BoF's Year in Fashion | Founders Find Opportunity in Crisis

Inside the Outdoor Voices Saga View on Web Add to contacts New reader? Subscribe YEAR IN FASHION THE UPFRONT The Business of Fashion will be taking a break between 24 December 2020 and 3 January 2021. In the meantime, explore our analysis from an unparalleled year for the global fashion industry. We wish you a happy holiday season and a great start to 2021. Dear BoF Community, The pandemic created an industry-wide crisis, but independent business owners suffered in excess. As the year progressed, founders reckoned with dwindling cash reserves, disrupted supply chains, social unrest and much more. Many businesses closed, while several high-profile founders were publicly critiqued for everything from poor leadership to racism. At the same time, however, others raised plenty of cash and some even forged ahead with minimal funding and plenty of ingenuity. Leaders also called for systematic change so that founders from all walks have life have a better chance at succeeding. Lauren Sherman, Chief Correspondent BoF Professional Inside the Outdoor Voices Saga BY Lauren Sherman, Cathaleen Chen and Chantal Fernandez Existing investors, including General Catalyst, have provided a lifeline for the activewear label, which continues to lose money on customer acquisition as it struggles to broaden its audience. Intelligence The Story of Telfar: Agony, Ecstasy and Covid-19 BY Chantal Fernandez and Robert Cordero After more than a decade of toil, American designer Telfar Clemens was finally poised for mainstream success, with a hit bag nicknamed the 'Bushwick Birkin' and a cultural message ripe for the times. Then came coronavirus. Intelligence Is Silicon Valley's Love Affair With Direct-to-Consumer Brands Over? BY Cathaleen Chen As direct-to-consumer product companies confront an unsustainable focus on top line growth, their backers too are shifting gears, opting to invest more cautiously and with tempered expectations. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN BoF Exclusive Former Reformation CEO Deemed Not 'Racist' as Workplace Reckoning Continues BY Lauren Sherman After founder Yael Aflalo stepped down amid racism allegations in June, the private equity-backed, cool-girl brand commissioned a third-party investigation into its corporate culture. The results cleared Aflalo of racism, but revealed broader issues at the company. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN Intelligence Where Do Independent Fashion Brands Go From Here? BY Lauren Sherman Many have already closed, or will shut down in the coming months. But for those that make it through the industry's implosion, they'll need to find a better, more viable way of doing business. Some thoughts on moving forward. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN Intelligence What Fashion Investors Are Betting on Now BY Chavie Lieber Money for fashion's start-up scene hasn't dried up entirely, but investors say they are backing concepts that cater to shoppers who are hyper-aware of their finances, health and the planet. Intelligence Investing in the Sustainability Sisterhood BY Casey Hall Female impact investors are putting their money where their mouth is, backing sustainable fashion companies and hoping their bets pay off in more ways than one. But how savvy are values-based investments in the post-pandemic reality? Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN BoF Professional Female Founders Have Used Their #Girlboss Status to Build Brands. Behind the Scenes, It's Complicated. BY M.C. Nanda From Outdoor Voices to Thinx, the gap between a female-run company's shiny brand and the messy realities of many a start-up business can become a liability. Intelligence A Guide to Protecting Your Business During Coronavirus BY Cathaleen Chen and Chantal Fernandez What can business owners do to prepare for the impact? Communicate early and often internally and externally, cut costs, talk to your partners and more best practices to consider. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN The Spotlight The Emergency Room Nurse Turning His Fashion Dreams Into a Reality BY Chantal Fernandez Oluwole Olosunde, known as Guacawole online, is using his career in healthcare to fund Against Medical Advice, a label inspired by human anatomy and the many cultures of New York City. BoF CAREERS - FEATURED JOBS View All Jobs   Director - Talent Acquisition Old Navy   San Francisco, United States   Wholesale Manager Vetements   Zurich, Switzerland   Junior Wholesale Executive Emilia Wickstead   London, United Kingdom View All Jobs Subscribe Were you forwarded this email? To subscribe to this newsletter, click below. Subscribe for Free Follow Us The Business of Fashion Sponsorship & Advertising About This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com Add to Address Book | Unsubscribe | Edit Newsletter Subscriptions The Business of Fashion Moray House - 6th Floor · 23-31 Great Titchfield St London W1W 7PA · United Kingdom