The Indicator | January 10th, 2025

● New Balance has been steadily taking share from rivals and has a goal to increase revenue to $10 billion in the next few years. The brand’s aim in the year ahead is to stay on course and focus on what’s been working. That includes managing distribution to ensure it isn’t oversaturating the marketplace with any one style, maintaining close relationships with wholesale partners and retaining the company’s laser-focused approach to picking the right brand partners. (Business of Fashion) 

● Coach announced a line of Coach Classic products produced using Gen Phoenix’s new to the market recycled leather-derived material at CES. The products will be comparable in price to Coach’s upcycled Coachtopia products. With the debut of the Coach Classic line at CES, Coach is demonstrating a continued commitment to sustainability as many fashion brands pull back on related efforts. (Glossy) 

● Hard times at home are driving British brands like Burberry, Mulberry, and Me+Em to seek their fortune in the fashion-hungry U.S. market, despite the threat of tariffs. (WWD) 

● Personal care brands are looking for new ways to attract customers through fragrance that smells like food. Procter & Gamble’s Native recently debuted a Dunkin Donut collab, exclusively at Walmart, and a fruity partnership with Jarritos, the Mexican soft drink brand, only sold in Target. Unilever is selling the Dove X Crumbl collection, also at Walmart. Vanilla is a significant component of new fragrance launches last year from Dolce & Gabbana, Lancôme, and Bottega Veneta — to the low, with Axe’s Fine Black Vanilla. (MediaPost) 

● Brands like Babyletto and Emilia George are hoping to fill the BuyBuy Baby void. Emilia George opened its second location in Atlanta in October 2024. Babylist, the registry service, opened its Beverly Hills showroom in 2023 while furniture company Babyletto opened up its first showroom on the trendy shopping stretch of Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. (Modern Retail) 

● Actor Tom Holland’s non-alcoholic beer brand, BERO (on The Lead Ones to Watch list for 2025), is making a significant retail debut at Target, with placement in 1,400 stores across the US. (CNN)