Retreats are never easy. They are signs of failure, not up for frontal challenges. The Fashion Ecosystem is in retreat on many fronts, in disarray. Thankfully there is no Czarist Army on its tail. Yet a dreary feeling is rolling over the industry.
The same questions at the same big publishing house, what is happening at Conde Nast? Another implosion happened with the announcement of Teen Vogue being closed after twenty-two years. Once the standard bearer for diverse voices in a business known for exclusion. The surprise move came after Vogue World Hollywood, a charity event raising funds for Entertainment Community Fund. The ivory and gold handled knife got unsheathed on November 3rd.
The youth angled site fired a number of People of Color writers while the remaining operation would be folded into Vogue under new head Chloe Malle. If only CN’s staff studied the history of their gilded employer because lessons from the past give clues to the present. Former editor Leon Talley in his book The Chiffon Trenches described the degrading way editors Grace Mirabella and Diane Vreeland were thrown out like smelly yellowed paper magazines.
Now the story takes a turn to grievances in a glitzy tower. Four editors faced with the HR department over the layoffs. The staffers were fired immediately resulting in accusations being hurled from both sides. Conde Nast filed complaints with the Labor Board citing “conduct that violated company policies”. On the side of the, News Guild of New York, called the dismissals “Illegal”.
Hosting a $3,000 a ticket soiree attended by Hollywood Celebs, toasting Champagne for the unfortunate, while planning to axe your employees during the hardest jobs market in fifty years screams “Let Them Eat Cake” reality. It is an aloof detachment. The question again, “what is happening at Conde Nast?” Or better, “what is the thinking at Conde Nast?”
Keeping up with who is going and who is staying as creative director is hard these days. The statement read “by mutual decision” a parting of ways. At one time Olivier Rousteing was the poster child of high fashion married to social media and modern celebrity. With friends Kim Kardashian, Cher, A$AP, Doja Cat, the 40-year-old understood the messaging power of modern media alongside the flash. When appointed head of the French house in 2011, the creative head took a not so high profiled label to the A-List stratosphere. The runway shows were filled with Hollywood Stars, his pieces were on the Red Carpet.
As the first Person of Color and one of the youngest persons (24) to head a major Paris Fashion House, Rousteing introduced a mixture of glamour, fanciness and rollick to the collections. The New York Times Vanessa Friedman thinks Olivier’s departure represents fashion is giving up on Inclusivity, Instagram and reality show superstars.
Kering Group is trying to unload niche luxury brand Alexander McQueen. As the French coporate giant tries to stabilize core brand Gucci, the management team decided to jettison the London marker acquired in 2000.
We previously reported the rumor Hedi Slimane would head to Armani. The Milan label put out a statement quashing the Internet gossip. Mr. Slimane will not become the creative head of the group. No worries, but who will wave at the end of the show?
On the sneaker front, Nike and Puma are driving down a mountain road without brakes. The athletic giants face stiff resistance from buyers. Both suffer from unsold inventory and poor product launches. In Puma’s case, consumers continue to stay away from too many discounted products. Puma announced a layoff of 900 employees with an expectation of two years before a turnaround. On the other hand, Nike is putting its eggs in a hi-tech basketball shoe, the G.T. Cut 4 going on sale in January 2026.
Can more happen in the last few weeks of 2025? Stay tuned with a bag of chips.