start-ups

With the rise of AI, Silicon Valley is going all in on a new generation of startups that promise to radically change how products are made and sold. This time, they’re backing founders with tech chops and are more patient in helping them grow.

From Seoul to Melbourne, new cities are emerging as frontrunners in the beauty start-up space. The independent brands created in these hubs are fast becoming hot acquisition targets, but understanding the limits of their global appeal is key.

Back under the ownership of founder Gregg Renfrew, the beauty label will relaunch on June 25 as Counter, keeping its clean formulations and giving up its MLM-style compensation model in favor of “community commerce.” Renfrew talks exclusively to The Business of Beauty about her vision for the new brand.

The DTC e-tailer announced The Beauty Atelier by Quince, which will sell skincare products from brands like Augustinus Bader and 111Skin, and reflects an industry-wide effort for beauty stores to open marketplaces of their own.

Hannah Neeleman is the farmfluencer who broke the internet thanks to the public’s obsession with her picturesque life, career choices and family dynamics. Now, she is taking her burgeoning lifestyle empire global.

While tariff uncertainty threatens to roil the global fashion industry, brands that already produce their goods in the US have an opportunity to shine if they’re able to communicate the value of American manufacturing to cautious consumers.

Ralph Lauren, American Eagle Outfitters and Banana Republic are among the retailers that briefly experimented with the concept. The implosion of CaaStle, which provided logistics for many of these services, is the clearest sign yet that rental’s future lies elsewhere.

The men’s T-shirt maker’s funding from 1686 Partners, a private equity firm founded by David Wertheimer, will help the brand invest in supply chain, retail and international expansion as it aims to reach upwards of $1 billion in annual sales in the next 10 years.