Streetwear media platform Highsnobiety has announced the appointments of Noah Johnson as editor in chief, Caitlin LeRoux as SVP and general manager of Highsnobiety North America, and Tom Lee as VP and head of creative.
Johnson, LeRoux and Lee will be based out of Highsnobiety’s New York offices, overseeing their teams from January 6.
In his new position, Johnson will oversee all aspects of Highsnobiety’s print and digital editorial operations.
A media veteran, Johnson most recently served as the global style director of GQ, and previously held editor positions at Details, Style.com, and Complex with writing published by The New York Times, New York Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.
“I have admired Noah’s ability to bring a fresh, smart and always spot-on perspective to style, culture, and storytelling for a number of years. He has an innate skill of honing in on the stories that one didn’t quite know needed to be told, and to tell them with depth and authenticity. We couldn’t be more excited for him to bring his singular point of view and leadership to the Highsnobiety team and community,” said David Fischer, founder and chief executive officer, Highsnobiety.
As SVP and GM of North America, LeRoux will oversee all the Germany-based company’s commercial departments in the US from the New York office, following ten years with the brand’s London and Berlin offices. In her last role, LeRoux led the company’s expansion into the UK tripling the size of Highsnobiety’s London team during her tenure.
Finally, Lee rejoins the Highsnobiety team as VP, head of creative, after previously serving as the company’s creative director from 2018 to 2021. He has a background in the creative industries serving in key positions with Matte Projects, B-Reel and Vice/Virtue, amongst others.
Founded in 2005 by Fischer, Highsnobiety is a global media business headquartered in Berlin with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan and Tokyo.
Deckers Outdoor on Thursday beat third-quarter sales estimates on robust holiday demand for its Hoka running shoes, but an in-line annual forecast caused the footwear maker’s shares to tumble 17% in extended trading.
Hoka shoes with their oversized soles have been gaining market share from brands such as Nike in the sportswear category. The brand, which retails for up to $300 in the United States, have also enjoyed full-price sales.
This drove up the company’s third-quarter revenue by 17% to $1.83 billion, beating analysts’ average estimate of $1.73 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Deckers also raised its annual net sales forecast for a second time this year.
“The guidance looks pretty conservative and considering the beat, it’s bit of a negative read into the out quarter,” said Drake MacFarlane, analyst at MScience.
The popularity of the Hoka shoes and the success of the company’s Ugg boots and sandals has helped it post double-digit revenue growth for nearly seven quarters.
The company now expects annual net sales to increase about 15% to $4.9 billion, compared with its prior expectation of about 12% growth to $4.8 billion. Analysts estimated an increase of 14.9% to $4.93 billion.
Deckers expects annual earnings per share of $5.75 to $5.80, compared with its prior forecast of $5.15 to $5.25.
Amazon.com is increasing its advertising on billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The major shift comes after the e-commerce giant withdrew much of its advertising from the platform more than a year ago due to concerns over hate speech.
In 2023, Apple also pulled all of its advertising from X and has recently been in discussions about testing ads on the platform, the report said.
Several ad agencies, tech and media companies had also suspended advertising on X following Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic post that falsely accused members of the Jewish community of inciting hatred against white people.
Monthly U.S. ad revenue at social media platform X has declined by at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk bought the company, formerly known as Twitter, in October 2022. He had acknowledged that an extended boycott by advertisers could bankrupt X.
Musk has become one of the most influential figures following President Donald Trump‘s re-election. He now leads the Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to cut $2 trillion in government spending.
Italian luxury goods group Salvatore Ferragamo said on Thursday its revenue dropped by 4% at constant currencies in the fourth quarter, flagging “encouraging results” from its direct-to-consumer sales which were overall flat in the last three months of the year.
Sales in the North American region, which accounted for 29% of total revenue, were up 6.3% in the quarter. However, the Asia Pacific area saw a 25% drop in revenue at constant exchange rates.
The slowdown in global demand for luxury goods, especially in China, has made the group’s turnaround harder. Overall preliminary revenues reached 1.03 billion euros in 2024, in line with analysts’ estimates, according to an LSEG consensus.
“January shows an acceleration in our DTC channel’s growth, albeit supported by the different timing of the Chinese New Year and a favourable comparison base versus last year”, Chief Executive Marco Gobbetti said in a statement.