After filing for bankruptcy ( for the second time ) in 2025, Claire's is back — and it's courting a new generation of tweens. Although the mall store is nostalgic for millennials , the retailer's refresh isn't about us. Instead, it's aimed at today's 8-to 12-year-olds, a coveted consumer group that's shaping everything from beauty trends to retail strategy. Claire's' North American business is now owned by Maryland-based private holding company, Ames Watson. ( The firm acquired the business and intellectual property in a $140 million deal that closed in September 2025.) Instead of liquidating and closing stores as some expected, Ames Watson committed to keeping more than 900 locations open across the U.S. and Canada with a promise to revamp the 65-year-old brand. Almost a year later, the first store under the new generation of Claire's reopens Aug. 8 inside The Shops at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., a suburb east of Los Angeles. The mall, ...
The fashion job market is in a state of flux — and for those fortunate enough to be employed at all in 2026, workplace culture and dynamics are rapidly changing. After years of layoffs, restructuring and shifting consumer habits alongside economic volatility and the rise of AI , workers across the industry are navigating an uncertain landscape. It's against this backdrop that Fashionista surveyed more than 500 industry professionals across a range of fields, resulting in the 2026 Inside the Fashion Workplace Report. Image: Fashionista Beyond the current state of compensation, professional happiness and burnout rates in fashion jobs , the report also provides insights into the future of industry employment. For one, we learned that layoffs are becoming more common: 38%, or more than one-third, of survey takers said their company had layoffs in 2025 — a 6% ...