These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday.
Wittington Investments to Acquire Boots
Wittington Investments, Limited will acquire Boots and its associated businesses for $8.9 billion, the company announced Wednesday. Wittington, the holding company of the Canadian Weston family, will acquire Boots’ retail operations in the U.K. and Ireland; Boots Opticians; No7 Beauty Company; and its Thailand and franchised businesses. Previous majority owner Sycamore Partners, in partnership with Stefano Pessina and his family, will retain Boots’ other interests in Farmacias Benavides and Alliance Healthcare Deutschland. {Wittington Investments}
Lululemon Names New President and Chief Operating Officer
Lululemon has appointed Maggie Gauger as president and chief product officer and Joseph Godsey as chief operating officer, effective Oct. 26, 2026. Both positions are newly created roles. Gauger joins from Athleta, where she most recently served as president and CEO, while Godsey previously served as Walmart Canada’s chief growth officer. Searches are underway for a chief brand officer, chief communications officer and chief technology officer. {Lululemon}
British Fashion Council Unveils 2026 BFC Foundation Scholarship Winners
The British Fashion Council (BFC) announced the recipients of its 2026/27 BFC Foundation Scholarships, which provide financial support to students studying BA and MA Fashion Design courses at BFC Campus member universities across the U.K. The winners are: Toby Brooke (BFC Barbour Scholarship); Sara Mikorey (BFC Chanel Scholarship); Rodrigo Strazds (BFC COS Scholarship); Luke Saul and Madeleine Jacob (BFC Dior Scholarship); Myra Labé (BFC Joe Casely-Hayford Scholarship); Joseph Richman and Stephanie Corbyn (BFC Saint Laurent Scholarship). {Fashionista inbox}
Net-a-Porter Names New President of the Americas
Photo: Courtesy of Net-a-Porter
Net-a-Porter has named Devina Foley as its President, Americas. In this role, Foley will lead the company’s U.S. and Canada business by overseeing its strategy and operations. Foley brings more than 20 years of experience across retail, merchandising and e-commerce to the role as she previously held senior leadership roles at Bandier, Rockets of Awesome, Gilt, Loft and Gap Inc. Foley will be based in New York and will report to CEO Heather Kaminetsky. {Fashionista inbox}
Levi Strauss & Co. Reports Sluggish DTC Sales in Q3
Levi Strauss & Co. reported the slowest growth in its direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels since late 2022, in part due to its back-to-school advertising that focused on baggy jeans rather than low-rise. While loose is still an important part of the business, excitement around low-rise jeans in the market is rising, CEO Michelle Gass told Bloomberg. Gass said performance has picked up after the company changed its marketing to focus on low-rise denim. {Bloomberg/paywalled}
Fast Retailing Annual Operating Profit Spikes 32%
Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing reported a 31.7% jump in operating profit to 743.13 billion yen ($4.70 billion) for its fiscal year 2026. This marks its fifth consecutive record annual profit, and it beat the company’s own forecast of 730 billion yen ($4.62 billion) Its full-year revenue rose 16.6% year-on-year to 3.96 trillion yen ($25.1 billion). {Fast Retailing; Business of Fashion/paywalled}
How Re-Sees Have Evolved in the Social Media Age
Re-sees, or presentations where a new runway collection is put on display for a closer look, used to be an under-the-radar industry affair for buyers, fashion editors and select clients. Now, thanks to social media content, re-sees have become another coveted fashion week invite. Fashion influencers and other creators have brought more buzz to the re-see, and brands are responding with photo-ready re-see setups. {Vogue Business/paywalled}
