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.
Authentic enters 311 million dollar deal to acquire Dockers from Levi Strauss
Authentic Brands Group has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dockers from Levi Strauss & Co. for a transaction value of 311 million dollars. The deal reflects LS&Co.’s strategic efforts to zone in on its direct-to-consumer business. The transaction, which is subject to customary adjustments and closing conditions, has the potential...
BusinessFeaturedMemberloading...
Tamara Ralph settles legal dispute with former Ralph & Russo creditor
Designer Tamara Ralph has settled a legal dispute with Candy Capital, a former creditor of her shuttered Ralph & Russo business, which she had run alongside Michael Russo. Candy, an investment firm owned by real estate agent Nick Candy, had filed a lawsuit against the British luxury brand back in 2021 in regards to a disagreement over a 15...
BusinessMemberloading...
Hudson’s Bay intellectual property acquired for 30 million dollars
The intellectual property of Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has been snapped up in an acquisition deal amounting to 30 million Canadian dollars (21.5 million US dollars). The move has been made by Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), which announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to secure the HBC Stripes – the stripe...
BusinessMemberloading...
UK and EU establish trade agreement, future of textiles not yet certain
The UK and the European Union have confirmed a new agreement intended to “make it easier for food and drink to be imported and exported”. How the textile industry will be impacted is not yet known, however. According to a press release from the UK government, the deal, which comes after “extensive negotiations” over the last six months,...
BusinessMemberloading...
Marks & Spencers faces class action lawsuit over cyber attack
British department store chain Marks & Spencer is facing a multimillion pound lawsuit following its cyber attack. The complaint specifically pertains to Scottish customers whose personal data was stolen during the incident. Marks & Spencer confirmed that consumer data had been stolen in the cyber attack last week. However, it noted that there...
BusinessMemberloading...
UK to enact new regulations on ‘wild west’ BNPL industry
The UK government has outlined plans to regulate the operations of buy now, pay later (BNPL) firms as it aims for more transparency among the industry. The HM Treasury said BNPL firms will need to follow “consistent standards”, including upfront checks, to ensure shoppers can repay what they borrow. The plans also detail “fairer and faster...
BusinessMemberloading...
‘Brexit effect’: New study by Walpole reveals impact of Brexit on UK luxury
A new study by Walpole has stated that luxury exports from the EU to the UK were on average 43 percent lower than they may have been without Brexit. According to the platform’s ‘Trading with Europe’ report, the fashion and accessories sector has been the hardest hit by Brexit-impacted trading, reporting a decline of 64 percent on exports to the...
BusinessMemberloading...
Circ to open first full-scale commercial facility in France
US textile recycler Circ has announced plans to open a facility in France dedicated to the recycling of used polycotton textiles into new materials. The plan was confirmed at the 2025 Choose France Summit by the country’s president Emmanuel Macron. Set to be located in Saint-Avold, the new facility is said to be “the first of its kind to recycle...
BusinessMemberloading...
Fashion Footwear secures ‘victory’ in licensing dispute with Iconix
A New York Appellate Court has ruled in favour of Fashion Footwear LLC in a legal dispute between the firm and US Pony Holdings, an affiliate of Iconix Brand Group. The court determined that Pony’s attempt to terminate an exclusive footwear license was invalid. The Appellate Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that Pony had no right to terminate...
BusinessMemberloading...
Nordstrom shareholders approve merger proposal
Shareholders of Nordstrom have approved of the US department store’s proposal to go private. The shift will come as part of a merger agreement between Navy Acquisition Co. and Delaware-based Norse Holdings, under which Nordstrom will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. The matter was voted on during a Special Meeting of shareholders, for which...
Businessloading...