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This year, fashion’s drive to be part of the cultural conversation reached new heights. Big players appointed unexpected ambassadors or launched Gen Z-facing sub-labels, strategies and campaigns. Influencer and celebrity marketing pushed boundaries, occasionally resulting in backlash from some consumers.
Evidently, the industry grapples with shifting values and a future dominated by social media. Our most-read stories span from heavily reported features dissecting some of the industry’s most pressing issues — from size inclusivity to disillusionment in the workforce — to agenda-shaping news and strategic deep dives with execs. Each article represents topics that got the industry talking, as well as what Vogue Business strives to deliver: key insights on what’s shaping the future of fashion and beauty.
As we prepare for what 2024 will bring, enjoy looking back on the most-read Vogue Business stories in 2023.
In January, a particularly over-the-top influencer trip to Dubai landed cosmetics brand Tarte in the centre of a heated debate around wealth, class and the growing disconnect between influencers and their audiences.
This series was one of Vogue Business’s biggest undertakings of the year: we surveyed more than 600 fashion industry professionals to understand what it’s like throughout the ranks of employees. It revealed patterns of disillusionment, discrimination and dissatisfaction.
In February, Adidas debuted its Sportswear label, an unabashed Gen Z bid that sits alongside its Performance and Originals lines. It was the company’s answer to the not-quite-athleisure brands that dominate Gen Z’s feeds.
Panties were one of the Spring/Summer 2024 fashion season’s biggest trends, seen on runways from Miu Miu and Gucci to Tom Ford, celebrities then took the look to the streets. But what about everyone else?
In one of the year’s biggest acquisitions at more than $2.5 billion, Aesop found its new home at L’Oréal. The deal set Aesop — already on the rise thanks to its highly aesthetic hand soaps and lotions — on a path for global expansion.
The Erewhon smoothie was trending in fashion a full six months before Balenciaga partnered with LA’s bougiest grocer for its December show. Brands are smart to tap into the tastes of Gen Z.
Burberry wiped its social media feeds clean in February before debuting its first campaign under Daniel Lee, giving us a preview of how the new creative director and West Yorkshire native would take to the storied British fashion house.
Fashion has failed to make size inclusivity the norm on the runway, according to Vogue Business’s data compiling the mix of straight, mid and plus-sized looks across all four fashion weeks.
The direction (and fate) of influencer marketing is always a point of interest. At the beginning of the year, experts predicted that in-real-life moments would regain importance and niche platforms would surface to the top of brand strategies.
Kim Kardashian’s campaign for the Skims nipple bra was designed to get people talking. That included environmental activists, who criticised the ad’s flippant discussion of the climate crisis.
Dupes hit a peak on TikTok in 2023 as creators guided their followers towards cheaper imitations of everything from lipglosses to luxury bags.
The mainstream rise of generative AI was the talk of tech this year, and questions turned to what influence it will have on fashion and design.
Luxury brands are turning to Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore — expect attention on Southeast Asia to continue to surge in the new year.
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