Articles by Rachel Douglass
Rachel has been with FashionUnited since mid-2021. Descending from the UK, she moved to the Netherlands in 2014 to attend Amsterdam Fashion Institute, where she studied a BA in International Fashion and Branding with a specialisation in Journalism.
At FashionUnited, Rachel covers daily news, from store openings to acquisitions, alongside which she focuses on research-based stories, interviews and on-the-ground event reporting. Her topics of interest include digital fashion, independent retail and current trends.
Beyond the rack: How Onefifteen’s buyer is shaping its lifestyle-driven vision in Taiwan
In the heart of Taipei’s Da’an district, the flagship store of Onefifteen exists as somewhat of a florally-infused oasis within a metropolitan backdrop. The luxury multibrand retailer sits in the foundations of a historic 1950s building, renovated to both retain its background and modernise this antiquity for a string of dedicated consumers that...
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Communications group The Independents snaps up design studio 2x4
The Independents is continuing its acquisition spree. The international communications group has announced that it has snapped up design studio 2x4, in what it says adds “design and brand strategy capabilities to its growing roster of specialist agencies”. By bringing the New York and Beijing-based studio under its wing, The Independents said...
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CaaStle reportedly secures bridge loan to support Chapter 11 process
CaaStle has seemingly found a light at the end of the tunnel. The US fashion rental platform, which has worked with brands like LK Bennett and Derek Lam on branded rental offerings, is believed to have secured a 2.75 million dollar bridge loan to help support an impending Chapter 11 process and despite an ongoing lawsuit. According to a letter...
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Movado Group FY25 sales fall as company prepares for tariff impact
US-based, Swiss-founded watch firm Movado Group reported a 1.7 percent drop in net sales for the fiscal year 2025, amounting to 653.4 million dollars. The company, which owns and operates brands like Movado, Ebel, Concord and Olivia Burton, said the decline could be attributed to a drop in US wholesale clients’ brick and mortar stores, as well...
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Trump bumps up tariffs on Chinese imports to 245 percent
US president Donald Trump has once again bumped up tariffs on Chinese imports. In the latest update from the White House, the Trump administration now said “China faces up to a 245 percent tariff on imports to the US as a result of its retaliatory actions”. This includes a 125 percent reciprocal tariff, a 20 percent tariff to address the...
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JD.com commits to supporting Chinese exporters amid tariff uncertainty
E-commerce giant JD.com is set to launch a 200 billion yuan (20.57 billion pounds) fund to help support Chinese exporters as uncertainty over tariffs continues to weigh on the market. In a statement to Reuters, the Chinese firm said it would send its own employees to domestic companies associated with foreign trade to purchase their “...
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‘Fear of regulation’: New BFC-backed report underlines obstacles in development of circular business models
As increasing regulation unfolds in the pursuit of establishing a more circular industry, obstacles and challenges faced by UK brands in their attempts to align with these changes are becoming more and more clear. It is exactly this that is explored in a new report by UK-US consultancy firm Clarasys, backed by the British Fashion Council’s (BFC)...
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Matches debt surges beyond estimates to 50 million pounds
Just over a year on from its administration, challenges triggered by Matches’ collapse continue to unravel. According to new documents filed by the company’s administrators, creditors of the former luxury e-tailer are now said to be owed around 49.5 million pounds, surpassing previously cited estimates. In the documents provided by administrator...
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Frasers Group to launch Sports Direct in ANZ region with Accent Group
Frasers Group has secured a 25-year strategic retail agreement with Accent Group that will see its sportswear retailer, Sports Direct, launch across Australia and New Zealand. The company said it is planning to open 100 stores in the region, with further opportunities among other retail and business segments to be potentially explored in the...
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Christian Dior quarterly revenue down amid ‘disrupted geopolitical’ environment
Luxury group Christian Dior posted a revenue of 20.3 billion euros for the first quarter of 2025, a slight decline on the same period of the year prior as the “disrupted geopolitical and economic environment” continued to take effect. Overall group revenue dropped 2 percent on the 20.69 billion euros recorded in the first quarter of 2024, with...
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