Insider Finance - Business - Chaos at an influencer fashion brand

Nicholas Carlson, December 9, 2022

Hello, Insiders. Well, this was a weird week! We’ve been working on an investigation into influencer Arielle Charnas’ fashion company Something Navy for a few months now. And then, all of a sudden, the popular Instagram gossip account Deuxmoi told its followers to expect a revealing story from Insider. It was wild to see all the hype. So without further ado, we have our story for you today. Let’s get to it. 

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The big story

Neil Rasmus/BFA; Anna Kim/Insider

Arielle Charnas' company, Something Navy, is floundering amid dwindling sales, an employee exodus, and furious suppliers.

From the outside, it doesn't look as if Charnas' company — which the fashion blogger turned designer launched in July 2020 — is in trouble. But behind the scenes, Something Navy has been in a tailspin, according to interviews with more than 20 people, including former and current employees.

This year alone, at least 22 employees have left (28 full-time staffers remain). Things have gotten so bad that many of the factories with whom Something Navy works are refusing to ship any more product to the company until they get paid, former and current employees told Insider. (A Something Navy representative claimed that all outstanding payments referenced in Insider's reporting were made, though at least one person whose daughter modeled for the brand told Insider they still have not been paid.)

Meanwhile, Charnas is increasingly detached from her own business, people say; she’s more often photographed wearing designer pieces like $2,600 Hermès boots than clothing from her brand.

"Something Navy was a clusterfuck. Like, bleeding," one former high-ranking team member told Insider. "I'm just shocked it hasn't tanked already."

Read the full story here.

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Today's team

This edition was curated by Nicholas Carlson, and edited by Lisa Ryan, Nathan Rennolds, and Shona Ghosh. Get in touch: insidertoday@insider.com.

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