French underwear brand Le Slip Français made its stock market debut in Paris on Tuesday, betting that consumers will pay for locally made clothing amid competition from ultra-cheap Chinese fast-fashion giants like Shein and Temu.

The apparel company, founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Guillaume Gibault to promote textiles made in France, has since expanded beyond men’s underwear to include women’s undergarments, T-shirts, socks, swimwear, and other clothing. It will IPO on the Euronext Growth Paris exchange on Tuesday morning

“It was a bet 15 years ago to prove that it’s actually possible to manufacture garments in France,” CEO Gibault told CNBC’s Charlotte Reed in an interview ahead of the listing. “Today, the company is about to go public, so it’s a great source of joy and pride for us.”

The IPO comes after what Gibault described as a strong year for the business. Le Slip Français generated 21 million euros ($24.6 million) in revenue in 2025, alongside earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of 2.1 million euros and net income of 700,000 euros, which he said gave the company confidence to pursue a public listing.

Le Slip Français had a mixed start on the day of its debut, with shares briefly falling below their IPO price of 14.80 euros, before last trading at 15 euros.

Taking on Shein and Temu

The French brand is entering the public market as fast-fashion giants continue to put pressure on apparel brands with ultra-low prices.

Gibault acknowledged that competing against platforms such as Shein and Temu is challenging, but argued that global trade uncertainty is encouraging brands to move textile production closer to home.

Based on the IPO price of 14.80 euros, the company was targeting a market capitalization of around 19 million euros ahead of its IPO. Meanwhile, Shein is expected to potentially IPO in September or October, targeting a valuation of $40 to $50 billion, according to Reuters.

“We all know that in every crisis there is opportunity,” he said. “There is momentum now for relocating textiles in France.”

Rather than relying on outsourced production, the company has invested in its own factory near Paris, where it now produces around 4,500 pieces of underwear a day.

Automation has helped reduce manufacturing costs, allowing the company to cut the retail price of its underwear from around 40 euros to roughly 20 euros while maintaining profitability, according to Gibault.

Le Slip Français also plans to expand beyond its own consumer brand by manufacturing clothing for other companies seeking French production, a strategy it describes as “Made in France as a service.”

The company aims to double revenue by 2030 through a combination of…

Shares of one of India’s biggest fashion retailers, Trent, plunged over 11% on Tuesday after the company’s first-quarter revenue growth missed earnings targets.

The Tata Group company reported standalone revenue of 56.66 billion rupees ($595 million) for the quarter ended June, up 19% on year, Trent said on Monday.

Citigroup remains “cautious on Trent” owing to a weak trend in revenue per square foot, increasing competition, the impact of cannibalization, and new-store expansion in smaller cities. The firm was expecting the company to report revenue growth of 23%, it said in a report Monday.

Trent operates fast fashion stores primarily in India under the brands Westside and Zudio. At the end of June, Trent had a portfolio of 1,312 stores, the company said.

Shares of the company are up 4.3% since the start of this year, even as India’s benchmark index Sensex is down nearly 8%.

Hugo Boss shares popped around 8% Thursday after its biggest shareholder, Frasers Group announced a 2-billion-euro takeover offer for the German fashion company.

Frasers, which has a 26% stake in Hugo Boss, said late Wednesday it is offering 38 euros per share in cash for the remainder of Hugo Boss shares, marking a total consideration of 1.978 billion euros ($2.28 billion). The offer represents a premium of around 4% to Hugo Boss’ Wednesday closing price.

Hugo Boss noted that the offer had not been coordinated by the company and added that it will “thoroughly examine” the deal.

Hugo Boss was last trading 7.7% higher. Fraser shares rose 1%, reversing course after having seen losses earlier in the session.

Hugo Boss would be the latest addition to Frasers’ portfolio of retail brands, which includes Sports Direct and House of Fraser as well as stakes in Asos, Debenhams, and Currys.

The British retailer founded by British billionaire Mike Ashley, has been on a buying spree, and Shore Capital analyst David Hughes noted that the bid for Hugo Boss appears strategic, given the maker of high-end suits and perfumes’ ambitions to be a premium/luxury brand.

Frasers has repositioned itself in recent years to attract wealthier buyers. The Hugo Boss acquisition would deepen Frasers’ access to the premium menswear market, as well as potentially giving it more influence over product, distribution, and presentation in a channel where brand scarcity and execution matter, Hughes said.

“This looks to us as an opportunity to grab a strategically relevant brand to Frasers at an attractive valuation,” Hughes added.

It said it remains supportive of Hugo’s sustainable growth strategy and the company’s CEO Daniel Grieder and Supervisory Board Chair Stephan Sturm.

The “modest” premium should limit stake building while also fueling speculation that a higher offer may eventually materialize, Citi analysts said in a Wednesday note. “We expect moderate near-term share price upside,” they said.

Frasers said it expects the deal, which is subject to regulatory clearances, to be completed in the second half of 2026.

Online resale app Vinted is seeing a structural shift in consumer behaviour, as habits form around the resale economy, the company’s marketplace boss told CNBC on Monday.

Vinted, the consumer-to-consumer platform allowing customers to sell unwanted items like clothing, electronics, or even furniture, has seen rapid growth in recent years, boosted by consumers increasingly looking for value amid rising costs of living globally.

The value of items sold on Vinted grew nearly 50% last year, as it launched in more European markets.

“It’s a fundamental change in consumption towards second hand, and I think that is very much here to stay,” Adam Jay, CEO of Vinted Marketplace, told CNBC. “Vinted was growing well before the current economic difficulties, the cost of living crisis, inflation, and has continued to grow well in times of difficulty and stress.”

His comments come as Vinted in late April completed a secondary shares transaction of 880 million euros ($1.02 billion), valuing the Lithuanian startup at over $9 billion.

Vinted’s rapid growth and multi-billion dollar valuation have fueled intense speculation regarding a potential blockbuster IPO. 

The company’s robust financial health also signals that it is under little pressure to list soon, as it is cash-positive and capable of raising nearly a billion euros in private capital.

Executives have hinted at an upcoming IPO but haven’t given a timeline. Jay said he was happy with the current investors, but declined to comment on the timing and location of a potential IPO.

The secondary transaction led by EQT brought on new investors such as Schroders Capital and BlackRock, and saw existing shareholders like Baillie Gifford increase their position.

It introduced “institutional, long-term investors that can hold across private and public markets, while providing liquidity to existing shareholders and employees,” Vinted said at the time. The company didn’t raise any new primary capital in this transaction.  

Online secondhand apparel is growing rapidly, and at twice the speed of the overall market, according to market research firm GlobalData.

The explosive growth is partially because the secondhand market represents a win-win for buyers and sellers, according to Jay. “You’ve got this habit being formed, you’ve got this big social impact, climate impact, and that… combines to be the Vinted equation.” 

Vinted coined the term “Vinted math,” referring to consumers who view second hand as an easy and more affordable option, and consider the resale value when buying new items.

Vinted users saved 21.6 billion euros on fashion in 2025, compared to retail prices, paying on average 72% less than the original price, according to the company’s 2025 Impact Report. 

Vinted is now trying to take that formula across the Atlantic as well as to new categories.

“It took us a long time before we decided to go beyond fashion, and we really needed to be confident that our fashion marketplace…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — As the retail world navigates the first half of 2026, a strange paradox has taken hold of the global fashion industry. 

On the one hand, the runways of Paris and the digital storefronts of fashion giants are flooded with “green” messaging. Danish jeweler Pandora is focusing on lab-grown diamonds, Kering‘s Gucci is touting “circular” polyester, and major retail apps are rolling out resale platforms.

But despite the marketing blitz, fashion executives admit that most consumers, battered by a persistent cost-of-living crisis, aren’t willing to pay more for an ethically produced product, or “sustainability premium.” Instead, shoppers have become increasingly selective and price-sensitive, looking for value above all else. 

The fashion industry remains an outsized contributor to climate change, accounting for roughly 10% of global carbon emissions. 

But if the consumer isn’t buying the pitch, why is the industry doubling down on a sales pitch that isn’t selling? The answer is cold, hard risk management. 

For much of the last decade, retail’s financial playbook was simple: scale up, lower sourcing costs, and use tactical promotions to clear the racks. 

In 2026, brands can no longer rely on those levers to grow profits, according to the latest State of Fashion report by McKinsey and the Business of Fashion.

Instead, brand strength and flexible sourcing are becoming important levers for protecting margins. Executives said that changes to margin and cost strategies will be the second-most important theme shaping the industry in 2026 — second only to trade disruptions like tariffs, the report found. 

Adding to the sector’s challenges of wavering consumer demand and aggressive new e-commerce competition are macroeconomic shocks hitting production lines. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has sent energy prices soaring, driving up the cost of petroleum-tied synthetic fibers like polyester. 

For discount retailers operating on thin margins, rising costs make sustainability efforts a tougher sell. However, some argue that neglecting the issue creates an even larger vulnerability. 

The Middle East conflict and subsequent energy shock have led some companies to worry about transport, supply chains, and raw material prices, deprioritizing environmental and social issues, former H&M CEO Helena Helmersson told CNBC in an interview. 

“That’s when you haven’t realized that sustainability is business,” she said. “Those who have a long-term view now get an extra push because when oil prices go up, polyester prices go up. Transportation costs go up and down, and it’s way too volatile to be able to build a sustainable…

Luxury stocks tanked early Wednesday after Gucci-owner Kering and Hermes reported first-quarter earnings that disappointed investors amid a conflict in the Middle East that is hitting luxury sales.

Shares of Hermes plummeted 8.2%, while Kering closed 9.3% lower. The companies’ updates also weighed on the broader luxury sector, with Burberry, Christian Dior, and Moncler all finishing Wednesday’s session lower.

“Despite the slowdown in tourist flows linked to the situation in the Middle East, sales in the group’s stores increased by 7%,” Hermes said Wednesday as it reported sales of 4.1 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in the first quarter, as total sales grew 5.6% year-on-year. Analysts had expected growth of 7.1%.

“Wholesale activity was significantly affected by lower sales to concession stores, particularly in the Middle East and in airports,” the company added.

Hermes shares’ move lower reflects two fears, said Jefferies analyst James Grzinic: a heavily challenged Middle East exposure and concerns around a slowing Chinese momentum.

Meanwhile, Kering reported sales below expectations late Tuesday, as the luxury conglomerate’s biggest brand, Gucci, remained a drag despite efforts by new CEO Luca de Meo to turn the company’s fortunes around.

Emma Grede, co-founder and CEO of inclusive fashion brand Good American alongside Khloé Kardashian, and founding partner of Skims with Kim Kardashian, has had a boardroom seat to the billion-dollar impact social influence can have on business. But she says it takes a lot more than influence to turn ambition and ideas into lasting success, and she has plenty of advice from her path to self-made millionaire to offer other women.

In Grede’s new book “Start With Yourself“, which came out Tuesday, she writes that women are often held back by how they are conditioned to think about money, leadership, and the permission to pursue their ambitions.

“There’s a lot of social conditioning that happens to us … ‘she’s a good girl,’ and it teaches you to be small and be quiet and to be a pleaser,” Grede told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin during the latest episode of the “CNBC Changemakers and Power Players” podcast, which was also released Tuesday.

That conditioning early in life can leave a long and lasting negative impact on women, Grede says. “If you sit in fear about sticking out or doing something wrong, it’s going to be really hard for you to start something new because you’re so fearful. And if you’re a people pleaser, you’re probably not going to say what you really mean. … And if your ambition to make a lot of money only lives inside of you, and you haven’t really vocalized it, then why should anybody pay you more?”

Grede was named to the 2025 CNBC Changemakers list.

Here are a few more key takeaways from her CNBC podcast appearance where she discussed many of the themes in her new book.

Being honest with yourself may need to be the first step in ambition.

Among Grede’s primary advice to women is take a hard look at what may be holding them back. “Why don’t we just get honest about some of this stuff and recognize what in our emotional lives is holding us back? Because once you understand it, you can start to correct it,” she said. 

And that will help to have the confidence to pursue ambitions.

“I always talk about this idea of ambition being a little bit uncomfortable, and you need to be able to learn to lean into that discomfort,” said Grede, who grew up in East London and was raised by a single mom with limited financial resources.

Then ambition has to be coupled with vision and a plan, and a lot of hard work. “Ambition needs to find you working,” Grede said.

Ideas are never enough.

Her long-running, successful partnerships with the Kardashian family are built on more than just celebrity endorsements. “You have to be able to have an intrinsic understanding of what your partnership brings and what it does together,” Grede said. “You have to be able to trust each other.”

The Kardashians did bring cultural reach, fame, and confidence, and Grede says she brought operational experience from having already run a successful business. And both backgrounds have been critical to building structures that helped Skims and Good American grow in the areas of shapewear…

In one of New York City’s most fashion-forward neighborhoods, Target is unveiling its latest effort to keep up with trends and lead the way on style.

The Minneapolis-based retailer, which is in the middle of a turnaround effort and on the cusp of a CEO change, gave a makeover to its big-box store in SoHo at 600 Broadway.

The one-of-a-kind concept store, which opens Tuesday, will have rotating merchandise, curated displays chosen by celebrities and influencers and other kinds of special programming, Chief Guest Experience Officer Cara Sylvester said.

The SoHo store is part of a broader push by incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke to win back Target’s reputation for style and sharp merchandise. When he was named Target’s next leader in August, he said that would be one of his top three priorities, along with improving the customer experience and rolling out technology to make Target faster and more efficient. He will start the role in February, succeeding longtime CEO Brian Cornell.

Target is trying to get back to growth after roughly four years of stagnant annual sales due to self-inflicted challenges and a more difficult economic backdrop. Store foot traffic and sales have fallen as shoppers have responded to sloppier stores, out-of-stock and locked-up items and the company’s decision to roll back key diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Consumers across the country have also become more selective about buying discretionary merchandise, which has long been Target’s sweet spot, as they pay more for necessities like groceries, electricity and housing.

At an event previewing the store on Monday night, Fiddelke described the SoHo location as “a punctuation point” for Target’s sense of style and its plans for the future.

In an interview with CNBC, Sylvester said the store’s merchandise has completely changed. The location, which opened about seven years ago, drew many shoppers and had strong sales, but sold mostly items found in drug and convenience stores, she said. It didn’t carry any of Target’s clothing or home decor, which felt both out of step with the neighborhood and like a missed opportunity for Target, she said.

“We said, ‘This is the style and fashion capital. We have to be able to showcase the best,'” she said, recalling the inspiration for the project.

From start to finish, the store’s redesign took four months as the company raced to get the project done ahead of the holidays, Sylvester said. It has redone the store’s first floor and plans to redesign the basement floor in the coming year, she added.

The SoHo store is reopening at a time when holiday shoppers and tourists flock to the major shopping district for holiday gifts and party outfits — and as Target chases sales across the…

At ThredUp‘s 600,000-square-foot warehouse in Suwanee, Georgia, roughly 40,000 pieces of used clothing are processed each day. The company’s logistics network — four facilities across the U.S. — now rivals that of some fast-fashion giants.

“This is the largest garment-on-hanger system in the world,” said Justin Pina, ThredUp’s senior director of operations. “We can hold more than 3.5 million items here.”

Secondhand shopping is booming. The global secondhand apparel market is expected to reach $367 billion by 2029, growing almost three times faster than the overall apparel market, according to GlobalData.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs were billed as a way to bring manufacturing back home. But the measures hit one of America’s most import-dependent industries: fashion.

About 97 percent of clothing sold in the U.S. is imported, mostly from China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India, according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association.

For years, Gen Z shoppers have been driving the rise of secondhand fashion, but now more Americans are catching on.

“When tariffs raise those costs, resale platforms suddenly look like the smart buy. This isn’t just a fad,” said Jasmine Enberg, co-CEO of Scalable. “Tariffs are accelerating trends that were already reshaping the way Americans shop.”

For James Reinhart, ThredUp’s CEO, the company is already seeing it play out.

“The business is free-cash-flow positive and growing double digits,” said Reinhart. “We feel really good about the economics, gross margins near 80% and operations built entirely within the U.S.”

ThredUp reported that revenue grew 34% year over year in the third quarter. The company also said it acquired more new customers in the quarter than at any other time in its history, with new buyer growth up 54% from the same period last year.

“If tariffs add 20% to 30% to retail prices, that’s a huge advantage for resale,” said Dylan Carden, research analyst at William Blair & Company. “Pre-owned items aren’t subject to those duties, so demand naturally shifts.”

Inside the ThredUp warehouse, where CNBC got a behind-the-scenes look. automation hums alongside human workers. AI systems photograph, categorize, and price thousands of garments per hour. For Reinhart, the technology is key to scaling resale like retail.

“AI has really accelerated adoption,” said Reinhart. “It’s helping us improve discovery, styling, and personalization for buyers.”

That tech wave extends beyond ThredUp. Fashion-tech startups Phia, co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is using AI to scan thousands of listings across retail and resale in seconds.

“The fact that we’ve driven millions in transaction volume shows how big this need is,” Gates said. “People want smarter, cheaper ways to shop.”

ThredUp is betting that domestic infrastructure, automation, and AI will keep it ahead of the curve, and that tariffs meant to revive U.S. manufacturing could end up powering a new kind of American fashion economy.

“The future of fashion…