Sarah Shapiro

2 months ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen |Sarah Shapiro

Today’s newsletter is made possible by paid subscriptions. If you love this interview, consider supporting my work with $8/month. It’s also gonna get cut off in email, so read this in browser! Happy Sunday! We have a very special guest today: Rachel Syme. You may know her as the New Yorker staff writer who has profiled everyone who’s anyone in Hollywood—from Sofia Coppola (patron saint of coquettes in cinema) to Adam Scott (patron saint of office workers on TV).

Jan 17, 2025 | puck.news | Sarah Shapiro

A prevalent theme in retail, at least at the moment, is the manner in which brands are navigating the delicate balance between innovation and familiarity. These days, retailers tend to make data-driven decisions about when to lead a trend, versus follow it or establish a partnership, whether via a cross-promotion or collab or something in between.

Jan 14, 2025 | puck.news | Sarah Shapiro

Nell Diamond, the Yale M.B.A. and daughter of Barclay's C.E.O. Bob Diamond, made one of the more fortuitous pivots in recent fashion business history when she redirected her somnolent D.T.C. bedding brand, Hill House Home, in service of its one great creation, a blockbuster product that defined the pandemic era and now comprises more than 20 percent of the company's revenue: the Nap Dress. Indeed, the dress transformed the business.

Jan 10, 2025 | puck.news | Sarah Shapiro

It's hard out there for a fashion brand in the new year-that frosty economic zone when people are making resolutions, watching their spending, and holiday sales have dried up. These days, brands typically encourage continued engagement by persuading their over-cluttered customers to give their stuff back... and maybe make a little room for a new item from the same brand.

Jan 7, 2025 | puck.news | Sarah Shapiro

The rise of fashion and beauty commerce platform LTK reads like a bildungsroman from the influencer canon. Amber Venz Box, a Dallas personal shopper and blogger, originally created the platform in 2011 after her then-boyfriend (now husband) noted that her personal website was sending potential shopping clients straight to retailers without offering her a pass-through fee.