December News Roundup

1.

I hope I was not the only person completely obsessed with the near bankruptcy of Farfetch at the end of 2023 (this and the blockbuster announcement that Jacquemus CEO Bastien Daguzan was leaving the company after only weeks before also taking on the role of President). Though it is always hard to know what exactly goes on inside a company, I think Farfetch’s decline can be in part attributed to spending time and resources on businesses that were tangential to its core internet activities, including trying to launch a beauty segment and reinvent luxury British boutique business Browns. In the end, Korean e-commerce giant Coupang, threw Farfetch a lifeline by buying the British luxury e-tailer and injecting $500 million into it. Read about the melt here.

2.

Every December, consulting and media firms come out with their reports summarizing the past year and giving predictions for the next one. One such publication is Business of Fashion’s “The State of Fashion Report” with consulting firm McKinsey & Company. The detailed analysis of business and consumer trends is a deep dive on what companies can expect in the upcoming year, where to find business opportunities and how to deal with business headwinds. In general, the industry is expected to grow at rates in-line with pre-Covid growth (2%-4%) but will be pressured by various regional economic and geopolitical tensions. The expectation that brands will continue to increase prices to offset the decrease in growth is interesting, as I wonder just how much more consumers will be willing to pay for fashion product, especially at the luxury end of the market which has already increased prices 25% since 2019 according to the New York Times. To find out more, download the entire report here.

If you are interested in a 2023 recap, check out TagWalk’s “2023 in Numbers,” which recaps the year based on – you guessed it – a big data roundup. The most interesting areas of the report are the top growing brands, designer debuts and emerging brands (bravo Maximilian Davis at Ferragamo), as well as the breakdown analysis of colors, styles, details, and accessories. The comparisons of what is trending with what is not also provide valuable information. To download the report, click here.

3.

British lifestyle magazine Livingetc. has called out “Expressive Elegance” as one of their leading home design trends for 2024. Blending luxury historical references with contemporary eclecticism, “Expressive Elegance” is an unfussy look that highlights a few carefully chosen items that express your own personality. It’s the antithesis of the color-by-numbers interiors that have been making the social media rounds over the last few years (as well as the design shows on HGTV). Read up on “Expressive Elegance” here and how to get the look (sort of).

Iconic: Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Chair. Image courtesy of VOJTa Herout / Shutterstock

4.

For a more extensive list of design trends for 2024, 1stDibs has a roundup of eight top trends based on feedback from over 600 interior designers (most based in the US). From design eras to key colors, patterns and finishes, this list explains what designers expect to see trending and why, as well as what will be left behind (hint: Iconic furniture by Charles and Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe, and Vladimir Kagan are all on-trend). This post even includes what kind of art will be in style this year, along with what room remodels designers are anticipating will keep them busy.

5.

If you are on the road this month, here are three exhibitions that look worth taking in: Carlijn Jacobs at Foam, Amsterdam, Shelia Metzner at the Getty Center in Los Angeles and Chanel at the V&A in London.

Though her most recognizable work is probably the cover art for Beyonce’s Renaissance album, Carlijn Jacobs has shot numerous fashion ad campaigns and has become known for her fantastical and at times outright surreal images. For her first show, the Dutch photographer has teamed up with designer Sabine Marcelis and created an exhibition that allows the viewer to discover her creative universe through rooms that each explore an individual facet of her mind. Read more about the exhibit here.

Over at the Getty, curator Paul Martineau exhibits the iconic work of photographer Shelia Metzner alongside florals to “heighten their formal qualities.” Metzner, who is one of my personal favorite fashion photographers, is best known for her painterly and romantic photographs using the Fresson process (which uses dyes that do not fade on paper). An extraordinary opportunity to see the work of a great and pioneering American fashion photographer. Read about Metzner’s process and approach to photography here.

Gabrielle Chanel. Illustration by Iuliia Stepashova / Shutterstock

In Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, V&A curator Oriole Cullen keeps the exhibit focus squarely on Chanel’s design sensibility. A welcome change, as I think Chanel – the company - has become so tied up with Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy that people forget Chanel – the woman - created the basis of the modern woman’s wardrobe. Her streamlined clothing allowed a woman to move naturally and was considered modern and minimalist during her lifetime. To read more of Cullen’s thoughts on the exhibition and Chanel as a design maverick, click here.