The Bonobos-Walmart saga: Marc Lore is quickly proving to be Walmart’s man of 2017.
There’s been plenty of analysis on the pending deal since last week. Yet one thing is becoming abundantly clear in this narrative: In former Jet.com CEO Marc Lore, Walmart has a snarling e-commerce pitbull. (562 words)
Floyd locked up a $875K seed round last year (but didn’t tell anyone). Here’s what you need to know.
In something of a delayed fundraising announcement, we spoke to co-founder Alex O’Dell, who filled us in on the furniture brand’s unpublicized $875K seed round from May 2016 led by LZB Investments and Airbnb’s Joe Gebbia. (886 words)
Farfetch’s Store of the Future: A strategic hedge against the e-commerce plateau.
Farfetch’s Store of the Future concept set off a bevy of mentions, analyses, and reactions. We’ve poured through the Business of Fashion, Quartz, and the New York Times to put the idea into context. (1,156 words)
Ministry of Supply is now printing custom blazers in 90 minutes.
Ministry of Supply has installed a new 3D printer in its Boston showroom. Shoppers will now be able to get a custom blazer knitted that same day, but at a price of $200K for the machine, is the investment worthwhile? (611 words)
Case in point: The $44B opportunity for today’s emerging luggage upstarts.
Raden. Away. Horizn Studios. Arlo Skye. The luggage market is a $44B opportunity––and all four of these new players are hoping to grab a sizable chunk of it. (555 words)
Key fact: 9 percent of Londoners shop on Net-a-Porter.
The key highlights in the Evening Standard’s behind the scenes sit down with NAP president Alison Loehnis. Inside: efficiency, peak shopping times, and how feedback from its best customers have helped it settle on two new services launching later this year.
Razor fight: The metrics that explain why Gillette tried (unsuccessfully) to take down Harry’s and Bevel.
Gillette is bleeding market share, and Harry’s, Bevel, and Dollar Shave Club have only made things worse. The shaving giant’s engaged in two campaigns against Bevel and Harry’s — but both attempts have backfired. (759 words)
Moda Operandi: $130 million in total VC funding (but still not profitable).
BoF dropped (yet) another 1,800 word opus last week on a certified BoF darling, Moda Operandi. We’ve distilled it down to the best bits to get you the quick and tidy update on the brand that you’re looking for. (596 words.)
Burrow, the Y Combinator-backed ‘Casper of Couches’ is now officially up and running.
Designer sofas, delivered to you in a box within one week. A 100 day return policy. As CEO Stephen Kuhl explained it, “If you live in a walk-up in New York, you need us.” Sound familiar? (899 words)
From clothes to couches: How Burrow’s launch is proof of a rapidly maturing modern luxury market.
The natural market progression from startups creating products you can wear, to those that are trying their hand at more advanced “hard” consumer products. (526 words)