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.
Adidas investor set to vote against chair re-election
A shareholder of sportswear giant Adidas has said it will be voting against the proposal to reappoint Thomas Rabe as chair of the company at its upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 15. Allianz Global Investor, Adidas’ 13th biggest investor, said the decision to disapprove of Rabe’s re-election comes as the firm determined that this role next...
BusinessMember21 hours ago
Patrick McDowell wins Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design
Patrick McDowell has been selected as the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The Liverpool-born designer was presented with the award by the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, during an event at 180 Studios. He joins the ranks of SS Daley, Saul Nash and Labrum London as a winner of the award. Introduced in 2018, with...
People21 hours ago
AAFA, FDRA and NRF welcome US-China tariff pause, call for long-term deal
US apparel and footwear trade associations have welcomed the US and China’s 90-day pause on heightened tariffs. Yet, while the temporary agreement has somewhat calmed the waters of the two regions’ trade war, organisations are still calling for a long-term deal that will mitigate rising costs and prices. This was reflected in a statement from...
BusinessFeaturedMember1 day ago
Vince Holding hit with noncompliance notice from NYSE
US retail company Vince Holding Corp. has been issued with a noncompliance notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after its market capitalisation fell below the listing standards. In a regulatory filing, Vince said it did not, at this moment, satisfy NYSE’s continued listing standard, which requires the company’s 30-day trading day...
BusinessMemberMay 12, 2025
Australian organisations team up to develop country’s first National Manufacturing Strategy
The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) and clothing manufacturing company R.M. Williams have established a new partnership to develop what would be Australia’s first-ever National Manufacturing Strategy. The duo intend to mobilise efforts to “rebuild and future-proof” the local fashion and textile industry in the pursuit of building up a globally...
BusinessMemberMay 12, 2025
Skims to open first UK flagship store in London
Skims is set to enter the UK retail market. Commercial business firm The Crown Estate has confirmed the signing of a one-year lease with Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand for a site on Regent Street, London, set to open summer 2026. Little is currently known about what the store will entail over its 12,000 square feet span. The site will be the...
RetailMay 12, 2025
Debenhams mulls 125 million pound refinancing under new management
Debenhams Group, formerly Boohoo Group, has said it is considering the refinancing of a 125 million pound revolving credit facility as it continues to embark on a transformation under a new management team. A spokesperson for the fashion group told FashionUnited: “Having become Debenhams Group, we are currently at the early stages of evaluating...
BusinessMemberMay 12, 2025
Allbirds narrows quarterly losses following shift to distributor model
Footwear brand Allbirds outlined its results for the first quarter of 2025, one reflective of its transition from a direct selling model to a distributor model across certain international markets. During the quarter ended March 31, 2025, the company posted a net revenue decrease of 18.3 percent to 32.1 million dollars, compared to the same...
BusinessMemberMay 12, 2025
Background: The Gore-Tex brand and the tricky business of PFAS functionality
The crackdown on PFAS in functional clothing has been widespread in recent years, particularly as their harm to both the environment and humans becomes more broadly researched. It has forced leaders in the outerwear and sportswear industry to rethink their approach to implementing practical features into their designs, and has seen many facing...
Business|Background FeaturedMemberMay 9, 2025
Premier Brands Group faces legal dispute from Levi’s over ‘counterfeit trafficking’
Denim brand Levi Strauss & Co. has filed a legal complaint against Premier Brands Group (PBG) in which it claims the New York-based firm had carried out a “large-scale counterfeit trafficking operation” that infringed on its trademarks. In a filing with the California Northern District Court (case number 3:25-cv-03863), seen and initially...
BusinessMemberMay 9, 2025