Nat Habit raised Rs 142 crore in a Series C funding round, led by Trident Growth Partners, on 10 October 2026, as per The Economic Times. The funding will support manufacturing capacity and product portfolio expansion, quick-commerce growth, and offline retail distribution, as the company targets 60-70% revenue growth in FY27.
What Happened?
Nat Habit has raised Rs 142 crore in an all-primary Series C funding round led by Trident Growth Partners. Existing investors Mirabilis Investment Trust, Bertelsmann India Investments, and Sharrp Ventures participated, alongside new investors Hero Family Office and Physis Capital. In an all-primary round, the capital was raised by the company instead of through the existing share sale by shareholders.
The company’s fresh capital is to be deployed across three major key areas: strengthening distribution via quick commerce and offline retail, product portfolio, and increased digital reach in Tier II and Tier III cities and beyond.
Nat Habit’s annual revenue in FY26 was Rs 330 crore and for FY27 target will be 60-70% revenue growth. Co-founder Swagatika Das has reported to PTI that the company is planning to increase product capacity over the next two years to five million units from one million units. The expansion could involve two manufacturing facilities in different parts of the country and one new manufacturing facility in central India.
The company also considers adding product categories, including serums, sunscreen, hair colour, and body wash, over the next three years. These proposed additions will broaden Nat Habit’s existing personal care portfolio.
Key Highlights:
Company: Nat Habit
Funding Round: Series C
Amount Raised: Rs 142 crore
Lead Investor: Trident Growth Partners
Other Investors: Mirabilis Investment Trust, Sharrp Ventures, Bertelsmann India Investments, Hero Family Office and Physis Capital
FY26 Gross Annual Revenue: Rs 330 crore
FY27 Revenue Growth: 60-70%
Manufacturing Target: Increase in capacity from one million to five million units over two years
Expansion Priorities: Quick Commerce, Product Development, Offline Retail, and Digital Reach in Smaller Cities
Potential New Categories: Serums, Body Wash, Hair Colour, and Sunscreen
How Nat Habit’s Latest Funding Focuses on Offline Retail & Quick Commerce
Nat Habit’s funding shows how India’s D2C beauty and personal care brands are willing to go beyond online sales to build a wider distribution network. While D2C websites help brands to focus on expansion into offline retail, develop customer relationships, expansion into offline retail and quick commerce to increase product accessibility and introduce brands to new customer segments.
For the D2C industry, Nat Habit’s strategy shows the significance of combining product differentiation with accessible distribution. Its Fresh Ayurveda positioning offers a different product proposition, while its plans to launch additional categories help address everyday personal care needs. Although the expansion’s success is dependent on operational execution, consumer adoption, and how the company will sustain growth.
About Nat Habit
Nat Habit is an Indian personal brand founded by Swagatika Das and Gaurav Agarwal in 2019. All the products of Nat Habit are Ayurveda-inspired offerings across skin, hair, and body care. The company earlier raised capital from investors, including Bertelsmann India and various early-stage backers, to support business expansion and growth.
The latest funding signals a focus on reaching more retail outlets, scaling manufacturing, and widening the product portfolio. To check different brands’ personal care products, NineE is a great platform.
Nat Habit Targets 60-70% Revenue Growth in FY27
Nat Habit’s plan includes increasing manufacturing capacity to five million units over the next two years. Expansion of the distribution network and entry into serums, body wash, sunscreen, and hair colour over the next three years are in their plan. The company is targeting 60-70% revenue growth in FY27. However, execution and market demand play a major role in achieving this target.
Flipkart’s 13th Big Billion Days Sale on 9 October 2026 recorded 6.3 million concurrent users in a single minute during the opening hour. It was Flipkart’s strongest start to India’s festive shopping season sale. There was a 34% rise in new customers during the opening hour, in which 60% of customer demand was from non-metropolitan markets. This impressive performance shows the increasing importance of digital discovery, e-commerce sales and online marketplaces for fashion and D2C brands.
What Happened?
Flipkart’s Big Billion Days 2026 sale opened to the general public on 9 October, with early access to BLACK, Flipkart Plus and co-branded credit card members from midnight on 8 October. There were 287+ million sessions during the early-access period, as per Business Standard. Shoppers explored products across electronics, mobiles, lifestyle, beauty, home and various other categories.
In the first hour of the public sale, there were 6.3 million concurrent users recorded in a minute. More than six times as many Indians shopped on the platform during that hour in comparison to a regular hour. The new customers increased by 34%, reflecting a wider reach.
A significant role was played by the smaller cities in the opening performance. Nearly one in two visits during the first hour were recorded from Tier 3 towns and beyond, while around 60% of demand was from non-metro markets.
Flipkart Minutes, Flipkart’s quick-commerce service, recorded an increase in activity. The orders were increased 3.5 times in comparison with regular days in the first hour, while new customer additions rose 11 times. Voice search was strongly used in Tier 2 and smaller markets, with users from cities accounting for 64% of voice-search usage.
Key Highlights:
Company: Flipkart
Event: The Big Billion Days 2026
Public Sale Opening: 9 October 2026
Edition: 13th
Peak User Milestone: 6.3 million concurrent users in a minute during the opening hour
New Customer Growth: 34% during the opening hour
Non-Metro Demand: Approximately 60%
Tier 3 and Smaller-Market Participation: Nearly half of opening-hour visits
Quick-Commerce Growth: Flipkart Minutes orders rose 3.5 times compared with regular days
Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Electronics, Home, Lifestyle and more
Flipkart Expands Fashion Discovery
The opening performance of Flipkart shows the significance of online marketplaces. For fashion D2C brands, large shopping events provide opportunities to reach customers who struggle to discover smaller brands via social media channels and websites.
The participation of smaller markets and Tier 3 towns came out to be relevant for brands to go beyond metropolitan consumers. Marketplaces help businesses use targeted product listings, marketplace visibility, and seasonal collections to help shoppers connect across a wider range of locations.
Festive shopping helps consumers explore different styles for celebrations and day-to-day occasions. Shoppers can also check out women’s western wear in versatile style options on NineE. The Flipkart Minutes and use of voice search show that fast delivery and easier product discovery are essential for the shopping experience.
For a growing brand, the development reflects how marketplace-led shopping events support product discovery. NineE is a great platform where pricing, product relevance, and customer experience are essential factors in converting visits into purchases.
About Flipkart
Flipkart is an Indian eCommerce company offering products across different categories, including beauty, electronics, home, and lifestyle. The annual Big Billion Days event is a big part of the country’s festive online shopping calendar. It brings sellers, participating brands, and consumers via promotional offers and digital shopping experiences. For the 2026 edition, Flipkart expanded seller participation. Supply-chain network and AI-powered shopping features, including Flipkart Minutes and Ekart, were used.
Converse began as a small rubber shoe company and grew into a symbol of youth, sport and style. Few sneakers have crossed so many eras without losing their identity. A canvas basketball boot became a punk uniform, a skate staple and a runway favourite. This article follows that journey from 1908 to today. It draws on published brand history and cultural accounts.
TL;DR
Marquis Mills Converse opened his company in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908.
Converse launched the All Star in 1917 as a basketball shoe.
The brand later grew from American basketball footwear into a global fashion name.
Musicians wore Converse on stage, while skaters adopted the shoes for ramps.
Fashion brands and streetwear culture gave it new meaning across generations.
The classic design has changed little over the years, adding to its lasting appeal.
The Origins of Converse in American Footwear
Every icon has a plain starting point. This one began in a Massachusetts factory.
How Marquis Mills Converse Started the Company in 1908
The history of Converse starts with one founder and one factory. Marquis Mills Converse opened the Converse Rubber Company in Malden in 1908. It made rubber footwear for workers and athletes. Malden sits just north of Boston.
How It Moved From Rubber Footwear to Canvas Shoes
Early products were rubber boots and overshoes. The company later added shoes with canvas uppers and rubber soles. These canvas shoes were light, cheap, and easy to wear. Converse shoe history shows a steady move from heavy rubber to flexible canvas.
How Converse Created the All Star Basketball Shoe
A good shoe needs a clear job. Basketball gave this one its purpose.
Why Converse Introduced the All Star in 1917
The all star converse history begins in 1917. The company launched a high-top canvas shoe with a rubber sole. The early version used brown canvas and a non-skid sole. Basketball was growing fast, and players needed grip and support. Early Converse high tops gave them both.
How Basketball Helped Converse Build Its Early Reputation
Players loved the grip and the ankle cover. The canvas was light, and the rubber sole gripped polished floors. Coaches bought pairs for whole teams. Word spread through gyms and school courts. Reputation grew by recommendation, not by slogans. Converse footwear soon became a familiar sight in American basketball.
How Chuck Taylor Changed the Converse All Star
One man turned the All Star into a name people remembered. His story mixes sales skill and sporting legend.
How Chuck Taylor Joined Converse
Chuck Taylor was a player and a natural salesman. Converse hired him in the early 1920s. He travelled the country, selling shoes and sharing basketball tips. His energy gave the brand a human face. Customers trusted a man who played the game.
How Chuck Taylor Helped Spread Converse Across America
Taylor ran clinics in schools and gyms. He taught skills while promoting the shoe. The effect was friendly, constant advertising. Each clinic left behind new loyal customers. No poster could match a coach handing out advice. Fans soon asked for chucks shoes by nickname.
How Converse Became the Basketball Shoe of Its Era
By mid-century, the shoe was everywhere on the court. Below, we see why it dominated.
Converse and the Growth of American Basketball
Basketball spread through schools, colleges, and professional leagues. Gyms filled with teenagers who wanted the same shoes as their heroes. Teams needed affordable, durable footwear. Schools could outfit a squad without huge costs. As the sport grew, so did demand for the All Star. These were the basketball sneakers of their day.
How the All Star Became a Standard Basketball Shoe
By the 1960s, the shoe was common on courts. Photographs of that era show rows of white canvas and red stars. Players trusted it, and fans copied them. Later, rival sneaker brands brought new technology. The classic design stayed popular anyway.
How Converse Moved From Basketball Into Youth Culture
The shoe left the gym in the 1950s and 1960s. Young people were ready for it.
Why Young People Adopted Converse Shoes
The shoe was cheap and tough. It also looked plain, so it carried little status. Young people made it their own. It became linked with nonconformity and individuality. Teenagers wanted clothes that parents did not choose for them. A white sneaker fit that mood.
How Colours and Low-Top Styles Expanded the Brand
The company added colours and low-top versions for casual wear. Black Converse and red Converse sat beside the classic white.As the range expanded, more shades gave customers greater freedom to match the shoes with different outfits and define their personal fashion aesthetic. Today, the brand continues to offer a wide selection of colours across its collections, making Converse colours an important part of the shoe’s enduring appeal. Fashion shoe trends moved quickly, and the shoe kept up.
How Music Turned Converse Into a Cultural Symbol
Musicians did more for the shoe than any advertisement. Their fans copied every detail.
Converse and Rock Music in the 1960s and 1970s
Rock musicians wore the shoes on stage and off. Jimi Hendrix is often linked with them. The shoes suggested freedom and rebellion. Their low price suited young fans. A scuffed pair showed a life spent on the road.
How Punk, Grunge, and Hip-Hop Shaped Converse Style
Punk bands made the shoe a badge of rebellion. Grunge wore it battered and worn out. Old pairs looked more honest than new ones. Hip-hop artists added it to streetwear culture in the 1980s and 1990s. Each scene changed the look. None of them needed an endorsement deal.
Why Artists Like The Ramones and Kurt Cobain Wore Chucks
The Ramones paired them with ripped jeans and leather jackets. The look was cheap and loud. Kurt Cobain wore scuffed pairs on stage. Fans copied both looks. Their choices helped turn the shoes into a pop culture fashion staple and eventually an everyday capsule wardrobe essential.
How Converse Entered Skate and Streetwear Culture
Skaters found something useful in a plain canvas shoe. Streetwear followed them.
How One Star and CONS Connected Converse With Skateboarding
The One Star began as a suede shoe. Skateboarders adopted it. Converse relaunched it in 1993, showing a long-term bet on skate culture. Skaters rewarded that loyalty. A skate-focused line called CONS followed later.
From Skate Parks to Streetwear Fashion
Skaters liked the flat sole and board feel. Photos of skaters spread the look to the street. Shoppers wanted the same relaxed attitude. Streetwear fashion soon took notice. Magazines and videos spread the image further. The shoe moved from the park to the shop floor. Skate shops stocked it beside decks and wheels.
Fashion rewards simple shapes that fit many outfits. This shoe fits almost all of them.
Why Black Converse and White Chucks Became Everyday Favourites
Black and white colours gained ground in the 1970s as signs of rebellion. All black Converse looks sharp with almost any outfit. White pairs brighten summer looks. Both stay easy to style. A single pair can cover school, work and weekends.
How Converse Shoes Became Popular Across Generations
Parents wore them as teenagers. Their children wear them now. Kids Converse sizes make that handover simple. Few sneakers for kids feel so natural to share. Vintage pairs even pass between siblings and friends.
How Collaborations and Customisation Changed Chunks
The plain canvas shoe is a blank page. Artists and designers have filled it for decades.
The Early Disney Collaboration and Converse’s Creative Direction
The company has long welcomed outside creativity. Open collaboration became part of its character. Licensed art and character prints have appeared on its canvas prints. Those releases showed that the shoe could carry a story. They also drew in shoppers who did not follow sport.
How Designers and Artists Reimagined the Chuck Taylor
Artists such as Keith Haring have inspired special designs. Fashion names like Comme des Garçons reworked the Chuck. Tyler, the Creator added bold colour. Through these designer collaborations, Chunks kept the familiar shape while giving the classic shoe a fresh personality. The star patch stayed in place. That small detail anchored every redesign.
How Custom Converse Turned Shoes Into Personal Expression
Custom Converse lets buyers pick colours, prints and materials. Fans also draw on their own pairs. Some write lyrics on the rubber. Others add patches and badges. Each result is one of a kind. The shoe becomes a canvas for personal expression.
How Converse Adapted to Modern Fashion
A classic needs updates to survive. These changes kept it fresh.
The Rise of Leather Converse and Platform Styles
Leather converse offers a sleeker, tougher take. White platform Converse adds height and a bolder shape. Both styles widened the audience. Shoppers who disliked thin canvas found a sturdier option. Others simply wanted extra height. The company also added tougher materials for durability. Some versions use recycled materials, reflecting the growing focus on more responsible production. Similarly, the fashion industry has increasingly turned to sustainable fabrics as brands look for materials with a lower environmental impact. That shift matters to younger shoppers.
Converse and the Growth of Contemporary Streetwear
Converse sneakers history shows constant adaptation. The shoe now appears in street style and on runways. Oversized outfits, including oversized t-shirts and oversized hoodies, pair well with chunky platforms. It remains a fixture of streetwear fashion.
How Collaborations Kept the Brand Relevant
Limited releases create buzz. In the 2000s the Converse joined Nike, which helped its reach. Designer projects since then have kept interest high. The brand balances nostalgia with new ideas. Retro reissues please older fans. Fresh colours attract newcomers.
How Converse Built a Global Cultural Identity
The shoe has travelled far beyond its home. Its meaning has travelled with it.
From American Footwear to Global Sneaker Culture
American footwear became a global product. Stores now sell the shoe in many countries. Local scenes add their own twists. Street artists, bands, and students decorate pairs in every city. American fashion has rarely exported something so simple. Converse generated $2.427 billion in revenue in fiscal 2023, according to Nike’s fiscal 2023 results, showing the scale the brand had reached as its classic sneakers became part of global footwear culture.
Why Different Generations Continue to Wear Converse
Teenagers wear it for style. Older fans wear it for nostalgia. Both groups value the plain design. It never feels dated or loud. That calm quality helps it cross age gaps.
How It Connects Sport, Music, Art, and Fashion
The shoe links sport, music, art and fashion. Few brands touch so many worlds. That reach explains its lasting place in culture. It also keeps the story open for new chapters. It still invites each wearer to add one.
The Bottom Line
Converse’s story is ultimately about staying recognizable while giving each generation room to make the shoe its own. What began as basketball footwear became part of music, skateboarding, art, and everyday fashion without losing the design that made it distinctive. That balance between familiarity and reinvention helped the brand remain relevant long after many trends had faded. In an industry that constantly looks for what’s next, Converse shows why some pieces are worth keeping, a philosophy reflected in the growing interest in heirloom dressing.
FAQs
When was Converse founded?
Marquis Mills Converse founded the company in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts.
When was the Converse All Star created?
The All Star launched in 1917 as a basketball shoe.
Who was Chuck Taylor?
He was a basketball player and salesman who promoted the shoe. His signature joined it in 1934.
Why is Converse so popular?
The design is simple, affordable and easy to style. Music, skate and fashion scenes also embraced it.
Why are Converse shoes associated with basketball?
The All Star was built for the court. Chuck Taylor then promoted it across America.
How did it become part of streetwear?
Skaters and musicians wore it first. Fashion labels and collaborations then carried it into streetwear.
Why do musicians wear Chunks?
The shoe is cheap, comfortable and rebellious. Punk and grunge bands made it a stage staple.
Are Chunks shoes still popular today?
Yes. Chunks keeps demand strong with new colours, platforms and collaborations.
What makes Chunks All Stars iconic?
The canvas upper, rubber toe cap and star patch are instantly recognisable.
How did this influence sneaker culture?
It created the first signature basketball shoe. It also showed how music and art can shape sneaker demand.
When was Converse founded?
Marquis Mills Converse founded the company in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts.
When was the Converse All Star created?
The All Star launched in 1917 as a basketball shoe.
Who was Chuck Taylor?
He was a basketball player and salesman who promoted the shoe. His signature joined it in 1934.
Why is Converse so popular?
The design is simple, affordable and easy to style. Music, skate and fashion scenes also embraced it.
Why are Converse shoes associated with basketball?
The All Star was built for the court. Chuck Taylor then promoted it across America.
How did it become part of streetwear?
Skaters and musicians wore it first. Fashion labels and collaborations then carried it into streetwear.
Why do musicians wear Chunks?
The shoe is cheap, comfortable and rebellious. Punk and grunge bands made it a stage staple.
Are Chunks shoes still popular today?
Yes. Chunks keeps demand strong with new colours, platforms and collaborations.
What makes Chunks All Stars iconic?
The canvas upper, rubber toe cap and star patch are instantly recognisable.
How did this influence sneaker culture?
It created the first signature basketball shoe. It also showed how music and art can shape sneaker demand.
Denim has a dirty secret. Conventional jeans can use thousands of liters of water before reaching stores. Much of the environmental impact of fashion happens during production, creating serious environmental concerns.
One Swedish brand decided this trade-off was unacceptable and chose a different approach. Nudie Jeans built its business by showing that denim companies can make jeans more responsibly.
This is the story of how Nudie Jeans made that change possible. It also explains why sustainable clothing matters in today’s fashion conversation.
TL;DR – What Actually Makes Nudie Jeans a Sustainable Denim Brand
Organic cotton: Nudie Jeans says it has used 100% certified organic cotton across its denim since 2012.
Repair: The brand offers free repairs for Nudie Jeans denim through its Repair Shops, Shop-in-Shops, and repair partners.
Reuse and recycling: Customers can return unrepairable jeans through Nudie’s Re-use program or recycling system.
Supply-chain transparency: Nudie publishes supplier information and provides product-level data on emissions and water use.
Climate targets: Nudie aims to cut Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 51% by 2030, using 2018 as the base year. Scope 3 excludes the user phase.
Circularity: Repair, resale, and recycling are important parts of the model, but they do not make the company fully circular.
Next step: Nudie is increasing its use of regenerative organic cotton, with certified sources including Chetna Organic, Bossa, and Akasya.
Where Nudie Jeans Started – A Swedish Denim Brand Built on Values, Not Trends
Most denim brands add sustainability later, once customers start asking questions. Nudie Jeans built its entire foundation around it before that pressure even existed.
Why Maria Erixon Levin Built Nudie Jeans Around Sustainability From Day One
Maria Erixon Levin founded Nudie Jeans in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2001, alongside co-founders Joakim Levin and Palle Stenberg. From the beginning, sustainability shaped Nudie Jeans’ environmental and social approach. It never treated sustainability as an add-on.
That approach matters in fashion, where brands often add “sustainable” claims after making manufacturing decisions.
Betting on Raw Denim When the Industry Was Chasing Pre-Distressed Jeans
While most of the denim industry chased pre-distressed, artificially aged jeans, Nudie went the opposite direction entirely. The brand promoted raw, unwashed denim for customers to wear and break in themselves.
Over time, regular wear creates natural fade patterns instead of factory-made effects. It’s since gone on to influence a wide range of other denim brands.
What Makes Nudie Jeans’ Denim Different
Sustainability isn’t just a program at Nudie. It shapes the brand’s entire business.
Why Nudie Jeans Committed to 100% Cotton Jeans Made From Organic Cotton
Nudie phased out conventional cotton between 2008 and 2011. By 2012, its entire denim collection used 100% organic cotton. By 2017, this commitment covered its full product range. Every pair of Nudie jeans uses organic cotton. Organic farming avoids harmful pesticides and synthetic fertilizers used in conventional cotton farming. This matters because conventional cotton is one of the world’s most chemically intensive crops. Removing these chemicals shows Nudie’s meaningful commitment to more responsible fashion.
How Selvedge Denim and Raw Denim Jeans Fit Into the Nudie Philosophy
Nudie sources premium selvedge and stretch fabrics from established mills in Japan, Italy, and Turkey, and its raw denim jeans are central to the brand’s identity, not a side offering. The brand actively encourages wearers to go around six months without washing a new pair, letting the fabric develop a unique, personal patina through actual use. That philosophy sees denim as something that ages with the wearer, rather than factory-made to look “used.”
The Repair Program That Became Nudie Jeans’ Core Sustainability Strategy
If there’s one thing that separates Nudie from brands that just talk about sustainability, it’s this program.
Free Repairs for Life and What That Actually Costs the Brand
Nudie has offered free in-store repairs since 2012, based on one simple belief: repair jeans instead of replacing them. The brand has fixed more than 60,000 to 70,000-plus pairs of jeans annually in recent years. That’s not a symbolic gesture. It’s a genuine operational commitment, and it directly reduces how many new jeans the brand needs to sell to stay profitable, which runs somewhat against the usual retail logic of encouraging repeat purchases.
How Denim Repair Shops Turned Into a Global Network
By the end of 2024, Nudie operated 33 dedicated repair shops across 20 cities, plus 15 additional repair partners across 14 more cities, together accounting for over 10% of the brand’s total yearly repairs. Independent retailers have signed on as official repair partners specifically because it lines up with their own values around quality over quantity.
Independent retailers have signed on as official repair partners specifically because it lines up with their own values around quality over quantity, a philosophy closely connected to slow fashion. One Canadian partner, working with Nudie since 2002, described the appeal simply: repairing jeans instead of replacing them means customers are “creating tomorrow’s vintage,” while cutting down on overconsumption in the process.
How Nudie Jeans Built a Circular Fashion Model Around Old Jeans
Repair only solves part of the problem. Nudie also built systems for jeans that customers can no longer repair or reuse.
The Re-use Program and What Happens to Jeans Nudie Can’t Repair
Through its Re-use program, customers can trade in old, unrepairable jeans, sometimes receiving a discount on a new pair in return. Nudie resells old jeans, repurposes them into new products, or uses them for repair patches. In 2023 alone, the brand sold over 4,000 pairs of secondhand jeans through this program, alongside collecting nearly 20,000 pairs total for repair, resale, or recycling.
How Recycled Denim Becomes New Fabric Through Nudie’s Supplier Network
Nudie has partnered with mills like Turkey’s Orta to produce denim fabric blending mechanically recycled post-consumer cotton with virgin organic cotton, and its Tunisian suppliers have mechanically recycled thousands of defective “second choice” jeans into new denim fabric rather than discarding them.
Recycled content still tops out around 15-20% in any given batch, since higher percentages start causing real quality problems, but it’s a genuine step toward closing the loop rather than just talking about circularity in the abstract.
Transparency as a Sustainability Strategy, Not Just a Marketing Line
A lot of fashion brands claim sustainability. Far fewer actually let customers verify it.
Why Nudie Jeans Publishes a Public Production Guide Every Year
Nudie publishes an annually updated Production Guide along with a detailed sustainability report, providing an unusual level of visibility into its supply chain. The brand even measures and publicly reports its own greenhouse gas emissions, both at the company level and the product level, and has set science-aligned reduction targets.
Since 2018, it has cut company emissions by 22%, as reflected in its DitchCarbon score, a specific, trackable number most competitors simply don’t publish.
Fair Wages and Nudie Jeans’ Relationship With Cotton Farmers and Suppliers
Nudie has been upfront about this. The brand knows its garments affect many lives where workers make them. The brand works with grassroots organizations for sourcing, pays fair trade prices for organic cotton, and has committed to living wages across its production base, India included. There’s also a Supplier Code of Conduct in place, blocking subcontracting, banning forced labor, and protecting workers’ right to organize.
The Environmental Cost of Sustainable Denim Production
Denim’s honestly one of the dirtier corners of fashion manufacturing. Fixing that took more than just Nudie switching cotton types.
Water Recycling and Why Denim Manufacturing Needed Fixing in the First Place
Water recycling at Nudie’s main production facilities reportedly cuts consumption by around 85% versus industry standard practices. Switching to organic indigo dyeing helped even more, roughly a 99% reduction in water use compared to conventional dye methods.
Given that dyeing is usually one of the most water-hungry steps in making a pair of jeans, improvements there carry more weight than they might seem to at first glance.
Why Regenerative Organic Cotton Is Nudie Jeans’ Next Sustainability Bet
Now Nudie’s pushing further into regenerative organic cotton this time, farming that actively protects soil, water systems, and biodiversity rather than just skipping pesticides.
It makes sense for a brand that has spent over a decade committed to organic cotton. Shows they’re not treating that 2012 milestone like the finish line.
Nudie Jeans India and the Brand’s Global Sourcing Reality
None of this sustainable denim stuff happens in a vacuum. A lot rides on where and how the raw materials actually get grown.
Why Nudie Jeans Sources Organic Cotton From India and Turkey
Turkey and India supply most of Nudie’s organic cotton, both being major hubs for organic cultivation worldwide. Manufacturing itself happens mostly in Italy and Tunisia, with Japanese and Italian mills handling the specialized denim fabric.
Pretty typical footprint for premium denim overall, though Nudie stands out by actually naming and locating its suppliers publicly, something plenty of brands keep quiet.
What Nudie Jeans India Means for the Brand’s Supply Chain Transparency
India’s cotton role connects straight back to Nudie’s fair wage promises and its whole transparency push. Nudie’s public supplier information and cotton-sourcing disclosures give customers more visibility into where materials and products come from.
The company says it shares information on suppliers involved in making its garments and has added its supplier list to Open Supply Hub.
For consumers researching Nudie Jeans India, this makes sourcing and supply-chain transparency more useful questions than simply asking whether the brand has a presence in the country.
How Nudie Jeans Compares to Other Sustainable Fashion Brands
Not many sustainable fashion brands publish real, checkable numbers instead of vague promises. Nudie’s one of the few that does.
Sustainable Women’s Clothing and Sustainable Mens Clothing Under One Roof
Same organic cotton standard, same repair philosophy, applied across both the sustainable women’s clothing and sustainable mens clothing lines. It’s not treated as a niche thing tacked onto one gender’s collection. That consistency across the whole catalog is part of what separates a brand actually built around sustainability from one just using it as marketing for a single line.
Why Circularity Still Makes Up a Small Share of Nudie’s Overall Business
Credit where it’s due, Nudie doesn’t hide its own shortcomings here. Circular products, Re-use jeans, items made from recycled post-consumer fiber, still only make up around 1% of total company revenue.
Genuinely honest thing to admit, and it’s a good reminder that even one of the more credible sustainable denim brands still runs mostly on new production, not recycled material.
Why Slow Fashion Is Central to Nudie Jeans’ Business Model
Nudie’s whole approach basically runs counter to standard fast fashion logic. Rather than pushing constant new drops and cheap prices, Nudie builds jeans to last for years. Customers can repair them repeatedly, then pass them down or recycle them instead of throwing them away. That’s slow fashion in practice, not just a label. Kind of an unusual business call too, working against constant repurchasing isn’t exactly the easy path for a for-profit company.
The Bottom Line: Nudie Jeans Proved Sustainable Denim Could Actually Work
Nudie Jeans showed that sustainable fashion could work in an industry where many brands focused on lower costs and faster production. They built a whole company around actually proving it, organic cotton since day one, free repairs people genuinely use at scale, transparent supply chains, and an honest look at where things still fall short. Not perfect, not even close probably. Still, it’s a rare case of a fashion brand backing up its sustainability talk with real sustainable fashion practices instead of just words on a hangtag.
FAQs
When was Nudie Jeans founded, and by whom?
Gothenburg, Sweden, 2001. Founded by Maria Erixon Levin, alongside co-founders Joakim Levin and Palle Stenberg.
Are all Nudie Jeans made from 100% organic cotton?
Yep. Full denim collection’s used 100% organic cotton since 2012, and that extended across the entire product range by 2017. Nudie currently states that it has made all its denim with 100% certified organic cotton since 2012. However, individual products can contain other fibers, so shoppers should always check the specific product’s material composition.
Does Nudie Jeans really offer free repairs?
They do. Free repairs in-store since 2012, through a global network of repair shops and partner locations, fixing tens of thousands of pairs every single year.
What happens to Nudie Jeans that can’t be repaired?
Those go through the Re-use program instead, resold secondhand, repurposed into new items, or mechanically recycled into fresh denim fabric.
Is Nudie Jeans a fully circular, zero-waste brand?
Not yet, no. Its repair, reuse, resale, and recycling programs support greater circularity, but Nudie still produces new garments and uses virgin materials, so it would be inaccurate to describe the company as fully circular or zero-waste.
Is organic cotton enough to make denim sustainable?
No. Organic cotton addresses the fiber stage, but sustainable denim also depends on factors such as manufacturing, water and energy use, durability, garment care, repair, transportation, and end-of-life treatment. Organic certification is therefore one part of the sustainability picture rather than a complete measure of environmental impact.
How does denim repair support sustainability?
Repair can extend the useful life of a pair of jeans and potentially delay the need to purchase another garment. The benefit depends on how much additional use the repair enables, which is why repair is best viewed as one part of a broader circular-fashion strategy.
What makes Nudie Jeans’ organic cotton sourcing different?
Nudie says around 70% of its organic cotton is sourced from Türkiye, while India is its second-largest sourcing country. The company says it has visited cotton fields in both countries as part of its traceability work and publishes supplier information to improve supply-chain transparency.
What is regenerative organic cotton, and why is Nudie Jeans using it?
Regenerative organic cotton builds on organic farming practices with additional attention to areas such as soil health, biodiversity, and water systems. Nudie is increasing its use of regenerative organic cotton and says its regenerative sources are certified.
How durable are Nudie Jeans?
Durability depends on the specific denim fabric, construction, fit, and how the jeans are worn and cared for. Nudie’s repair program is designed to help extend the useful life of its denim, but durability should be assessed on the individual product rather than assumed from the brand name alone.
When was Nudie Jeans founded, and by whom?
Gothenburg, Sweden, 2001. Founded by Maria Erixon Levin, alongside co-founders Joakim Levin and Palle Stenberg.
Are all Nudie Jeans made from 100% organic cotton?
Yep. Full denim collection’s used 100% organic cotton since 2012, and that extended across the entire product range by 2017. Nudie currently says all denim has been made with 100% certified organic cotton since 2012. However, individual products can contain other fibers, so shoppers should always check the specific product’s material composition.
Does Nudie Jeans really offer free repairs?
They do. Free repairs in-store since 2012, through a global network of repair shops and partner locations, fixing tens of thousands of pairs every single year.
What happens to Nudie Jeans that can’t be repaired?
Those go through the Re-use program instead, resold secondhand, repurposed into new items, or mechanically recycled into fresh denim fabric.
Is Nudie Jeans a fully circular, zero-waste brand?
Not yet, no. Its repair, reuse, resale, and recycling programs support greater circularity, but Nudie still produces new garments and uses virgin materials, so it would be inaccurate to describe the company as fully circular or zero-waste.
Is organic cotton enough to make denim sustainable?
No. Organic cotton addresses the fiber stage, but sustainable denim also depends on factors such as manufacturing, water and energy use, durability, garment care, repair, transportation, and end-of-life treatment. Organic certification is therefore one part of the sustainability picture rather than a complete measure of environmental impact.
How does denim repair support sustainability?
Repair can extend the useful life of a pair of jeans and potentially delay the need to purchase another garment. The benefit depends on how much additional use the repair enables, which is why repair is best viewed as one part of a broader circular-fashion strategy.
What makes Nudie Jeans’ organic cotton sourcing different?
Nudie says around 70% of its organic cotton is sourced from Türkiye, while India is its second-largest sourcing country. The company says it has visited cotton fields in both countries as part of its traceability work and publishes supplier information to improve supply-chain transparency.
What is regenerative organic cotton, and why is Nudie Jeans using it?
Regenerative organic cotton builds on organic farming practices with additional attention to areas such as soil health, biodiversity, and water systems. Nudie is increasing its use of regenerative organic cotton and says its regenerative sources are certified.
How durable are Nudie Jeans?
Durability depends on the specific denim fabric, construction, fit, and how the jeans are worn and cared for. Nudie’s repair program is designed to help extend the useful life of its denim, but durability should be assessed on the individual product rather than assumed from the brand name alone.
Designer fashion label AK-OK by Anamila Khanna expands its Delhi-NCR retail presence with its first Gurugram store.
The new store, located on the Ground Floor of Ambience Mall, Gurugram, brings fashionable clothing offerings to North India’s fashion and lifestyle markets.
What Happened?
AK-OK, the designer label founded by Anamika Khanna, has made its first footprint with its retail store at Ambience Mall, Gurugram. The new store marks the brand’s entry into Gurugram, strengthening its offline retail strategy in North India.
The store opening was covered by Indian Retailer on October 1. Situated on the Ground Floor of Ambience Mall, the store lets customers have a dedicated space to explore AK-OK’s collections offline.
AK-OK’s design language mixes Indian and International influences, contemporary silhouettes, and traditional references. The brand’s identity revolves around self-expression and individuality. The collection includes designs making one move beyond conventional dressing ideas.
The AK-OK’s Gurugram store opening is an expansion of Ambience Mall’s existing fashion portfolio with its designer-led contemporary label.
Key Highlights:
Brand: AK-OK by Anamika Khanna
Development: New retail store opening
Launch: October 2026
Location: Ground Floor, Ambience Mall, Gurugram
Retail Milestone: First AK OK store in Gurugram and first in-mall store in Delhi-NCR
Category: Contemporary designer fashion
Design Approach: Indian and International influences with modern silhouettes
Market: Delhi-NCR / North India
From Digital to Physical: Meaning of AK-OK’s Expansion for Fashion D2C
AK-OK’s Gurugram expansion shows the physical retail growth of contemporary fashion brands. On one hand, digital channels play a major role in helping brands reach consumers across markets. While an in-mall store gives a chance for shoppers to experience the brand directly and discover collections.
AK-OK’s store opening at Ambience Mall sets the label within a premium fashion and lifestyle environment while attracting Delhi-NCR consumers. Moreover, the physical store is a brand-building space instead of a transaction point.
The AK-OK’s expansion has positioned itself around a considerably fluid approach to fashion. The brand’s focus is on fashion that’s relaxed and luxurious without any limitations by gender, age, or traditional style rules.
Hence, the AK-OK’s Gurugram store is a stepping stone in its contemporary fashion proposition amongst the urban consumer base. Consumers on the hunt for relaxed, stylish outfits can browse NineE’s relaxed, fashionable co-ord sets for the latest fashionable inspos.
About AK-OK by Anamika Khanna
AK-OK was founded by designer Anamika Khanna. The label’s name AK-OK emerges from the phrase “Everything is AK-OK” and showcases the brand’s focus on individuality, optimism, and accepting life as it comes. AK-OK has relaxed styles, modern tailoring, and Indian influences. In 2021, the brand expanded after becoming a partner with Reliance Brands Limited in a 60:40 joint venture. Since then, AK-OK has grown its retail presence and fashion range across India and International markets for shoppers looking for fashionable dresses.
What Happens Next?
The Gurugram store opening is another physical retail touchpoint in AK-OK’s retail network expansion. There is no other Gurugram-specific store rollout has been confirmed in the sources reviewed. The latest store opening makes the brand’s presence stronger across the Delhi-NCR market.
Sources:
Indian Retailer – AK-OK Enters North India Market with New Store at Ambience Mall
InFashion Business– AK-OK by Anamika Khanna Opens First Delhi-NCR Store at Ambience Mall Gurugram
LATAM Fashion Circle brought together 11 emerging and well-established South American fashion brands during Paris Fashion Week in Paris. This was a great opportunity for designers from Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia to display their collections and craftsmanship to an international fashion audience. The first edition was held from October 1-4, 2026. This way, the brands got to seek greater visibility among retailers, buyers, and consumers.
What Happened?
LATAM Fashion Circle hosted its first Paris showroom at 18 Rue de Turenne, bringing 11 South American brands to a showroom in the Marais district during Paris Fashion Week, covered by Fashion United. Dan Silva, a Paris-based fashion executive, and Nathalie Dufour, founder of ANDAM who is also a famous figure in the French fashion industry, were behind this initiative.
There were seven brands from Colombia: Anca Ravelo, LaPetite Mort, Faride Ramos, Antoine Atelier, Patricia Acosta Jewelry, Laura Aparicio and Paula Mendoza/Woma —alongside Argentina’s Cachí and Kostüme and Brazil’s Argalji. The selection featured accessories, jewelry, and contemporary fashion, with a major focus on cultural identity along with craftsmanship across the participating brands.
The showroom was operational from October 1 to 4. There were B2B meetings with press and buyers on the first two days, while the space was opened to the public on 3 and 4. Several brands showcased how modern fashion and traditional South American craftsmanship are combined. Antoine Atelier displayed their handmade accessories made using plant-based fibres, contemporary designs, and ancient techniques. While, Colombian brand La Petite Mort displayed their collection, which was a blend of tailoring with traditional Colombian weaving and work with local artisans.
Key Highlights:
Initiative: LATAM Fashion Circle
Founder: Dan Silva, alongside Nathalie Dufour
Event: First Paris Showroom
Dates: October 1-4, 2026
Location: Marais, Paris
Participating Brands: 11
Countries Represented: Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil
Format: B2B industry appointments along with B2C public opening
Categories: Ready-to-wear, jewellery and accessories
Support: ProColombia
Longer-term Objective: Help South American brands get international market opportunities
What LATAM Fashion Circle Means for Fashion D2C?
LATAM Fashion Circle reflects that having a strong cultural identity and unique product is not enough to enter international markets. The participating brands got an opportunity to display their collection in person and connect with potential business partners.
The event reflects how the local culture and traditional craftsmanship help fashion brands stand apart in the global markets. All these brands didn’t move away from their roots, instead these brands are using materials, local techniques and designs as their identity’s part.
For smaller D2C brands, international expansion doesn’t signify opening a global online store to showcase their fashion products. Instead, product selection, pricing, distribution, production, and wholesale requirements need consideration. In the future, online shoppers may get access to more culturally rooted products, beyond mass-market offerings.
Overall, there was a diversified mix of luxury tailoring, sculptural jewellery, leather goods, handmade hats and ready-to-wear clothing.
Looking for More Fashion Inspiration
LATAM Fashion Circle featured brands displaying fashion inspiration through statement pieces, artisanal details, distinctive silhouettes, and contemporary styling. If you are looking to upgrade your wardrobe with crochet shrugs, explore NineE for fashion inspiration.
About LATAM Fashion Circle
LATAM Fashion Circle played a huge role in bridging the gap between the Paris fashion industry and Latin American creativity. Founded by Dan Silva and Nathalie Dufour, it was a great chance for designers to meet media, buyers, stylists, and other fashion professionals via showrooms and events during Paris Fashion Week.
What Happens Next?
The Paris Showroom is the start of a longer commercial programme. As per Modaes, LATAM Fashion Circle will work for six months with the participating labels after the showroom. The brands will also get help with product selection, pricing, and promotion as they delve into the international markets.
On October 6, 2026, Mary Kay announced the launch of its K-Beauty Texture Edit, inspired by Korean beauty trends. This is a limited skincare collection with manufacturing in Korea. The collection has rolled out across 40 markets. The collection includes major skincare products focused on face patches, cleansing, and moisturising. The launch shows Mary Kay’s broader shift towards digital-first beauty commerce. It combines trend-led products combined with personalised online shopping and the network of Independent beauty consultants.
What Happened?
Mary Kay introduced its K-Beauty Texture Edit. It brings Korean-inspired skincare ingredients and textures into its global beauty portfolio. This limited-edition collection includes three Korea-made products: the Mary Kay Snail Gel Face Patches, the Mary Kay Melt-In Cleansing Balm, and the Mary Kay Collagen Moisturizing Gel. The collection will be available through Mary Kay’s website, along with the Independent Beauty Consultants in the participating markets.
As per the Global Cosmetics News, the collection totally focuses on 3 skincare steps: cleansing, targeted treatment, and moisturising. The Melt-In Cleansing Balm features a balm-to-oil-to-milky texture containing PDRN, vitamin E, and rice bran oil. The Snail Gel Face Patches use niacinamide, snail mucin, licorice extract, and various forms of hyaluronic acid. The Collagen Moisturizing Gel has niacinamide, collagen peptides, and squalane.
These products easily fit into the existing routine of customers. The collection has sensory texture and ingredient trends associated with K-beauty.
The launch has arrived after Mary Kay introduced Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared. The launch across 40 markets in September will help the company connect the brand with a new generation of beauty consumers.
Key Highlights:
Brand: Mary Kay
Development: K-Beauty Texture Edit
Announcement: October 6, 2026
Collection: Limited-Edition Skincare
Markets: 40 markets
Manufacturing: Korea-made
Products: Cleansing balm, snail gel face patches, and collagen moisturising gel
Category: Skincare
Key Trends: K-beauty, ingredient-led skincare, and sensorial texture
Availability: Mary Kay Website and Independent Beauty Consultants
Target: Next-generation beauty consumers
How K-Beauty Trends are Shaping Beauty D2C
The Mary Kay launch is a sign of showing how beauty D2C brands are increasingly using global consumer trends for the development of products that’s available to digitally connected audience. K-Beauty is an inspiration for skincare brands globally, especially through its focus on ingredients, innovative textures, and multi-step routines.
For NineE’s brands in beauty D2C, this launch shows product innovation with digital commerce strategy. Mary Kay is not dependent on the traditional consultant network; the My Shop platform allows Independent Beauty Consultants to customize digital storefronts connected to payments, e-commerce, social media, and fulfillment.
This launch proves to be relevant beyond skincare. Today, D2C beauty brands compete through personalised recommendations, product discovery, easy online purchasing, and social content. Mary Kay’s approach demonstrates how an established beauty brand uses a limited-edition and trend-focused collection for a younger audience.
About Mary Kay
Mary Kay Ash, in Dallas, founded Mary Kay in 1963. It’s a global beauty and entrepreneurship company famous for its colour cosmetics, skincare and fragrance products. The business model historically centreds on Independent Beauty Consultants. It offers customers customized product recommendations. The company has now taken a step ahead in combining the relationship-based model with digital commerce. The My Shop platform launched in the US and Germany in 2025 before the expansion into Mexico, Canada, and Spain in 2026, with a wider global rollout underway.
Mary Kay’s Next Steps!
The K-Beauty Texture Edit is now available through Mary Kay’s website and independent beauty consultants till the time supplies last. Mary Kay is expanding its digital infrastructure via My Shop, that progressively rolled out worldwide.
Indian ethnic wear brand Libas strengthens its offline expansion by opting to target growth opportunities and selective franchising in Tier II and Tier III cities. In an interview published by Indian Retailer on October 5, 2026, Arun AB, VP, Exclusive Brand Outlets at Libas, mentioned the brand’s major focus on local market knowledge, store productivity, and an omnichannel retail network. The strategy brought to light how fashion D2C brands are mixing physical retail and digital discovery to reach wider consumers beyond the major metro cities.
What Happened?
Libas is taking a step ahead in its retail expansion with a wider focus on franchising, especially in markets where knowledge of consumer behavior, trading conditions and catchments are given by local partners. The brand is making a strategic move by not prioritising store-count growth only. Rental Structure, location, sales potential, investment needs, and the ability to generate sustainable returns are major factors before opening a store.
As per Arun AB, the brand sees long-term growth in the Indian wear category as it serves both cultural occasions and everyday clothing. Libas has evaluated Tier II and Tier III markets very closely based on present online demand, local shopping behavior, competition, and the availability of suitable retail locations. The company has taken into consideration different factors such as frontage, store visibility, rental expectations, and local calendars while ascertaining the correct assortment and format.
Libas expects customers to explore products online. Or visit a store to understand fabric and fit while potentially shopping through another channel. The brand is also working on initiatives such as endless aisle and quick commerce. It also positions stores as both fulfilling touch points and shopping channels.
Target Markets: Tier II, Tier III, and selected established markets
Expansion Model: Company-owned and franchise stores
Key Focus: Local market knowledge, store productivity, and omnichannel retail
Other Initiatives: Quick commerce and endless aisle
How is Libas Connecting Online Statistics with Offline Shopping?
Libas’s strategy reflects a move by Indian fashion D2C brands from online to using both offline and online channels. While social media and websites help customers find products, physical stores help them check the fit & fabric and how they style before buying.
D2C brands can analyse online sales data to identify cities where physical stores may work well. Local franchise partners help brands understand local customers’ shopping habits. This clearly shows Libas focus on store performance instead of opening more stores. The franchise partners will get support with stock management, product selection, store displays, staff training, and local marketing.
For shoppers, this expansion makes modern Indian wear available in smaller cities. Customers can browse Libas Indian wear on NineE and then visit stores to see and try the look before buying a product.
About Libas
Libas is an Indian fashion brand with a focus on modern Indian and ethnic wear for women. Almost a decade ago, Libas took the digital-first transformation road and, after that, developed its D2C presence. Today, Libas is a leading ethnic wear brand with a wide range of products such as dresses, kurtas, lehengas, and sarees.
What Comes Next for Libas?
Over the next 12-24 months, Libas plans to spread its presence in new cities where consumer demand is already high. The company plans for store formats to differ as per local catchment, market economics, and available space. Simultaneously, Libas will also focus to improve productivity of their existing network via product availability, omni-channel services and selling capabilities.
Gap has launched a limited-edition collection with the Estate of Roy Lichtenstein and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Together, they have brought the Pop artist’s distinctive visual language to the fashion brand’s signature styles. On 7 October 2026, an 18-piece capsule was announced, including sweatshirts, hoodies, T-shirts, and button-down shirts, and it coincided with the opening of Whitney’s major exhibition “Roy Lichtenstein: Like New.” The collaboration has successfully connected art, fashion, and cultural retail, and it’s a great opportunity for Gap to bring Lichtenstein’s work to a wider consumer audience.
What Happened?
Fashion United reported, Gap, in collaboration with the Estate of Roy Lichtenstein and the Whitney Museum of American Art, has launched a limited-edition fashion collection. The 18-piece collection includes sweatshirts, hoodies, T-shirts, and accessories, along with button-down shirts. Gap CEO Mark Breitbard said the chosen designs are familiar to Gap designs, so Lichtenstein’s artwork remains the highlight.
The collection launches during the opening week of “Roy Lichtenstein: Like New,” at the Whitney Museum in New York. The exhibition will feature 130+ works from six decades of Lichtenstein’s career, including drawings, prints, sculptures, paintings, films, recreated murals, and prints.
The collaboration clearly reflects how retail is used by Whitney to bring art to a wider audience. Even Jack Sachs, the museum’s director of licensing and retail, specifies the partnership could display Lichtenstein’s work to audiences that are unable to witness it at art institutions.
Key Highlights
Brand: Gap
Collaboration: Gap x Estate of Roy Lichtenstein x Whitney Museum of American Art
Artistic Focus: Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop Art visual language
Related Exhibition: Roy Lichtenstein: Like New
Exhibition Opening: 11 October 2026
Exhibition Preview: 8-10 October 2026
The Role of Cultural Collaboration in Fashion D2C
The collaboration between Gap and Lichtenstein shows how fashion brands use cultural partnerships and intellectual property to create differentiated product offerings. Instead of launching a seasonal collection based on fashion trends, Gap strategically connected wardrobe staples with a museum exhibition and an internationally recognised artist.
This approach is beneficial for D2C fashion markets as consumers get to explore products via collaborations, stories, and cultural moments. A limited-edition collection transforms a familiar product category into a distinct identity.
The collaboration also reflects the power of art-fashion partnerships as a form of brand storytelling. Lichtenstein’s work is associated with commercial imagery, mass media, and popular culture. For D2C fashion brands, the development shows an instance of how the product collaborations extend beyond conventional influencer partnerships. Working with museums, artists, or cultural institutions gives the collection a creative narrative while introducing the brand to new audiences. Readers can browse stylish sweatshirts on NineE and get an idea of what’s trending.
About Gap
Gap is an American fashion brand for denim and casual apparel, with a product portfolio of daily clothing and accessories. The brand’s identity is built around accessible staples. It has also used cultural partnerships and collaborations to reinterpret the core products.
About Roy Lichtenstein & the Whitney Exhibition
Roy Lichtenstein was an American artist born in 1923 and was known for his defining figures of Pop Art. He got recognition for works influenced by commercial imagery, comic strips and mass media. He died in 1997.
The Whitney’s “Roy Lichtenstein: Like New” exhibition opens on 11 October 2026 and runs through May 2027. It’s the first major New York retrospective of Lichtenstein’s work since 1993.
Lichtenstein Exhibition Opens on October 11
The Roy Lichtenstein: Like New exhibition opens at the Whitney Museum on 11 October 2026 to the public. The Gap collaboration will already be on sale during the exhibition’s opening week through selected Gap and Whitney retail channels.
Sources:
FashionUnited — Gap unveils Roy Lichtenstein capsule for Whitney’s exhibition FashionUnited report
Chanel has completed its first year under designer Matthieu Blazy. Blazy’s collection has made shoppers go crazy online. In March 2026, people waited for new products outside the store. Chanel’s sales rose 16% in the first half of 2026, according to Bloomberg reports, compared with the same period in 2025.
What Happened?
In 2025, Matthieu Blazy was appointed as Chanel’s creative director taking over from Virginie Viard. He became the fourth designer to take the fashion direction ahead of the luxury house. His work resonated well with Chanel’s famous style, with playful, modern, and everyday designs.
Blazy’s first Spring-Summer 2026 collection made Chanel stores go viral as customers queued to buy the new accessories and clothing. The strong demand for his designs was called “Blazymania”. Alix Morabito, director at Galeries Lafayette, told AFP that new deliveries are awaited, while some products are hard to buy due to long waiting lists after the collection’s launch.
Blazy, in his collection, kept Chanel details familiar, such as pearls, tweed, the double-C logo, camellias and black-and-white designs. He also added denim, daily playful designs, and accessories. His collection furthermore attracted a lot of male shoppers, especially for items such as loafers, blazers, bags, and ready-to-wear pieces as per Fashion United.
Key Highlights:
Brand: Chanel
Creative Director: Matthieu Blazy
Leadership: Blazy joined Chanel in 2025, succeeding Virginie Viard
Key Development: Strong consumer response to Blazy’s first year of collections
Term: “Blazymania” has emerged to describe the retail demand surrounding his designs
First Collection: Spring-Summer 2026
Collection Launch: March 2026
Reported Sales Growth: 16% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, according to confidential data reported by Bloomberg
Key Product Categories: Ready-to-wear, bags, footwear and accessories
Emerging Audience: Growing interest among male consumers
Latest Milestone: Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Paris on October 5, 2026
Meaning of Blazymania for the Fashion D2C Market
Chanel under the Blazy puts light on the fact that strong creative direction and product novelty influence demand even within an established luxury brand. The Chanel designs didn’t moved away from its heritage; instead, Chanel just got a modest look through new designs, accessories, and materials.
This was relevant for D2C fashion brands, as Blazy’s collection was a combination of classic elements with playful designs. The queues outside Chanel stores and the videos on social media were proof that physical stores and digital platforms work simultaneously. For D2C products, this also shows how desirable products, limited availability, and social sharing build brand demand.
Chanel has successfully maintained its signature tweed and the heritage codes while introducing contemporary accessories, denim, and gender-inclusive styling. Browse at NineE for denim shorts for your casual outing.
About Chanel
Chanel is a French luxury fashion house founded by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1910. The brand is known for its ready-to-wear, handbags, footwear, beauty products, jewellery, and haute couture. All the poducts have distinctive design codes.
In 2025, Matthieu Blazy became Chanel’s artistic director. Before that, he served as creative director at Bottega Veneta and also worked at fashion houses such as Celine, Maison Margiela, and Calvin Klein.
What’s Next for Chanel under Matthieu Blazy?
Chanel entered Blazy’s second year, with its Spring-Summer 2027 collection shown on October 5, 2026, in Paris. The collection moved his modern take on Chanel’s classic style, mixed with new silhouettes, bold prints, sheer fabrics, and updated accessories.
Chanel’s next challenge will be to maintain the same strong interest created during Blazy’s first year. For fashionable inspiration, shoppers can explore NineE for outfit ideas and trends across different categories and styles.
