After twenty years of climbing the crime ladder, Oakland has been enjoying a new lease on life for the past few months. Long in the shadow of San Francisco, this symbol of American diversity – almost 50% of its population is Black and Latino – is showing a new optimism, with cutting-edge fashion boutiques opening in recent months.

A new vintage clothing scene, Oakland now boasts around twenty vintage specialists including Mercy Vintage, The Sunshine Prophecy, Sola Lucy, Black Bear Apparel, Down at Lulu’s and Mira Flores. In recent months, the city has also seen the emergence of a number of new boutiques, including Relove, opened in 2014 at 1815 Polk Street in San Francisco by Ethiopian-born Californian entrepreneur Delia Hailechristos, whose second store opened a stone’s throw from the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland in 2023.
 
Housed in a two-storey 1920s building, this new temple of vintage, with arches and columns on the first floor, offers a wide selection ranging from luxury vintage with brands such as Loewe, Dries Van Noten and Marc Jacobs, to creative Japanese labels such as Junya Watanabe, Doublet, Facetasm, workwear brands, and other couture pieces.

Arranged by genre and color, Relove’s wardrobe rubs shoulders with works of art belonging to the owner, such as paintings by local artist Jereme Mendez, or the in situ fresco dedicated to voguing by Devynn Barnes. The ground-floor lounge is occupied by objects for the home, candlesticks and ceramics from Mexico, a collection of vintage glasses and shoes.

 
“Oakland is the heart of the whole Bay Area,” said Hailechristos. “All my creative friends live, create, work and perform here. The music, art and fashion scene is unlike anywhere else in the world. So it was only natural to open a boutique here. Oakland is a radical city, but one that doesn’t draw the spotlight to itself.”
 
Oakland natives Marco Verdin and Tai Raino-Tsui, one the son of immigrants from El Salvador, the other a native American, opened their 3319 Marché in spring 2023, a hybrid fashion boutique combining vintage and contemporary offerings, conceived in place of a former hairdressing salon and designed as an art gallery, with furniture on display, live upcycling performances and curation of art objects and books.
 
“We’ve created 3319 to appear as ambiguous as possible, throughout platforms both digitally and physically,” explained the founders. “3319 is pioneering a new culture in Oakland, with a blend of elegance yet localized roots. The brand focuses on a range of artistic mediums: music, art, and fashion. Blending these three mediums in a highly curated way has given our brand a reputation foreign to its market, and allowed us to operate as much more than just a physical retail operation.”

 
The racks at 3319 Marché feature a mix of haute couture-avant-garde brands “not offered in any tangible way in the neighborhood,” added the founders, including Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Issey Miyake, Rick Owens, Craig Green, Martin Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, Loewe and Kiko Kostadinov. Until the end of April, 3319 Marché is also home to the Dial Ring showroom, featuring second-hand items from brands such as Miu Miu, Comme des Garçons, Fendi, Marni, Prada and Raf Simons.
 
Another Oakland reference, Standard & Strange, a multi-brand dedicated to crafted, heritage menswear, was founded by Jeremy Smith and Neil Berrett. “We started out in 2012 as two guys selling our own denim with a tiny 200-square-foot space in a back alley in Oakland. We saw that people wanted a warm, friendly, inclusive store that sold the denim and other gear we were wearing at the time,” said the founders.

“The first space we occupied had originally been the municipal stables for the City of Oakland. Then we moved into a new space around the corner to 5010 Telegraph Avenue, which is one of the oldest masonry buildings in Oakland.”
 
After opening a second boutique in Santa Fe in 2019, the founders of Standard & Strange opened their third boutique at 238 Mulberry Street in Soho in 2021. Each boutique presents a different selection of well-made brands and pieces which have a strong narrative or story behind them. These include a large contingent of Japanese brands, with flagship denim by Momotaro, Kapital and OrSlow, ready-to-wear by Visvim and Porter luggage. Other heritage and craft brands complete the selection, including German Merz B.Schwanen, American John Gluckow and French De Bonne Facture. The company also sells its own collection and its Mizunara Single Cask Whiskey brand, made in California.

Another sign of the Oakland creativity was the opening in 2023 of a brand-new concept store called Two-Two, founded by Portland-born entrepreneur CC Doan, halfway between pop-up, gallery and boutique, bringing together the offbeat fashions of international designers, particularly from Asia. 

“I first explored boutique opportunities in San Francisco and Oakland,” explained Doan. “In the end, I found the space in Grand Lake and all the right elements came together to make me feel like it could be a place for fashion, craft, and creative community. Because we have multiple ways people can discover and engage with our curation and also connect with each other, people don’t see us as just a boutique. Someone may come in and shop one day, attend a creative workshop the next time, or come with friends to a pop-up we host with other creatives or artists. We get to witness people as multi-faceted beings, not just as customers. I think in that way there is demand for being seen authentically, to have a sense of belonging or connection with others, and to cater to self expression as a whole.”

At the Two-Two boutique, emerging designers and brands, with an emphasis on everyday wearable pieces, are displayed as if in an art gallery.

“These designers are often at a very sweet spot of both establishing their voice while having plenty of edge and playfulness to their approach and presentation. Caro Chia, Yusho Kobayashi, Lou Badger, Fey Fey Worldwide, Devastates and Grounds to name a few,” added Doan.

“Then there are designers and artists who I’ve met along my own creative journey over the years and having a space has brought us together to collaborate, like jewelry brand Ino, incense brand Hyungi, and ceramics by Studio Hecha. 

Another original initiative is that of Oakland-born designer Shauncy “Salt” Jackson, who transformed her backyard into a safe space for community events hosted by her non-profit Oakland Don’t Play Inc. She converted a storage container into a retail store where she sells her clothing line, Oakland Don’t Play (ODP).
 
“ODP is more than just a clothing brand,” explained Jackson, via her website. “It’s a movement to remind the world that Oakland stands strong for its people, land, and unwavering commitment to equality. Inspired by the injustices faced by our community, ODP creates bold, fashion-forward clothing that proudly showcases Oakland pride. From the vibrant streets of Fruitvale to the serene shores of Lake Merritt, our designs capture the essence of our city and the spirit of its people.”

Cécred announced on Tuesday the launch of the “Cécred Roadshow”, a nationwide mobile pop-up tour that will activate at every U.S. stadium location of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Tour.

The tour will officially kick off in Inglewood at SoFi Stadium on April 28 and will follow the Cowboy Carter Tour across the U.S., with stops in Chicago, NYC/New Jersey, Houston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Las Vegas.

In addition to stadium events, the Roadshow will visit select Ulta Beauty locations in major cities during the tour, including Los Angeles (May), Chicago (May), Houston (June), and Atlanta (July).

The Cécred Roadshow will offer a range of interactive experiences designed to educate, engage, and celebrate hair of all types and textures. Housed inside a custom chrome-wrapped trailer, the mobile experience features immersive displays, product demos, and a Cécred salon stage. Fans can take part in hands-on moments and photo ops, including the Cécred Fan Cam and larger-than-life product installations.

Guests will also receive exclusive Cécred samples and limited-edition merchandise available only at roadshow stops.

The tour marks the first multi-city pop-up tour and follows the success of Cécred’s first pop-up in SoHo last fall, and most recently, a record-breaking retail debut at Ulta Beauty. 

The Estée Lauder Companies announced on Tuesday the appointment of Brian Franz to the role of chief technology, data and analytics officer, effective April 21.

Franz will report to president and chief executive officer Stéphane de La Faverie and will join the cosmetic giant’s executive team.

As the New York-based company’s first-ever combined chief data technology, data and analytics officer, Franz will be charged with overseeing the firm’s global data and technology capabilities that drive technology innovation, improve business agility, and deliver personalized consumer experiences.

Franz will lead the company’s global information technology (IT) organization, and will also oversee the digital technology and experience and enterprise data teams. As he leads this new chapter for company’s technology teams, the executive will leverage capabilities from key external technology partners to support additional modernization and innovation for the company, the company added.

A seasoned executive with experience in technology, operations, and business transformation, Franz joins The Estée Lauder Companies from State Street, where he most recently served as executive vice president, global chief information officer and head of enterprise resiliency. In this role, he led global technology, enterprise resiliency and data for the organization. 

Prior to State Street, he held senior leadership roles at Diageo PLC, including chief productivity officer and CIO, and served as CIO at PepsiCo International. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at GE, including GE Capital and AT&T. 

“As we drive our bold Beauty Reimagined vision, Brian’s deep expertise and fresh perspectives will be pivotal in executing the biggest technology and operational transformation in our company’s history,” said de La Faverie.

“Brian’s experience in modernizing infrastructure, building resilient and sustainable platforms, and advancing AI-driven capabilities will be critical as we accelerate our evolution into a more agile and consumer-focused organization. Brian’s strategic leadership, combined with his passion for innovation and talent development, makes him the ideal leader to shape the future of technology, data and analytics at The Estée Lauder Companies.”

The appointment comes just moves after Estée Lauder posted a better-than-expected sales update for the recently ended second quarter. In February, the company said sales fell 6% to $4 billion in the quarter, compared with analysts’ estimates of 7.3% drop to $3.97 billion, as per data compiled by LSEG.

At the time of reporting, the company said it is expanded its previously announced restructuring plan that would include up to 7,000 job cuts across its global operations, to help it return to sales growth and restore a solid double-digit adjusted operating margin over the next few years.