Highlight of Summer ‘26: Law Roach x Zendaya’s Odyssey Showcase and Business Updates
It’s nice to be back after a brief hiatus since starting my new marketing position in Milan. My role is on a rather influential accessories brand, so I have been getting an insider scoop of the industry through the lens of my work on top of my usual research.
As work slows down for Italy’s August holiday break, I thought I would take a beat to ground ourselves in the current affairs of the fashion industry and profile one of my favorite fashion stories of the summer.
State of the Industry: H1 Earnings Suggest Pay Off To The Great Creative Director Shuffle
The luxury landscape has delivered some encouraging results in its first-half earnings reports. LVMH, Kering, and Prada Group all reported overall sales growth for H1.
As Business of Fashion’s Robert Williams pointed out, much of this momentum stems from last year’s massive creative shakeups. Designers like Matthieu Blazy stepping into new creative leadership across top heritage houses have injected fresh energy, which translated into commercial sales lifts (however small) for brands such as Chanel and Dior.
The notable outlier was Gucci, which saw Q2 sales dip by 2%. On the flip side, Prada Group continued its steady climb with a 5% increase in H1, largely propelled by Miu Miu. In fact, Miu Miu has consistently posted gains over the past few years even as the broader sector slowed—a remarkable streak, even if Prada Group executives admit they can't pinpoint the exact secret sauce driving consumers to the registers.
The Resilient American Consumer
Zooming in from a geography perspective, I was surprised to learn that each fashion house was growing in the US market given the tariff concerns that reached a peak in 2025:
Prada Group: +15% in the Americas
Kering: +10% in the Americas
LVMH: +6% in the Americas
It turns out American luxury appetite is resilient, defying macroeconomic hesitation and boosting bottom lines across the board.
Breaking Laws of Red Carpet Styling To Generate Buzz
Now onto the more entertaining side of the business. Plenty happened this summer, but nothing was more memorable than Zendaya’s press tour for The Odyssey. Her image architect, Law Roach, turned red carpet styling into an absolute high-stakes thriller—most notably by flying the closing look from Schiaparelli’s Paris Haute Couture show directly to London just in time for the premiere. (Honestly, I would watch an entire feature film just about that shipment.)
The gown paired a structural, sculpted torso bodice with a sweeping skirt, perfectly channeling the movie’s Greek goddess theme. Fast forward to the tour’s final leg in New York, where Zendaya stepped out in an ethereal, winged Matières Fécales creation. She was once again styled as a modern deity, and her romantic hairstyle immediately triggered a viral TikTok trend, with creators rushing to replicate the look.
Courtesy of Essence | Photos by Mike Marsland/WireImage and Theo Wargo/WireImage
From a marketing standpoint, what made this campaign so remarkable was how the red-carpet drama and storytelling generated far more earned media value than the film itself. It’s a masterclass in how fashion doesn’t just support cinema—it shapes, elevates, and leads the cultural conversation.
With that, I’m officially powering down for the August break! See you in September for Fashion Month.