As CEO and Creative Director of Elie Tahari, Jeremey Tahari is balancing legacy with reinvention. His strategy centers on premium materials, full-price customer acquisition, micro-community and a more intentional approach to retail—all while preserving the brand’s accessible-luxury DNA.
From furniture logistics to personalized styling, Anthropologie’s business is built on making complexity invisible. COO Candan Erenguc shares how localized stores, owned brands and service-led retail are powering the company’s continued growth.
Attentive gathered retail and fashion’s sharpest minds in Brooklyn for a day of conversations about AI, discovery and what it actually takes to reach consumers in 2026. PacSun CEO Brie Olson, leaders from Authentic Brands Group, COS and LoveShackFancy and a fragrance activation that said it all.
In a retail market heavily hooked on the “discount drug,” Kenneth Cole Productions is intentionally choosing a different path. Global CEO and President Jed Berger outlines the brand’s disciplined 2026 playbook: trading short-term revenue spikes for long-term “healthy growth.” From rewiring channel distribution to scaling a direct-to-consumer footprint in Europe and anchoring the brand identity in mental health advocacy, Berger breaks down how the historic house is playing offense to bypass the industry’s sea of sameness and secure its positioning for 2030 and beyond.
This week’s biggest fashion stories all pointed to the same uncomfortable truth: brand equity means less when economic pressure starts rewriting the rules. From Everlane’s sale to Shein to Walmart signaling increased strain on the American consumer, the headlines exposed an industry grappling with a deeper identity crisis, one where authenticity, ownership, and consumer trust are increasingly colliding with financial reality.
Half of consumers are now using AI to discover products. Half of those are using it to make the actual purchase decision. AlixPartners’ data points to what separates the retailers best positioned to meet that moment: the ability to make human connection scale.
Twenty-five years into a career spanning Ogilvy, Clinique and Unilever, Emily Culp is making her most ambitious bet yet: that the brands that win the AI era won’t be the ones with the best models, but the ones with the clearest strategy and the deepest consumer trust.
Most brands struggle to find one insight worth building around. Aaron Sanandres found his in a personal annoyance, confirmed it on Reddit and turned it into one of menswear’s most improbable success stories. The UNTUCKit co-founder on brand building, product integrity and running two very different businesses at once.
With Vans navigating one of retail’s most compelling repositioning stories, LaJoie shares his philosophy on brand stewardship, the irreplaceable role of human judgment in merchandising, and what it really means to author culture rather than chase it.
Berns & Co. and the Women in Retail Leadership Circle reveal the 2026 edition of the 25 Most Inspirational Women Leaders — honoring visionary executives from Ulta Beauty, Mattel, Michael Kors, Victoria’s Secret, E.L.F. Beauty, and more.
CEO Christiane Pendarvis talks record-breaking growth, category expansion into body care and the requirements to win a multi-generational audience.
The new name reflects its evolution beyond traditional PR into a community-powered advisory model for retail, consumer brands, and tech companies.
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