The RealReal is all about trends – but not necessarily the ones on the runway. Instead, the 7-year old luxury consignment website, which is at the forefront of a surge in consumer spending on luxury re-sale sites, is interested in gauging trends from both real-time and existing data, and events, not unlike how stock market traders do it. “We’re pulling data all the time,” Rati Levesque, The RealReal’s chief merchant, told Quartz this month. Levesque, who has been with the San Francisco-based The RealReal from the outset, approaches its inventory of luxury and high fashion garments, accessories, and homewares more from a supply-and-demand perspective than a full-fledged fashion one; economics is her background, after all.

Ahead of his much-anticipated debut as the creative director of LVMH-owned Celine this week, Hedi Slimane sat down with French publication Le Figaro for his first interview while in the role. The former Dior Homme and Saint Laurent director discussed everything from his decision to slightly modify the Celine logo (i.e., dropping the accent that formerly appeared over the first “e”) to how his take on the French brand will different from his cult-followed predecessor Phoebe Philo. A few key excerpts are below …

The most heavily counterfeited brand in South Korea? Louis Vuitton. According to a report from the Korea Customs Service, which looked at the state of intellectual property infringement in the nation over the past 4 years, Korean officials seized more counterfeit Louis Vuitton products than those from any other brand between June 2014 to June 2018. And the frequency with which fake Louis Vuitton bags are being seized by customs officials is growing. 

Following rumors that Versace has been readying for a sale, Michael Kors is the buyer. The American fashion giant announced a $2.12 billion deal to buy the Milan-based fashion house on Tuesday. Following the close of the acquisition, the larger corporate entity, Michael Kors Holdings, (as distinct from the brand, itself) will change its name to Capri Holdings, inspired by the "iconic, glamorous and luxury destination" island.

Jean Patou was one of most influential couturiers in Paris in the 1920s. The late designer – who was known, during his tenure at his eponymous label, for eradicating the flapper look in the 1930s by lengthening the skirt, designing sportswear for women, inventing knitted swimwear – was so thoroughly in demand by the new post-World War I customer that he rivaled the great Coco Chanel, who was also busy at the time, helping to embolden women and free them from traditional wares, such as binding corsets and lengthy skirts.

Uber is a verb, the company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi revealed early this month. According to Mr. Khosrowshahi, who was appointed in August 2017 to replace the company’s controversial founder/CEO Travis Kalanick, “Very few brands become verbs; for Uber to have achieved this shows how we’ve captured imaginations and become an important part of our customers’ lives.” While the Uber-as-verb proclamation is being viewed largely as a win for the San Francisco-based ride-sharing company, legal reasoning would traditionally say otherwise.

The Financial Times published the perfect article in 2015. Entitled, “Who the Hell is Philipp Plein?,” the London-based outlet's Nick Remsen attempted to make sense of the German designer’s flashy garments and larger-than-life runway spectacles, which have turned Plein's brand into the “luxury power player” that - quite frankly - no one necessarily asked for. 

Digital media and really, social media, has changed the fashion industry in ways that may have previously been unfathomable. The instant and democratizing accessibility that Instagram brings, and demands that seasonal fashion events not only cut through the noise of crowded social media platforms in order to be effective but be part of a larger experience-driven endeavor, transformed the workings of the fashion industry and its output.

Farfetch hit the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, following reports of its long-rumored plans to go public. The London-based e-commerce site, which was founded in 2008 by Portuguese entrepreneur Jose Neves, priced its 44.2 million shares at $20, above its targeted range of $17 to $19, thereby valuing the company at roughly $6.2 billion (after factoring in shares already held by employees). The valuation “underscores how big a bet web sales have become for high-end brands,” per Reuters.

There are Gucci and Dior bags, Prada and Jimmy Choo shoes, Fendi jewelry, and Margiela t-shirt dresses to be scooped up on Afound. One of the newest websites to join an increasingly crowded – and still growing – resale market, Afound has an interesting owner: H&M Group. With its marquee fashion brand in mind, the one known for churning out tens-of-millions of low cost garments and accessories each year, an off-price luxury site is certainly a stark departure for the Scandinavian super-group. And yet, that is exactly where the $26 billion company, the second largest apparel company in the world, is setting its sights.