Biggest Fashion and Beauty Stories – WWD
WWD’s top stories of 2020 spanned the fashion, beauty and entertainment worlds.
Major fashion collaborations caught the attention of readers this year, including Rihanna’s first foray into men’s wear for her Savage x Fenty lingerie line, which teamed with rapper Christian Combs for a capsule collection, and Hermès teaming with the United Nations on a limited-edition tie for its General Assembly members.
The year also saw several deaths across the industry, including Benefit Cosmetics cofounder Jane Ford, and model Maxima Cortina, who died at the age of 25.
Here, WWD looks at its 10 most-read stories of 2020. Read on to see more on each story.
1. Jane Ford: A Rule Breaker Who Helped Define the Modern Beauty Industry
Jane Ford
Courtesy
Jane Ford, cofounder of Benefit Cosmetics, died Dec. 2 at age 73 from a long-term illness. Ford founded the beauty brand with her late twin sister, Jean Ford, and together started a movement that changed the industry altogether. Ford was remembered as a forward-thinking, rule-breaking brand founder that gave the customer the beauty products they wanted.
Read Ford’s obituary here.
2. Model Maxima Cortina Dies at 25
Maxima Cortina
Courtesy Photo
Model Maxima Cortina died at the age of 25 in October, according to her brother, Luke Cortina. Cortina entered the modeling world three to four years ago, walking the runways of Jason Wu and working with brands like Marni, Calvin Klein and Telfar. She appeared in Vogue, Mission, Purple and Spur magazines, as well as WWD.
Read Cortina’s obituary here.
3. Hermès Sells Special United Nations Tie
Hermès’ United Nations limited-edition tie.
Courtesy
Hermès teamed with the United Nations in September in honor of the organization’s 75th anniversary to create a special charity tie for its General Assembly members. The design of the limited-edition tie is “H Marin” and the cartouche is printed with “Hermès Paris for UN75” with the UN 75th anniversary logo.
Read the story here.
4. Savage x Fenty Launches Men’s Wear Collection
Christian Combs for Savage x Fenty.
Courtesy
Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie brand branched into men’s wear in October with a capsule collection created with rapper Christian Combs. The collection, which was also featured in Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Vol. 2 fashion show, included 11 pieces such as boxers, boxer briefs and trunks.
Read the story here.
5. Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik Welcome Daughter
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik at “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” Costume Institute Gala.
zz/KGC-301/STAR MAX/IPx
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik were one of the many celebrity couples that welcomed children this year. Hadid gave birth to the couple’s daughter in September, sharing a black-and-white photo of Malik holding their baby’s hand with the caption: “Our girl joined us earth-side this weekend and she’s already changed our world. So in love.”
Read the story here.
6. Tommy Hilfiger at 35: Still Revved Up and Rarin’ to Go
H.E.R., Lewis Hamilton, Tommy Hilfiger, Naomi Campbell and Alton Mason at the February 2020 show in London.
Courtesy
WWD talked to Tommy Hilfiger and Martijn Hagman, chief executive officer of Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe, about hitting the brand’s 35-year milestone, the brand’s storied history, how it was handling the COVID-19 pandemic and what it has in store for the future.
Read the interview here.
7. Louis Vuitton Uncovers a Mole and ‘High-Tech’ Counterfeits in China
A Louis Vuitton store in Shanghai.
Wang Gang
Police in Shanghai arrested 62 criminal gangs in August for the manufacturing and selling of counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags. The authorities seized more than 30 sets of counterfeiting equipment, 2,000 counterfeit bags and 100,000-plus pieces of raw material worth more than 100 million renminbi, or $14.6 million. It was reported that a sales representative at the Louis Vuitton Guangzhou store played a key role in the case.
Read the story here.
8. Pandemic Caused ‘Total Chaos’ at Dillard’s as Stores Were Forced to Close
The West Oaks Mall in Ocoee, Fla.
AP
During its annual meeting, Dillard’s chief executive officer William Dillard 2nd revealed the business exploded into “total chaos” by the end of April as it was required to close its stores. Alex Dillard, president of Dillard’s, stated the first quarter of 2020 was the worst in the company’s history and that sales between March 13 and 15 dropped by roughly 50 percent.
Read the story here.
9. Hermès Hauled in $2.7 Million in One China Store on Saturday: Sources
The exterior facade of the reopened Hermès Guangzhou store in Taikoo Hui.
Hermès reportedly brought in at least 19 million renminbi, or $2.7 million, in sales on the reopening day of its flagship store in Guangzhou’s Taikoo Hui on April 11. VIPs across the Guangdong province, the wealthiest area in China with Guangzhou as its capital, flocked to the store to purchase homeware, shoes and leather goods.
Read the story here.
10. Figs Apologizes for ‘Insensitive’ Promotional Video
A look from the Figs line of medical scrubs.
Medical apparel brand, Figs, came under fire in October for releasing a video that upset many doctors, nurses and medical students. The video shows a young woman in scrubs and glasses reading the book “Medical Terminology for Dummies” upside down, which sparked outrage in the medical community as it reflected a negative stereotype of women in the medical field. Figs removed the video and issued an apology.
Read the story here.
Read more here:
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