start-ups

Hannah Neeleman is the farmfluencer who broke the internet thanks to the public’s obsession with her picturesque life, career choices and family dynamics. Now, she is taking her burgeoning lifestyle empire global.

While tariff uncertainty threatens to roil the global fashion industry, brands that already produce their goods in the US have an opportunity to shine if they’re able to communicate the value of American manufacturing to cautious consumers.

Ralph Lauren, American Eagle Outfitters and Banana Republic are among the retailers that briefly experimented with the concept. The implosion of CaaStle, which provided logistics for many of these services, is the clearest sign yet that rental’s future lies elsewhere.

The men’s T-shirt maker’s funding from 1686 Partners, a private equity firm founded by David Wertheimer, will help the brand invest in supply chain, retail and international expansion as it aims to reach upwards of $1 billion in annual sales in the next 10 years.

Tourists have their pick of suitcases at every price point, thanks to low barriers to entry and a travel boom that’s inflated the category’s sales year after year. But amid signs demand has peaked, it’ll take more than a Shopify storefront and slick branding to succeed.

The 11 year-old beauty brand has seen success with its fragrance franchise — which adds a new scent, Fleur, this month — but is focused on building multiple categories to broaden its appeal.

Dianna Cohen and Elaine Choi have built an insider favourite haircare label with signature products like the hair towel and brush-applied dry shampoo. Armed with a new funding round, they want to bring the brand to the masses.

TikTok helped bolster the adoption of live shopping outside of China, but brands and experts say the concept will only get bigger in the US even amid uncertainty about the future of the ByteDance-owned app.