These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday.

Beauty brands go after “Love Island” cast collabs

Beauty brands, including Fenty Beauty and Kayali, have already begun teasing potential collaborations with the “Love Island: USA” Season 7 cast, specifically Huda Mustafa, Amaya Espinal, Michelle “Chelley” Bissainthe and Olandria Lashae Carthen. As one of the most-watched shows of the summer, all four women gained significant followings throughout the season, and brands have been quick to post, comment and like much of their content. {WWD/paywalled}

Ami Colé is closing

Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye is closing her makeup line, Ami Colé, which she launched in 2021. The “clean” beauty brand catered to women of color, offering skin tints and shades that were difficult to find in the market. In a first-person essay for The Cut, N’Diaye-Mbaye shared that she’s ceasing operations due to inconsistent sales, an unsustainable growth strategy and high marketing costs. “While this chapter is ending, my work isn’t done,” she wrote. “I still believe in beauty — at every level — and I’m looking forward to discovering what comes next.” {The Cut/paywalled}

Fashion’s favorite footwear designer on her own indie brand

Swiss shoe designer Nina Christen, the mind behind Bottega Veneta’s viral Lido shoes, is now scaling her own luxury shoe line. She launched her indie brand, Christen, last year with the help of entrepreneur Paul Dupuy. In an interview with The New York Times, she shared how she’s inspired by science and spirituality, and remains focused on designing shoes that are sleek, functional and push her creative limits. {The New York Times/paywalled}

Saks Global appoints CFO

Saks Global has appointed Brandy Richardson as Chief Financial Officer, effective August 18. She succeeds interim CFO Mark Weinsten. Richardson joins the company with nearly 25 years of experience, including a 15-year tenure at Neiman Marcus Group. “My years with NMG were foundational to my career, and I’m energized by the opportunity to return to luxury retail as part of Saks Global during this incredibly exciting time for the company,” she said in a press statement.  {PR Newswire}

Byredo’s next steps after founder Ben Gorham’s departure

Following Byredo founder Ben Gorham’s recent exit from the company, the Puig-owned brand is struggling to separate its identity from its founder. Plus, Byredo’s business plan is shaky, writes Puck’s Rachel Strugatz: It’s getting overlooked in the growing niche fragrance category and is allegedly planning to close retail stores. However, overall, the brand is steady, and must strategize new ways to maintain relevance and establish its point of differentiation. {Puck/paywalled}

How fashion’s adoption of Substack is raising the platform’s stakes

As fashion brands and founders hop on the Substack hype, it’s quickly altering the stakes on the platform. Though many brands don’t charge users for content and instead rely on Substack for community-building, the publishers who do rely on readers’ monthly subscriptions are having difficulty competing. Smaller writers and brands are forced to explore rival platforms like Beehiiv, Ghost and Patreon. As for established brands, the platform doesn’t offer ad placements or sponsored newsletters, making it harder to monetize content. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}

Rent the Runway raises subscription costs, citing tariffs

Rent the Runway announced it will raise its subscription prices by around $2 per item, effective Aug. 1. The price hike is due to tariffs and inflation. The clothing rental company emailed subscribers, disclosing the change, and offered users links to cancel or pause their subscription. The company emphasized in the email that it’s still committed to offering the best deals for users and is moving forward with its new inventory rollout plan. {Glossy/paywalled}

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