Startups
December 7, 2015 at 10:21 am
The latest to take its turn on the fashion catwalk is Shoes of Prey, the Khosla Ventures-backed, on-demand customized shoe retailer, which has raised $15.5 million from a syndicate of investors including the retail giant Nordstrom. Shoes of Prey sells customizable shoes in a range of materials and designs online and in specialty retailers like…
November 17, 2015 at 10:16 am
Warby Parker is astonishingly successful, whether you judge it by the rave reviews of customers, its valuation or, more impressively, by the number of startups that compare themselves to the iconic eyeglass innovator. Over the last couple of years, I’ve met with dozens of entrepreneurs who have pitched themselves as the “Warby of ________.” Disrupting…
October 27, 2015 at 12:20 pm
Hedi Slimane's revamp of what we then referred to as Yves Saint Laurent was easily the most radical — and, at the time, controversial — brand makeover of recent memory. But what Chris Benz has done at American sportswear label Bill Blass will make Slimane look downright precious about the brand he took creative leadership…
October 26, 2015 at 11:28 am
Most mornings, Ron Johnson rises just after 4 a.m., without the use of an alarm clock, and sets off on a five-mile run. "My strategy is, if I wake up before 3 a.m., I go back to sleep," he explains to a group of his employees, a dozen men and women in their twenties who…
October 20, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Target Corp. is on the prowl for the next great retail startups. It's becoming the first partner in the Twin Cities for Techstars, a company that's developed an impressive track record in several other U.S. cities of helping tech startups grow into thriving firms. Techstars will set up an office for the next three years in the…
September 16, 2015 at 11:54 am
Last year, George Zimmer was ousted from Men’s Wearhouse, the company he founded. His latest startup, an online tailoring platform, isn't doing so well. But now, Mr. Zimmer is sure he has a winner. On Tuesday, the graybeard ambassador of affordable suits unveiled his newest venture, Generation Tux, a website for tuxedo rentals.
August 25, 2015 at 11:51 am
Kickstarter has become almost synonymous with crowdfunding: “Are you planning to kickstart that?” or “I’m thinking of kickstarting a new project.” Exploding on the scene in 2009, Kickstarter has housed some of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in history and, in turn, has contributed largely to the standardization and expectation surrounding this relatively new method…
August 14, 2015 at 9:22 pm
The Honest Company, the nontoxic household products startup cofounded by actress Jessica Alba, announced on Friday that it had closed $100 million in Series D financing. This latest round values the company at upwards of $1.7 billion, as The Wall Street Journal first reported. It also catapults Alba into a rarefied club. The movie star-turned-mogul…
August 6, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Ron Johnson, who was a star as Apple's retail chief but fizzled at J.C. Penney, is finding some deep-pocketed believers for his latest act. Enjoy, Johnson's e-commerce startup that launched in May, just raised $50 million in funding, its second round in just 10 months. He has now raised a total of $80 million. Enjoy…
July 22, 2015 at 2:25 pm
Several former executives of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. plan to launch a retail brand that will be based in Maryland and sell classically styled men's apparel for business professionals. Plans call for menswear retailer Wilkes & Riley to open online in November and expand with stores, most likely after the first couple of years,…
