Must Read: Narciso Rodriguez Returns to Fashion, Black-Founded Beauty Brands Outpaced Prestige Market in February

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.

Narciso Rodriguez returns to fashion
With a fashion career spanning more than 30 years, Narciso Rodriguez mastered minimalism through iconic pieces including Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's sleek wedding dress, yet Covid marked the end of his business. Now, Rodriguez is returning to fashion, focusing on work that suits his needs and leaving runway behind. "The craft, I realized, is so embedded in me," Rodriguez told Town & Country. "I can't stop working. I'm too young. I want to start making clothes again." {Town & Country}

Black-founded beauty brands led prestige market in sales growth last February
In February 2023, Black-founded beauty brands grew at nearly twice the rate of the overall prestige beauty market, according to data from Circana. Black-founded brands also outperformed their counterparts at a rate of between one-and-a-half to three times in February 2023 versus February 2022. Some of the brands driving this growth included Fenty Beauty, Uoma Beauty, Pat McGrath Labs, Buttah Skin, BeautyStat and Pattern Beauty. Data for February 2024 is not yet out. {WWD/paywalled}

Rhode's Lip Case offers TikTok a marketing masterclass
Hailey Bieber is known for going viral, whether it's for "strawberry makeup" trends, her Rhode tinted Peptide Lip Treatments or her beauty brand's latest viral hit: the Lip Case. Bieber teased the product-holding phone accessory for about a month via Instagram selfies and Super Bowl touch-ups, but now the $35 Lip Case is launching on Feb. 27 and TikTok has lots of opinions. Fellow beauty brands such as Benefit Cosmetics and Colourpop have playfully responded to Rhode's latest product, while some beauty consumers posted complaints about the design, but Rhode's viral marketing strategy will likely result in the Lip Case instantly selling out. {Glossy}

Saks CEO addresses plans to make good on unpaid bills
Amid mounting macroeconomic challenges, Saks.com and brick-and-mortar Saks Fifth Avenue (technically different companies) have faced increasing reports of missed payments to vendors. CEO Marc Metrick said he hopes to solve this by the end of 2024 Q1 by bringing in capital, per a quarterly letter to vendors. "We understand we have obligations to these people," Metrick told WWD. "They're our partners. We don't plan on not meeting these responsibilities to them. Obviously, we want to make sure we get inventory. So it's really sort of a combination of different factors that go into it. But our intent is to pay everybody." He did not disclose a specific amount or time frame. {WWD/paywalled}

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