“Macy's is partly betting its future on a new shop opening first in Southlake Town Square - The Dallas Morning News” plus 2 more |
- Macy's is partly betting its future on a new shop opening first in Southlake Town Square - The Dallas Morning News
- Clothing exhibit features voices of 15 black women | News - Iowa State Daily
- Wildfang clothing review: Gender-inclusive styles that actually fit - INSIDER
| Posted: 04 Feb 2020 02:23 PM PST Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette needs some wins, and he thinks he has a promising one about 25 miles northwest of downtown Dallas. The largest U.S. department store retailer will open its first Market by Macy's in the upscale suburban shopping center of Southlake Town Square on Thursday. The new concept, the brainchild of Macy's brand experience officer Rachel Shechtman, will be front and center Wednesday when Gennette meets with Wall Street analysts to update investors on the company, which has lost a third of its market value over the last year. Macy's said Tuesday it will close 125 stores — of its 674 total — over the next three years and lay off about 2,000 workers. Macy's is also shutting down its second headquarters in Cincinnati and consolidating its digital headquarters in San Francisco to New York, the company said. It estimated the cost of exiting those stores and operations will be about $450 million to $490 million. It's also closing customer service center in Tempe, Ariz., and consolidating that operation into its Mason, Ohio, and Clearwater, Fla., facilities. All together, the retailer said, the moves will save the company $1.5 billion a year starting in 2022. Gennette said it's planning to grow with its off-price concept and new small-store format. The 20,000-square-foot Market by Macy's — about a 10th of the size of a big multi-level Macy's anchor store — is one of two concepts Gennette says Macy's has created to appeal to that "large swath that's not shopping in malls today." The other newish concept is Macy's Backstage, developed in 2015 as an answer to discounters such as T.J. Maxx and Nordstrom Rack that have shaved market share from U.S. department stores. The plan is to step up expansion of Backstage, adding 50 more this year. Most of its 200 existing Backstage stores are carved into existing Macy's department stores with separate entrances and a different mix of merchandise. Some of the new Backstage stores may be freestanding locations similar to seven of the early ones that opened in the Northeast, he said. Backstage stores are posting sales increases while Macy's overall has reported weaker sales trends in recent months. /arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-dmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/U6U6ALSUCVEQ3NQPMZ5SH77QEI.JPG) At the same time, Macy's is remodeling its mall stores in strong, viable centers. So far, 150 Macy's stores have been upgraded, and 100 are planned for this year, including Macy's at The Parks Mall at Arlington. NorthPark Center in Dallas and Stonebriar Center in Frisco were in an initial batch in 2018, and Galleria Dallas was upgraded last year. "We're investing in the malls where the developers are, too," Gennette said. "These are the still-vital malls that are standing the test of time." Macy's has been spending about $1 billion a year on its business, including its online operation, which generates sales of more than $6 billion a year. /arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-dmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RACJTGHT6BRDRXII5YPPQ4TEKQ.jpg) Walking around the Market by Macy's in Southlake with Shechtman, Gennette said, "we hit the brief," meaning the chain did what it set out to do. The Market by Macy's boutique concept is a homey shopping experience with bookshelves, tables and gifts and accessories displayed among the women's, men's and children's apparel. Live plants are in the mix, as is a restaurant with a lounge atmosphere for meeting with friends and staying a while. Beauty makes a statement with its own branded department called Getchell's, named for Macy's first female executive. /arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-dmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VUINOBJE2ZEHBFHYWWOIIZT5PA.JPG) /arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-dmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UQHOAMBRRVARVLUKYN3B73ZF7M.JPG) The plan is to open a few Market by Macy's locations this year and not just one in each market, Gennette said. Macy's is looking for upscale lifestyle centers where many of its customers from the malls have gravitated. And, like all Macy's stores, the new shops are places where customers can pick up and bring back online purchases. Fort Worth is the next stop with a Market by Macy's in West Bend, a new office and retail development near the Fort Worth Zoo that houses Bonobos, Warby Parker and restaurants HG Sply Co. and East Hampton Sandwich Co. Macy's-owned Bluemercury is open there and at Southlake Town Square. Atlanta and Washington, D.C., are in the works, he said. /arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-dmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/KLERZ22B4NFIDGUYB6OVFCN6UE.JPG) /arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-dmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/DF44R5I4FBHEHPVM5POKQVANMQ.JPG) Bluemercury may offer hints about where more Market by Macy's stores will open. Macy's purchased Bluemercury from the founders in 2015 for $210 million. Since then, the free-standing beauty store has expanded to 26 states with 190 locations, with founders Barry and Marla Beck running the show. However, they're now leaving the company they created 20 years ago, and Macy's hasn't named a new CEO. In 2018, Macy's also acquired Story, a New York single-store concept founded by Shechtman that emptied out every couple of months and reopened with an entirely new theme of merchandise. Shechtman closed her shop and went to work for Macy's, putting the Story concept in 36 stores nationwide last year. NorthPark and Houston Galleria have the concept in Texas. With all that going on, Macy's sales have still been flat in recent years, hovering around $25 billion to $26 billion. "We know the customer likes our brands, but we're not always serving her well," Gennette said. Gennette, a Macy's lifer who started out as an executive trainee in 1983 and became CEO in March 2017, says he's familiar with the North Texas shopping landscape. The Dallas-Fort Worth market is where Gennette likes to test things. Texas was the first market to get a Backstage location, for example, and now the first Market by Macy's. Plus, he said, "my brother lives in Plano." Twitter: @MariaHalkias Looking for more retail coverage? Click here to read all retail news and updates. Click here to subscribe to D-FW Retail and more newsletters from The Dallas Morning News. |
| Clothing exhibit features voices of 15 black women | News - Iowa State Daily Posted: 03 Feb 2020 03:12 PM PST  Fifteen women collectively loaned 40 items that they felt represented their "black identity," which are on display at the exhibit. Editor's Note: A quote from a source included in the original publication of this article stated that the Krieger Board Room has paintings of only white men, which did not take into account the painting of Labh Hira, who is a past dean of the College of Business who does not identify as white. The Iowa State Daily regrets this error. From hoop earrings and Doc Martens to dashikis and head wraps, Iowa State's Textiles and Clothing Museum is displaying an exhibition on black women's styles. The exhibition "Collegiate Fashion and Activism: Black Women's Styles on the College Campus" will be on display from Feb. 3 to April 17 in the Mary Alice Gallery in 1015 Morrill Hall. "As humans, we communicate our many identities, such as race, gender and social class, through what we choose to wear," according to the exhibition handout. "While the decisions we make to dress ourselves may not be conscious, they are always important, informative and reflect who we are." In "Collegiate Fashion and Activism: Black Women's Styles on the College Campus," the curators analyze the ways black women college students attending predominately white institutions in Iowa express their black identity, activism and expressions of empowerment through fashion. They focused on black women's everyday clothing and its connection to black student empowerment on Iowa college campuses. Fifteen black women college students who are currently attending predominately white institutions in Iowa shared stories through an in-depth interview about their fashion and style, which is on display for attendees to listen to as part of the exhibit. The 15 black women college students who were interviewed for the exhibition are pictured in the exhibit and in an online catalog of the exhibit. Some of the women chose to blur their face or use a pseudonym for anonymity. The names of the women are Lucille, Princess, Nina, Donielle, Erica (pseudonym), Oni, Vashalice, Kara (pseudonym), Brea, Truth, Destiny, Viveca, Marie, Aja (pseudonym) and Bianca (pseudonym). These same women collectively loaned 40 items that they discussed during their interviews, which are on display as the exhibit.  The section "Black Girl Accessories" highlights different items black women add to their outfits, like hats and earrings. In addition to lending garments for the exhibition, the women also provided images, which were displayed throughout the exhibition in large-scale prints. "These 48-by-36-inch images were hung throughout the gallery in response to the ways that large paintings of white men fill the halls of many university buildings," according to the exhibition handout. "For example, the Krieger Board Room at Iowa State University has large paintings of [mostly] white men." Through 11 themes, the curators explored the ways black women represent themselves every day in predominately white spaces. The 11 themes include Messages of Strength, 90s Throwback, Matriarch, Self-Created Expression, Pride in Skin Tone, Cause Solidarity, Connection to Roots, Fearless Expression, Yes I Can, Powerful Words and Black Girl Accessories. "Matriarch" focuses on the strong black woman leader of the black family — in this case, the grandmother. Vashalice inherited her grandmother's blue muumuu after her grandmother passed away in 2016. Vashalice wears this garment to remember her grandmother, who taught her how to be a strong black woman. In "Messages of Strength," the curators shopped at black-owned businesses and advocated for black people in positions of power. In this section, there are two t-shirts on display that demonstrate how "black women can overtly show messages of strength," according to the exhibition's online catalog. The first shirt is titled "Phenomenal Women" and features images of Michelle Obama and other black women who represent the significance and history of black women's impact on society. The "Black Dollars Matter" t-shirt reflects the importance of supporting black-owned businesses in an effort to empower the black community. "The phrase 'Black Dollars Matter' mirrors the phrase Black Lives Matter and the many initiatives of the movement, including resistance against white supremacy, uplifting black people and caring for black success," according to the exhibition catalog.  In the section "Powerful Words," the clothing items present different intersections of the black community, such as gender identity and sexual orientation. The exhibition was curated by Dyese Matthews, masters student in the apparel, merchandising and design program, and Kelly Reddy-Best, assistant professor in the apparel, merchandising and design program. Though the exhibit was completed, according to the exhibition's online catalog, there were some issues along the way. "Museums are fraught with white supremacy," according to the exhibition's online catalog. "In this exhibition, there were many instances of us needing to combat the continued and prolonged history of white supremacy." The first instance was with the mannequins. "The available mannequins in the museum were all made of white fabric," according to the exhibition's online catalog. "Therefore, while we would have liked to use these mannequins as is for ease and time, we decided to cover all of the mannequins in different fabrics to represent the variety of skin colors of black women." The second instance dealt with the museum's collection. Due to the few documented examples available of black women's fashions in the museum's collection, 100 percent of the garments are on loan. The third instance was with the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Though the board approved all of the data collection methods prior to the interviews, there was a hiccup in the standard process. The curators requested that the participants be able to share photographs of themselves that "reflected pride in their black identity," and one IRB reviewer made a statement about it. "In this experience, the IRB reviewer asked that we include a clause that the 'women not include any images with illegal imagery,'" according to the exhibition's online catalog. "We questioned why this clause was needed, indicating that this would assume illegal behavior of black people, and the IRB reviewer reverted their request and approved our methods without the proposed clause." |
| Wildfang clothing review: Gender-inclusive styles that actually fit - INSIDER Posted: 31 Jan 2020 12:03 PM PST
What is Wildfang?In June of 2018, First Lady Melania Trump wore a jacket emblazoned with the words "I really don't care. Do U?" Days later, clothing brand Wildfang responded and went viral with its "I Really Care" collection, a send-up of the controversial jacket. The proceeds of that collection generated a donation of over $250,000 for immigration legal services provider RAICES. Endeavors like these are at the heart of Wildfang's mission. Driven by the values of its 35-strong team of employees, Wildfang has made a name for itself as an ethically driven fashion brand. Its cornerstone "Wild Feminist" collection has been with them since they were founded in 2013 with new pieces constantly being added. Wildfang is consistently looking to give back having donated over half a million dollars since its inception to various charities such as PERIOD. The Menstrual Movement, She Should Run, Southern Poverty Law Center, and more, with campaigns often inspired by newsworthy events. CEO Emma Mcilroy, COO Julia Parsley, and creative director Taralyn Thuot began the brand in 2013 as a way to expand women's options and tailor a more androgynous style to fit women's bodies. Mcilroy told Business Insider: Women's fashion felt very restrictive for me, and gender roles don't really make sense at all in clothing as far as I'm concerned. I wanted to smash that, and in doing so we realized there are a lot of other rules that need to be broken for women. That includes how they show up in society, the jobs they get to do, and the way they're represented. Why we love WildfangAs a queer person with a very masculine style, my discovery of Wildfang felt critical to my style expression. I tend to wear a lot of men's clothing, but more often than not, the clothes are not tailored to my body. The sleeves are always too long, the shoulders too wide, and there's never enough room in the hips. But Wildfang takes items of clothing that aesthetically look like "men's" styles, and adjusts the measurements so they work for women. Our favorite piecesWhen I first tried on one of the brand's "Ultimate Button Ups," I was shocked that a shirt that fit my style could actually fit my body. For years I was used to cobbling together a wardrobe from men's departments, women's departments, and even children's departments, full of pieces that fit well enough but were never exactly right. Wildfang changed all that. These clothes were made exactly for me. Wildfang has also encouraged me to expand my comfort zone when it comes to fashion. In the past, I would shy away from exploring new styles because I hated trying on clothes that I knew wouldn't fit right. Now that I know these clothes are more likely to actually fit me, I'm more willing to try them on and take a bit of a risk. Case in point: the WF Workwear Pant ($128). I've always envied folks who can pull off the workwear look, but I never thought I was bold enough to be one of them. Then these pants got dropped in my lap, and, twist my arm, I had to test them out for this article. I wound up falling in love with them, so I nabbed the matching jacket too which is unfortunately no longer available, but the Workwear Chore Coat is a great alternative that'll give you a similar look in a slightly longer silhouette. I can pull off the workwear look, and I look dang good doing it, if I do say so myself. If you want to take your workwear look to the next level, the Workwear Coveralls ($188) should be high on your list. Like the Workwear Pant, I was initially hesitant to take the plunge, but once I tried them on and realized how comfy they were and how confident they made me feel, there was no turning back. Though I haven't tried Wildfang's Overalls ($168), my partner swears by them and they've become a staple of her wardrobe. In addition to its in-house brand, Wildfang regularly collaborates with huge names in menswear, like Obey, Volcom, and RCVA. Wildfang has encouraged these brands to take some of its pieces and modify them for women without compromising any of the original aesthetic. I have several pieces from the Publish x Wildfang collaboration that came out some time ago that remain some of my favorite things to wear. The bottom lineWhether you've had a hard time making traditional menswear work for your body and want some clothing that finally fits properly, or you just want to add a masculine edge to your wardrobe, Wildfang has incredible options across the size and gender spectrum at modest price points. Plus, its clothing is consistently modeled by people across the size spectrum, and it shares what sizes the models are wearing as well as their measurements, taking some of the frustrating guesswork out of online shopping. I consider myself lucky to have discovered Wildfang, and I can't wait to shop its next launch. Shop clothing and accessories at Wildfang here. |
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