After a year that saw the investment coffers dry up in fashion and beauty, 2024 brings a renewed sense of hope — but only for brands that meet an exhaustive criteria.

The underwear start-up was once pegged as Gen-Z’s answer to Victoria’s Secret. But investors, executives and founder Cami Téllez couldn’t agree on whether to prioritise growth or profitability. They ended up with the worst of both worlds.

Croissant is a start-up that melds retail with resale, showing shoppers the secondhand market value of products they want to buy, as well as offering them a simple way to resell those items for immediate cash.

New contentious shareholders are seldom welcomed by their target companies, but analysts say the owner of Vans and Supreme should take heed of its latest activist investors, which are pushing the group to cut costs, sell off assets and pay down debt.

The big-box retailer is revamping its apparel offering in a bid to become a style destination, a goal it’s tried — and failed — to hit multiple times before. But between a squeezed consumer and the rise of Gen-Z, this time is different, the company says.

Shares of the L Catterton-owned sandal maker sank on their first day of trading, a bad sign for other brands that are thinking about going public.

A blockbuster public listing should clear the way for other brands to try their luck. That, plus LVMH results and what else to watch for in the coming week.

L Catterton, the private-equity firm with close ties to LVMH and Bernard Arnault that’s preparing to take Birkenstock public, has become an investment giant in the consumer-goods space, with stakes in companies selling everything from fashion to pet food to tacos.