Articles by Rachel Douglass
Rachel has been with FashionUnited since mid-2021. Descending from the UK, she moved to the Netherlands in 2014 to attend Amsterdam Fashion Institute, where she studied a BA in International Fashion and Branding with a specialisation in Journalism.
At FashionUnited, Rachel covers daily news, from store openings to acquisitions, alongside which she focuses on research-based stories, interviews and on-the-ground event reporting. Her topics of interest include digital fashion, independent retail and current trends.
Former Stella McCartney visual head named creative director at Asos
Andrew Tiller has been named the new creative director of Asos. The creative joins the e-commerce giant from Stella McCartney, where he had served as visual director for over two years. Tiller confirmed the news on his LinkedIn account, where he said: “Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey so far – for your support and...
Peopleloading...
Pinterest doubles down on AI with extended Amazon partnership
Pinterest has extended its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as it doubles down on AI infrastructure. The social media platform has confirmed a four billion dollar commitment to utilise AWS Trainium and Graviton to train and run AI models at scale through 2031. The agreement, described as the largest infrastructure deal in the company’s...
BusinessMemberloading...
British Heart Foundation prepares to shutter 150 stores
Charity organisation and retail chain operator British Heart Foundation (BHF) has said it plans to close around 150 stores over the next two years as part of efforts to maintain commercial sustainability across its retail network. Around 90 stores are proposed to shutter by the end of March 2027, with the remaining locations expected to follow...
Retailloading...
Australian Fashion Council to launch dedicated showroom at Paris Fashion Week
The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) is set to broaden its horizons with the launch of a new showroom at Paris Fashion Week’s SS27 edition dedicated to Australian designers. The initiative comes as a continuation of the organisation’s Global Gateways export programme, and marks what the council said is a “structural step-change” in how the local...
Fashion loading...
Footfall figures continue to decline as heatwave impacts activity
New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic have shown continued annual downturn in footfall for May, despite improvements seen on a monthly basis. Total UK footfall fell 2.6 percent year-on-year, but rose on the 10.7 percent drop recorded in April. Shopping centres were the hardest hit, with footfall declining 2.4...
Retailloading...
BFC names winners of 2026 Fashion Trust grant programme
The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced the winners of this year’s BFC Fashion Trust awards, with six designers selected to receive financial support and mentoring to help build their businesses. For the 2026 edition, the winners are Clio Peppiatt, Conner Ives, Nicholas Daley, Paolo Carzana, Patrick McDowell and Tolu Coker. The news was...
Fashion loading...
Charles Tyrwhitt promotes COO to managing director
British shirt maker Charles Tyrwhitt has promoted its chief operating officer, Rebecca Howat, to the role of managing director. Howat has been with the heritage retailer for over 12 years, having first joined in 2013 as head of merchandising before working her way up through positions spanning supply chain and logistics. She then became chief...
Peopleloading...
Victoria’s Secret board nominees receive proxy backing
Victoria’s Secret has said that its nine director nominees have received approval from three independent proxy advisors in the run up to its annual shareholder meeting, to be held on June 11. Institutional Shareholder Services, Glass Lewis & Co and Egan-Jones Proxy Services have all issued recommendations for shareholders to vote ‘for’ the...
BusinessMemberloading...
Leading Labels to shutter 15 stores amid liquidation proceedings
Off-price retail chain Leading Labels is closing all of its 15 stores after entering liquidation proceedings. Ahead of appointing Jeremy Bleazard of XL Business Solutions Limited as liquidator on May 26, the company launched clearance sales across its store estate as the winding down process began. Companies House documents further showed that...
BusinessMemberloading...
Persistent financial pressures weigh on May footfall
New figures from MRI Software have revealed a mixed picture for UK footfall. According to the data platform, May activity showed momentum, yet not enough to break through, with persistent financial pressures among consumers impacting performance. Month-on-month, overall footfall was up 1 percent, led by retail parks at 1.6 percent, followed by...
Retailloading...