Cos, the H&M Group fashion label founded in 2007, is now hitting its growth stride.
The London-based brand has been expanding its international storefront, with new stores in Mexico City and Stockholm plus a new outpost in New Jersey in 2023. Today, the brand has a 248-store portfolio, spanning 48 physical markets, 38 online markets and selected wholesale partners. Wholesale is a recent venture for Cos, starting in 2022 with retail partners Nordstrom in the U.S., e-commerce business Yoox, and German-based Breuninger online. Katie Reeves, managing director of Cos North America, leads the North American growth initiatives. After starting her merchandising career at H&M Group in 2003, Reeves left in 2011 before rejoining in 2021 at Cos.
“The Cos brand itself has an amazing DNA, and I was excited to harness that and introduce the brand to many more consumers within the North American landscape,” she said on the latest episode of the Glossy podcast, recorded during the recent eTail West retail conference in Palm Springs, Calif.
A growing roster of storefronts is just the tip of the iceberg for Cos, as the brand has sought to build on its NYFW momentum via new marketing opportunities timed to the bi-annual event, plus new store technology that can facilitate stronger customer connections and service. Speaking with Glossy, Reeves detailed where Cos is focusing its efforts, who the Cos customer is and why she thinks there is a brick-and-mortar renaissance. 
Get more from Glossy with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit glossy.co/newsletters to sign up.

Cos North America's Katie Reeves: 'There is a store renaissance happening'

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, we have a special mailbag episode where we answer questions from our listeners. Topics include the future of bankruptcy and M&As among retail brands, the effects of TikTok on fashion, and the components of an effective marketing campaign.
Get more from Glossy with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit glossy.co/newsletters to sign up.

Week in Review: Answers to listener questions about retail, TikTok and marketing

When Maggie Winter co-founded apparel brand AYR 10 years ago, her goal was simple: provide consumers with luxe alternatives to fast-fashion everyday staples.
Initially, those luxe alternatives only included high-quality denim and other apparel in the womenswear category, but in 2022, AYR expanded into menswear after many requests. Menswear became AYR's fastest-growing category, seeing three times 2022's growth in 2023, according to Winter. Because of the new category, in part, AYR has become a $50 million company, growing 5x since 2020.
"[AYR's] growth has been fast, and looking back, there's so much [information] we've learned along the way tha,t now, we get to use," Winter said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. "Now that we have an audience, a business, a brand and an audience, I get to be a merchant again and live with great product. [I get to] dream about how to storytell that product … and how to connect with people over it."
Winter is also thinking about the next phase of the brand's growth journey. Currently, AYR is 99% DTC and 1% wholesale, with Shopbop being its sole wholesale partner. Along with growing AYR's digital footprint and community, Winter said she's working on new ways to provide an experience to consumers.
On the podcast, Winter discusses what's driving growth at AYR and what's in store for the brand moving forward. "We don't want to choose between growth and profitability. We want to generate self-funded growth at a rate that doesn't exceed our capacity to learn, itirate and guarantee a great experience for customers," Winter said. 
Get more from Glossy with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit glossy.co/newsletters to sign up.

AYR's Maggie Winter: 'We don't want to choose between growth and profitability'

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, we discuss the meteoric rise of Crocs; the struggles in luxury, namely Lanvin and Swiss watch exports; and the Jacquemus x Nike Swoosh Bag.
Plus, we’re planning a mailbag episode soon where we’ll answer listener questions. If you’d like to submit a question, you can call in and leave a voicemail in our mailbox at (929) 688-2750‬.
Get more from Glossy with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit glossy.co/newsletters to sign up.

Week in Review: Crocs's rise, luxury's struggles and the Jacquemus x Nike Swoosh bag

Amy Williams’s denim career spans 25 years, with many of those years spent working in Los Angeles. After holding executive roles at Gap and Lucky Brand Jeans, she joined Citizens of Humanity Group 14 years ago. She is now the Group’s CEO and leads its three denim-focused companies: Citizens of Humanity, Agolde and Goldsign. 
“The L.A. denim industry has grown up in a lot of ways,” Williams said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “While, of course, there are all of the well-known L.A. denim brands, there are also [brands] from Europe that are doing denim in Los Angeles, and YSL is a good example of that. … The L.A. denim industry was started because the attention to detail in both manufacturing and laundering was superior to any location around the world.“
Still, Citizens of Humanity Group is working to integrate more innovation into its production processes. Case in point: Its spring collections mark its first use of cotton stemming from its regenerative agriculture program. 
On the podcast, Williams discusses Citizens of Humanity Group’s sustainability progress, as well as its wholesale-focused distribution and differentiated approach to marketing. "We don't buy customers through social media marketing purchases," she said. 
Get more from Glossy with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit glossy.co/newsletters to sign up.

Citizens of Humanity Group’s Amy Williams: We’re a ‘wholesale-first’ company

Ahead of their runway show on Saturday night, which will be held in collaboration with the Guildhall School of Music in London, designer Patrick McDowell sat down with Glossy for a London Fashion Week edition of the Glosst Podcast.
On the podcast, McDowell discusses their new business model focused on limited, made-to-order pieces, their brand’s work-life balance approach and their take on “quiet luxury.” They also shared the challenges for London Fashion Week brands, when it comes to inclusive design, as well as the impact of dressing celebrities. 

London Fashion Week Edition: Designer Patrick McDowell - 'It's hard running a brand — many designers are struggling'

Mark Badgley and James Mischka launched their eveningwear-focused fashion brand, Badgley Mischka, 35 years ago. In the years since, the company has expanded to various product categories, largely through licenses. Most recently, it entered the prestige fragrance space through a partnership with Horizon Beauty Group — the first fragrance debuted at the brand’s Fall 2024 fashion show on Saturday. 
On this New York Fashion Week edition of the Glossy Podcast, Mischka discusses the evolution of the business, including its marketing strategy that now centers on influencers. He also talks about the brand’s beauty ambitions, which include rolling out products in categories beyond fragrance.

New York Fashion Week Edition: Badgley Mischka’s James Mischka - Getting our collection in front of influencers is ‘the most important thing’

Ahead of his runway show on Monday night, which featured two styles available for immediate purchase via a Rakuten partnership, Sergio Hudson sat down with Glossy to take part in our New York Fashion Week podcast series. Along with discussing his design signatures, his choice retail partners and his approach to fundraising, he shared the challenges he experiences as a Black designer. He also talked about his clients, including Beyoncé and Michelle Obama, who “choose quality and fit over brand name.”

New York Fashion Week Edition: Sergio Hudson - As an African American sportswear designer, I’m ‘a unicorn’

In 2020, mid-pandemic, Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell launched their fantasy-fueled genderless fashion brand, Tanner Fletcher. In the three years following, the brand gained much industry respect, becoming a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and nominee for the CFDA’s Emerging Designer of the Year award in 2023. 
In this New York Fashion Week edition of the Glossy Podcast, Kasell talks about the highs and lows of being a young brand founder, the state of the genderless fashion category, and Tanner Fletcher’s off-runway plans for debuting its fall 2024 collection.

New York Fashion Week Edition: Tanner Fletcher’s Fletcher Kasell - Outside funding is ‘absolutely necessary’ for fashion brands to be successful

Twenty-seven years ago, Amy Smilovic and her husband launched Tibi in Hong Kong. Though it was a struggle to get there, the currently NYC-based brand looks much different today. For starters, it’s largely void of prints. And the brand’s direct sales now make up a majority of the business. 
On this New York Fashion Week edition of the Glossy Podcast, founder and creative director Amy Smilovic discusses her brand’s evolution, including its new, pandemic-driven approach to independence. She also discusses her signature “creative pragmatist” style, her thought process when choosing retail partners and her reason for ditching the runway show for fall 2024. 

New York Fashion Week Edition: Tibi’s Amy Smilovic — ‘Every day, I'm grateful we’re not working with any department stores in the US’

The runway show of Pamella Roland, who launched her namesake fashion brand 22 years ago, is a New York Fashion Week staple. As Roland tells it, she’s shown a seasonal collection at the event every season, except for during the pandemic and a hectic headquarters move. It’s an opportunity for her to show her latest work to her retail partners, including Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman — hangers don’t do the styles justice, she said. It’s also a chance to earn new brand fans. They already include Taylor Swift, Angelina Jolie and Madonna, based on their support for the brand on the red carpet. 
On this New York Fashion Week episode of the Glossy Podcast, Roland discusses her secrets to longevity in fashion, including how her business has evolved. She also shares what she’s come to believe about the importance of retail partners, community and fashion week. 

New York Fashion Week Edition: Pamella Roland — 'I'm still in business because I listen to my customers'

Since the start of the pandemic, Tommy Hilfiger has only hosted a fashion show in September 2022 — when it gathered the fashion community at Brooklyn’s Skyline Drive-In for an Andy Warhol Factory-themed experience. This season, the brand is making its return to the event, but it’s taking an all-new approach. For starters, it’s no longer leveraging the see-now, buy-now model it helped pioneer in 2017; like most other fashion brands, it’s showing a fall 2024 collection. 
On the first of six dedicated New York Fashion Week episodes of the Glossy Podcast, which will roll out daily throughout the event, Tommy Hilfiger, the founder and principal designer of his 39-year-old namesake fashion company, discusses the opportunity that Fashion Week presents his company today, the power of the brand ambassador and the innovations he’s currently embracing, true to form.

New York Fashion Week Edition: Tommy Hilfiger on moving on from see-now, buy-now fashion shows

In 2018, Chris Echevarria launched Blackstock & Weber, the Brooklyn-based footwear brand that has become well-known for its updated takes on classic loafers. 
“I own the business 100%, and it’s grown 300% every year since we started,” Echevarria said on the Glossy Podcast.
Still, he’s finding time to launch other businesses and tackle new projects: In November, he introduced the brand Academy, which brings his signature preppy-with-a-twist style to menswear. And, after being announced as creative director at Sperry in September, his debut Sperry by Chris Echevarria collection debuted at Paris Fashion Week Men’s last month. 
On this week’s episode of the Glossy Podcast, Echevarria discusses the throughline of his projects, as well as his long-term goals for his businesses and a recent advertising pivot that’s working to his brands’ advantage.

Blackstock & Weber’s Chris Echevarria wants to be 'this generation's' Ralph Lauren

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
On this week’s episode, we talk about TikTok’s music shakeup and recent investment in e-commerce, H&M's new CEO and 2023 earnings report, and Lyst's latest quarterly Index revealing the buzziest fashion brands and styles.
We want to hear from you! We’re doing our first mailbag episode of the Week in Review podcast where we'll answer listener-submitted questions. If you’d like to submit a question, leave a voicemail at 929.688.2750, and we will play your recorded question on the air. You can also DM us on Glossy’s Instagram or email danny@glossy.co.

Week in Review: TikTok's music troubles, H&M's new CEO, Lyst's latest brand rankings

Based on the way she runs her third fashion label since the 1980s, it's clear that Tracy Reese has learned from the fashion industry's mistakes. 
Called Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, the 5-year-old brand prioritizes responsible design and production, as well as positive social impact in its home city of Detroit. Reese, who formerly led brands Tracy Reese Meridian and Tracy Reese, has, for the first time, chosen to self-fund her brand. Plus, she's producing fewer collections than the 10 per year she once deemed necessary. 
But she's kept at least one business practice alive: selling through retail partners. "Wholesale is the bigger part of the business," Reese said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. Currently, Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese sells through Saks Fifth Avenue, Anthropologie and around 30 specialty stores across the U.S.
On the podcast, Reese also discusses the NYC fashion landscape before e-commerce and the reason designers should avoid chasing trends. 

Tracy Reese on her self-funded, values-driven third fashion brand: 'I had to learn to work differently’

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international correspondent Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, we discuss the backlash brands are facing for the use of generative AI, the shuttering of Neighborhood Goods and what it means for DTC brands, and the ongoing trouble facing Saks Fifth Avenue and its parent company HBC as it struggles with liquidity.

Week in Review: AI backlash, Neighborhood Goods shutters, struggles at HBC

Lauren Nouchi and Amélie Brick technically founded their fashion brand, Apparis, in 2016. But it wasn’t until 2018 that it took off, driven by the popularity of a single style: a colorful faux fur coat. 
“At the time, it was a third of the price of any competitors,” Nouchi said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. 
Along with affordability, quality and style, the coat’s ethical materials made it a draw for both consumers and retailers. Bloomingdale’s was the first to buy into the brand, followed by Saks Fifth Avenue.  
“We had no marketing budget, so having our product in those doors helped us grow our visibility and credibility as a brand,” Nouchi said. “It would have taken us years to do that with just our DTC business.”
Today, Apparis continues to sell through retailers including Nordstrom and Elyse Walker, but the founders have upped their focus on direct-to-consumer sales; in 2023, they updated the brand’s website, among other elements, to better tell the brand story and support the direct side of the business.  
They’ve also expanded the brand far beyond a coat. According to Nouchi, outerwear currently makes up 50% of the business, followed by winter accessories and home goods at 25% each. 
On the podcast, Nouchi discussed Apparis’s evolution and strategies, including its fundraising approach, its prioritization of conscious production and its marketing plans for 2024. 

Apparis’s Lauren Nouchi: Focusing on a hero product ‘allowed us to grow the business’

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, we talk about the recent boost in U.S. retail sales, the big conversations at the NRF conference, the legal battle between Uniqlo and Shein, and the Western-influenced Louis Vuitton show that kicked off Paris Fashion Week Men's.

Week in Review: NRF's highlights, Uniqlo's lawsuit against Shein, Pharrell's latest Louis Vuitton show

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, footwear brand Loeffler Randall has experienced its fair share of industry highs and lows. Of course, a recent low was the height of the pandemic in early 2020. But since that time, when it faced “scarring” challenges, the brand has been in growth mode, co-founder Brian Murphy said on the Glossy Podcast. For example, it has opened its first two stores, entered new product categories and expanded its headquarters to accommodate a growing team. It’s also tripled the size of the business. 
On the podcast episode, Murphy breaks down Loeffler Randall’s approach to physical retail, which has resulted in its 750-square-foot NYC store doing $1.3 million in annual sales. He also talks through the company’s international ambitions and its strategy for becoming an $80-million, 100-employee company within the next 18 months.

Co-founder Brian Murphy on growing Loeffler Randall to an $80 million business by 2025

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, editor-in-chief Jill Manoff and international fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, we discuss the highlights and surprises of the CFDA’s preliminary official New York Fashion Week schedule for fall 2024. We also talk about Rent the Runway’s latest round of layoffs, which impacted 10% of its corporate employees, and the fashion brands that ruled the Golden Globes red carpet.

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