursday, Armani saw sales in the US increase by 10 percent in the first quarter, compared to 22 percent in Europe and 14 percent in Asia. Chanel began to see demand soften in November, chief financial officer Philippe Blondiaux told BoF. Last month, LVMH reported that its American demand had simmered down, with a first quarter sales increase of just 8 percent.

The discrepancy is partly down to tough comparisons: it’s hard for any brand to grow sales by 20 percent year after year, while mall chains were much slower to recover from the 2020 lockdowns. But the signs of economic strain are also probably playing a role. When times are tough, shoppers often switch from big splurges to little indulgences — E.l.f. instead of Estée Lauder, or Abercrombie instead of Armani. LVMH finance chief Jean-Jacques Guiony, noted that the conglomerate’s first-quarter US sales increase was primarily driven by strong performance at Sephora as younger shoppers’ spending on luxury goods waned.

What comes next? The US may still be headed for recession, even if it’s taking longer to arrive than expected. Cowen, an investment bank, said retail foot traffic is growing at its slowest pace since February 2021.

The rest of the world isn’t much better off; the UK economy is seeing sluggish growth, and Germany entered a recession this week. China is a major exception, as many brands are hoping post-lockdown shopping there will make up for any shortfalls in the West.

Of course, if negotiations break down in Washington, all bets are off. The US has never defaulted on its debt. We’ll be in unknown territory if the government is unable to pay its bills next month.

And even the brands that are seeing positive results now are bracing for a possible reversal of fortune.

“We’ve become incrementally more cautious in the near term,” Ralph Lauren CEO Patrice Louvet told Bloomberg on Thursday. “It will likely get choppier.”

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

FASHION, BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Luxury stocks lose $30 billion in one day on demand fears. A blistering rally in luxury goods stocks this year powered by international demand, particularly from China, has taken a hit, wiping out more than $30 billion from the sector on Tuesday.

VF Corp. beats quarterly profit estimates on North Face demand. The company has been lifting prices of its apparel and footwear to protect its profit margins from higher supply and distribution costs. However, air freight and ocean rates declined during the quarter in a boost to its bottom line.

Armani sales up as Asia rebounds. Italy’s Armani Group said on Thursday its sales jumped 18 percent in the first quarter thanks to a rebound in Asia and more modest growth in the United States, where a slowdown is expected in the coming months.

Ralph Lauren results top estimates. Ralph Lauren Corp. beat profit estimates and reported a surprise rise in fourth-quarter revenue on Thursday as its new seasonal collections resonated with affluent shoppers at a time when luxury spending has cooled in the United States.

Express, Inc. completes acquisition of Bonobos, posts 15 percent sales dip. Express, Inc. completed its joint acquisition of the menswear brand Bonobos in partnership with WHP Global for a combined purchase price of $75 million, the company announced Wednesday.

Abercrombie & Fitch raises 2023 sales forecast. Abercrombie & Fitch Inc on Wednesday reported a surprise quarterly profit and raised its annual sales forecast, as the apparel retailer bets on its efforts to stock shelves with in-demand products, sending its shares up 18 percent.

Inditex CEO optimistic about 2023. Zara owner Inditex has started the year at “full throttle”, its chief executive Oscar Garcia Maceiras told Expansion newspaper in an interview released on Tuesday, adding that he is optimistic about the year.

Kohl’s rises on profit beat as CEO’s fixes start to pay off. Kohl’s Corp. shares soared after it reported a surprise profit and reduced its stockpile of merchandise in the first quarter — early signs that the new chief executive officer is bolstering performance.

Chanel and Brunello Cucinelli to take a stake in Italian yarn manufacturer. Chanel and Brunello Cucinelli on Tuesday signed a joint agreement to take 24.5 percent stakes in Italian cashmere and wool manufacturer Cariaggi Lanificio. The Cariaggi family will remain in control of 51 percent of shares.

H&M and Kering are among companies piloting science-based targets for nature. The move to address businesses’ impact on nature is part of a new frontier of corporate environmental reporting.

EU countries back ban on the destruction of unsold textiles. The governments and the European Parliament need to agree on the Ecodesign Regulation before it can enter law. Under the initial March 2022 proposal by the European Commission, the Commission itself was supposed to determine whether to put destruction bans in place.

Report: Japan’s Uniqlo to exit Russia. Japanese brand Uniqlo has decided to leave Russia permanently, opening the path for a sale of the business, said Russia’s deputy trade minister according to the daily Izvestia. Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing suspended the clothing brand’s operations in Russia in March 2022 after Moscow launched its attack on Ukraine.

Shein expands fast-fashion empire in Brazil and Mexico. Fast-fashion giant Shein is rapidly ramping up manufacturing in Brazil, with 100 factories already producing for the online retailer since it announced plans to invest $148 million in the region a month ago. The company is also exploring plans to build a factory in Mexico as one of its manufacturing hubs outside China, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

THE BUSINESS OF BEAUTY

E.l.f. reports a 48 percent increase in net sales for the fiscal year 2023. The company raised its 2024 forecast and expects sales between $705 million and $720 million.

PEOPLE

Audemars Piguet names Ilaria Resta as new CEO. The world’s second-biggest independent watch brand has named a veteran perfume and consumer goods executive to lead its next chapter.

MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

TikTok sues Montana after state move to ban app. TikTok Inc on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the state of Montana’s new ban on the use of the Chinese-owned short-video app.

Together Group acquires production company North Six. The production company, which was caught up in Balenciaga’s recent controversy, has won acclaim for its work on luxury campaigns over the last two decades. Now, it joins a growing portfolio of PR and creative agencies that includes Purple and King & Partners.

Compiled by Sarah Elson.

Sundae School is aiming high.

The brand, which is known for its cannabis-inflected apparel — dubbed “smokewear” — and most recently, its cannabis products like edibles and pre-rolled joints, on Thursday – 4/20 – held its first fashion show, in New York.

Hosted in the upstairs level of Sundae School’s Soho store, which is called The House of Cannabis, models paraded down the runway in clothes that paid homage to the city they were being shown in. Looks included a cropped version of an FDNY jacket, garments featuring maps of the New York subway, an ensemble centred around a hot dog (a New York street cart delicacy), and a collage of t-shirts with a New York knicks jersey even at the centre. One model even wore a teal-coloured ensemble carrying a torch with a multi-pronged crown on her head, a nod to the Statue of Liberty.

There were, of course, plenty of cannabis references — it was 4/20, after all. Throughout the show, puffs of smoke rose overhead, and the pungent smell of cannabis swirled in the air. One model wore a translucent bikini filled with flower, another a clear skirt covered in pockets for Sundae School’s mochi edibles. For the closing look, a model wore a voluptuous black ballgown, paired with a black graduation cap and a purple stole embroidered with the words “Sundae School.” As she reached the end of the runway, she pulled a joint and a lighter out of her pocket, lit the joint and took a hit before walking off.

But amid those winks to New York and cannabis were plenty of fashion-forward moments: A multi-tiered tulle skirt in light blue, a metallic corset worn over a slouched Oxford shirt, a brown, fluffy puffer jacket (a coming arrival to the brand’s collection of outerwear), suits with Korean-inspired details in a fusion of leather and wool and more.

It was something of an expansion for a brand that is best known for its fleece jackets, which come in a variety of bold prints and colours and have been spotted on a slew of celebrities, including Kaia Gerber, Pete Davidson and Jacob Elordi. Now, Dae Lim, Sundae School’s founder, creative director and principal, says that the brand wants consumers to come to them for more than sweats and fleeces. It’s also grown its focus when it comes to cannabis products: It now sells its mochi gummy edibles in 250 stores across California.

Sundae School is perhaps the most visible brand in fashion that’s hitched itself to cannabis’ wagon. Weed merch, as it’s often called, is a space that has grown in size and popularity as the legalisation of cannabis has spread across the globe. There’s the true merch labels like Mister Green and Cookies, which sell graphic tees, hoodies, hats and more featuring weed references and images. Then there’s fashion-first companies like accessories label Edie Parker, which rolled out a Cannabis-focussed sub-label, Edie Parker Flower, in 2019, which sells items like pipes shaped like a balloon, a leather clutch with a built-in lighter, pre-rolls and rolling papers.

Sundae School, however, wants to bridge the gap between the two — be a full-fledged fashion brand that has cannabis as well as Korean culture, at the centre.

“They really are thoughtful about building out a brand world for the type of people who want to buy and wear their clothes,” said Verena von Pfetten, the co-founder of cannabis-centric publication Gossamer.

From Smokewear to Streetwear

The idea for Sundae School first came to Lim while at home in Seoul, South Korea, in 2017, then working as a management consultant. The name is a nod to Lim’s strict Christian upbringing, and the brand tries to be subversive with religious texts. The theme of its show, for example, was “Let There Be Light,” and even the name “Sundae School” is a reference to religious education.

“We want to play with the gravity and the levity that cannabis brings in our minds,” said Lim.

From the start, the common thread in all of Sundae School’s garments was comfort, clothes that someone could wear when they were high, loose enough to accommodate the “munchies.” It started with sweats, and most notably, its fleeces, which became a viral hit. Today, Lim said, the fleeces still make up over 50 percent of its revenue in the fall and winter.

The brand mostly remained in that space in part because “we were so limited in what we could do,” Lim said. The design team was small, and Lim himself didn’t have a technical fashion background.

In 2021, it launched actual cannabis products — a natural next step for the brand, though a space that was harder to break into, for both regulatory requirements and the fact that despite the history as a cannabis-adjacent brand, many in the industry didn’t take them seriously, said Lim. But time in the space, he said, has helped build their credentials. Selling actual cannabis products, too, helped further legitimise its cannabis-inspired clothing.

Now, it’s turning its attention to building a capital-F fashion brand. It hired Jonathan Lee as design director in 2022, with the aim to broaden what the brand was able to create in apparel. That led to the creation of garments like matching sets with floral-sequin appliques, or cargo pants with a waist tie inspired by Hanbok, a traditional Korean garment, or a leather jacket with cinching at the chest, another nod to Korean fashion.

Keeping Korean culture at the centre of the brand is another priority, almost as deeply rooted in Sundae School’s ethos as cannabis is. The goal with an expanded cannabis and clothing assortment (it’s launching vapes later this year) events like last night’s show is to bring fans further into the brand’s world.

“We’re able to make more of these innovative pieces that have a taste of our Korean American culture,” said Lim. “The next step is how to view it all together and tell a holistic story.”

The Cannabis Clothing Category

Sundae School’s own trajectory mirrors what’s happening at the intersection of cannabis and fashion at large. For cannabis brands, fashion has been a way to expand their assortment that’s relatively simple compared to the minefield of cannabis regulations.

“In cannabis specifically, it’s a business that cannot sell a product outside of a specific state or outside of specific stores within that specific state,” said von Pfetten. “Merch, clothing, collaborations are all a way for that brand to have a far bigger reach.”

But even though regulations remain complicated, the changes that have occurred so far — plus growing cultural acceptance — has meant that for fashion brands, cannabis is a newly-opened avenue to connect with consumers.

Von Pfetten, however, warns that brands hopping on board the cannabis train should be wary of feeling too much like a gimmick. For consumers to buy in, it has to feel true to the brand’s overall vision. She pointed to Seth Rogen’s House Plants brand, which sells cannabis-inspired homewares, as another example of a brand that’s successfully tapped into the market, because of the actor’s long-standing stoner reputation.

“When someone just throws a leaf on something or a designer does it for a single collection, and it ends up just feeling very like one off,” she said.

She added that the relatively slow uptake of cannabis legalisation has meant that some consumers have already tired of the trend. Von Pfetten said she’s already seeing some brands start to experiment with the next frontier of sorts, psychedelics.

When Loops, a face mask-focussed skin care brand, first launched at the end of 2020, it exclusively sold through its direct-to-consumer channels. After all, the pandemic was raging and in-store shopping was, if not closed entirely, still severely limited.

But after a year, when stores started operating without restriction again, Meg Bedford, Loops’ CEO, gave wholesale opportunities another look.

“We always intended to be an omnichannel brand,” she said. “We know that’s how the beauty shopper shops.”

By the end of 2021, the brand had launched in Ulta Beauty online, and spent much of the next year racking up a list of retail partners, from more fashion and lifestyle-inclined options like Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters to mass market stores like Target. The mix, she said, reflected both stores that would help Loops build brand awareness in addition to places that their existing customers wanted to see them in.

Loops is just one of countless beauty brands looking to curate the ideal wholesale roster. As the number of emerging beauty brands has swelled in the past decade, so has the number of retailers selling beauty on their shelves.

For beauty brands looking to ink their first retail partnership in the US, there’s a plethora of options to choose from. There are the behemoths like Sephora and Ulta Beauty, beauty-specific retailers with a devoted following and substantial retail footprint. There’s mass market retail, including Walmart and Target as well as drug stores like CVS, which have invested further in their beauty assortments, going beyond household labels like Neutrogena and Maybelline. Then there are specialty beauty retailers, like Bluemercury and Violet Grey, and digital multi-brand luxury fashion players like Shopbop and Moda Operandi, which have both launched beauty within the past year. And of course, there’s the original beauty purveyors — department stores.

The decision to enter wholesale has never been easier, but at the same time, the stakes are higher. As the direct-to-consumer boom subsides, wholesale partnerships have a renewed focus for new beauty labels.

There’s competition on both sides. For retailers, the race is on to stock shelves with the coolest, most in-demand names, with some demanding exclusivity. But for brands, a prominent wholesale partner is now a must, not simply a nice-to-have, even as early as launch day. Brands, meanwhile, need to consider where existing and potential shoppers are, as well as if retailers can offer sustainable growth.

“We’re paying attention to what our consumers care about and what’s of value to them,” said Monica Arnaudo, chief merchandising officer at Ulta Beauty, when it comes to seeking out new lines. “We look at how the brand aligns to what our guests care about.”

How Retailers and Brands Find Each Other

Retailers are always on the hunt for new brand partners, and find them in a variety of ways. They attend trade shows, scour social media, listen to industry chatter, take meetings with founders and even launch accelerator programmes to become de facto pipelines for newness. Their own stores also serve as a guiding force: Retail staff will pass along requests customers make in-store to the corporate team, who will factor those into the brands they end up further evaluating and testing, said Tracy Kline, head of merchandising, spa and supply chain at Bluemercury.

There’s several factors they look for, said Arnaudo, from a compelling founder story to an already-engaged consumer base. Kline added that product efficacy is paramount, because “beauty is a replenishment category” and they’re in the business of encouraging repeat purchases. Most of all, it’s about satisfying consumers and finding lines that both fill a gap in their assortment and make sense being sold next to the brands they already have in stock.

“Don’t lose sight of what your strategy is for that category,” said Kline. “When we’re looking at skin care, we’re looking at medical, clinical brands. You want to make sure that it fits within your strategy, so you’re not disjointed.”

Most retailers are open to both established and emerging brands. The perk of the former is that they likely already have a retail partner, and with that, a wealth of data of the best-performing products, what markets they sell well in and more. With emerging brands, however, there’s the clout of landing the next big thing, and there’s greater opportunity to ink an exclusive deal so they’re the only retail partner they’re dealing with.

Brands can be choosy when seeking a wholesale partner. Many have their eye on Sephora, often seen as the end-all, be-all of beauty retail, though there are arguments to be made elsewhere. Target and Walmart, for example, are both investing in their beauty assortments, and offers access to a massive customer base. Curation and focus also matters. Debi Theis, president of perfume label Henry Rose, said that it selected Credo Beauty because of the pair’s shared value of sustainability and clean ingredients.

Brands should think about what they’re hoping to get out of the partnership. Vimla Black-Gupta, co-founder and CEO of skin care brand Ourself, said that it sought out a relationship with Violet Grey because it viewed the luxury beauty retailer as “the arbiter of all things cool and innovative.” But it was more about benefitting from that association in the eye of consumers than solely making sales.

“We didn’t necessarily think of them as like a distribution point, they were more of a megaphone,” said Black-Gupta.

Navigating an Arrival

In moving into wholesale, brands should consider what happens after inking a partnership, and what their new partner will do to ensure the brand finds success within a store’s walls.

Retailers are building their own muscle for on-boarding new brands. Ulta Beauty created a team dedicated to working with emerging brands without prior retail experience. Kline said that Bluemercury works with each individual brand it brings on to create a custom roll-out plan, dictating how many doors it’ll sell in to whether it needs help building a field team.

Especially in budding categories that may require more consumer education, brands should look for partners equipped to do that sort of work. Partners should be willing to invest in marketing the brand to its consumers in-store, rather than just leaving them to figure it out on their own. Oftentimes, indie brands with limited resources aren’t equipped for in-store marketing demands like sampling and flashy gondolas without retailers splitting the bill.

“It has never been about being everywhere at once. It’s about choosing our retail partners really carefully,” said Katy Cottam, the founder of UK-based body care label Luna Daily, which in April entered the US market through a partnership with Sephora. In working with Sephora, she hopes to help end taboos around intimate care products and “grow the category together.”

And before getting into wholesale entirely, beauty lines should take stock of their own capabilities and evaluate if they’re actually ready for the accompanying demands. Working with retailers requires more inventory, and brands should look closely at their P&L statements and production schedule to ensure they can fulfil those orders. With that, starting with a smaller retailer, or a fewer number of doors can provide an easier transition.

“Make sure that you have the right infrastructure set in place for your brand, because this is not for the faint of heart,” said Theis.

When it comes to Florida cities that saw a pandemic boom, Miami gets most of the attention. But 75 miles north, there’s another fashion hotspot emerging.

Palm Beach, which is located on an island just off the eastern coast of Florida (West Palm Beach is across the way, on the mainland) has long been known as a playground for an influential, old money crowd — the Kennedys wintered there, and long before it was Donald Trump’s residence, Mar-a-Lago was built by cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post in the 1920s.

Where the rich congregate, luxury brands tend to follow. But while fashion has always played a role in Palm Beach life, it’s often been through private trunk shows and runway presentations in country clubs restricted to those in the know. The city’s main shopping drag, Worth Avenue, has played host to designers for decades — Saks Fifth Avenue opened its second-ever store in Palm Beach in 1927 and brands like ultra-bright womenswear company Lilly Pulitzer and whimsical loafers label Stubbs & Wooton were founded there.

That all changed during the pandemic. Like the rest of Florida, Palm Beach saw an influx of new arrivals. As the residents of cities like New York and Los Angeles faced strict Covid-related restrictions, Floridians lived life with less interruption. Nearly 10,000 people moved to Palm Beach County between 2020 and 2021, and in 2022, Palm Beach saw a record 9.1 million visitors. Many who once saw Palm Beach as their “winter Hamptons” now live there year round.

Brands relocated too. Some 140 businesses that relocated to or expanded within the area in 2022, according to the Palm Beach Business Development Board. Locals say there’s been a decided shift in the level of brand activity happening in Palm Beach as of late, with more fashion-forward, modern brands arriving in the city. Retailers like MyTheresa and brands like Hill House Home and Nili Lotan have built a presence in the last year or so.

“Fashion has always been a pillar in the community,” said Sarah Wetenhall, the owner of The Colony Hotel, which had Dolce & Gabbana as a designer in residence, operating a store in the hotel’s retail space, while skin care label Dr. Barbara Strum offered facial treatments in the hotel throughout the winter as well. “But now, it’s not within the echelons of the private club community. It’s more public, taking place at hotels and inside boutiques.”

A Changing Landscape

Palm Beach’s history as a centre for the rich and influential has always mandated a certain dress code, even today.

In that sense, it’s a natural fit for fashion-savvy transplants, who are seeking the sort of events, retail stores and other experiences in Palm Beach that they found back home.

“There is a lack of casualness on Palm Beach Island, and there’s a certain amount of presenting oneself that has endured throughout time,” said Wetenhall. “It’s evolved, but there is a strong social season with galas and events that require women to dress a certain way.”

But those people are also bringing a new style sensibility to a city known for bright prints and more traditional, prep-infused dressing.

“Some of these younger people who are new to Palm Beach Island are more apt to buy into a Nili Lotan product, which feels edgier, a little bit more understated,” said Dana Filetti, the marketing director at The Royal Poinciana Plaza, a shopping centre in Palm Beach that counts labels like Hermès, Nili Lotan and Alice & Olivia as tenants.

Still, those who have relocated down south are also embracing a more resortwear-fused look. Katie Sturino, founder of the personal care brand MegaBabe who moved to Palm Beach three years ago, said the melding of the two aesthetics — New York chic with traditional Palm Beach style — can end up looking like “a New Yorker wearing a Palm Beach costume.”

The Brands Descend

In arriving in Palm Beach, brands are simply following their customers.

“A lot of these brands are realising their Florida doors are at the top, even surpassing some of their New York doors,” said Filetti. “They might have presented at New York Fashion Week, but they’ve decided to shift that funding and do things like fashion shows and activations here in Palm Beach because the business is so strong.”

The Royal Poinciana Plaza opened six new stores in the last year. That includes companies that are new to the city entirely, like direct-to-consumer apparel brand Hill House Home, which set up a shop in early 2023, which was drawn to the city because it had a fashion-inclined population that was already well-versed in luxury and quality, said Nell Diamond, the brand’s founder and CEO. There’s also returning patrons, like Cartier, which closed its Palm Beach store in April 2017, did a pop-up at the end of 2021 and went on to open a new permanent location last year. Filetti said they currently have no empty retail spaces.

For those that aren’t committing to a full-on storefront in the area, they are investing in events and other activations. Brands like Tod’s, Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda hosted lunches, Oscar de la Renta held a presentation and Veronica Beard and Kiton put on runway shows. (Kiton also has a store in the Royal Poinciana Plaza.) Mytheresa hosted an event and pop-up shop with Vogue at The Colony Hotel in March 2022.

“We were seeing more shipments going to Palm Beach, and we knew that if we could activate and engage with new people, we would have additional customers,” said Heather Kaminetsky, president of North America at Mytheresa.

Palm Beach hospitality purveyors are also eager to foster the city’s fashion connections. The most visible is The Colony Hotel, which has hosted pop-up shops and other brand events. This winter, it had Dolce & Gabbana as a designer in residence, operating a store in the hotel’s retail space, while skin care label Dr. Barbara Strum offered facial treatments in the hotel throughout the winter as well.

However, brands arriving in the city also must navigate the environment. Just because New Yorkers are heading down to Palm Beach doesn’t mean the same strategies will work there. Wetenhall said that embedding within the local community can be effective, noting how Dolce & Gabbana teamed up the Palm Beach Historical Society to create a line of custom kaftans.

“We welcome and embrace [transplants], but we ask them to be respectful to the history and heritage of Palm Beach, because this is not New York City and we don’t want it to be New York City,” said Stacey Leuliette, the owner and editor of The Scout Guide, a website that offers guides to cities like Palm Beach and Nantucket, Mass.

On the second episode of the fourth and final season of “Succession,” HBO’s megahit show about an ageing media tycoon and his dysfunctional relationships with his four adult children, onetime golden child Kendall Roy wears, what, to the average observer, would appear to be a casual, low-maintenance outfit of a zip-up hoodie and a baseball hat.

That relaxed sweatshirt, however, was Tom Ford and cost $1,390. The grey, unembellished cap was from Italian luxury label Loro Piana, and retails for $1,395. Combined, they were the embodiment of the “quiet luxury” look.

Call it “quiet luxury,” “stealth wealth,” or the most blunt, “low-key rich bitch,” the trend is perhaps best encapsulated by the phrase “if you know, you know.” It’s a pair of navy trousers, a white button-down or a cashmere coat, but made from the finest fabrics, in carefully-crafted cuts, sold at an eye-popping price. It’s Gwyneth Paltrow’s sleek, unfussy courtroom outfits, like a simple black skirt and sweater that just happens to be Prada, or the head-to-toe neutral ensembles from The Row that Cate Blanchett wore in the film Tàr.

And now that pop culture has introduced the concept to the masses, brands far below the Loro Piana price point are striking while the trend is hot. But before any of these brands can get a piece of the action, they first have to answer a tricky question: how to participate in a trend that is defined first and foremost by its sky-high price point.

For contemporary brands that have sold staple items like trousers, suiting and cashmere sweaters for decades, it’s mostly about highlighting the standard assortment and assuming customers will make the connection to quiet luxury on their own. Mass-market chains have to do a bit more work; Banana Republic can emphasise that it sells suits made in Italian mills, a quality it shares with luxury labels like Brunello Cucinelli. Even Shein has occasionally included “quiet luxury” in its ever-changing assortment.

Fast fashion aside, more-affordable brands are finding a receptive audience. For consumers outside the 0.1 percent, it’s the “quiet” in quiet luxury that matters most.

“The psyche of the customer today, people are attracted to buying luxury goods that have longevity,” said Robert Burke, chief executive of retail consultancy Robert Burke Associates. “The idea of buying disposable or flashy fashion at this particular moment doesn’t feel as right as it did a couple of years ago.”

Wealth Whispers

The current economic climate, which has made consumers both more cost conscious and increasingly wary of splashy, overly-logoed looks. The “nepo baby” conversation may also be playing a role in convincing some wealthy individuals to fly under the radar.

“It’s a mirror to the current economic climate,” said Heather Kaminetsky, the North American president at Mytheresa. “There are times in the world where everything’s great and people want to show off, but right now, everyone’s a little bit uncertain.”

That uncertainty is leading people to purchases that seem like safe bets — staple items that will work in their wardrobes for years to come, even if stealth wealth isn’t the trend du jour.

“People are actually wanting to invest in quality pieces, rather than chasing trends that might change from season to season,” said Sarah LaFleur, founder of women’s clothing brand M.M.LaFleur.

Sam Lobban, EVP and general merchandising manager of apparel and designer at Nordstrom, said brands that sell quiet luxury staples — cashmere sweaters, suiting separates, classic button-downs — at a lower price point are seeing traction. A Vince cashmere sweater, for example, will run around $400, while a Brunello Cucinelli counterpart can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,300.

Lobban added that the consumer appetite for these more subtle pieces “is something that we’re reflecting in what we put in our most prominent displays in-store or online.”

Theory, as well, is grouping some of its most popular essential items into capsule collections that never go on sale.

In the mass market, brands lean more explicitly on the concept of creating “the look” for less. At Banana Republic, that comes down to focussing on fabrics like linen, leather and cashmere in neutral hues across classic, timeless styles.

Banana Republic, which mounted a turnaround plan in 2021 after several tough years, is promoting foundational pieces with a point-of-view, which often slot easily into the quiet luxury trend. Unique, yet broadly appealing offerings are easier to sell at full price and can command a higher price point than generic designs. A suede trench dress, for instance, costs $900.

“We are incredibly fortunate to be very well positioned for this” quiet luxury trend, said Jemma Cassidy, Banana Republic’s head of merchandising.

Quiet luxury’s rise in the zeitgeist is also boosting brands. Sarah LaFleur, founder of women’s clothing brand M.M.LaFleur, for example, said that when the brand was cited in a Daily Mail article about Succession-inspired fashion, it drove an uptick in sales.

However, at a certain price point, quiet luxury may be beyond reach. A contemporary or mid-price brand may not be able to quite muster up quality that matches the Loro Pianas of the world, it can at least compare.

“It’d be hard for fast fashion to do it, and I’m not necessarily sure if that might be the consumer either,” said Cassidy.

But that hasn’t stopped them from trying: Shein currently has a quiet luxury landing page on its website.

Of course, there’s an appeal to quiet luxury that stretches beyond forgoing the flashy in the time of an economic downturn. The subtlety of it all has enduring appeal: Wearing a gorgeous coat, or a sleek shirt without a large logo or over-the-top details, earns double takes from those in the know.

To that same point, however, to the standard-bearers of quiet luxury, mass-market options will likely never actually compare.

“Anyone who is wealthy can discern it,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “It’s part of the tribal code.”

Two vacuum brands are the hottest names in haircare today.

With the introduction of its hair dryer in 2016, Dyson, previously known for vacuums, hand dryers and air purifiers, came roaring into the beauty world. At $400, the dryer was expensive. But it became a must-have for beauty enthusiasts.

Its next hair product arrived two years later and became a full-blown phenomenon. The AirWrap, a multi-styler tool that includes attachments so users can blow dry, brush and curl their hair — all without heat damage — is even more expensive than its predecessor, at $600. It promised a rare feat: the ability to achieve a bouncy, salon-esque blowout at home with minimal skill required.

On social media, countless influencers share Dyson AirWrap tutorials and tips; the hashtag #dysonairwrap has over 4 billion views on TikTok. It routinely sells out, and consumers even clamour over refurbished models. Today, haircare accounts for 30 percent of Dyson’s US business, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company declined to comment.

The AirWrap’s success has touched off a hair tools arms race. Among the new entrants: SharkNinja, one of Dyson’s primary competitors in vacuums, which released its own multi-styler tool, the FlexStyle, last year. Though similar in many ways to the AirWrap — it also offers an array of attachments, including curling barrels and a diffuser — its most significant difference is its cost, which, at $299, is less than half that of the Dyson.

Dyson’s success has shaken up a category that hasn’t had a reputation for innovation but is now booming with new products. Existing hair tools brands are releasing updated devices to show they can keep up with the new competition: GHD last month launched its Duet Style, a hair straightener that simultaneously dries hair. Hair care brands are also rolling out tools for the first time. Tracee Ellis Ross’ Pattern debuted a blow dryer with multiple attachments designed for textured hair in January.

“The beauty industry has traditionally been growth led, and so companies are incentivised to quickly iterate more so than innovate,” said Jana Bobosikova, the CEO of investment management company Epic FutureLabs that works with beauty brands. “A company like Dyson, their core technology is far more advanced than anybody that has focused on beauty to date.”

The Dyson Effect

Blow dry brushes were already on the rise when the AirWrap was released — Revlon had a hit with its one-step product, which launched in 2016. Dyson essentially took what Revlon had done and expanded upon it. Rather than just one round brush, it also included curling barrels, a flat brush and a traditional blow dry head.

Success wasn’t guaranteed; the vacuum brand had a strong reputation with consumers, but its premium pricing was better suited for appliances and commercial use.

The pandemic changed that.

“Covid accelerated all home tools to a place that never would have gotten otherwise,” said Jill Gilbert, a former beauty tech producer at CES. “People want more control, to be able to do it at home, and do it well.”

Dyson, in particular, she added, pushed forward the high-end luxury side of the market. For consumers used to paying for blowouts, the AirWrap quickly paid for itself, even at $600.

Its success has spurred all ends of the market. DryBar, for example, sells a blow dry brush with interchangeable brush heads, while Walmart sells a $45 device made by Elecsop that looks strikingly similar to the AirWrap.

But the real showdown is between Dyson and SharkNinja. The latter’s device offers a similar breadth of styling options, from a brand also known for its air-powered technology. (Shark also made tweaks to its model, in its view, to improve upon its competitors, adding a horizontal bend to its product to allow for more powerful blow drying, and a diffuser attachment for curly or coily hair.)

Videos comparing the two have become commonplace on Instagram Reels and TikTok, with one side of the head curled with the AirWrap, the other with the FlexStyle.

“We don’t consider ourselves a vacuum company, we consider ourselves an innovation company and a home appliance company,” said Danielle Lessing, the SVP for global product development at SharkNinja. “We don’t think of ourselves through a product lens, It’s about making consumers’ lives better with products that you interact with every day.”

Beyond Multi-Stylers

The AirWrap — and products like it — may be the hottest thing in hair tools today, but its reign can’t last forever. It’s benefitting from the fact that voluminous, softly curled locks are in style at the moment, for one. As well, there’s only so many people willing to shell out $600 for a hair tool, and it’s not an item that a person needs multiple of.

What will last, however, are the changed expectations consumers have for their hair devices. Being multi-purpose and non-damaging is table stakes for the next generation of tools, but already, brands are looking for ways to expand on that premise.

Other brands are responding accordingly. GHD, a 22-year-old hair care and tools brand, known for its blow dryers and straighteners, released its Duet Style product in January, a flat-iron that simultaneously dries hair, promising no damage.

“We are very conscious that we have to take a pain point out of the equation, which is time,” Jeroen Temmerman, chief executive of GHD. “We are developing ourselves to tackle that, be more efficient and help drive solutions.”

Some brands are selling more specialised products, but promising superior performance. Bio Ionic launched its Smart-X High Efficiency Dryer, for example, last fall, which it claims provides much speedier drying times in addition to better use of energy.

However, with more innovation comes more opportunity for brands to drive revenue. Hair tools were already a compelling segment for hair care brands — you can charge a lot more for a blow dryer or straightener than a bottle of shampoo. Dyson’s sky-high cost has helped warm up beauty consumers to the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on a hair tool. GHD’s Duet Style, for example, costs $399, while DryBar’s interchangeable blow dryer, which launched in March 2022, is $350.

Having new players in the hair tools segment, too, brings in fresh perspectives.

As more companies both in and out of beauty take note of the power of hair tools in generating conversation around a brand in addition to driving sales, there’s likely only to be more to come.

“We haven’t been in the space long enough to recognise what’s not possible,” added Lessing. “We just charged forward at such a voracious pace.”