What Fashion Designers Need to Know Today

Discover the most relevant industry news and insights for fashion designers, updated each month to enable you to excel in job interviews, promotion conversations or perform better in the workplace by increasing your market awareness and emulating market leaders.

BoF Careers distils business intelligence from across the breadth of our content — editorial briefings, newsletters, case studies, podcasts and events — to deliver key takeaways and learnings tailored to your job function, listed alongside a selection of the most exciting live jobs advertised by BoF Careers partners.

Key articles and need-to-know insights for fashion designers today:

1. Is Dupe Culture Out of Control?

In the past few years, “dupes,” or cheaper facsimiles of popular products have reached a new level of ubiquity in the cultural zeitgeist. TikTok is cluttered with videos recommending alternatives for hyped products like Skims bodysuits, Staud purses, Djerf Avenue pyjamas and Miu Miu jackets; mainstream publications like Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan regularly do the same. There’s an ethical grey area: At what point does an item stop being a “dupe” and start being a counterfeit?

But that hasn’t stopped dupe culture — which has been propelled by social media’s speedy trend cycle, ultra-fast e-commerce production and scepticism over pricing strategies — from playing a larger role in how consumers shop. With that, it has inevitably had an impact on the fashion system, particularly for independent brands. “It’s not something people think twice about these days. Everyone is like ‘who cares, it’s a dupe, why would I buy [the original] for $149 when I can get it here for $15?’” said With Jéan co-founder Sami Lorking-Tanner.

Related Jobs:

Designer, House of Sunny — London, United Kingdom

Assistant Product Manager, Carhartt WIP — Berlin, Germany

Junior Print Designer, Gucci — Milan, Italy

2. Kering Weakened as Gucci Sales Fall 20%

Kering reported second-quarter sales that fell 11 percent, dragged down primarily by flagship unit Gucci, where sales tumbled by 20 percent in reported terms. Kering says the brand, which accounts for about half of the company’s sales and two-thirds of its profit, is focused on a deep transformation to the organisation and that it will take time for that to translate into sales momentum. The quality of Gucci’s products and the speed with which it brings them to market have improved, deputy CEO for brand development Francesca Bellettini said. Conversion rates in stores remain resilient even amid softer demand.

Kering’s report follows weak results from rival groups LVMH and Richemont, where reported revenues both slid by 1 percent, as well as from Burberry, whose shares plunged to their lowest level in nearly 15 years following a 22 percent drop in quarterly sales. Outliers so far include Moncler and Brunello Cucinelli, both of which grew by double-digits, while Hermès, Zegna and Prada have yet to report.

Related Jobs:

Menswear Accessories Designer, Cos — London, United Kingdom

Design Collaborations & Projects Team Lead, Hugo Boss — Metzingen, Germany

Freelance Womenswear Designer, Carolina Herrera — New York, United States

3. Sergio Rossi Taps Paul Andrew as Creative Director

Sergio Rossi has hired Paul Andrew as its new creative director, the brand said in a statement. Andrew previously established himself with a namesake shoe line before going on to serve as creative director of Salvatore Ferragamo, where he was the first designer to oversee all categories for the family-owned brand. He exited Ferragamo in 2021. Sergio Rossi described Andrew’s work as “daring and pragmatic, balancing handmade craftsmanship with the latest material and technological innovations.”

The brand’s revenue fell 4 percent to €60 million ($65 million) in 2023, and the brand named a new chief executive, in November, Helen Wright. Shares in Owner Lanvin Group have lost 85 percent of their value since it went public in late 2022.” With his creative design expertise and forward-thinking approach, Paul is set to lead Sergio Rossi into a new era of success,” Chan said in a statement.

Related Jobs:

Junior Designer, Billionaire Boys Club — London, United Kingdom

Collection Coordinator, Moncler — Milan, Italy

Colour & Concept Manager, Coach — New York, United States

4. How to Sell Inclusive Sizing in the Age of Ozempic

Usage of weight loss drug Ozempic, and others like it, is surging, leading some forecasters to question whether today’s size ranges might someday be rendered obsolete. AI-based forecasting company Impact Analytics found in a report published earlier this year that in New York’s affluent Upper East Side neighbourhood, sales of women’s shirts in small sizes increased in 2024 by 12 percent, while sales of larger sizes decreased by the same rate.

Polina Veksler, chief executive and co-founder of Universal Standard, is not fazed. The brand has not seen any changes in size demand — its most popular size remains 18 to 20, Veksler told BoF. The brand recently launched a new retail strategy, in which teams of stylists fly to different cities every weekend for private shopping appointments. “We’re living in a time when cultural trends are reverting back to promoting antiquated and unrealistic standards,” Veksler said. “But despite this setback, I’m certain that the future of fashion is rooted in size inclusivity. Our customers are there, and will continue to be there.”

Related Jobs:

Lead Colour & Materials Designer, On — Zurich, Switzerland

Associate Designer, Calvin Klein — New York, United States

Senior Lingerie Designer, Honey Birdette — Australia

5. Arsenal Partners With Labrum London on 2024/25 Away Kit

Labrum London has designed Premier League giant Arsenal’s away kit for the upcoming 2024/25 season for its men’s and women’s teams, The Business of Fashion has learned. Sierra-Leonean-born Foday Dumbuya, who founded the London-based menswear brand in 2014, is the first-ever independent designer to create an on-field kit for a Premier League team.

The collaboration comes amid increasing crossovers between the football and fashion industries. Previously, the role of external fashion brands or designers was limited to creating one-off jerseys or fan collections. ”We’ve been moving towards this moment for a long time now, but were waiting to find the right partner to make it a reality,” said Inigo Turner, design director at Adidas (the sportswear brand is Arsenal’s kit partner, and manufactures the team’s gear as well as distributing replicas for fans).

Related Jobs:

Senior Apparel Designer Specialist for Court Tennis, On — Zurich, Switzerland

Senior Sportswear Apparel Designer, Squatwolf — Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Shape the Future: Lead Design & Product Development, VOICE — Oslo, Norway

6. Luxury Brands Feel the Sting as Chinese Growth Slows

China accounted for 16 percent of 362 billion euros ($393.8 billion) of global luxury spending last year, according to consultancy Bain. But data last week showed the world’s No. 2 economy grew much more slowly than expected in the last quarter as a protracted property slump and job insecurity hampered a fragile recovery. Expectations for the second-quarter earnings season were already low in the luxury sector, but the slew of bleak reports have dashed hopes of a recovery in the second half.

According to Bain, which in June predicted this year would be the weakest for the global luxury market since the height of the pandemic, China’s richest people are avoiding flaunting their wealth in favour of more discreet fashion. Jitters about China have spooked investors, which has wiped 180 billion euros off the sector since March, according to Reuters’ calculations based on LSEG data.

Related Jobs:

Mens RTW Designer, Gucci — Milan, Italy

Assistant Handbag Designer, Tommy Hilfiger — New York, United States

Handbag Designer, Kate Spade — New York, United States

7. Creative Director Peter Hawkings Exits Tom Ford

Peter Hawkings, longtime deputy of Tom Ford who took over as the brand’s creative director in 2023, has exited the business, Estée Lauder Companies said in a statement Monday. A successor will be announced in the “near future,” the company said. The label’s Spring-Summer 2025 collection will be presented in September in Tom Ford’s Milan showroom rather than on the runway. Hawkings’ collections were recognised for sharp execution that carried on Tom Ford’s sleek style, even if they were dinged by some critics for playing it safe with a more vanilla take on sexy fashion.

A slowdown in luxury demand is putting strain on smaller, weaker labels like Tom Ford, where apparel sales have long lagged its star licenses for fragrances and eyewear. Still, it’s hard to pinpoint what might have gone wrong — or if the designer decided to depart for another opportunity.

Related Jobs:

Designer, Vetements — Zurich, Switzerland

Footwear Designer, Tory Burch — New York, United States

Senior Designer, ERL — Los Angeles, United States

8. Is Luxury Finally Set for a Sustainability Reckoning?

Midway through March, Italian police raided a factory complex on a quiet street in a leafy suburb of Milan. Inside, they found nearly two dozen workers — several employed under the table — making leather bags and accessories for luxury giant Dior. Safety mechanisms had been removed from machinery to enable faster production, with work beginning early in the morning and continuing late into the night. In one instance, Dior paid the supplier €53 ($58) a piece to assemble a handbag it sold for €2,600, the documents said.

“Are people getting temporarily disillusioned with luxury, or is the illusion getting broken for good?” cult fashion Instagram account Diet Prada asked in a recent post referencing conversations around Dior’s alleged €53 handbag. If luxury’s marketing mythology is indeed “broken,” the implications for the sector are serious.

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