The Presidential Inauguration may be the big news of the week, but we here at Retail Brew are still in the midst of curating our key takeaways from NRF 2025, having spent days speaking to executives, and keenly listening to the numerous on-stage presentations.
Last week, you got a look at the main takeaways from the event, but we dug deeper to find out what conversations were happening among fashion executives.
From retail AI to innovative growth strategies, brands spoke in detail about their biggest learnings over the years and what they’re preparing for moving forward.
The Tommy Hilfiger reflected on his success
There are few accessibly priced brands with a legacy as iconic as Tommy Hilfiger. Since its establishment in 1985, the New York-based retailer has come to define “classic American cool” with its distinct preppy style and numerous celebrity associations. In speaking with the president and CEO of NRF, Hilfiger himself reflected on how his brand continues to stay in the zeitgeist 40 years on. For him, it’s about having a focus.
“It was [about] building a community, and I thought that catering to people who were interested in music and fashion would be my lane,” he said. “Every business has to have some sort of definite focus, and that was my focus, and it still is today. It’s gone beyond just music and fashion, because obviously it’s sports and fashion, it’s Hollywood and fashion, it’s influencers with fashion. And it helps me carve out this journey to build this lifestyle global brand well.”
He added that he has always strived to be “ahead of the curve” in the ever-evolving fashion business and right now, he is betting on AI.
“Twenty-five years ago, people were saying that people will never buy clothes on the internet or buy clothes via e-commerce, and they said they’ll never buy perfume or beauty or footwear [online], and we know how that went,” he said. “So I think AI is going to change everything. AI is going to propel businesses ahead. And there’s a danger in it also, but I think that you have to stay abreast of what is going on in the tech world, because the tech world is going to sort of be the horse that pulls the wagon…when we started doing 3D design almost 15 years ago, it sped up everything in terms of product development, supply chain, and it changed the way we designed.”
Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know
Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.
Guess refocuses on personalization
At one of the longer on-stage discussions, Guess executives including Bruce Yen, VP of retail applications, and Lance Tamanaha, director of customer experience, echoed Hilfiger’s sentiments on the growing importance of tech. For Guess, it is best applied to personalize the customer experience.
“Being a lifestyle brand also means being part of our customers’ lives beyond products, being to inspire confidence, creativity, and individuality for everything that we offer,” Yen said. “This diversity not only strengthens our relationship with our customers, but positions Guess as a brand that continues to evolve while staying true to our worlds. Fast forward to today, and although the customer’s mindset hasn’t changed, their expectations have skyrocketed. It’s no longer enough to deliver great products. Customers expect experiences, personalization, and authenticity, all in real time.”
Yen said for the retailer, that meant “looking at the full picture” in terms of what products customers were shopping and why they kept coming back. “What really worked for us was stepping back, looking up and focusing on the patterns and preferences that gave us a clearer, simpler view of where our customers are,” he said.
Macy’s defends the department store
In another keynote session, Tony Spring, chairman and CEO of Macy’s, and executives from Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury came together to chat about growth strategy and debate the age-old question about the “death of the department store.”
“I think the key to remember is that the department store essentially is the curation of choice. We all love choice, right?” Spring said. “Please don’t give me that endless aisle that goes on forever. I want the best aisle. I want the number of choices that I as a consumer think are appropriate, and I want them fast. The department store is well positioned to be able to offer that, and the three of us together, looking at Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s and then the specialty niche of Bluemercury, I think gives the consumer so many options, but done in a way that makes it easier to shop.”