Need to Know
22 : 05 : 19

Paris – Luxury conglomerate LVMH is working with Rihanna to launch a luxury fashion house from scratch.

Making its debut this spring, Fenty will be developed by Rihanna and will feature ready-to-wear apparel, shoes and accessories. The brand hopes to disrupt the luxury sector not only as the first fashion house launched under LVMH by a woman of colour, but also by focusing entirely on direct-to-consumer (DTC) online sales.

According to Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the group has brought together a talented and multicultural team to support the launch of the Fenty Maison. ‘Designing a line like this with LVMH is an incredibly special moment for us,’ says Rihanna. ‘Mr Arnault has given me a unique opportunity to develop a fashion house in the luxury sector, with no artistic limits.’

The partnership signals a wider shift not only in the mindset and expectations of luxury consumers but also brands, who are embracing new distribution models. For more on the evolution of luxury, explore our dedicated luxury vertical.

London – The sportswear brand's circular design guide was created to provide apparel designers and brands with a toolkit for sustainable practices.

The guide, Circularity: Guiding the Future of Design, was created in collaboration with students and staff from Central Saint Martins school of design in London, with inspiration from Global Fashion Agenda. Acting as a call to action for the apparel industry, its supporting workbook provides 10 key principles for brands striving to become more sustainable, with a focus on material choices, disassembly, refurbishment and circular packaging.

For brands, these principles are highlighted as starting points from which to reconsider their future design process. ‘We have an obligation to consider the complete design solution, including how we source it, make it, use it, return it and, ultimately, how we re-imagine it,’ says John Hoke, Nike's chief design officer. In a similar vein, brands such as Volcom are launching new initiatives to support more sustainable production.

China – The global cosmetics company has joined forces with Alibaba Group to create a mobile application designed to diagnose acne.

Effaclar Spotscan has been created to help consumers with acne but limited access to dermatologists. The app, which can identify the user’s type of acne by analysing selfies, combines insights and research from L’Oréal brand La Roche-Posay with Alibaba’s machine-learning technologies. It will make its debut on Alibaba’s Tmall and Taobao e-commerce apps in June, before launching in further markets through other providers.

After uploading three selfies, the app generates a test report with a diagnosis and personalised skincare advice, including product combinations for treatment and where to buy them online. If the technology detects severe skin problems, it can also put the user in touch with a skincare expert for a one-to-one consultation.

As demand for personalisation and customisation in the beauty sector increases, brands are using artificial intelligence (AI) to power apps and devices that analyse users’ skin health. For more, read our At-home Analysis microtrend.

While many young Arabs say they are familiar with mental health concerns, a majority find access to treatment is scarce, according to findings from the Arab Youth Survey, conducted by Dubai-based PR firm ASDA’A BCW.

In the Levant region in particular, the number of respondents who say it is difficult to get quality care for issues such as anxiety and depression rises to 81%. Meanwhile, about one third of young Arabs say they know someone suffering from mental health issues and almost half say there is still a stigma around seeking help for mental health problems.

In our Emerging Youth Market: UAE, we explore how young people in the region are kick-starting much-needed conversations about gender and mental health through self-expression and anonymous social media platforms.