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The Indicator | September 25, 2026

By Sonal Gandhi
The Lead

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THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Big brands continue to tap into starpower to stay on top: Kenneth Cole partners with Joe Jonas, On with Mbappé while Gap is nurturing an emerging boy band.
  • On the AI front, Amazon is blocking Meta’s shopping agent, and shoppers are realizing AI-generated product suggestions can miss the mark.
  • Introducing Field Notes: A new content series from The Lead delivering exclusive insider perspectives gathered directly from our discussions with Direct 60, Impact 50, and Lead Summit speakers. Check it out on our Website or Substack.

Image via: WWD

KEY INDICATORS​

  • To fuel its revival, Gap is partnering with rising 90s-style boy band Just Your Type (JYT) for in-store meet-and-greets, a co-produced docuseries, and a co-designed clothing line. Moving beyond established icons like Madonna, Gap is targeting younger audiences with JYT, which built a following by touring summer camps. (WSJ)

 
  • Kenneth Cole tapped Joe Jonas as global ambassador for “Inspire,” a new woody aromatic men’s fragrance created with Parlux and Givaudan perfumer Christine Hassan. Debuting across Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores and websites, the launch marks a new retail strategy ahead of broader global distribution. (WWD)
 
  • On announced its expansion into football, along with the news that it nabbed Kylian Mbappé from Nike, which had sponsored him from the time he was a child. Mbappé will now be the face of On football. It also announced its hiring of former French football star Thierry Henry as its director of football. (BoF)
 
  • Human-grade dog food company, The Farmer’s Dog, has made its first acquisition with the purchase of Woof (Foremost 50 2025), a functional enrichment and wellness product brand founded in 2019. Woof will operate independently under its current brand and team while leveraging parent company resources to support growth. (Inc.)
 
  • Shopify is allowing Meta’s Muse AI agent to complete purchases on its platform, while Amazon blocks it to protect customer relationships and ads. Amazon is also waging a legal battle for the right to keep Perplexity shopping agents out. (WSJ) 
 

  • Zalando has emerged as a fashion AI leader, using the technology across its business to boost growth and efficiency. The company reported key benefits, including cutting on-site content costs by 90 percent, generating “very substantial” incremental revenue, and preventing 8 percent of size-related returns last year. Zalando credits its vast data infrastructure with providing an edge. (BoF)

 
  • According to a SmartCustomer survey, 89% shoppers don’t fully trust AI recommendations even as 76% of them have used AI to make purchases in the past year. A third of survey respondents said they made a regrettable purchase based on an AI recommendation. And more than half (53%) of respondents suspect companies of releasing false or misleading information specifically to influence AI recommendations. (Retail Dive)

DIVING DEEP

HOW FENITY FASHION TURED INTERNATIONAL DEMAND INTO INTERNATIONAL REVENUE

Fenity Fashion had global shoppers but a checkout that wasn’t converting as well as it could. International customers faced unexpected duty fees at delivery, eroding trust and driving returns. Even at checkout, the true all-in cost wasn’t visible. Working through FlavorCloud’s cross-border platform and ShipBob’s fulfillment network, Fenity fixed both in six weeks.

Read the full case study here.

LEADING SPOTLIGHT

AI is Giving Brands Superpowers - But it's Not How You Think

AI’s biggest impact inside brands right now isn’t coming from top-down strategy, it’s coming from individual employees building their own shortcuts and sharing what works, often after getting comfortable with the tools in their personal lives first. Read the full story.

The Lead is now on Substack! Be sure to subscribe here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

  • Nadine Kheirallah (Direct 60 ’23) named VP of Sales at L’Oréal (formerly SVP, International at Anastasia Beverly Hills).
  • Hannah Laher (D60 NEXT ’25) named Director, Ecommerce at Sam Edelman (formerly Director, Ecommerce at Nuts.com).
  • Slisha Kankariya Shah (Direct 60 ’24) expanded her role at Adrianna Papell to
    SVP, Global Digital Commerce and Marketing.

PRESENTED BY —

Suggested Reading

AI is Giving Brands Superpowers – But it’s Not How You Think

AI is Giving Brands Superpowers – But it’s Not How You Think Based on executive interviews conducted for The Lead’s Direct 60 and Impact 50 Lists By Sonal GandhiChief Content Officer at The Lead Across dozens of conversations with marketing, ecommerce, customer experience and technology executives at leading brands,

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