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Fashion
Levi Strauss surges 7.3% on earnings, revenue beats
Levi Strauss beat earnings and revenue estimates last quarter as direct-to-consumer sales rose, and has lifted its full-year guidance. Earnings per share were US$0.42, up from $0.38 one year ago and passing LSEG consensus estimates of $0.37. Revenue increased 14% to $1.74 billion, above estimates of $1.65 billion. “We delivered very strong financial performance in the first quarter driven by broad-based growth across channels, regions and categories,” said Levi Strauss CEO Michelle Gass. “Our evolution into a DTC-first denim lifestyle brand is allowing us to capture a much larger addressable market and deliver faster and more consistent growth. Today we are operating from a stronger foundation, executing with focus and intention, with more ways to win than ever before.” Direct-to-consumer net revenues grew 16%, and now represent 52% of Levi Strauss’ revenue. This was due to a 10% increase in the United States, a 19% rise in Europe, and an 18% climb in Asia, the company said. Overall, Europe saw the largest revenue percentage increase of any region at 24%. Revenue in the Americas was up 9%, while Asia revenue rose 13%. Operating income was $198.7 million last quarter, up from $191.6 million. Its Europe and Asia se
Fashion
Lycra files for bankruptcy, aims to cut debt
Spandex maker Lycra has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a plan to cut US$1.2 billion (A$1.69 billion) in debt amid a slump in demand for its products and increasing competition in the sector. Lycra aims to emerge from bankruptcy within 45 days, it said. Under the plan, the company’s lenders would provide $75 million in new financing and over $1.2 billion of its debt would be deleveraged. “Despite the Company’s leading market position and diversified brand portfolio, the Company has faced increasing financial pressure due to industry headwinds and the Company’s highly leveraged balance sheet,” Lycra wrote in court filings. “Today marks a significant milestone for The LYCRA Company as we are taking decisive action to meaningfully reduce our debt and strengthen our financial foundation,” said CEO Gary Smith. The restructuring will not impact Lycra’s customers, suppliers, employees, or manufacturing operations, per the company. Its Chapter 11 petition was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Lycra currently has $1.53 billion in existing debt, it said in court filings. This includes $780 million in dollar bonds, $520 million in euro bonds, and $214 million in super senior term loans
Fashion
Lululemon offers weak guidance for fiscal 2026
Athletic wear brand lululemon athletica reported higher than expected earnings, while offering weak guidance for 2026. For the fourth quarter of 2025, the company reported earnings per share of US$5.01, surpassing the $4.78 expected. It also reported net earnings of $586.9 million. However, this fell short of last year’s $748.4 million and $6.14 per share. Revenue for the athleisure brand came in at $3.64 billion, rising 1% from the same time last year and beating expectations of $3.58 billion. "We are pleased to achieve fourth quarter revenue and EPS results ahead of our expectations,” Interim CEO and chief financial officer Meghan Frank said. After raising guidance for its fourth quarter during the IRC conference in Orlando, all eyes were on the company’s 2026 guidance after a year of underperformance. Despite this, both the guidance for the current quarter and fiscal year came in lower than expected on the top and bottom lines. For its first quarter, the company expects revenue between $2.4 billion and $2.43 billion, representing growth between 1% to 3%. This was lower than LSEG estimates of $2.47 billion. Lululemon also anticipates earnings per share of between $1.63 and $ 1.68, below estimates of $2
Fashion
Ulta Beauty sheds 8.2% on mixed results for Q4
Ulta Beauty fell 8.2% in after-hours trade on Thursday (Friday AEDT) after the cosmetics retailer reported weaker-than-expected quarterly earnings. For the fourth quarter of 2025, the beauty giant reported earnings per share of US$8.01, compared to $8.46 the same time last year and below Wall Street expectations of $8.03. Earnings per share for the full fiscal year were $25.64. This is an increase from the previous year's $25.34. Revenue, on the other hand, rose 11.8% to $3.9 billion and surpassed expectations of $3.8 billion. For the full fiscal year, Ulta’s revenue rose 9.7% to $12.4 billion. The company attributed the revenue increase to the acquisition of Space NK and sales from new stores. “The Ulta Beauty team closed the year with momentum, delivering strong fourth quarter and full-year sales and continued market share gains,” Ulta president and CEO Kecia Steelman said. “Our better-than-planned financial performance reflects our continued focus on serving our guests and consistently delivering great experiences through better execution, compelling newness, more seamless and convenient experiences, and bold new merchandising and marketing strategies.” For fiscal 2026, the company expects revenues to gr
Fashion
Gap earnings impacted by winter storms, shares down 8%
Historic winter storms, which resulted in store closures, weighed on Gap’s performance during its fourth quarter of 2025 and saw shares tank over 8% in after-hours trade on Thursday night (Friday AEDT). The harsh winter weather throughout much of the United States in January led to about 800 temporary closures at the storms’ peak, contributing to a miss on comparable sales for Old Navy and mixed company-wide results. “Old Navy and all the brands were actually trending better heading into that weather disruption,” finance chief Katrina O’Connell said. “The good news is the trends recovered immediately after those storms passed.” Net sales for the fourth quarter were up 2% to US$4.2 billion, matching analysts' expectations. This was mainly driven by Online sales, which accounted for 42% of total net sales. Earnings per share fell slightly below analysts' expectations of 46 cents per share, coming in at 45 cents per share. Net income for the three months was $171 million. For the full year, net sales were up 2% to $15.4 billion, and net income came in at $816 million or $2.13 per share. Despite being heavily impacted by the winter storms, fourth-quarter net sales were up 3% year-over-year to $2.3 billion.

Fashion
Anderson shows second ready-to-wear collection at Dior
Jonathan Anderson has showed his latest Dior collection in Paris this week, for Autumn-Winter 2026. Appointed as creative director of the fashion house last year, this marks Anderson's second ready-to-wear women's collection and fifth collection overall so far, with Simon Longland, director of fashion buying at Harrods, calling it “his strongest collection to date”. The show took place at the Tuileries gardens, with a heavy focus on nature motifs as the models circled a glasshouse built for the occasion and crossed a lily pond. The collection features water lily heels, dresses imitating the shape of flowers, along side intricately detailed ruffles and feather trims. “It’s a promenade, the idea of people dressing up to walk in the park,” Anderson said.
Fashion
EssilorLuxottica revenue soars due to AI glasses
EssilorLuxottica revenue soared last quarter due to its artificial intelligence glasses, though its profit margins were hit by United States tariffs. Revenue was EU€7.60 billion, up 18.4% year-over-year and surpassing Bloomberg estimates of more than 11%. Adjusted operating profit across 2025 increased 6.8% to €4.5 billion. “This year marks a historic milestone: for the first time in EssilorLuxottica’s history, we delivered annual double-digit sales growth at constant currency, following another record quarter in Q4, up 18.4%. In an uncertain macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, and despite headwinds from U.S. tariffs, we reached record earnings, while making bold investments to advance our innovation agenda,” said CEO Francesco Milleri and deputy CEO Paul du Saillant. “While we confirm to be on track with the five-year outlook communicated in March 2022, today we’re updating it. Looking ahead to the next five years, we are committed to delivering solid revenue growth, with the adjusted operating profit’s pace broadly aligned, as we lead our Company decisively into its medtech transformation journey.” Across 2025, revenue climbed 11.2% to €28.49 billion. The company credited this to high sales of the AI glasses
Fashion
Estee Lauder sales return to growth after turnaround plan
Following a year of declining sales, Estée Lauder has returned to growth after the launch of its ‘Beauty Reimagined’ turnaround plan. In its fiscal second quarter, the beauty conglomerate posted net sales of US$4.2 billion (A$6.02 billion), up 6% from last year. “In this pivotal year, Beauty Reimagined has invigorated our business as we execute the biggest operational, leadership, and cultural transformation in our history,” Estée Lauder president and CEO Stéphane de La Faverie said. This was primarily driven by its skin care brands, where sales increased by 6% year-over-year to $1.2 billion. The company’s fragrances also saw strong 6% growth to $812 million, with gains across all regions, led by high single-digit growth from Tom Ford, Le Labo and Kilian Paris. Its Makeup brands decreased 1%, driven by Estée Lauder and offset by MAC. The company also increased net earnings from a loss of $1.64 per share the same time last year to 44 cents per share. Estée Lauder expects organic net sales to grow 1% to 3%, expecting growth in all regions except the Americas, where growth is expected to remain flat. “On its one-year anniversary, we raise our fiscal 2026 outlook confident in the strength of our turnaround, eve
Fashion
E.l.f beauty raises outlook and beats expectations
On the back of beating expectations for its fiscal third quarter, E.l.f Beauty has raised its guidance for the fiscal year. The beauty giant’s revenue grew 38% to US$489.5 million and beat analysts' expectations of $460 million. The company said this was driven by both its retailer and e-commerce channels, in the U.S. and internationally. “Our Q3 results, which included 130 basis points of market share gains for our namesake e.l.f. Cosmetics brand and a record-breaking launch of rhode in Sephora in the UK, are a continuation of the consistent, category-leading growth we’ve delivered over the past 28 quarters,” E.l.f Beauty chairman and CEO Tarang Amin said. Recently acquired skincare brand Rhode contributed $128 million to the company’s net third-quarter sales growth. E.l.f told CNBC that it expects Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand to contribute up to $265 million in net sales this year, up $65 million from previous guidance. The company also raised overall revenue guidance and now expects it rise 22% to 23% year-over-year. Net income for the company came in at $1.24 per share, surpassing expectations of 72 cents per share. It also raised net income expectations from between $2.80 and $2.85 per share to $3.05