The Business of Fashion

Summary

The Business of Fashion is an online magazine and website dedicated to the world of fashion. It was founded in 2007 by Imran Amed and has gained a global following as an essential daily resource for fashion creatives, executives and entrepreneurs in over 200 countries. It is frequently described as “indispensable,” “required reading” and “an addiction.”

History

The Business of Fashion was founded in 2007 by Imran Amed

The Business of Fashion was founded in 2007 by Imran Amed, a fashion business advisor, writer and digital entrepreneur, The Business of Fashion began as a project of passion, aiming to fill the void for an informed, analytical and opinionated point of view on the fashion business.

In 2013, founder Imran Amed, after financing BoF independently, raised a seed funding round, followed by a Series A round of funding in 2015, from a group of investors including Index Ventures, LVMH, Carmen Busquets and Felix Capital, who together hold a minority stake in the business.

In a short period of time, The Business of Fashion became an important media within the fashion industry as “the ultimate reference in fashion journalism” read by fashion personalities, and one of the “most influential voice of sector”. BoF approaches fashion from different angles, be they political, environmental or religious, for example.

The site is also divided into two areas: one, open and accessible all users made up of news, and a portal for professionals only.

In addition to providing “information”, BoF activities are multiple. These range from the organization of conferences to the creation of various rankings, online education or job offers (section created in 2014) which allow to partially finance the operation of the site and its approximately thirty staff. The rest of the funding comes from advertising and paid subscriptions.

Image source: carmenbusquets.com

Its ranking of the 500 most important people of this field is a reference in the fashion industry, and some exclusive interviews or scoops have forged the notoriety of the site. BoF now appears as a direct and credible competitor of the respected Women’s Wear Daily but in a more intellectual and analytical version, not just relaying press releases.

Moreover, twice a year, the site publishes a printed version of selected timeless articles. The website has grown to leverage a network of savvy writers and fashion insiders in style capitals around the world, such as Tim Blanks or Susanna Lau. As of 2018, more than a million users visit the website per month and it has 400,000 subscribers to the newsletter.

BoF Values and Ethics 

The Business of Fashion’s core mission is to open, inform and connect the global fashion industry

Image source: the-dots.com

The Business of Fashion’s core mission is to open, inform and connect the global fashion industry. At the core of this mission is their dedication to creating, curating and distributing high-quality news and analysis. They do so with complete editorial independence, free from investor influence, commercial pressures or personal bias. Here is an outline of their business model and the measures they take to maintain our integrity:

• Their journalism is rooted in balanced reporting, fairness and integrity.
• They do not take payments of any kind in return for editorial coverage.
• They do not adjust editorial content to the wishes or interests of commercial partners, shareholders or other financial backers, nor do they avoid covering subjects that may be sensitive for commercial partners, shareholders or other financial backers.
• All investors have signed shareholders’ documentation guaranteeing BoF’s complete editorial independence.
• All advertising content must be clearly distinguishable from editorial content. As such, all sponsored content or other “native advertising” content must prominently display the following disclaimer: “Sponsored Content.”
• All sponsored content or other “native advertising” content created on behalf of commercial partners is done so by BoF’s commercial team.
• BoF correspondents have no involvement in the creation of advertising content.
• BoF correspondents are governed by conflict-of-interest guidelines ensuring there is absolutely no overlap between their coverage and any personal financial activity.
• BoF correspondents do not accept gifts in return for coverage.
• The one exception to this rule is travel for the purposes of facilitating editorial coverage. In such cases, the fact that the trip was paid is always disclosed.
• BoF correspondents who plagiarise or knowingly provide false information for publication are not tolerated.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the history of Business of Fashion?
The Business of Fashion was founded in 2007 by Imran Amed and aiming to fill the void for an informed, analytical and opinionated point of view on the fashion business.

What are the Business of Fashion’s approaches to fashion?
The Business of Fashion became an important media within the fashion industry as the ultimate reference in fashion journalism, and approaches fashion from different angles, be they political, environmental or religious.

What are the Business of Fashion values and ethics?
The Business of Fashion’s core mission is to open, inform and connect the global fashion industry. At the core of this mission is their dedication to creating, curating and distributing high-quality news and analysis.

References

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/the-business-of-fashion#section-overview

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/the-business-of-fashion

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Business_of_Fashion

https://www.businessoffashion.com/about