Milestones are always a moment for reflection. Where have we been? Where are we now? And perhaps even more importantly, where are we going?
As WWD marks 115 years, it is naturally a moment to celebrate the publication’s longevity in bringing readers the most authoritative coverage of fashion, retail, beauty and related industries and culture, which we continue to do today. But we, like the industry, are rapidly evolving to provide even more in-depth, extensive and insightful coverage across multiple platforms, as well as more live events around the world, from the Golden Globes red carpet to Riyadh Fashion Week to the WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit.
So, to reflect our evolution, and the industry’s, it only made sense to theme this year’s WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit Powering Progress: Past, Present, Future.
There is no doubt 2025 has already been a major year of transition for the industries WWD covers, and the world at large. The apparent slowdown in the luxury sector helped spark one of the greatest shakeups in creative leads at major fashion houses perhaps ever in history. The U.S. department store sector was transformed with the acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group by Saks Fifth Avenue, becoming the new Saks Global, while Nordstrom went private. Mytheresa emerged as the clear leader among luxury fashion ecommerce pure players with the acquisition of Net a Porter.
Brand management firms continued to snap up companies as that new model proves to be a successful alternative to the more traditional fashion and luxury groups. And the push by the industry into other sectors – from hospitality to film to Formula 1 – increased in tempo as these sectors increasingly looked to fashion and beauty to form relationships.
On top of these industry-specific developments have come broader pressures, from the Trump administration’s economic policies that have at times sent businesses spinning over what was going on to the rise of Artificial Intelligence to the struggles of the Chinese economy.
All of which contribute to this year’s theme of Powering Progress: Past, Present, Future.
The creative changes at leading houses have the potential to transform the fashion world for decades to come, since many of the new creative heads are only in their 30s and 40s. These new creative directors no doubt will lean heavily on the heritages of the brands (past) to today create new aesthetics (present) that will propel them to greater growth (future).
The new landscape of the U.S. department store sector aims to reinvent the past now to create a new retail model so these nameplates can continue to survive into the future.
The industry is pushing into other sectors to develop new revenue streams and continue to attract consumers – either existing ones or future, Generations Z and Alpha ones.
This is an incredibly dynamic moment in fashion, retail, beauty and beyond. We have lined up an exciting group of speakers from inside and outside the industry, who will discuss the changes taking place, those that lie ahead and how they will impact the industry in years to come.
Powering Progress: Past, Present, Future will provide insights from industry leaders you will need to hear as we all plan our businesses for 2026 and beyond.
You won’t want to miss it, and I look forward to seeing you there.
Best regards,
James Fallon
Chief Content Officer
WWD & Fairchild Media Group
