Fashion’s New Era: Why Retailers Must Rethink Everything
For decades, fashion ran on a rhythm you could set a watch to. Designers set the trends, retailers planned around seasonal collections, and consumers more or less fell in line. That model is coming apart. What’s shaping fashion now isn’t trend cycles so much as a tangle of forces working on the industry at once:…
From Influence to Ownership: Why the Creator Economy Is Redefining Brand Collaboration
From Influence to Ownership: Why the Creator Economy Is Redefining Brand Collaboration When Mr Price recently unveiled its first co-created fashion collection with South African creator Sphokuhle Ntshalintshali, it was easy to view it as another influencer campaign. It wasn’t. It was a signal of a much larger transformation taking place across the global economy—one…
Woolworths Is Simplifying Itself. The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher.
South Africa’s R44 billion retailer is dismantling silos, folding experimental businesses back into its core divisions and betting that operational clarity can unlock its next phase of growth. By all accounts, Woolworths should be in a stronger position. The retailer remains one of South Africa’s most valuable consumer businesses. With a market capitalisation of roughly…
How Levi’s Turned a FIFA Sponsorship Restriction Into a Viral Branding Win
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup transforms stadiums into global stages. But along with the excitement comes a little-known rule that often forces some of the world’s biggest brands to temporarily disappear. FIFA requires official tournament venues to remove or cover branding that conflicts with its own sponsorship agreements. Stadiums named after non-partner brands…
From Allbirds to Smartbird: How a $4 Billion Sneaker Brand Reinvented Itself for the AI Era
Once the unofficial uniform of Silicon Valley, the wool sneaker maker’s stock surged more than 37% Wednesday after the company completed its transformation from sustainable footwear brand to AI compute provider On Wednesday, Allbirds said it has rebranded as Smartbird, Inc., completing its shift toward AI infrastructure. The move caps a stunning corporate reinvention that…
Kloset Klub Funding Signals Growth in South Africa’s Circular Fashion Market
The startup joins Yaga and Luxity in a growing digital resale ecosystem, highlighting rising consumer adoption and investor confidence in South Africa’s circular fashion economy. South African circular fashion startup Kloset Klub has secured seed funding from innovation firm Thinkroom and co-investor Frank Smit, marking a significant milestone for a company betting that the future…
Hugo Boss in the spotlight as Frasers Group launches €1.98bn takeover bid
Hugo Boss in the spotlight as Frasers Group launches €1.98bn takeover bid German fashion house Hugo Boss has been thrust into a takeover spotlight after UK retail giant Frasers Group, controlled by Mike Ashley, launched a €1.98 billion (£1.73bn) offer to acquire the remaining shares it does not already own. The bid, priced at €38…
TFG to Close 100 Stores as Retail Giant Bets on Digital Growth and Operational Efficiency
South Africa’s retail sector is entering another phase of transformation, and one of the country’s largest fashion retailers is making a significant strategic move. The Foschini Group, or TFG, has announced plans to close approximately 100 underperforming stores after identifying nearly 300 locations across its portfolio that are either loss-making or failing to generate acceptable…
Steph Curry Signs 10-Year Deal With Li-Ning
When Stephen Curry announced he was leaving Under Armour in November 2025 after more than a decade, the sports business world braced for a bidding war. What followed became one of the most closely watched sneaker free agencies in sports history – and the outcome is sending shockwaves from San Francisco to Beijing. Curry has…
Ayana Has Already Won the Product Battle. Now It Must Win the Geography Battle.
Speaking on an investor webcast following Pepkor’s half-year results to the end of March 2026, chief operating officer Sean Cardinaal offered a measured assessment of the group’s newest fashion venture. Ayana, he said, had delivered “good trading densities and margins” since its launch in February 2025. However, he added that the “jury is still out…
