The American crackdown on the drugs that kicked off the modern opioid overdose epidemic—prescription opioids—largely succeeded. According to data released by the American Medical Association (AMA) on Sept. 8, opioid prescriptions have dropped in every state over the last decade, plummeting nearly 50% nationally.
The effort to prevent overdose deaths, however, is an abject failure. Annual opioid overdose deaths more than tripled between 2010 and 2020, according to federal data. Drug overdose deaths over a 12-month period surpassed 100,000 for the first time in April 2021, with about 75% of those deaths involving opioids.
Many factors contributed to this, but the fundamental problem is that the evolution of the drug market outpaced efforts to stop drug overdoses. &…
The undeniable popularity of self-help books, wellness podcasts, and happiness workshops reflects the constant human desire to make life better. But could it be that many of our lives are already better than we recognize?
While we may have a loving family, a good place to live, and a decent job, we often fail to notice those things. It’s not because we are ungrateful or stupid. It’s because of a basic feature of our brain, known as habituation.
Habituation is the tendency of neurons to fire less and less in response to things that are constant. You enter a room filled with roses and after a short while, you cannot detect their scent any longer. And just as you get used to the smell of fresh flowers, you also get used to a loving relationship, to a promotion, to a nice ho…
It would seem awfully hard to lose track of 0.24219 of a day. That not-inconsiderable amount adds up to five hours, 48 minutes and 20 seconds and if it were added to the clock in any 24-hour period, you’d surely notice it. But if the same span of time were spread out over the course of an entire year, it would be a whole lot easier to let it slip by.
That, in fact, is exactly what has happened virtually every year since the dawn of time. We’re accustomed to thinking of the clockwork of the solar system as a very precise thing. The moon takes a month to orbit the Earth; the Earth takes 24 hours to spin on its axis and 365 days to orbit the sun. But things are a little sloppier than that. A lunar month is actually 27.3 days. A single earthly rotation actually takes 23 hours and …
The ‘Merch by Amazon’ on-demand printing service, in its third full year of operation, works by printing t-shirts once an order comes in, meaning content creators like video game makers and pay TV channels do not have to commit to a large merchandise inventory upfront. This allows companies to offer t-shirts featuring niche characters that would not warrant a wide distribution.
The government has shown “a shocking level of unreadiness” to take over from the Bangladesh Accord – signed by about 200 major brands and unions after the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster – said four groups, including Clean Clothes Campaign.“At this moment, the Accord is the only organization that is meaningfully and transparently making factories safer,” said Christie Miedema, a spokeswoman for the alliance of garment industry unions and advocacy organizations.
“A forced early transition could jeopardize the finalization of the vital elements of remediation,” she said, referring to Accord’s efforts to make some 1,700 factories safe before it is scheduled to hand over to government inspectors in 2021.Bangladesh, the world’s second largest garment producer, has said that it…
The probes cover purchasing alliances between France’s Auchan, Casino, Germany’s Metro and France’s Schiever on the one hand, and one between Carrefour and Systeme U.The probe on that last alliance was also widened to include the tie-up between Carrefour and Tesco.
The probes will assess “the competitive impact of these purchasing alliances on the markets concerned for suppliers and for consumers,” said the anti-trust body in a statement.Retailers are facing intense price competition in their home markets as well as competition from online players such as Amazon, and many French supermarket retailers have been forming alliances to cut costs and protect margins.Since these alliances are not limited to French retailers and involve the purchase of national brands as well a…
On 18 October, retailer Hema announced that it was in talks with Boekhoorn to take over the chain, including debts, from the London-based Lion Capital, for an undisclosed amount. According to the ACM, the acquisition of the retailer will not result in competition problems for the Dutch market.Local media report that the new owner already took its first steps to reduce Hema’s debt. Following the acquisition, €100 million in loans were repaid and €40 million were put in the retailer’s own capital.
In addition to reducing the debt, Hema said earlier that together with Boekhoorn it will focus on further investments in the Dutch market, online growth, international expansion and the improvement of its profitability in the coming years. In order to develop itself into a global b…
Amazon received a summons issued by India’s Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Future Group, an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday.”As we have just received the summons, we are examining it and will respond within the given time frame,” the spokesperson said.
The Enforcement Directorate has been investigating whether there were any violations of foreign investment laws when Amazon made a $200 million investment in Future’s gift voucher unit, Future Coupons, in 2019. The deal is at the heart of ongoing legal disputes between the two firms.At least two senior Future Group executives have been summoned to appear before the Enforcement Directorate in the week of Dec. 6, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, declining to be named as the matter w…
A curated list based on the amount of favorited “hearts,” saves and waitlist requests received by items and brands over the year, the digital luxury consignment shop found Gucci to be the most popular designer, with Dior, Chanel, Off-White and Louis Vuitton holding top niche spots. The year’s most popular items were dominated by footwear: according to The RealReal’s calculations, the popularity of Dior’s J’Adior pumps has grown three-fold, while women’s Chanel sneakers increased in popularity by 67 percent in October.
Men’s Off-White x Nike sneakers grew by 75 percent over the past three months, and the Gucci “Ace” kick clocked in as the company’s most sought-after men’s sneaker style for the year. Gucci also became the site’s most obsessed-over designer for women and men, and …
Average total spending predictions clocked in at $525, a 20 percent increase from last year’s figure of $430.The survey of consumer spending intentions and trends also found that online retailers and mass merchant stores hold spots as the top two shopping destinations, with an annually growing lead. They are followed by department stores and off-price retailers.
In addition, the survey found that the number of shoppers buying on their phones has increased from 59 percent to 67 percent, but most online shoppers still plan to make purchases via their computers. Two thirds of those polled said they research gifts online before buying. Despite the numbers, survey experts say this is not the time for brands to underestimate the importance of physical interaction with shoppers. “Alt…
While the Lagerfeld name is the big headline-grabber here, the wider decision of AM Retail to go fur-free is also important, especially as it operates not only Karl Lagerfeld Paris stores, but chains including Wilsons Leather, GH Bass & Co, and Calvin Klein Performance.The news itself came via anti-animal cruelty campaigning group Peta, which said the move reflects the views of today’s “ethical shoppers”. It added that “these fur bans are proof that the fashion industry is changing to meet the rising demand for luxury animal-friendly alternatives.”
The late Karl Lagerfeld used fur regularly in his collections but in recent years, the number of high-end labels rejecting fur has swelled. Top labels that have pivoted to become fur-free now include Burberry, Chanel, Prada, G…
“With jewellery, they can search for the whole of eternity!” quipped an industry expert, summing up the growing attraction of a segment that sits in a unique position in the world of luxury products. Significant in this respect are the transformations that occurred in the last few years in Paris in rue de la Paix and place Vendôme, jewellery’s iconic stronghold. Several leading brands have upgraded their presence there, resulting in a facelift to the palace that hosts Boucheron, the opening of Gucci’s fine jewellery boutique, and the renovations and upgrades already carried out or planned by many labels, like Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Bulgari and Chopard, all systematically involving extensions in the stores’ retail area. After a slow-down in Paris and elsewhere in Europ…
The Paris based luxury group, whose single largest fashion house is the Florentine-born Gucci, will contribute to the renovation of the lighting system in the courtyard of Palazzo Vecchio. The main part of the renovation will be the famed Michelozzo courtyard, designed in 1453 and extensively transformed and embellished in the following century by Giorgio Vasari, the artist and single most-read chronicler of the greatest Renaissance artists. The renovation begins this spring and will continue through 2021.“Exactly one year ago, when I was awarded the Fiorino d’Oro, I reiterated that Florence and Tuscany hold a particular significance for me and for the Group,” affirmed François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering. “Precisely for this reason, we genuinely wanted to help th…
The French luxury conglomerate and the Italian label are working with Imperial College London and Central Saint Martins on “a key strategic collaboration that leverages the potential of design-science academic research to prototype new bio-textiles”.It’s a two-year research initiative that “will develop new lab-grown fur fibres for luxury fashion”.
The partners said that “for the first time, keratin will be the focus of a study to develop a fibre capable of mimicking a range of luxury materials including fur”.The announcement comes a few months after Dolce & Gabbana announced that it would stop using fur but would work with furriers “in the creation of eco-fur garments and accessories, a sustainable faux fur alternative that uses recycled and recyclable materials…
When presenting the business’ new hub during a video-conference on Thursday, managing director Jean-François Palus did not want to disclose the amount the firm has committed to this operation. He did, however, stress that it was, “Kering’s largest investment in the peninsular.” “It is by no coincidence that we have chosen Italy,” said Palus. “It is a country where we have historically made our main investments in artistic and artisanal know-how, and now also in logistics skills.”
Since the French business took a stake in Gucci in 1999, a decisive step in the company’s evolution towards its transformation into a pure player in the luxury segment, Italy has continued to grow in importance for the business, in effect making Kering a Franco-Italian group. This i…
In combatting pollution – one billion lipsticks are thrown away each year, increasing water contamination, says the brand – the first eight lipsticks from La Bouche Rouge have been packaged in leather cases, which Gerlier calls fashion accessories (each case sells for 135 euros with a lipstick included). The refills are eco-friendly: without polypropylene and polyoxymethylene (45 euros for a refill cartridge). On the formula side, La Bouche Rouge is getting rid of endocrine disruptors too.Laureate of the CCI-Cosmetic Valley’s national cosmetics contest, La Bouche Rouge is already attracting the attention of major groups, as the brand is housed in research and production at Helios, the cosmetology research centre of LVMH.
Nicolas Gerlier also pointed out that his brand is the first…
Dame Sharon, a former second permanent secretary at the Treasury, said the government “needed to act urgently because families were struggling to pay utility and food costs” as energy bills and inflation soared.Speaking on ITV’s Peston show this week, she added: “The time has absolutely come for action whether it is an emergency budget or whether it is another vehicle.”
The chair of John Lewis Partnership, which also owns the Waitrose supermarket chain, said action needed to be taken before summer, with consumers facing another increase in energy bills of as much as £1,000 annually from October.She said: “The decisive action we saw, I thought the government did incredibly well at the pace and scale during Covid, I think we need to see the same decisive action…
Zero Waste Scotland and the Scottish Government have launched their ‘Circular Textiles Fund’ that will go directly to aid businesses across the industry — from fashion to upholstery.The scheme comes as Zero Waste Scotland’s Carbon Metric report shows textiles have “an extremely high environmental impact… which make up just 4% of waste by weight [but accounts] for nearly a third (32%) of the carbon impact of Scotland’s household waste”.
The Fund will support “innovative projects that have what it takes to be part of Scotland’s circular economy, in which resources are valued and made to last”. Applications to the fund can be from individual businesses or collaborations to achieve these objectives: reduce demand for new textiles; employ sustainable manufacturin…
Digital retail has revolutionised the luxury market, pushing brands to rethink their growth strategies. But now more than ever the phenomenon of e-commerce is shaping the industry, radically changing its power dynamics. First of all, the internet has lowered the hurdles barring access to the market, allowing new brands, in particular accessory labels offering products such as footwear, watches and eyewear, to try their luck in the big leagues without incurring prohibitive costs. South Korean eyewear label Gentle Monster, for example, is a testament to this new accessibility, having skyrocketed to the status of a global brand in a relatively short period of time.
“Digital also brings the shortcomings of physical stores into focus, highlighting large discrepancies in price, for e…
With the launch of the Hudson’s Bay Charter for Change, the foundation is committing $30 million over 10 years to organisations working to advance racial equity and inclusion, through three key areas of focus: education, employment and empowerment.This commitment launches as of Monday with its first five charitable partners: Indspire, Black Youth Helpline, CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals, CPAC Foundation, and MLSE Foundation.
The initiative will bring scholarships and bursaries for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students pursuing post-secondary education, empower Black youth with career readiness and training programs in high-demand fields, and use sport to teach life skills that empower racialized communities and improve academic engagement and workplace readiness.The…