Goody has been getting in consumers’ hair (literally) for over 100 years.

Founded in 1907 as H. Goodman & Son, an ornamental comb business, it’s blossomed into the country’s No. 2 hair accessories brand, selling products like brushes, clips, and its signature Ouchless Elastics at retailers including Walmart, Target, and CVS.

The brand just released its largest ever collection, a Walmart-exclusive 60-piece line called Goody Tru, collaborating with three multicultural women artists—Reyna Noriega, Hola Lou, and sister trio Let It Happen—to create products from satin bonnets to hair charms.

• The line saw a 70% unit sell-through rate at the end of February, making up 66% of the top 25 hair accessory fashion items at the retailer.

Retail Brew chatted with Francesca Raminella, CEO of Goody’s parent company, Beauty by Imagination (BBI), which also owns brands like Wet Brush and Ouidad, to discuss the century-old brand’s approach to innovation.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What was the inspiration behind the Goody Tru line? It all started in the Covid days. We really wanted to find something that could be inspiring. And the inspiration came from doing something that was not traditional. So most brands these days, they partner with a celebrity, with an influencer, maybe with a designer of a brand that’s already famous. We found these female artists who had a lot of energy, had a lot to say, multicultural, [and] very relevant to the customer that we wanted to talk to, which basically was our current Goody customers plus some new ones that we wanted to attract.

Keep reading here.—EC

You know how when consumers speak of increasing diversity and representation in fashion what they really mean is brands just using more AI models of color? Yeah, maybe not, but Levi Strauss & Co. might not have gotten the memo; it announced a partnership with AI studio Lalaland.ai last week.

Through its partnership, the company said it would be using Lalaland.ai’s advanced AI tech to generate a wide range of models that represent people of different body types, skin colors, and ages.

“This AI technology can potentially assist us by supplementing models and unlocking a future where we can enable customers to see our products on more models that look like themselves, creating a more personal and inclusive shopping experience,” the brand said in a statement.

While AI’s potential in fashion seems manifold and unexplored in many ways, Levi’s plan to “supplement” models of various backgrounds and body types is unlikely to be one of those ways. Not only does it hamper the relatively limited opportunities for real-life models of color and plus-sized models to get hired, but it also seems like the perfect recipe to ignite consumer backlash.

And, in Levi’s case, it did.

Days after the announcement of the partnership, social media was flooded with posts criticizing the move. "Your diversity doesn’t count if you’re not diversifying who’s on the payroll," one Twitter user wrote.

Many others expressed similar sentiments, with some even claiming they wouldn’t buy from the brand again.

Final word: Levi’s has since issued a statement claiming it doesn’t plan on scaling back on live photoshoots, using real-life models, or its “commitment to working with diverse models.”

Keep reading here.—JS

If March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, how does April come in? It doesn’t really matter, because April means something else entirely for us: resale. That’s our monthly theme, and Andrew Adam Newman got us started this week with his look at resale’s holdouts.

We’ll have much more throughout the month on how ever more retailers are jumping into resale to keep customers in their ecosystem, but before we get too far into it, we’re taking a look back at March, when we went deep on supply chains.

No chain, no gain: Katishi Maake spoke with Rothy’s chief supply chain officer, Heather Howard, about the company’s vertically integrated manufacturing process and commitment to circularity.

• How Rothy’s supply-chain model will help it reach full circularity

Orderly fashion: Jeena Sharma delved into the critical importance of a smoothly functioning supply chain when it comes to pulling off a successful Fashion Week.

• Why a seamless supply chain is integral to fashion week

Same chip, different day: You’d think credit card chip shortages would keep retail execs up at night, but you’d be (mostly) wrong, as Andrew Adam Newman reports.

• Chip shortages are creating long waits for credit cards, but retailers are weathering the storm

Supply and try again: Whatever happened to all those “supply chain issues” we were hearing so much about for so long? Erin Cabrey tracked some of them down.

• Supply chain issues: Where are they now?

Working machines: “Combined with an e-commerce boom, a supply chain still recovering from the pandemic, and an increasingly tight labor market, [AI-powered automation] is transforming the way retail work works,” writes Maeve Allsup in her look at how the tech is affecting jobs.

• Retail supply chains are front-row seats for the impact of AI on jobs

Today’s top retail reads.

A long run: How Hokas broke through the noise to become one of the fastest growing and most popular sneaker brands for runners and hikers. (the New York Times)

Final destination: American railways and truckers have been longtime competitors, but post-pandemic, both sectors are seeing a slowdown, leaving some wondering if their futures will diverge. (The Economist)

A pretty penny: L’Oréal’s acquisition of beloved skincare brand Aēsop came as a surprise, mostly because it paid a whopping $2.5 billion. Here’s why. (Business of Fashion)

Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?

1. Subway and Cadbury have joined forces to create a Creme Egg sandwich for Easter that will be available across the UK.
2. Chipotle is getting complaints from longtime and loyal customers for making its salsa too spicy.
3. Japanese authorities have arrested two men for “sushi terrorism” after they performed a food-related prank at a restaurant and posted it online.
4. Sweetgreen has introduced a “Finance Bro Salad” across its Murray Hill and Wall Street locations that comes with extra protein and a special “secret” dressing.

Keep reading for the answer.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• Recreational cannabis is legal in NY, but 1,400+ unlicensed stores are not
• Takeaways from Metaverse Fashion Week
• Why some major players are still unsold on resale