A crisp October evening in the trendy shopping district of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A gleaming black Suburban pulls up to the curb. Paparazzi cameras click and flash as the rear door opens. Out steps Chloe Bailey, the singer and actress better known mononymously as Chlöe.

Her outfit was all black, as were her shoes, except for chunky white soles. Her shoes as in her shoes: Chlöe designed the boots in a collaboration with Sorel. And she’s arrived tonight at an opening party for that very brand’s pop-up store.

The exterior and interior were all orange, to match the heavy use of the color in Sorel’s current shoe line. Also orange: the evening’s cocktail, an Aperol Spritz. And the paparazzi wall backdrop, with the brand’s polar bear logo in white.

BFA, the photography agency, captured celebrities posing in front of it, including actresses Julia Fox (Could you pull this look off?) and Hari Neff (of Barbie fame), along with model Precious Lee.

It was a scene. But scenes don’t come together without behind-the-scenes strategists, so we buttonholed three of them.

Keep reading here.—AAN

Where can you discover a brand you love, learn a recipe hack, and watch unique content from your fave creators? You know it, we know it.

TikTok is the place to connect with a highly engaged, highly curious audience (150m in the US and growing). And now creators, brands, and businesses can leverage TikTok Shop, a new in-app shopping experience that’s a one-stop entertainment-based catalyst for growth and sales.

TikTok’s unique discovery engine enables brands and creators to showcase products directly to new and existing audiences, effectively building a channel that drives inspired sales.

Sellers on TikTok Shop have access to real-time insights to understand customer behavior and engagement. With a seamless in-app checkout, the shopping experience is simplified for customers from start to finish.

See what you can accomplish.

A new initiative from two former Google execs is using AI to measure top beauty brands’ inclusivity efforts.

The SeeMe Index, debuting today, aims to help both brand marketers identify effective marketing strategies and consumers determine which brands are taking significant steps toward inclusivity. It offers a “Seal of Approval” to brands that score 200 or more points using the company’s methodology, which uses “responsible AI,” coded to include individuals who are gender-nonconforming. The index measures six identity dimensions—gender expression, age, skin tone, body size, visible disability, and observed sexual orientation—across public advertisements, product lineups, and DE&I commitments.

Keep reading here.—EC

It may not be as well known as Dry January, but there’s another month when many stop tippling, and maybe it’s time to stop shaking and stirring, because we’re smack dab in it.

Sober October traces back to 2010, as a fundraiser for Life Education, an Australian group that warns children about the potential dangers of drugs and alcohol. They called it—let us all praise the portmanteau gods—Ocsober.

Now a new report from Jungle Scout, which tracks sales data on Amazon, suggests that the sober curious are particularly well-stocked this year, as sales of non-alcoholic (NA) beverages are surging.

Keep reading here.—AAN