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.
Gen Z stewardship: How 23-year-old Alexei Hamblin is repositioning Slazenger for a new era
At just 23, Alexei Hamblin is steering one of British sport’s most storied names into a new era. As the young designer and entrepreneur overseeing the transformation of Slazenger under the umbrella of Frasers Group, Hamblin is tasked with modernising a 140-year-old heritage brand without losing the legacy that made it iconic, exploring...
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KNWLS opens pop-up concept store during LFW
KNWLS has unveiled a temporary concept store in London during the city’s ongoing fashion week, designed to reflect what a physical space of the British label could look like. Open from February 20 to 23, and located at The Painting Rooms, the store offers an edit of core and exclusive pieces from the brand’s SS26 collection. Its interior is...
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Ssense founders secure buyout approval
The founders of Canadian luxury retailer Ssense have secured court approval for their buyout offer, blocking a deal by lenders pursuing a liquidation of the company. The Quebec Superior Court notified the company’s advisor, Ernst & Young, that the bid submitted by the founders – brothers Rami, Bassel and Firas Atallah – alongside their strategic...
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Topshop and Tolu Coker unveil plans for collaborative capsule during LFW
In yet another chapter of Topshop’s ongoing relaunch, the once high street-centric womenswear brand has now struck up a new collaboration with Tolu Coker, unveiling part of a co-designed capsule collection during London Fashion Week. During Coker’s runway show held Thursday, with King Charles III and Stella McCartney observing from the front...
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Stella McCartney named ambassador of King Charles III’s Sustainable Markets Initiative
British designer Stella McCartney has been appointed as an ambassador of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI). The organisation, founded by King Charles III in 2020, strives for the goal of bringing key industry stakeholders together to accelerate private-sector progress towards a circular fashion industry. The appointment builds on...
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New Balance achieves 9.2 billion dollars in annual sales
US sportswear giant New Balance achieved a notable feat for 2025, recording an annual global sales growth of 19 percent year-over-year, amounting to 9.2 billion dollars. The figures were shared in a business update by the company’s president and CEO, Joe Preston, who noted that this was New Balance’s fifth consecutive year of double-digit...
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Asos launches hybrid virtual try-on via its app
E-commerce giant Asos has introduced a new hybrid virtual try-on feature for shoppers using its IOS app with the goal of providing users with a more personalised experience. Launched in partnership with AI fashion platform AIUTA, the feature will initially allow shoppers to digitally try-on 10,000 products via either an image they uploaded...
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Nonprofit Remake closes down after failing to secure sustainable funding
Remake, the nonprofit behind the #NoNewClothes and #WearYourValues campaigns, is shutting down after failing to secure the necessary funding to sustain its operations. Founder of the organisation, Ayesha Barenblat, announced the news on Instagram, stating that this decision made by Remake’s board was the “most responsible path forward” in the...
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Mid-market fashion reinvents itself: Why AW25 pricing signals industry shift
The autumn/winter 2025/26 season signals more than just another round of price increases in the fashion industry. It marks a broader shift among mass and mid-market brands attempting to create value in an uneven global economy. A new report from Retviews, an AI-powered intelligence platform by Lectra, has revealed that mid-market players have...
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Archive introduces AI capabilities to optimise business operations
Resale tech provider Archive has unveiled a collection of new AI capabilities with the intention of scaling its operations and providing brands with a stronger foundation for resale. Under the umbrella ‘Archive Intelligence’, the new features address warehouse management, with the goal of optimising logistic costs and customer outcomes, and...
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