On this week’s Glossy Beauty Podcast episode, Maison Francis Kurkdjian CEO Marc Chaya discusses how the brand is disrupting traditional gender norms in fragrance, how Baccarat Rouge 540 became such a massive hit and why the brand doesn’t work with traditional celebrity ambassadors.

Today, brands and marketplaces are pulling out all the stops to deliver value through one-of-a-kind experiences for high-spend customers. For most luxury brands and marketplaces, a large portion of their revenue now comes from top customers, as entry- and mid-level customers are more affected by higher prices and economic instabilities. 

A growing number of brands are prioritizing supply chain innovation and sustainability, driven by rising costs and growing customer demand. At the same time, small-batch "craft" denim is rising in popularity. According to a report from the World Economic Forum, new small-scale factories could create 4.5 million jobs globally by...

Lilly Pulitzer and Vilebrequin have built out their brand worlds in fresh ways, leveraging summer-themed events and new retail locations.

AI-assisted virtual live sales associates are improving the bottom line for brands, while helping to make the online shopping experience more personable and also reducing product returns. While more brands invest in AI chatbots, human-AI collaboration is having more positive effects.

Forever 21 and Barbie company Mattel is using AI in its Roblox Barbie collaboration that came out on May 18. The “Forever 21 x Barbie” capsule is available on the brand’s mobile app and e-commerce site, select stores and Roblox. 

This month, premium skin-care brand Dermalogica launched a ChatGPT version of its "Dermalogica: The Book" skin-care treatment manual, used to train professional skin-care therapists. The brand's wider push into technology integration is centered on equipping its workers to harness AI rather than be replaced by it.

Among the Tabby-focused retail locations that Coach has launched since February are themed pop-ups in Japan featuring toy vending machines, several themed cafés, ice cream trucks at college campuses, digital immersive rooms and AI-generated Tabby shops.

On Tuesday, Neutrogena, Ulta, Lush and Lottie London were announced among the first brands set to participate in Metaverse Beauty Week. The event will take place across Decentraland, Roblox and Spatial from June 12-16. It's being marketed with the tagline "Reality Gets a Makeover."