Garment factories in Bangladesh, one of the world’s biggest clothing production hubs, are struggling to complete orders on time as flooding disrupts their cotton supplies — exacerbating a backlog caused by recent political turmoil.

Bangladesh is a leading global cotton importer due to the size of its textile and garment industry, but the devastating floods mean few trucks and trains have been able to bring supplies to factories from Chittagong port over the last week, industry officials and analysts said.

The disruption, on top of the unrest and protests that led to factory closures earlier this month, have caused garment production to fall by 50 percent, said Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

“The industry is now under immense pressure to meet deadlines, and without a swift resolution, the supply chain could deteriorate even further,” Hatem said.

Bangladesh was ranked as the third-largest exporter of clothing in the world last year, after China and the European Union, according to the World Trade Organization, exporting $38.4 billion worth of clothes in 2023.

At the clothing factory she runs in the capital, Dhaka, Rubana Huq is counting the cost of lost production.

“Even for a moderate-sized company like ours, which makes 50,000 shirts a day and if the price of one single shirt is $5, there was $250,000 of production loss,” said Huq, a former president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

She said some garment plants were slowing resuming production, but estimated that complete recovery “would be at least six months away”, warning that Bangladeshi manufacturers could lose 10 percent-15 percent of business to other countries.

Bangladesh’s readymade garments industry, which supplies many of the world’s best-known fashion brands, accounts for more than 80 percent of the country’s total export earnings.

Buyers are adopting a cautious approach and could potentially delay new orders, said Shahidullah Azim, a director of the BGMEA industry group.

“The longer this uncertainty persists, the more challenging it becomes for us to maintain the momentum we have built,” he told Reuters.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said flood conditions could persist if the monsoon rains continued, as water levels were receding very slowly.

Some cotton shipments could get diverted to India, Pakistan and Vietnam, commodity analysts said.

“We are already hearing and seeing some cotton for prompt delivery wanted by Pakistan and Vietnam,” said Louis Barbera, partner and analyst at VLM Commodities based in New Jersey.

New orders shifted from Bangladesh could also be accommodated in southern India, said Atul Ganatra, president of the Cotton Association of India.

Even before the floods and political unrest, the Bangladeshi garment industry was grappling with power shortages that remain a problem, said Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, vice president at the country’s knitwear manufacturers and exporters association.

“Energy shortages continue to hamper our operations,” he said.

By Anmol Choubey and Swati Verma, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Krishn Kaushiki; Editing by Naveen Thukral and Helen Popper

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Bangladesh Garment Factories Reopen After Interim Government Appointed

Factories in the world’s second-largest garment exporting country reopened on Wednesday hoping to swiftly resume operations after production was disrupted by violent protests that ousted the prime minister.

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a wild HR update.

Included in today’s issue: Act+ Acre, Charlotte Tilbury, Féria, Glossier, Kylie Skin, Loops, Lys Beauty, MAC, Morphe, Oribe, Ouai, QiQi, RMS, The Hair Shop, and Kate Beckinsale’s stealth beauty influence.

But first…

I’ve been judging books by their covers. (Oops.) It’s partly because I’m shallow, and partly because on a recent romp through Barnes & Noble, I spotted multiple new releases that looked more like TikTok beauty campaigns than book-club fodder. Chief among them is “Lady Macbeth,” the bestseller by Ava Reid that reimagines Shakespeare’s murder babe as… actually, no, she’s still a murder babe.

On the cover, Reid’s anti-heroine stares down her audience with matte skin, taupe eyeshadow, dagger-sharp lashes, feathery brown brows and a lip so defined and glossy, it begs the question: Did Tarte’s Maracuja line exist in mediaeval Scotland?

It’s clear from the cover that Anya Taylor-Joy should play this character in a movie. It’s also evident that fictional heroines can no longer just be archetypes or vessels for reader imagination. Now, they need to be beauty icons, too.

More examples: “Where Are You, Echo Blue?” the Hayley Krischer thriller about a missing celebrity who appears on the cover with perfectly-shaggy blonde hair straight out of an R+Co. campaign. “Sleep Like Death,” the Snow White rewrite by Kalynn Bayron, has a cover vixen with rose-red lips and glimmering, Cécred-adjacent curls. “We Love the Nightlife,” a vampire revenge comedy, has glossy pouts begging for recreation on makeup artist Val Garland’s reality show, “Glow Up.” Perhaps most endearing: The young heroine of “Kween,” Vichet Chum’s radiant coming-of-age novel about a Cambodian-American teen, boasts a perfect cat-eye, glossy nude lips, and a scarlet scrunchie topping her half-ponytail like a crown.

“I thought the girl from ‘Kween’ was a TikTok influencer, not a fictional character!” said Jazzi McGilbert, the founder of Rep Club, a bookstore and community space in Los Angeles devoted to amplifying the Black experience, when I asked about the book-cover-to-beauty-shoot trend. “It’s definitely something that makes you stop and stare.”

McGilbert is an expert in stop-and-stare literature. Before founding Rep Club, she was a fashion editor and celebrity stylist who was part of Teen Vogue’s original (read: luxury-forward) masthead. And she was early to book-beauty crossover trend: she sometimes stocks her favourite beauty products at the store, in case shoppers want to buy an indie scent or lip balm along with the latest Kiley Reid novel.

“Book covers have historically taken cues from, or even outright copied, fashion editorials,” McGilbert explained. But lately, she says, they’ve embraced beauty campaigns and influencer vibes instead, because as women’s aspirations change, so do cultural aesthetics. The goofy illustrated skirt suit on the original “Devil Wears Prada” cover looks dated, not iconic. The peekaboo doe-eyes on “Valley of the Dolls” are camp, but not exactly coveted. By contrast, these new books aren’t trying to sell a story with their covers—they’re trying to sell a character as someone you want to be. That begins and ends with beauty.

It also means as women clutch new releases like “Lady Macbeth,” they’re also lugging around the pink lips and spider lashes that will, eventually, seep into their brains. Which means — all together now — there’s a major opportunity being ignored on the market, and it’s the blank space between publishing houses and beauty brands. As McGilbert plainly put it, “People like to recreate book covers on BookTok.” (In fact, almost 40 million TikTok posts exist in that space.) “So if Pat McGrath Labs sponsored the lipstick for some iconic cover, it would absolutely drive sales and awareness.”

It just has to be the right story. Do we need a “Handmaid’s Tale” hand cream? We do not. A six-shadow smoky eye palette for the Fleetwood Mac-inspired “Daisy Jones and the Six,” however, is a different story.

What Else Is New

Skincare

Glossier’s Crème de You body lotion hit stores on Aug. 28. It’s a dense, moisture-loaded formula infused with their signature scent. The product, with 100 percent recyclable packaging, costs $45.

Should you launch a sun-care product at the end of summer? Sales numbers will tell, but I say absolutely — sun damage is a year-round thing. RMS seems to agree. The label by makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift debuted its SunCoverUp tinted SPF 50 on Aug. 27. It’s available in 13 shades.

Makeup

Westman Aterlier’s Vital Skincare Concealer debuted on Aug. 27. It contains high-coverage pigment, plus antioxidants and peptides to treat tired under eyes.

On Aug. 28, Charlotte Tilbury unveiled Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara, a tubing formula that costs $29 and promises a 94 percent approval rating for all-day wear. Readers, I wore it all day, and it made my lashes look so long and defined. It also smeared a bit on my under-eye area after I rode the subway. I recommend a lower-lash blot before heading out!

Lys Beauty spun its best-selling bronzer sticks into a new foundation formula. On Aug. 27, the brand introduced Triple Fix Skin Tint Blurring Foundation Stick, an “all-in-one serum, primer and foundation” that “enhances your natural beauty.” It comes in 22 shades and costs $25, but don’t worry — your “natural” beauty is still priceless!

Kylie Skin has three new dessert-inspired lip oils out Aug. 27 in a trio of beige and wine shades that scream ‘off-duty cool girl.’ Bloomeffects launched a similar tinted lip oil at Credo on Aug. 28. It skews more ‘pretty-girl pink’ and also has SPF 40.

Morphe’s $15 eyeshadow stick, called Mixed Signals, came out on Aug. 29. It comes in six shades of K-Pop (baby shimmer pink, iridescent ice blue, etc.) and, like all Morphe products, boasts an extremely satisfying colour payoff. Still, you’ve gotta be a glitter girl to enjoy these.

Celine Beauté's global pre-launch is happening via a pop-up at the Exhibition Windows in Harrods, where products will be displayed alongside the womenswear winter 2024 collection. It opens Aug. 30 and will run through Sept. 2.

Hair Care

The Hair Shop, a wig and extension company, announced that it’s “sponsoring” some of Jenna Ortega’s press tour looks for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” Ortega will look flawless and stylist Bobby Eliot will nail every angle. They’re both absolute stars with massive campaign potential — Ortega may even have Zendaya-level fashion appeal. So I wonder how their A-list teams are reacting to a mass email about “sponsored” hair extensions — especially since Dior would never call Ortega’s red carpet finery a “sponsored” endeavour, despite their commercial alignment.

Kate Beckinsale is pink! Dimitris Giannetos did the colour, which he’s calling “Strawberry Whipped Cream,” using Féria Permanent Hair Color.

More proof that hair fragrance is the new body mist: On Aug. 26, Ouai dropped a limited-edition hair oil infused with a super-popular St. Barts scent. It costs $30 and smells like summer.

Also on Aug. 26, Oribe launched its Mirror Rinse Glass Hair Treatment, a cuticle-smoothing formula that helps eliminate frizz and protect against breakage. It’s interesting how many of these serums are taking the place of anti-frizz masks—Ouai and Amika have similar formulas, too. They’re certainly easier to use in the shower, because they take just a minute or two to activate.

On Aug. 19, Act+Acre’s Daily Hydro serum became available. It promises to relieve dry, itchy scalps while promoting hair strength, and leans into the “scalp care is skincare” messaging with its hyaluronic acid.

QiQi’s Hydration Fixation Conditioner hit shelves on Aug. 31. It’s a super-smoothing formula in a very kooky bottle—silver and space-y—that costs $42.

And finally…

Some interesting staffing news happening—and not just for Willa! At MAC Cosmetics, Emily Bromfield is the new SVP of global marketing. She comes from long stints at Charlotte Tilbury and Dr. Barbara Sturm, which might give us a hint at MAC’s pop-culture and prestige goals in the future.

Meanwhile, Loops has hired Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor as their head of brand marketing. If you were an OG Indie Sleaze kid, you likely remember Taylor from her It Girl days, modelling for Juicy Couture and Net-a-Porter. Now Taylor is something of a triple threat — an absolute gem of a human, a hard-working and smart entrepreneur who has worked with buzzy labels like womenswear seller Miaou and athleisure company Girlfriend Collective, and — yes — a nepo baby whose father, John Taylor, is in Duran Duran. Loops is lucky to have her, but also, that brand is taking off and she’s joining at the right time. Wins all around.

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Background:

As the first female, Black and South Asian Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris’s every move is closely watched — from her policy decisions to her wardrobe. With Harris now leading the Democratic ticket in the 2024 presidential election, her style and beauty choices — from her sleek silk press hairstyle to her endless variety of pantsuits — have sparked renewed discussion.

“She is communicating something, even if it’s not remarkable,” said BoF senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young. “No one truly opts out of signalling something with how they present themselves.”

This week on The Debrief, BoF executive editor Brian Baskin sat down with Butler-Young and editorial apprentice Yola Mzizi to explore how Harris’s beauty and fashion choices are being interpreted by different audiences across the political spectrum, and what that means for the future of political style.

Key Insights:

• Harris’s signature silk-pressed hairstyle has deep roots. “It’s a centuries old way of straightening hair, and it’s been around for generations upon generations. Most people associate it with just the hair that they have to have for Easter Sunday, or the style that the grandmothers would have,” Mzizi explains. Despite the history, Black Gen-Z voters have embraced the style, calling it the presidential silk press. “It’s a way to support her candidacy in a fun way,” said Mzizi.
• Harris’ wardrobe choices are being closely scrutinised, which has led her to more streamlined, straightforward ensembles. “The pantsuits, specifically the colour schemes — black, grey, navy blue, or just blues, with an occasional pastel, a pump as the shoe, or occasional Converse and pearls — are very much in line with how politicians dress,” said Butler-Young. Meanwhile, male politicians, like Harris’s vice-presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have more freedom to experiment. “You look at her running mate Tim Walz, and his ability to sort of play around with style with those well-worn red wing boots, the camouflage hats, rather than being distracting, they actually endear some voters to him … Kamala, for all intents and purposes, doesn’t seem to have the licence to do that.”
• The 2024 election has highlighted the growing role of fashion and beauty in politics. Black-owned beauty brand BLK/OPL was centre stage at the DNC providing makeup services as the event’s first beauty sponsor. “Harris’s candidacy is opening up new avenues for different kinds of brands to have their say in this larger conversation,” Mzizi notes.
• Should Harris win the presidency, she could use her platform to further influence the intersection of fashion and politics. Harris has already hinted at this with her past choices by wearing Black designers like Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson. “She’ll have more leeway to [support minority designers] when she’s empowered. Right now, I think she’s constrained … by this idea of having to cater to this broad, collective public palette.”

Additional resources:

• How Kamala Harris’ Signature Tresses Became a Gen-Z Hit: Once a symbol of assimilation in post-slavery America, the silk press has taken on a new life among young Black women, thanks to an old clip of Kamala Harris discussing her hair routine that went viral on TikTok.
• Why Kamala Harris Isn’t Making Bold Fashion Choices – Yet: With her wardrobe of pantsuits in conservative colours, the vice president has studiously avoided drawing attention to her style choices. Experts say that reflects the reality that, as a Black and Indian woman in the upper echelon of politics, self-expression carries risks.

Ulta Beauty Inc. trimmed its sales forecast as more US consumers cut back on makeup and cosmetics in the face of higher prices and elevated borrowing costs.

The retailer sees net sales of $11 billion to $11.2 billion in the current year, down from its earlier estimate of $11.5 billion to $11.6 billion. Second-quarter comparable store sales also missed Wall Street expectations.

The shares fell 7 percent in postmarket trading in New York as of 5:55 p.m. Through Thursday’s close, the stock had dropped 25 percent this year.

Ulta has seen swift sales in recent years, but the demand has weakened as shoppers pull back on discretionary purchases. The company is also facing more competition from rivals like Sephora, Target Corp., Walmart Inc. and online sellers such as Amazon Inc.

“Consumer behavior is starting to shift as consumers increasingly focus on value, and become more cautious with their spending,” Ulta’s Chief Executive Officer Dave Kimbell said on a conference call. “Our market share continues to be challenged” particularly for prestige makeup and hair care items, he said.

Sales moderated during the quarter as promotions boosted online sales but failed to drive store traffic.

Kimbell said pressures will likely continue in the near term, with more competitors opening more stores near Ulta locations. The beauty retailer has 1,411 stores across the US, and plans to add as many as 65 net new locations this year.

Ulta also lowered its comparable sales and earnings per share forecasts for the year.

The company’s disappointing results are an “alarm signal,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Lindsay Dutch. The company’s second-quarter miss and fairly steep downward revision to guidance “contrast with broader beauty-category trends, suggesting the challenges are specific to Ulta and a turnaround plan is needed,” she said.

Bath & Body Works Inc., which also sells makeup and shampoo, lowered its revenue guidance for the year on Wednesday. The company said its store traffic has been pressured as US shoppers grow increasingly cautious about spending.

By Leslie Patton

Learn more:

Berkshire Hathaway Takes Stake in Ulta Beauty

Berkshire added 690,106 shares of Ulta and 1.04 million shares of Heico, according to a regulatory filing.

Lululemon Athletica cut its annual sales and profit forecasts on Thursday, hurt by increased competition and selective consumer spending in North America for its pricey leggings and tank tops.

Its shares, which have lost nearly half of their value this year, reversed early losses to rise 2.3 percent after the bell, as second-quarter profit beat Wall Street expectations.

The company has seen a slow start to 2024 as sales moderate after years of strong growth as persistent inflation led to selective spending by shoppers.

“This was a rare miss for Lululemon and reflects missteps in product strategy and execution at a time when the stakes are higher due to unsteady trends in U.S. consumer spending,” said Sky Canaves, an analyst with Emarketer.

Comparable sales rose 2 percent, but missed expectations of a 6.05 percent increase, according to LSEG data, driven by a 3 percent decline in sales in Americas. Comparable sale surged 21 percent in China.

The company’s sales also suffered as it had to pull its newly launched “Breezethrough” leggings from stores and website within weeks of its July launch as customers complained about the fit, material and seams.

The hiccup comes against the backdrop of Lululemon struggling to grow its sales due to lower stock of smaller sizes and color for its women’s apparel.

The forecast cuts also signal a tougher holiday sales owing to weak growth and competition from Alo, Vuori and Rhone, brands that have grown rapidly in recent years, analysts have said.

“Athleisure spending continues to wane overall but we have also seen Alo and Vuori continue to gain share against Lulu,” Jefferies analyst Randy Konik said.

The company expects fiscal 2024 net revenue in the range of $10.38 billion to $10.48 billion compared with a prior forecast of $10.70 billion to $10.80 billion.

It expects to earn $13.95 to $14.15 per share compared with its previous forecast of between $14.27 to $14.47.

In the second quarter, it earned $3.15 per share, better than LSEG estimates of $2.93.

By Savyata Mishra

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Lululemon Is at a Crossroads

When the company reports earnings today, analysts expect another quarter of slowing growth. The question is whether Lululemon’s ongoing slowdown is temporary or a sign that the brand is trapped in a downward spiral.