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An artist is only as good as their tools, and we’re not just talking about painters. The same rule applies in the realm of cosmetics: Your makeup can only be as good as your applicators, which is why you should upgrade your collection to include the best makeup brush sets — to ensure that your every beauty need is met. Expertly curated makeup brush sets come stocked with high-quality options that cater to the face, cheeks, eyes, brows, and more, but if you’ve yet to master the art of contouring, defining, shading, highlighting, no worries; you don’t have to be a professional to operate this fine equipment. According to celebrity makeup artist and brow expert, Danielle Kimiko Vincent, founder of KIMIKO, everyone from beginner makeup moguls to celebrity artists can benefit from investing in a complete set. “I love a good brush set because it can encourage you to start experimenting with new techniques that you might not have otherwise considered,” Vincent tells WWD over email. “For examp

If the pandemic taught us one thing, it’s that we love a streamlined beauty routine. And when it comes to giving yourself a blowout, anything that will cut down on time, yet not sacrifice one bit of volume or shine, is nothing short of a miracle product. Enter: a hair brush dryer, a hot tool hybrid—half blow dryer, half traditional round brush—that can create waves, curls, or a smooth, straight blowout in one simple step. “I’m a HUGE fan of blow dryer brushes!” says Chicago-based celebrity hairstylist, Alex Brown, who counts Hailey Baldwin, Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid as clients. “They are such an easy way to get a smooth, voluminous ‘blowout’ look. They make it easier to tame frizzy hair, rather than managing a dryer in one hand and a brush in the other.” And the benefits keep rolling. Brown adds that they’re designed to not only combine two blowout steps into one to “make it quicker to achieve a nice style,” but also to manage and smooth all hair types and textures, even wispy fin

If there’s one go-to grooming tool that pays for itself the quickest, it’s the electric razor. Convenient and versatile, it’s both a bathroom counter and travel kit staple. Today’s electric razors for men can cut close with little irritation, and many guys now prefer electric over manual razors. And that’s understandable. Unlike manual razors, many electric razors are waterproof and can be used for wet or dry shaves. Another big plus of going electric is the power, speed, and smart technology that electric razors offer to prevent skin irritation, like razor bumps and ingrown hairs. To narrow down the best electric shaver for your situation, visualize your grooming routine. Maybe you’re looking for a razor that can trim, fade, and shape-up your neckline and beard daily. Or you could be in need of a tool that can effortlessly manscape your whole body. Shannon Davis, Senior Barber at Fellow Barber in Williamsburg, Brooklyn offers her advice for narrowing the search. “Guys should look for

Kanye West appears to have enlisted soon-to-be ex-wife Kim Kardashian West for his recent “Donda” listening event. Multiple outlets report that Kardashian West appeared alongside the rapper at Chicago’s Solider Field Thursday night, where he held his latest listening event for his upcoming album. The event was livestreamed, where viewers saw what appeared to be Kardashian West dressed in a Balenciaga fall 2021 couture wedding dress with a long veil covering her face. The sartorial choice, while especially notable considering the couple’s current divorce proceedings, is not completely random given that West enlisted Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia as creative director for his “Donda” release events. West himself has worn pieces from the designer’s Balenciaga collections for his other “Donda” listening events, including a studded black jacket from the Balenciaga fall 2020 collection. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Check the Tag (@checkthetag) Kardashian West, who previou

Blackpink’s Lisa is ready to make her debut. On Wednesday, Lalilsa Manobal, or known simply as Lisa professionally, announced on Instagram that her highly anticipated first solo album will be released on Sept. 10. The album will be called “Lalisa.” The post comes three days after the singer teased that her album will be coming soon on Instagram. Manobal is most famous for being a member of popular South Korean girl group Blackpink, which also consists of Ji-soo Kim, Roseanne Park and Jennie Kim, known simply as Jisoo, Rosé and Jennie to their legion of Blackpink fans called “Blinks.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by LISA (@lalalalisa_m) In more recent years, Manobal has been more involved in the fashion industry. Known to have worked closely with Celine’s creative director Hedi Slimane since 2019, Manobal eventually became the brand’s global ambassador in September 2020. In July 2020, she also became the newest brand ambassador for Bulgari. In February, Manobal joined the j

Kylie Jenner is gearing up to expand her footprint in the fashion world. Jenner debuted her new swimwear brand, called Kylie Swim, in an Instagram post on Aug. 17, posting a Polaroid image of herself in a cutout pink and yellow bathing suit. The post was captioned with “coming soon…” Since the initial post, both Jenner and the Kylie Swim Instagram account have been teasing pieces from the brand, which has yet to reveal a launch date. The other posts include another series of Polaroid images and a video of models dressed in pink, yellow and orange bathing suits in one-piece and bikini styles. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kylie Swim by Kylie Jenner (@kylieswim) WWD reported in May that Jenner filed trademark requests for “Kylie Swim” and “Kylie Swim by Kylie Jenner” for apparel items such as “swimwear, beach cover-ups, headwear, tops, bottoms, footwear and robes,” as well as swimwear-related accessories like sunglasses, towels, outdoor blankets, beach bags and other items

With the much-anticipated Met Gala approaching in September, many are curious about the event’s exclusive guest list. Usually held annually on the first Monday in May, the event is a fundraising benefit for the Museum of Metropolitan Art in New York City. This year’s Met Gala will take place on Sept. 13 in an apparently smaller setting, after it was ultimately canceled last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The theme for this year is “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which will delve into the modern vocabulary of American fashion. Vogue has tapped Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka to co-chair this year’s event. Though it has not been confirmed who is attending, an Instagram fan account dedicated to the charity event, called @_metgala2021, released a mock seating chart of its rumored guests on Monday. Familiar faces such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian will allegedly attend, and the guest list has apparently expanded to include inte

The luxury goods and fine jewelry market is on fire. Hemmed in at home and tied to Zoom calls for the past year, consumers turned to fine jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, and pendants to distinguish and more fully express themselves about the head and shoulders. But even as we return to offices, attend events, and start to travel, the momentum in fine jewelry — especially pieces in gold — continues. For Peter Webster, co-founder and president of Roberto Coin, Inc., the reason why is simple: gold is affordable. “There is also a remarkable amount of pent-up demand that is and will continue to drive sales,” Webster said. Peter Webster, Co-founder and President. For its part, the luxury brand is showcasing several collections this season. Roberto Coin, which, since being founded in 1977, has created over 1,200 designs, is renowned for its cutting-edge designs, innovative and high-quality manufacturing, and an unmatched level of customer service. Roberto Coin is also known for hiding a

While no one could ever upstage Beyoncé and Jay-Z, together for the first time in an ad campaign for Tiffany & Co., it’s fair to say there is a third star in the spots: a never-before-seen painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat in the jeweler’s signature robin egg blue. Tiffany recently acquired the spectacular artwork, which had been in the possession of a private collector since the early 1980s, adding another surprise and layer of storytelling to a vast, yet nuanced advertising effort, which is to break in print next month. Now controlled by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Tiffany is putting major firepower behind the yearlong campaign featuring the Carters, which includes a short film that depicts Beyoncé singing “Moon River” to her husband. It’s destined for major exposure in the coming months, including a takeover of all the digital billboards in New York’s Times Square. Unveiling the first campaign image exclusively to WWD, Alexandre Arnault, Tiffany’s executive vice president o

Gianna Rivera, buyer at The TJX Cos., said the intern experiences while at LIM College not only helped with networking and relationship building but also served as a way to guide her career path. In fact, her internship at The TJX Cos., along with advice from a trusted mentor, shifted the focus of her career from luxury wholesale to the off-price retail segment. Here, Rivera discusses her career path, and challenges and lessons learned along the way. WWD: How did your education and internship experiences help shape your career decisions? Gianna Rivera: The internship opportunities I had throughout my experience at LIM College helped me build relationships in the fashion industry and let me figure out what I was really interested in. There are so many avenues within the fashion business. I had originally wanted to be an account executive in wholesale, but my final internship before my senior year was in buying. That’s when I realized that’s what I wanted to do and was what led me to TJX

According to American Express, supporting small businesses all summer long — especially in August when many consumers take vacations — is vital with its recent survey findings revealing that shopping small over summer weekends alone can help inject $27 billion into the national economy. Notably, early this summer American Express committed more than $100 million to inspire consumers to support small businesses globally through its year-round “Shop Small” campaign and “Let’s Go Shop Small” summer campaign. For its latest initiative in its ongoing campaign, the company is partnering with Ntwrk alongside Melody Ehsani, Rhuigi Villaseñor and Telsha Anderson to create unique, limited-edition items in collaboration with some of their favorite small businesses. The collections will be available for purchase throughout the weekends of August. Recognizing that consumers across the country are increasingly turning to digital platforms to support small businesses, American Express’ collaboration

The retail labor shortage is expected to continue through the holiday shopping season as workers are feeling over-worked, burned out and, in many instances, not highly valued. After a prolonged pandemic, many workers have shifted their personal priorities while a large number are following their dreams and launching their own businesses. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people establishing their own business is on an upward trajectory, and economists expect the trend to continue for some time. In the fashion industry, employees are breaking out on their own to launch collections, design apparel and accessories, and create direct-to-consumer e-commerce businesses. Career advisers say it’s not too late to reinvent one’s career and redirect the employment path from working for others to working for yourself. For budding entrepreneurs, Björn Bengtsson, a faculty member at Parsons, suggests launching a business with the help of advisers. He said fash

The Sephora at Kohl’s partnership has made its debut. The two retailers have revealed their first shop-in-shop location at a Kohl’s location in Ramsey, N.J., on Aug. 6 after announcing their partnership in December. The partnership brings more than 125 prestige beauty brands to the mid-tier department store, with 70 more shop-in-shop locations set to open nationwide this month. By 2023, there will be 850 locations. The Sephora at Kohl’s partnership is just the latest major deal in the beauty industry. Last month, Ulta Beauty and Target revealed their shop-in-shop partnership, which brings more than 50 beauty brands to 100-plus Target locations across the country. As the Sephora at Kohl’s partnership continues to roll out this month, WWD breaks down the complete list of beauty brands across makeup, skin care, hair care and fragrance that will be available at the shops-in-shop. Read on for more. Makeup  Anastasia Beverly Hills Bareminerals Beautyblender Benefit Cosmetics Bite Beauty Blin

On Thursday night, Kayne West, a man known for his words, didn’t say a peep but instead let his work speak for itself, taking to the stage for an epic and emotion-filled finale for the launch of his latest LP, “Donda,” which is named after his late mother. The release has been quite a journey for West. Talk of curated listening events was first heard in mid-July, when West confirmed the album was on its way, teasing its release in a Beats ad featuring sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. He originally premiered it to a packed crowd two weeks ago at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But not being satisfied with the result, West chose to camp inside the stadium itself to put the finishing touches on the album. The rapper — who is just as famous for his failed presidential bid and pending divorce from Kim Kardashian West — livestreamed his process, which saw him doing everything from playing songs for famous friends to working out while Justin Laboy got a haircut. The second release was to start

Looks like the next drop of the Adidas x Ivy Park collection will be centered around rodeo and Black cowboys. Beyoncé began teasing the latest collection of her line with Adidas by posting an image of actor Glynn Turman and his granddaughter, Melinda, wearing denim with three stripes — jackets, jeans and even chaps over shorts for Melinda under the tag line: Ivy Park Rodeo. A video embedded in the image features “The Wire” and “Fargo” actor talking about how he how he spent his days in the stables of Central Park shoveling manure so he could ride for free and how important Black cowboys were in settling the American West. On the Ivy Park website, a script is overlaid on a photo of Melinda that provides details on Turman. “Born and raised in New York City, it is sometimes hard to imagine that the sometimes-director of stage productions has also been a real-life cowboy,” it reads. “He says from as long as he could remember, he has had a fascination with horses. An accomplished horseman a

The buzz around the “House of Gucci” film has been steadily growing since the project was announced in November 2019, and now as the film is set to debut this fall, interest in the Gucci family is growing among moviegoers and fashion fanatics. Ridley Scott’s film offers a dramatized version of the real-life events surrounding the murder of Maurizio Gucci, who was the head of the Gucci fashion house in the ’90s and was the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci. Gucci’s death was orchestrated by his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani, who hired a hit man to kill her ex-husband outside of the Milan Gucci offices. As the film’s posters and trailer were released in late July, there is newfound interest in the film’s real-life characters that are portrayed by the star-studded cast of Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Jeremy Irons. Here, WWD takes a closer look at each character’s story ahead of the film’s debut. Read on for more. Patrizia Reggiani Played by Lady Gaga Patrizia Reggiani at

Custom apparel-maker Indochino has released a case study with Klarna that reveals the successes of the brand’s use of the fintech company’s various solutions. The companies said in a statement today that average order volume, or AOV, rose 16 percent due to the use of Klarna’s marketing and flexible payment options. The solutions included Klarna for Business’ Pay in 4 solution, on-site messaging and co-marketing support (toward paid Facebook and Instagram ads). Aside from the double-digit gain in AOV, Indochino experienced a 20 percent increase in conversion from paid ads that mentioned Klarna. “The brand also attracted a new demographic — young shoppers, many of whom are on the hunt for their first suit or interested in giving their wardrobes an update, and want to do so responsibly,” Klarna said, adding that of Indochino customers using Klarna, 67 percent are Millennials and Generation Z. Klarna also said its partnership with Stripe, which is Indochino’s existing payment platform, all

Square Inc. said it reached a deal with Afterpay Ltd. to acquire the buy now, pay later company in an all-stock deal valued at $29 billion. Square said in a statement today that the acquisition “aims to enable the companies to better deliver compelling financial products and services that expand access to more consumers and drive incremental revenue for merchants of all sizes.” The company expects to close the deal in the first quarter of 2022. Jack Dorsey, cofounder and chief executive officer of Square, said in a statement that the two companies have a shared purpose: “We built our business to make the financial system more fair, accessible and inclusive, and Afterpay has built a trusted brand aligned with those principles.” “Together, we can better connect our Cash App and Seller ecosystems to deliver even more compelling products and services for merchants and consumers, putting the power back in their hands,” Dorsey noted. Square said the deal is expected to accelerate the company