The Financial Times published the perfect article in 2015. Entitled, “Who the Hell is Philipp Plein?,” the London-based outlet's Nick Remsen attempted to make sense of the German designer’s flashy garments and larger-than-life runway spectacles, which have turned Plein's brand into the “luxury power player” that - quite frankly - no one necessarily asked for. 

Digital media and really, social media, has changed the fashion industry in ways that may have previously been unfathomable. The instant and democratizing accessibility that Instagram brings, and demands that seasonal fashion events not only cut through the noise of crowded social media platforms in order to be effective but be part of a larger experience-driven endeavor, transformed the workings of the fashion industry and its output.

Farfetch hit the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, following reports of its long-rumored plans to go public. The London-based e-commerce site, which was founded in 2008 by Portuguese entrepreneur Jose Neves, priced its 44.2 million shares at $20, above its targeted range of $17 to $19, thereby valuing the company at roughly $6.2 billion (after factoring in shares already held by employees). The valuation “underscores how big a bet web sales have become for high-end brands,” per Reuters.

There are Gucci and Dior bags, Prada and Jimmy Choo shoes, Fendi jewelry, and Margiela t-shirt dresses to be scooped up on Afound. One of the newest websites to join an increasingly crowded – and still growing – resale market, Afound has an interesting owner: H&M Group. With its marquee fashion brand in mind, the one known for churning out tens-of-millions of low cost garments and accessories each year, an off-price luxury site is certainly a stark departure for the Scandinavian super-group. And yet, that is exactly where the $26 billion company, the second largest apparel company in the world, is setting its sights. 

Patagonia-inspired fleece jackets have been popping up on runways over the past several years, as high fashion brands putt their spin on the tried-and-true appeal of one of the Southern California-based sportswear brand’s staple garments. As Emilia Petrarca wrote for The Cut last year, “Everyone seems to have a boner right now for Patagonia.” Beyond Patagonia’s cult fleece jackets, some brands are looking to trade on the seemingly ever-rising relevance of the outdoors brand – and its logo – thereby, giving way to litigation.  

“Americans are value shoppers more than anything,” The RealReal's founder and CEO Julie Wainwright told Forbes early this year, and she would know. For the past 7 years, she has been busy transforming the fashion industry and those in its periphery with her modern approach to consignment. The RealReal, a San Francisco-based luxury consignment venture, got its start in 2011 when Wainwright – the early dot-com entrepreneur, who previously held the CEO role for video retailer Reel.com and pet-supply company Pets.com – set her sights on the sale of pre-owned luxury goods.

Kendall “in conversation” with her sister Kylie for Vogue Australia. Beyoncé dictating the direction of a narrative about herself for Vogue. Taylor Swift refusing to submit any traditional media at all, and Soon-Yi Previn, Woody Allen’s wife, interviewed by a longtime friend of Mr. Allen. This is the state of the celebrity profile, as the New York Times’ Jon Caramanica so aptly laid out in a new article, entitled, “R.I.P., the Celebrity Profile.”

Not all marketing claims, no matter how glossy the campaign, are created equal. This is the message that the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) recently sent when it began paying out a whopping $21 million-plus to consumers that were misled by Lights of America Inc. The FTC filed suit against the California-based light bulb manufacturer in September 2010, alleging that it exaggerated the light output and life expectancy of its LED bulbs.

Following in the footsteps of the city of West Hollywood, which banned fur in 2011, and Berkley and San Francisco, thereafter, Los Angeles city supervisors “have unanimously approved a ban on fur sales, which will make Los Angeles the largest city in the country to have such as prohibition in place,” according to a statement from the Humane Society. The animal rights group praised “today’s historic vote in Los Angeles,” which comes just days after Burberry and London Fashion Week, as a whole, announced they would go fur-free.

Gone are the days of merely enlisting influencers to promote your products. Top beauty influencers are said to be posting negative product reviews in exchange for hefty fees now, too, or at least that is what a handful of makeup artists and influencers have reported in recent weeks. Emmy Award winning makeup artist Kevin James Bennett, for instance, revealed on Instagram that he was given an interesting rate from the management company for “a top-level beauty influencer.” For “$75K to $85K,” the influencer would provide “a dedicated negative review of a competitor's product (price determined by length of video).”