Industry

Remembering Sunny Diego, John Camuto and More Footwear Industry Legends

By Keisha P. Crabtree 1 year ago

Feb. 12, 2021: Sunny Diego, who spent 25 years at Saks Fifth Avenue, died at 51.

According to FN’s sister publication WWD, the longtime retail executive — most recently the VP and DMM of men’s designer and contemporary at Saks — passed away on Feb. 11 at Memorial Sloan Kettering, where she was receiving treatment for stomach cancer.

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Diego, who received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, began her career at Saks in 1994. She spent 18 years at the department store in a range of roles, including fashion director of women’s footwear, accessories, jewelry and intimate apparel, as well as men’s fashion director. She joined Li & Fung’s U.S. business as SVP of men’s merchandising in 2012 and left two years later to become chief merchant at Lividini & Co. After seven months, she returned to Saks.

Saks Fifth Avenue

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Is the Beauty Industry Glossing Over Disability in Advertising?

By Keisha P. Crabtree 1 year ago

This ad appeared in New York City’s Times Square, one of the most sought after advertising sites in the world, but remains one of the few examples of disability representation in beauty. Last year, Gucci and Benefit both chose models with down syndrome for beauty campaigns, and Ulta Beauty prominently placed ad posters of a woman in a wheelchair. But that seems about it and I’m not only underwhelmed, I’m flummoxed.

Fashion brands like Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Target, and Zappos, as well as celebrities like Beyoncé with Ivy Park and Rihanna with Savage x Fenty, were ahead of the beauty industry in creating inclusive products for and marketing to the disability community. The fashion industry has not only acknowledged disabled bodies but also started to innovate and design for them. In contrast, very few major players in the beauty industry are making packaging accessible or

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Women Who are Transforming the Beauty Industry with Their Organic Products

By Keisha P. Crabtree 2 years ago

It is ironic how society expects women to look beautiful and stay fashionable but discourages them when they start a business around the same themes. But this is just one among the many barricades women have bulldozed their way through to make a mark in the industry.

India’s cosmetic industry has been on a high growth curve and is expected to cross $20 billion by 2025. Only three years ago it was valued at $6.5 billion. With more and more women joining the workforce, the spending capacity of the country’s women has also been on the rise. This has enabled and encouraged more young women to buy beauty products, creating a burgeoning market for entrepreneurs to cater to the demand.

Here are five such female entrepreneurs who have disrupted the beauty industry with not just their organic products but also with their exceptional leadership. Let’s celebrate these trailblazing women who

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How Black-Owned Beauty Retailers Are Shaking Up the Beauty Industry

By Keisha P. Crabtree 2 years ago

Click here to read the full article.

As consumers become increasingly conscious of their purchasing power, some are placing greater emphasis on buying from Black-owned businesses.

In June, social media users began circulating lists of dozens — and in some cases, hundreds — of Black-owned beauty brands in the wake of the George Floyd protests. The lists signified a desire from supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement to align their spending habits with their core values. Less common, though, than the widely shared lists of Black-owned beauty brands were posts raising awareness of Black-owned beauty retailers.

The past few years have given rise to a number of beauty retailers nationwide that are self-funded and owned by Black women. WWD Beauty Inc spoke to six Black-owned beauty retailers — five of which have not yet taken on investment — about their business models and causes for launch. Despite each unique

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