Must Read: Gabby Thomas and Angel Reese Cover 'Vogue,' Dr. Martens' Global Creative Director Exits
Photo: Courtesy of Vogue
These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Wednesday.
Gabby Thomas and Angel Reese cover Vogue
For the Winter 2025 cover of Vogue, track and field Olympian Gabby Thomas and WNBA star Angel Reese pose for individual covers wearing Sportmax and Versace, respectively. In conversation with Maya Singer, the two athletes discuss how fashion and sports have overlapped throughout their lives. "It's always been both: basketball and fashion," says Reese. "I used to watch 'America's Next Top Model' with Tyra [Banks] and practice my walk in the living room." Singer also speaks to Off-White creative director Ib Kamara, NFL's in-house fashion editor Kyle Smith and more about how the two industries continue to influence each other. {Vogue/paywalled}
Dr. Martens Global Creative Director exits
On Monday, Darren McKoy posted on LinkedIn that he would be departing from his role as Global Creative Director at Dr. Martens. McKoy started with the footwear brand in 2015 as its Global Footwear Category Manager, then moved up to Global Product and Merchandising Director before assuming his most recent position in late 2021. "I made the decision early last year to step away and embrace new opportunities and creative challenges," wrote McKoy. "It wasn't an easy choice, as you can imagine, but I feel now is the right time to close this amazing chapter and start writing the next." The announcement was made just before Ije Nwokorie's first day as the brand's new CEO, marking a significant transitional period for the company. {WWD/paywalled}
True Religion has been acquired by Acon Investments
Private equity firm Acon Investments announced that it has acquired a majority stake in True Religion, five years after the denim brand filed for bankruptcy protection. American Eagle's chief executive participated in the deal through SB360, where he serves as chairman. In a press release, True Religion's chief executive officer Michael Buckley said, "Our partnership with Acon and SB360 represents an exciting new chapter for True Religion. With their expertise and resources, we are poised to enhance our digital and retail capabilities, accelerate our international growth and continue innovating our apparel offering." Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. The brand will continue to operate independently from its headquarters in California. {PR Newswire}
How this awards season is set to redefine the function of the red carpet interview
For The Washington Post, Rachel Tashjian unpacks the meaning of the red carpet interview and how the concept has evolved over time. Rather than judging stars' outfits for being "good" or "bad," today's fashion critics are looking to give more insight to a look rather than tear it apart or put it on a pedestal. "I try to provide context to what we're looking at," says Luke Meagher, otherwise known as @HauteLeMode on social media. Tashjian also discusses the decline in celebrities' willingness to advocate for political movements, speak on social issues and give in-depth commentary about their clothes on the carpet with other awards show commentators Melissa Rivers and Zanna Roberts Rassi. {The Washington Post}
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What happens if TikTok's trend machine shuts down?
With the potential for a TikTok ban becoming more real by the day, for Bloomberg, Amanda Mull explores how the impact on the trend cycle would change the way brands operate. Should the ban go into effect, Mull theorizes most of TikTok's consumers and advertisers will turn to Instagram, where the rate of content consumption doesn't even begin to compare to that of TikTok. As a result, Mull predicts that the trend cycle will weaken, presenting a challenge to companies that rely on the latest popular quote or aesthetic for marketing to the public, pitching to writers and more. {Bloomberg/paywalled}
Would you let an AI 'agent' buy your next handbag?
In recent months, OpenAI's chief executive officer Sam Altman called AI agents "the thing that will feel like the next giant breakthrough," and the technology is already beginning to go into effect. For Business in Fashion, Marc Bain writes that companies like Perplexity and Google are looking to take advantage of consumers' exhaustion from information overload by introducing AI agents that can do the shopping research and purchase-making for them. "Imagine taking a photo of something that you like, having the agent understand the style, find similar items across retailers and complete the purchase,” says Vince Koh, head of global solutions for digital commerce at Amazon's Web Services division. "The biggest opportunity, I would say, is in creating seamless experiences that combine all these different types of interactions." {Business of Fashion/paywalled}
Homepage Photo: Craig Barritt/Footwear News via Getty Images
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