Glossy

TikTok Shop is likely to see a dramatic change in assortment and pricing after the planned May 2 cancellation of the tariff loophole known as ‘de minimis’ on goods from China and Hong Kong. On April 7, TikTok emailed business leaders warning them of the upcoming change. “…Duties will be applicable to all impacted shipments regardless of value, and additional supporting documentation may be required to import, previously exempt, goods into the U.S.,” the letter read. A representative from TikTok did not immediately respond to Glossy’s request for comment on exactly how many sellers this would impact. The nearly 100-year-old law allows packages valued at less than $800 to receive tariff exemptions and less oversight from U.S. customs. This reversal on de minimis, announced by President Trump on April 2, only applies to China and Hong Kong but could be expanded worldwide. In this piece by Lexy Lebsack, we speak to Yuriy Boykiv of Front Row, Rachel Roberts Mattox, Kimber L. Maderazzo, and Nick Benson. https://lnkd.in/eufKSak8

Ellie the elephant is unequivocally the WNBA’s most iconic mascot. The elephant, who represents the New York Liberty, has 151,000 Instagram followers and 190,000 TikTok followers, both under the account @bigellieliberty. And now, she has a manicure — by Essie, the 44-year-old nail polish brand owned by L'Oréal.

With its 12 Coach Play concept stores, Coach is cracking the secret to what gets Gen Z to spend time in stores. Best described as testbeds for ideas with the potential to resonate with Gen Z, Coach Play’s “fully immersive” and “hyperlocal” stores have seen impressive levels of dwell time, with their different components translating to differing levels of engagement. In general, compared to a typical Coach store, a larger number of Gen-Z shoppers enter Coach Play stores. And among those who enter, their dwell time is often 4-8 times greater in Coach Play than in a typical Coach store — it’s even higher in Asia. “We build the stores with [dwell time] in mind,” Giovanni Zaccariello, the brand’s svp of visual experience, told Glossy during this week’s Shoptalk conference. “There’s a sense of discovery, there are things for them to do, and there’s more space for people to just hang out. “ https://lnkd.in/enmfD3Fw

CÉCRED and Ulta Beauty pulled out all the stops to celebrate its official launch of Cécred hair care last week, including an influencer-focused event with a personal appearance by founder Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, a hair show hosted by vice chairwoman Tina Knowles and a who’s who of Ulta Beauty’s executive team. “I grew up in a hair salon, as most of you guys know, with my mother, and this was [our] dream,” Beyoncé said during her welcome speech at Sunday’s event. “Our team worked so hard, so professional, [with] so much heart, so much creativity. And we put nothing but all of our heart and love into every detail, from the packaging to the science. We’re celebrating diversity, and we are celebrating lifting all hair types up. … We’re celebrating this sacred Sunday, because this is truly a sacred Sunday for us.” The launch event was kept under wraps from the industry for most of its planning process, which started in November, Cécred svp of marketing, Tiffany Plater, told Glossy. Attendees, who were about 80% content creators, were invited to save the date in late March with limited details that only included the date and a request to wear all white. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d6KcEBvS

It is near-guaranteed that, in the short term, consumers will face higher prices and limited availability for products they’re used to having. “With the U.S. having the largest apparel market globally, these tariffs will hugely impact global players like Abercrombie & Fitch and Nike, which have very diverse supply chains and import huge quantities into the country, while value players like Shein will see their low-cost propositions rocked,” said Alice Price, an apparel analyst at GlobalData Plc. “Players importing into the U.S. will therefore have to find ways to offset these higher costs, and consumers may expect availability issues while they try to navigate these new challenges.” And while moving production to the U.S. is the preferred solution the Trump administration has stated, it’s not so easy. For one, not only are there fewer manufacturers to work with in the U.S., for some products, there are no viable domestic options. https://lnkd.in/ejm-X8wu

Last Sunday, Cécred, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's 14-month-old hair-care baby, debuted in all of Ulta Beauty's doors — more than 1,400 across the country. And last Monday, the brand launched its first brand campaign, dubbed "A Deeper Understanding of Hair." It partnered with advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy to bring its vision to life. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eNVTH76X

According to data from Launchmetrics, the media impact value for keywords “recession hair,” “recession blonde” and “recession brunette” grew 96% from February to March. “I can say with quite definitiveness that we are in an economic downturn, and we see it in our salon,” said David Thurston, co-founder and CEO of professional hair-color brand Danger Jones and Los Angeles’s Butterfly Loft Salon and Spa. “We talk to our labs, who are creating hair color for all the different brands, and they’re all reporting a downturn.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/e4rdcaGh

On this week’s episode of the Glossy Podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska discuss two big news stories: the tariffs’ last-minute delay and the impact on the fashion industry, and Prada Group’s acquisition of Versace. Later in the episode, we’re joined by Glossy editor-in-chief Jill Manoff for a roundtable discussion on the state of the department store. We cover everything from the graveyard of department stores that have closed — like Barneys New York and Henri Bendel — to the reasons European department stores have thrived while their American counterparts haven’t. We also touch on Saks Fifth Avenue’s notorious delay of vendor payments and brands and retailers’ evolving relationship. https://lnkd.in/g4p-jhD3

“Wellness” has been part of the consumer zeitgeist for well over a decade — and thanks to TikTok Shop, young wellness brands have a new place to acquire new customers. Given that Gen Z uses TikTok like Google, it makes sense that the demo is turning to the app for health and wellness information, seeking recommendations for everything from the best at-home workout to the best creatine gummies. According to Social Media Pro®, weight management products, like gut cleanses, supplements and home workout equipment, are among TikTok Shop’s most lucrative categories. In this piece by Sara Spruch-Feiner, we speak to Nishant S. of Arrae, Gabriella Flibotte Walker & Sommer Carroll of gramms, Connor Noe of Nello, and Alyssa Williams Atkinson of SPATE. https://lnkd.in/g46SR63P

It’s no secret that L'Oréal has been beefing up its niche fragrance investments in 2025. The French conglomerate acquired a minority stake in luxury Oman fragrance brand AMOUAGE and South Korean niche brand Borntostandout in February — but it’s also turning its attention inward. On Thursday, the L’Oréal-owned Yves Saint Laurent beauty line announced the relaunch of its higher-priced Le Vestiaire des Parfums fragrance collection along with the addition of a new perfume to the line, Muse. YSL already has more than one fragrance blockbuster under its belt, including 2014’s Black Opium and 2019’s Libre. But keeping pace with market demands means investing in the booming niche sector.  In this piece by Emily Jensen, we speak to Alicia Restino (Jacquet), and Marie Salamagne of dsm-firmenich. https://lnkd.in/efRsNnyQ