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Posts published in “Retail & Consumer”

Eyes on Xiaomi: A Worthy Challenger to the Maker of the iPhone

During one January intensive course, the class talked about how
the Beijing-based electronics company Xiaomi grew so fast, so soon. In just
eight years, Xiaomi went from a team of eight engineers to a publicly traded
company with an implied valuation of $54 billion that could rival Apple. With
Apple predicting lower revenue generation this year, eyes are on Xiaomi, whose
differentiated product strategy and vision about global consumerism may prove
to be more enduring.  

Many refer to Xiaomi as China’s Apple. While true that Xiaomi
learned a lot from Apple in terms of strategy, the company has developed its
own path to success.…

Sternies on the Strip: “Even the Devil Needs Logistics”

MBA Sternies took Las Vegas by storm on January 13 as part of the annual winter on-site intensive course called “Operations in Entertainment: Las Vegas,” taught by Professor Harry Chernoff. It was the 11th session since the course took off in 2009, and this year, the professor’s theme was very much centered around “Even the Devil Needs Logistics,” aiming to enhance students’ exposure to how entertainment is supplied by the leaders of Las Vegas. The course curriculum contrasts the off-strip local offerings of Station Casinos’ Red Rock Resorts with the legacy strip hotels and casinos including the Bellagio, MGM and Aria.

Overall, the class hit over 20 site visits including companies representing: hotel and casinos, food and beverages, gaming, real estate development, and the city’s exciting nightlife — think the LIGHT Vegas nightclub, UFC, and Cirque du Soleil!…

Phase of the Moon Bite: Food Period Co-founders Guide Women Through Their Cycles

Following the startup journey, the Stern Oppy continues its coverage of the $300K Entrepreneurs Challenge with an exclusive interview with Food Period, the winners of last year’s New Venture Competition and the $75,000 prize. Back in March, we caught co-founders Britt Martin and Jenn Kim when they were busy being semi-finalists and today, they’re busier than ever in growing their business.

Food Period allows women to choose a natural alternative over pharmaceuticals when managing their menstrual cycle. Rooted in seed syncing or seed cycling, their Moon Bites are made of mainly raw seeds that “supports [the] body’s natural ability to modulate sex hormone production and elimination,” according to their website.…

LuxRet’s Inaugural “Magazine Club” Event in Sézane Filled In Just 24-Hours

The Luxury and Retail Club (“LuxRet”) is taking member engagement to an innovative new level. On Monday, December 3, its members met at Sézane’s L’Appartement New York in Soho for the inaugural “Magazine Club” event, talking industry between sipping champagne and shopping the store’s new collection.

The Magazine Club idea was pitched by one of LuxRet’s new AVPs, Jamie Barrar, a Langone student and Account Executive at Google. Similar to a book club, the series is “slightly structured [and centers around] intimate conversation like a book club,” said Kate Burke, a Langone student and Senior Analyst at Tiffany & Co, who was the moderator of the evening.…

Alumna’s Award-winning Studio 189 Focuses on Fashion Sustainability

Coming hot off of a successful New York Fashion Week (NYFW) production, alumna Abrima Erwiah (Stern BS ‘04) is gleaming with optimism and excitement for the future. Abrima’s startup, Studio One Eighty Nine, was born in the desire to enact change with fashion rooted in deep culture, history and tradition.

Since its beginning in 2013, the fashion start up has received global accolades and support as it creates a movement to fashionalize our society and give new meaning to socioeconomic and political transformation.

We had the opportunity to catch up with Erwiah to learn more about the origin of Studio One Eighty Nine and the future.…

Developing Countries Don’t Want Your Clothes

The winter holidays are a busy season for charity. What many donors do not know however, is that an overwhelming majority of donated clothing is sent to developing countries, who are now pushing back on taking throwaway clothes.

A global export market valued at $4 billion by UN Comtrade, worn clothing has been traveling mainly from the US to developing countries through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

In recent years however, many African nations have vocally stood up to the fast-fashion addicted West; last June, Rwanda President Paul Kagame stated a sentiment felt across his neighbors:

“We have to grow and establish our [own] industries.”…

Luxury and Retail Face Evolution with Changing Consumer Tastes

Henri Bendel to Close After 123 Years. This Is the Beginning of the End for Lord & Taylor’s Flagship Store. Sears, KMart to Close More than 100 Additional Stores.

To anyone paying attention to the news recently, it would seem that the traditional retail industry is facing an apocalypse.

However, the members of NYU Stern’s Luxury and Retail Club feel as if the industry is not facing an apocalypse but is instead simply experiencing growing pains during its evolution. The theme of the 12th Annual NYU Stern Luxury and Retail Conference was “It’s Not an Apocalypse, It’s an Evolution” and the event highlighted how top companies are viewing the future of retail in order to to remain relevant in the competitive global landscape.…

#whomademyclothes: Remembering the collapse of Rana Plaza

The garment industry in Bangladesh has been dramatically altered since the horrific tragedy five years ago at Rana Plaza, an illegally built factory that produced clothes for Mango, Walmart and other Western retailers. The collapse of the eight-story factory killed 1,134 workers, mostly young women, who were pinned under layers of outright safety violations. While a global movement of a variety of actors, including such retailers, have made significant strides in bringing up the industry’s human rights standards, by the end of this year one of two major safety programs led by companies will expire, making the future of workers’ safety uncertain.…

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