The pulse of fashion: from heritage revivals to global cultural shifts. The landscape of contemporary fashion is currently defined by a duality: a reverent nod to the "It-bag" nostalgia of the early 2000s and a forward-thinking push into immersive, cinematic brand storytelling. As Fashionshots navigate through September - a month traditionally anchored by the global fashion week circuit - the industry is witnessing a flurry of activity that balances legacy luxury with disruptive, community-driven creativity. From Mulberry's clever, meta-marketing maneuvers to the expansion of Seoul-based powerhouses into the heart of London, the current market is proving that brand equity is built as much on narrative as it is on craftsmanship. The Mulberry renaissance: A masterclass in legacy. Mulberry's dominance in the luxury sector has never been in question, but its recent strategic pivot suggests a brand acutely aware of its cultural weight. In the early noughties, the British house secured its place in the pantheon of fashion history with the creation of the Mulberry Bayswater. It stood alongside iconic silhouettes like the Fendi Baguette and the Balenciaga City bag, defining a generation of "It-bags." The 55th anniversary sprint. Earlier this year, to commemorate its 55th anniversary, Mulberry orchestrated a masterstroke of exclusivity. The brand re-released the Bayswater in a limited-edition capsule collection featuring 55 unique iterations of the classic silhouette. The result? The initial drop vanished from shelves in under eight minutes, proving that the appetite for archival-inspired luxury remains ravenous. The "Stevie" Campaign: A study in meta-marketing. Capitalizing on this momentum, Mulberry has just unveiled its latest creation: the Stevie bag. The launch is accompanied by a campaign shot by New York-based photographer Stevie Dance. In a playful, self-referential twist, every individual cast in the shoot - from models to creative staff - shares the name "Stevie." This campaign serves as a poignant reminder that in the age of digital oversaturation, high-concept, personality-driven marketing is the most effective tool to capture consumer attention. The Stevie bag is currently available in a spectrum of hues, from rich amethyst to classic ebony, signaling a versatility that targets both the professional and the playful. The cinematic shift: Margiela, Agent Provocateur, and Jil Sander. Fashion is increasingly abandoning the static lookbook in favor of the silver screen. The lines between luxury advertising and psychological thriller production are blurring. Margiela's anonymity. Maison Margiela has long been the house of mystery, famously keeping its founder, Martin Margiela, out of the public eye. Their latest AW26 campaign continues this tradition, manifesting as a high-stakes psychological thriller. Featuring actress Rebecca Hall, the film explores the concept of the "double," drawing on the brand's history of masks and obscured identities. This narrative-heavy approach underscores the house's commitment to intellectual fashion, where the garment is secondary to the philosophical exploration of the wearer. Agent Provocateur and the art of provocation. Staying true to its name, Agent Provocateur has opted for an aesthetic of high-octane tension. With a Basic Instinct-inspired campaign lens - shot by the legendary Steven Klein and starring Irina Shayk - the brand continues to push the boundaries of lingerie marketing. It is a calculated return to the "scandalous" advertising that made the brand a global phenomenon in the early 2000s, proving that in a post-internet world, bold, visceral imagery still holds significant cultural capital. Jil Sander's airport aesthetic. Meanwhile, under the direction of Simone Bellotti, Jil Sander has grounded its latest collection in the transitional space of an airport runway. Photographed by Moni Haworth and starring industry icons Edie Campbell and Daisuke Ueda, the campaign treats the airport as a metaphor for the modern nomadic life. By situating high-fashion silhouettes in a landscape of arrivals and departures, the brand effectively markets itself as the uniform for the global citizen. Strategic market expansions: SYSTEM and the London connection. While legacy houses focus on narrative, emerging and regional giants are focusing on physical footprint. SYSTEM's Harrods takeover. The South Korean fashion powerhouse, SYSTEM, is making a major play for the UK market. With a formidable history in Seoul - boasting over 100 stores - the brand is setting up a dedicated pop-up at London's luxury titan, Harrods. Running from September 7 through November 2, this move represents more than just a store opening; it is a validation of the "Korean Wave" in fashion, signaling that the aesthetic sensibilities of Seoul are now as relevant to the London consumer as those of Paris or Milan. END. LABEL: A return to roots. Closer to home, the UK-based streetwear giant END. has officially launched its namesake label, END. LABEL. The brand's inaugural campaign serves as a love letter to Newcastle, the city of its birth. By featuring a cast of local creatives - including Marli Jessop and Isabella Burley - the brand is reinforcing the importance of "localism" in a globalized industry. It is a tactical move to cement the brand's identity as an authentic community pillar rather than just a retail platform. Supporting data and industry implications. The success of these initiatives rests on a few key pillars of consumer behavior: * Exclusivity as Currency: The eight-minute sell-out of the Mulberry anniversary collection indicates that scarcity is the most powerful driver of luxury sales. * Cultural Alignment: Campaigns like those of Red Flagged, which highlight ESEA (East and Southeast Asian) heritage in the UK, demonstrate that fashion houses are increasingly expected to act as platforms for social and cultural representation. The portrait series featuring luminaries like Chet Lo and Susie Lau reflects a shift toward inclusivity as a core brand value. * The "Third Space" Experience: Brands are no longer just selling products; they are creating environments. Whether it is a pop-up at Harrods or a cinematic short film, the objective is to immerse the consumer in a branded world that exists beyond the point of purchase. Official responses and future outlook. As Fashionshots look toward the remainder of the season, industry experts suggest that the "experience-first" model is here to stay. "We aren't just selling clothes anymore," says a representative for a major fashion group. "We are selling a piece of a story. When you buy a bag, you aren't just buying leather and hardware; you are buying the cinematic world of the campaign, the history of the house, and the community that the brand supports." This sentiment is echoed by the recent appointment of Christopher Kane as the new creative director at Mulberry. His debut during London Fashion Week is perhaps the most anticipated event of the season, promising to bridge the gap between Mulberry's storied past and its avant-garde future. The broader cultural context: Red Flagged and ESEA heritage. Finally, Fashionshots must acknowledge the vital work being done by platforms like Red Flagged. Founded by Ed Lee and Alex Han, the organization acts as a bridge for ESEA creatives across multiple disciplines. By partnering with photographer Julian Song to document the community, they are ensuring that the diversity of the fashion landscape is not just a footnote, but a headline. As the industry moves through the rest of the year, it is clear that the brands that thrive will be those that can master this delicate balance: honoring their heritage while engaging in the urgent, often unpredictable, cultural conversations of the present. Whether it's an airport runway or a high-concept thriller, the future of fashion is undoubtedly a production - and the world is watching. Subscriber

The future of retail isn't checkout. It's connection. * August 25, 2026 * Read time: 3 minute The current point-of-service market reflects retailers' growing investment in customer engagement and associate enablement, and Tulip is among the vendors shaping that evolution. TORONTO - August 25, 2026 - Retailers are rethinking the role of store technology. Beyond processing transactions, today's platforms are expected to help associates build customer relationships, power omnichannel experiences, and streamline store operations. Forrester's The Point-Of-Service Solutions Landscape, Q2 2026 includes Tulip among the named point of service solutions. For Tulip, inclusion in the report reinforces a direction set years ago: that retail's highest-value moment is the human relationship between an associate and a customer, and that technology's job is to scale that relationship, not replace it. Tulip helps retailers strengthen customer relationships by combining clienteling, omnichannel engagement, and AI-assisted recommendations that keep associates in control. The platform carries the relationship through the sale itself: associates can check out customers anywhere on the floor with mobile POS, sell the full catalog through Endless Aisle, and complete the purchase remotely with Pay by Link. Today, Tulip is trusted by iconic global brands including Versace, COACH, Pandora, Ethan Alan, Jimmy Choo, Mulberry, Ferragamo, GNC, David Yurman, and Michael Kors. "The future of point of service isn't just a faster checkout. It's an associate who knows the customer and has the tools to act on that knowledge," said Ian Rawlins, CEO, Tulip. "To us, being named in this Point of Service solutions report signals that the market is moving toward the relationship-powered, AI-assisted model we've envisioned and built toward for over a decade." As retailers continue to modernize the in-store experience, Tulip remains focused on helping brands transform every customer interaction into an opportunity to build stronger relationships, increase loyalty, and drive long-term growth. Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read about Forrester's objectivity at forrester.com/about-Tulip/objectivity. About Tulip. Tulip revolutionizes retail by putting powerful loyalty-enhancing technology in the hands of sales associates and retail operations teams. Founded in 2013, Tulip has built the world's most comprehensive retail customer engagement platform featuring Clienteling and Online Assisted Selling, targeted outreach, and mobile POS solutions, infused with productivity-enhancing AI to build and sustain greater customer lifetime value. The world's most iconic retailers like Versace, COACH, Pandora, Ethan Allen, Mulberry, Ferragamo, GNC, David Yurman, and Michael Kors choose Tulip to deliver exceptional shopping experiences that strengthen customer bonds and accelerate sales growth. Media contact. Sabrina Banadyga Get the latest from Tulip. Resources. Hear from the experts. The Store of the Future is now. Tulip has curated some of the best resources that dive deeper into why hyper-personalization is the future of retail. As seen on PRNewswire The current point-of-service market reflects retailers' growing investment in customer engagement and associate enablement, and Tulip... Global Luxury Brand The luxury fashion market declined, and revenue from clienteling still grew A strong conversion rate in a...