Latest news with #TheDebrief
Business of Fashion
4 hours ago
- Business
- Business of Fashion
Fashion Tech Boom 2.0
Listen to and follow 'The Debrief': Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast Background: After years of disillusionment with fashion tech, investors are once again excited about its potential, but with a very different mindset to the hype-fuelled boom of the last decade. From AI-powered personal styling apps to virtual try-on tools and personalised search engines, a wave of start-ups is gaining traction – and big backing – by offering real technological solutions to long-standing fashion industry problems. In this episode, senior e-commerce correspondent Malique Morris joins The Debrief to explore how fashion tech is finally growing up, and which companies are leading this more grounded, results-driven wave of innovation. Key Insights: In the previous fashion tech boom, investors were heavily investing in e-commerce startups with little true innovation. 'DTC brands … positioned themselves as tech companies because they sold goods online, but there was nothing really revolutionary about them listing products on a website. And I don't know how investors didn't cop to that,' says Morris. Today's backers are more discerning, favouring startups with clear technical roadmaps and founders who can evolve their product in meaningful ways. Investor interest in fashion tech reignited thanks to the rise of generative AI. As Morris explains, venture capital had been sitting on the sidelines during a broader funding freeze, but AI's real-world applications reignited excitement. 'Startups like Daydream are building a platform for personalised search using AI tools from companies like OpenAI and Google, and they want to be the ChatGPT for fashion and be disruptive in the way that ChatGPT has changed how we use the internet,' says Morris. 'What was once a dream is now closer to being tangible and investors want to be the first ones in on that.' Today's investors are looking beyond flashy pitches and prioritising founders with real technical know-how. 'Something that is really separating the people who are just trying to raise money and not breaking through from those who are, are having some sort of technical experience, technical expertise,' says Morris. With the complexity of AI and other advanced tools, investors want to back teams that can build efficiently and with minimal lift. 'They want to back founders who know what they're doing,' he adds. While new fashion tech apps offer highly personalised experiences, their complexity may limit mainstream appeal. The question of scale is still unanswered: 'There may be a billion people out there who want to do that… There may only be a million. We don't know that just yet.' Additional Resources:
Business of Fashion
a day ago
- Business
- Business of Fashion
The Jewellery Boom, Explained
Listen to and follow 'The Debrief': Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast Background: As major luxury brands struggle to maintain momentum amid an industry-wide slowdown, one category is bucking the trend: jewellery. While demand for handbags and apparel softens, fine jewellery sales continue to rise, driven by consumer desire for lasting value, emotional resonance and self-expression. Simone Stern Carbone and Joan Kennedy join The Debrief to discuss how independent jewellers are thriving with creativity and personality, the rising popularity of novelty pieces, and why jewellery is uniquely positioned to attract buyers in today's luxury market. Key Insights: Despite slowing luxury sales, jewellery sales have continued to boom. As Stern Carbone notes, consumers perceive luxury jewellery as an inherently safer investment. She says, 'Instinctively, a lot of people associate jewellery – especially if it's got gold, gemstones or diamonds – with something you would dish out more money for more readily than for a handbag potentially made out of nylon.' While big jewellery brands are growing, smaller competitors are booming as they foster deep customer relationships and maintain flexible, manageable supply chains. Stern-Carbone highlights, 'Jewellery is so personal. When you have a very distinct aesthetic, you really connect with your customers long term, potentially for life. This is a really personal relationship that smaller brands can capitalise on.' Kennedy emphasises that modern jewellery marketing resonates by being accessible and relatable. 'One designer I spoke to puts her charm necklaces next to candy necklaces, so that feels fun,' she says. 'A lot of these designers are doing things that are very lo-fi. It's like a picture of a wrist on Instagram. And then they reply to DMs, like, 'Hey, show me that bracelet with something else.' So the way that they present it is also really relevant to shoppers, versus the very high-gloss and traditional style of high jewellery.' Novelty jewellery began gaining popularity post-Covid. 'People were buying camp jewellery, but they were paying $50 for a funky, colourful ring. And then more recently, people are like, okay, let's bring in the value piece of this,' says Kennedy. Novelty jewellery has surged as consumers seek personal expression in response to uniform dressing and quiet luxury trends. Kennedy continues, 'You're leaning into things that are uniform dressing, so how do we spice that up? Let's go for more novelty in jewellery.' Additional Resources:
Dubai Eye
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Dubai Eye
Backstage at Glasto: The Chaos Behind the Culture
Dane explores the history of the legendary UK music festival Glastonbury, looking back on some huge performances and the clean up volunteers that take three weeks to get rid of all the waste left behind. And how do you feel about friends imposing on staying at home while they visit on holiday? All debated on The Debrief
Dubai Eye
24-06-2025
- Dubai Eye
Truth, Trauma, and Healing: Sarah Corbett Lynch's Story
Dane and Sana speak Sarah Corbett Lynch who was just eight years old when her father, Jason Corbett, was killed in 2015. Despite the trauma, Sarah has become an author and an advocate for others navigating grief and identity. And have you ever exaggerated on your CV to help get that dream job? Well that is exactly what one 'fake Dentist' done and has now been charged by police after treating dozens of patients. All discussed and debated on The Debrief!
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists make stunning discovery hidden along 2,000-mile stretch of ancient Antarctic mountains: 'More dynamic … history than previously recognized'
Novel findings from University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, geologist Timothy Paulsen and University of Colorado, Boulder, thermochronologist Jeff Benowitz have shed light on the complex and enigmatic history of Antarctica's ice sheets, The Debrief reported. Paulsen and Benowitz's research will appear in the August edition of the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. The study builds on a broader understanding of Antarctica's bedrock geology and introduces new insights. The Antarctic ice sheets "today blanket and mask the bedrock geology of Antarctica," the study's authors began. "However, when this bedrock landscape formed over many regions of Antarctica and how it has influenced ice sheet evolution remain as unresolved problems." Paulsen, Benowitz, and their research team set out to glean insights from a mysterious, "hidden" mountain range in Antarctica. Those massive mountains were first discovered during the British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904. "Early exploration of the Antarctic continent revealed a surprising result, a 3,500-kilometer (2,175-mile) long mountain range with peaks over 4,500 meters (2.8 miles) crossing the Antarctic continental interior. This range was known as the 'great Antarctic horst' and is recognized today as the Transantarctic Mountains," Paulsen explained. Research examined periods of "exhumation" — a term in geology for periods when objects beneath or near the Earth's crust have moved closer to the surface — and their "potential influence on Paleozoic and Cenozoic glacial cycles" on the continent. The team analyzed an "exceptionally large data set from igneous rocks recovered from the Transantarctic Mountains," uncovering new evidence with respect to glacial cycles. Their findings hinted at a "much more dynamic Antarctic landscape history than previously recognized," which Paulsen expounded on. "Our new results suggest Transantarctic Mountain basement rocks experienced several punctuated mountain-building and erosion events, creating surfaces along which ancient rocks are missing. These events are curiously associated with major plate tectonic changes along the margins of Antarctica," he said. As is often the case, the team indicated that further research could reveal more about the continent's glacial cycles — which in turn can inform our broader knowledge of climate. An "older geologic history of the continent may have profoundly shaped the patterns of the modern landscape, which likely influenced cycles of glacial advance and retreat, and perhaps evolutionary steps in Earth's global ocean-atmosphere system," Paulsen stated. Do you think we still have a lot to learn from ancient cultures? Definitely Only on certain topics I'm not sure No — not really Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
