Patrick Ta Beauty announced on Wednesday its official debut at Sephora Middle East, as the U.S. beauty brand looks to expand within the region.
Patrick Ta – Courtesy
As part of the deal with the French beauty retailer, Patrick Ta Beauty will launch across 34 Sephora doors throughout the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar giving locals access to the Vietnamese-American makeup artist’s viral Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo, Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation, and a selection of Ta’s signature glow giving essentials.
“I’ve felt such a strong connection to the beauty community in the Middle East for years – their love for glam, artistry, and the pride in makeup truly inspire me,” said Ta, who co-founded his namesake beauty brand in 2009 with product specialist, Rima Minasyan, and entrepreneur, Avo Minasyan.
“So many of my followers and clients from the region have supported me from the very beginning, and this expansion feels like a moment we’ve all been building toward together. Bringing Patrick Ta Beauty to Sephora Middle East is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to meet everyone and share our artistry in person with this exciting next chapter for the brand.”
To mark the launch, which rolls out online Janaury 16 and in-store on January 22, Ta will be in the region for a series of celebratory activations, including personal appearances at Sephora Dubai Mall, meet-and-greets, VIP events, and engagements with local creators and tastemakers.
“We are thrilled to bring Patrick Ta Beauty to our vibrant beauty community across the Middle East, who are always seeking the latest innovations,” said Hasmik Panossian, Sephora Middle East managing director.
“Celebrated for its modern artistry and innovative formulas, Patrick Ta Beauty delivers elevated, high-quality products that truly resonate with our customers. At Sephora Middle East, we are proud to consistently introduce the brands our community is asking for, and we look forward to having our customers experience Patrick Ta Beauty firsthand.”
The Midde East deals comes just months after Patrick Ta Beauty inked a new distribution deal with Sephora to enter Mexico, where it is now available across 50 stores locally.
NikeSkims is expanding its collaboration into footwear for the first time with the launch of the NikeSkims Rift, set to launch in North America on January 26.
NikeSkims debuts first footwear style. – NikeSkims
The debut silhouette reimagines the Nike Rift, the split-toe running shoe first introduced in the 1990s, through the lens of NikeSkims’ bold, considered design ethos. The updated design retains the shoe’s most recognizable elements, including the iconic tabi toe, and a single strap across the midfoot for easy entry and a secure fit. A pared-back midsole nods to the Rift’s original focus on barefoot-style movement, while a textured logo outsole completes the look.
The NikeSkims Rift Mesh will be available in three colorways – Black, Velvet Brown, and Archaeo Brown – both online and in select U.S. retail locations for $150.
“There’s something so powerful and beautiful about a ballet flat, which is why reimagining the Nike Rift for the first NikeSkims sneaker felt perfect,” said Kim Kardashian, Skims co-founder.
“The Rift isn’t just a shoe – it’s a 90s icon that women everywhere have fallen in love with. Together with Nike, we focused on creating a version that feels minimalist, sleek and flattering.”
The NikeSkims Rift signals a broader expansion of the partnership, with additional footwear planned for future collections. The move supports NikeSkims’ goal of creating a head-to-toe system of dress that blends performance innovation with elevated design.
New York-based womenswear brand Derek Lam is set to return to the New York Fashion Week calendar this February, debuting the first collection under newly appointed creative director Robert Rodriguez.
Derek Lam returns to NYFW under new creative director. – Derek Lam
The return to NYFW signals the relaunch of the Derek Lam mainline collection following the departure of founder Derek Lam in 2023. Rodriguez, a CFDA member, steps into the creative director role overseeing design direction, product development, and brand image.
Under Rodriguez’s leadership, the Derek Lam Collection will focus on elevated essentials defined by relaxed precision and modern refinement. While maintaining the brand’s signature minimal sophistication, the new direction introduces added warmth, texture, and sensuality.
“We’re working to elevate design and innovation across categories and accelerate brand recognition and consumer engagement,” explained Danielle Alalu, brand president of Derek Lam
“As the marketplace has evolved, we see an opportunity to bring back what was originally a designer collection in a more accessible way. Robert’s obsession with fit, quality, and design is exactly what Derek Lam needs to create a fresh point of view in the advanced contemporary space.”
The relaunched Derek Lam Collection will be positioned within the advanced contemporary market, with pricing ranging from $295 to $1,295. The brand will initially be reintroduced through brand-owned direct-to-consumer channels, with exclusive partnerships with global retailers to be announced later this year. Derek Lam 10 Crosby will continue to operate as a separate contemporary line.
“Robert brings a rare balance of creativity and commercial instinct. Alongside Danielle’s strategic leadership, we now have a unified team ready to propel Derek Lam into its next chapter- building a modern American brand with global reach and enduring relevance,” added Dan Shamdasani, CEO of Public Clothing.
Saks Global’s prime real estate portfolio could serve as a crucial bargaining chip with lenders as the hard-hit luxury shopping empire navigates its restructuring after filing for bankruptcy.
REUTERS/Angelina Katsanis
The upmarket U.S. department store conglomerate filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late on Tuesday, barely a year after a debt-laden takeover intended to create a luxury powerhouse by bringing Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus under the same roof.
While Saks Global secured a $1.75 billion financing package to help keep operations running through the bankruptcy process, questions remain on whether the owner of some of the best-known U.S. luxury chains can get back in the saddle.
Shutting down underperforming retail space could be a key strategy to ensure the business survives, said Brandon Isner, head of U.S. retail research at New York-based real estate advisory firm Newmark.
“One of the ways to monetize its portfolio would be through the sale-leaseback option, where Saks could sell its assets to an investor and lease them back to continue making money on the asset, providing it with liquidity and allowing it to keep things running at its stores,” said Matt Weko, division president of consumer goods and services at real estate investment adviser JLL Capital Markets.
Saks Global operates about 125 stores spanning about 13 million square feet (1.2 million square meters) in the U.S., and owns or controls ground leases at 39 of them, according to its court filing.
Its retail empire consists of prime locations on high streets such as Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and luxury corridors in Beverly Hills, California, as well as top-tier malls like Bal Harbour Shops in Florida, where Saks and Neiman Marcus banners anchor high-end tenant mixes.
Saks’ flagship Fifth Avenue store is not included in the bankruptcy, according to the filing. Global leases the site from a separate entity, which has a $1.25 billion mortgage on it and is not among the debtors.
The court filings give a hint of the conglomerate’s immediate next steps.
Saks Global asked the court for permission to shut down about four stores that are no longer operating, commonly known as “dark stores.”
Selling such properties would command a discount of between 40% to 50% to their “lit value,” which takes in to account the fact that a store is open, according to a real estate adviser familiar with the discussion around Saks’ real estate, and who has evaluated the portfolio.
To keep shelves stocked, the distressed luxury retailer is expected to prioritize clearing payments to vendors to coax brands to supply fresh merchandise after a year in which more than 100 labels paused deliveries, bankruptcy experts note.
The financing package, still to be approved by the court, could buy time for Saks to retain the value of its real estate assets and monetize them, rather than force it to shut stores quickly at discounts, often known as a fire-sale closure, analysts and experts said.
However, Saks and Neiman Marcus frequently co-anchor the same luxury centers, creating internal competition. At the Galleria Mall owned by Simon Property Group in Houston, for example, Neiman Marcus sits alongside Saks in a mall boasting more than 400 stores and several luxury brands, including Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Bottega Veneta.
These co-locations would need to be reviewed and could be among the first to be sold as Saks conducts a review of its portfolio, analysts said. Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman also face increasing competition from luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Chanel, which gravitate more and more toward their directly owned stores.
“Why would a shopper choose Saks over a brand’s flagship boutique, where they receive VIP perks and immersive brand experiences? Multi-brand retail only works when the environment adds value, and Saks hasn’t delivered that,” said George Gottl, chief creative officer at FutureBrand, which advises multi-brand retailers on store design.
Department store rival and Bloomingdale’s parent Macy’s is also closing about 150 underperforming stores, including at some key locations such as the one on Fulton Street in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, to help manage costs and invest in stores giving better returns.
“Owners of A-quality centers would relish getting that space back. Repurposing two-story anchors into split big boxes (such as the Primark and Dick’s House of Sport stores set to open at Newport Centre, New Jersey) or mixed-use can refresh the tenant mix,” added Isner, the retail analyst at Newmark.
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