This Month
- Christmas Gift Guide 2024
- Life & Leisure
Handmade hits the premium end of the gift market
These five artisans are busy working on timeless pieces that celebrate the art of making – and that you won’t see in shops everywhere.
- Updated
- Hannah Tattersall
Billionaire Mango founder falls to death on hiking trip
The fashion retailer started his business by selling clothes from the back of his car. He built a global empire with annual sales of €3 billion (5 billion).
- Barney Jopson
Chanel fills hottest job in fashion with young outsider
One of the most prestigious roles in global fashion has just been filled, as Chanel appointed 40-year-old designer Matthieu Blazy as its new artistic director.
- Vanessa Friedman
The retail boss who is obsessed with Christmas
American Glen Schlehuber had to learn Australian festive traditions and embrace the warm weather. But once he did, he never looked back.
- Lauren Sams
From the Hamptons to the Australian Open: inside Ralph Lauren’s world
The legendary fashion label’s founder created a dream, says his son David. Melbourne’s fabled annual tennis tournament is increasingly part of it.
- Lauren Sams
- Opinion
- AFR Magazine
Fashion should focus on its best customers – and they’re not 20-year-olds
Aussies over 40 are spending more on discretionary goods, so why aren’t more smart designers and retailers looking to leverage their older clientele?
- Lauren Sams
- Exclusive
- Fashion Week
Fashion Week might be over, but Australian designers have a new show
Growing a brand internationally is expensive and time-consuming, but Jenny Nakkan has a solution for that.
- Lauren Sams
The ill-fitting nightclub top behind a multimillion-dollar business
When Annabel Hay’s fashion tape let her down on a nightclub dance floor, her wardrobe malfunction became a fast-growing company selling modesty-saving glue.
- Updated
- Amelia McGuire
The female luxury designer defying fashion’s downturn
Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu brand is enjoying a boom, even in China, as rivals suffer from a broad pullback in spending.
- Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli
November
This cult beauty brand went bust. Can it make a return?
It was once one of Australia’s biggest beauty success stories. Can Napoleon Perdis find a new customer, five years after it collapsed?
- Lauren Sams
Can a swimsuit really be one-size-fits-all?
Georgiana Huddart had fond memories of the 1980s brand Hunza. So she bought the business, and has made it a runaway success.
- Lauren Sams
Fashion retailer The Iconic plots recovery, one Samba at a time
The boss of the popular fashion app is aiming to restore sales growth and shrink its net loss after a tough 12 months. But the field is getting crowded.
- Updated
- Carrie LaFrenz
How a yearning for travel grew a 35-year-old overnight success
Diversification has been key to the success of these three fast-growing retail and travel businesses.
- Sue Mitchell
- Opinion
- Fashion Week
This ’90s fashion icon is back, with help from Troye Sivan
The brand that was a uniform for so many struggled for almost two decades – until artists, including the Australian singer, started promoting it.
- Andrea Felsted
- Updated
- Lovisa
Brett Blundy reassures investors after Lovisa sales miss mark
The jewellery and accessories chain’s billionaire chairman insists he is still a “growth junkie” despite new store openings falling well short of expectations.
- Updated
- Carrie LaFrenz and Gus McCubbing
Is Australian fashion really as dire as it seems?
Some Australian designers are looking to keep their fashion production home-grown but are finding it may be a dying craft.
- Lauren Sams
When you buy this fashion label, you’re joining a community
Nagnata founder Laura May Gibbs has struck a chord with customers who want more than what’s on the rack – they want the whole wellness package.
- Eugenie Kelly
Industry steps in to save Fashion Week – for a year, at least
When funding was pulled for the 28-year-old event last week, the industry was left in a state of shock. Now, it’s rallying.
- Lauren Sams
How Mecca outfoxed Sephora in the Australian beauty glow-up
For 10 years, the retail rivals have faced off. One is the clear winner, but the other is still opening stores and has the weight of LVMH behind it.
- Lauren Sams and Carrie LaFrenz
October
Cettire blown way off course as fall in luxury spending dents profits
The ASX-listed online retailer told investors it was weathering a challenging environment, but brokers say it is on track to miss expectations by almost half.
- Jonathan Shapiro