Curatorium #5: This Week’s Insights to Watch | Edition October 20 – 26, 2025
We're back with trends shaping fashion-tech and culture and strategic insights on why it matters.
Edition: October 20 – 26, 2025
Welcome to another Curatorium - a strategic attempt in capturing the news that’s making fashion-tech, culture and artisanship in the Global South. Let’s go!
(Average reading time ≈ 9 minutes total)
I. FASHION TECHNOLOGY : DIGITAL CIRCULARITY TAKES CENTER STAGE | Read more
Tallinn-based Yaga secures €4 million to expand its secondhand fashion platform, with backing from H&M Group Ventures.
Signal in the Market
Operating across South Africa and Estonia, Yaga has built a catalog of 3 million items and over 1 million users. Its expansion into MENA markets and integration of secure payments show the next phase of fashion tech’s focus: building supply-side trust.
Strategic Insight
Resale platforms are becoming critical infrastructure for circular economies. Venture-backed marketplaces in emerging regions may soon replace traditional retail franchises as scalable distribution models.
II. FASHION AI: INFRASTRCUTRE OF INTELLIGENCE | Read more
Ralph Lauren introduces “Ask Ralph,” an AI-powered advisor built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI, blending creative vision with executive analytics.
Signal in the Market
Generative AI is shifting from being a post-production tool to an enterprise collaboration layer, powering decision-making in design, merchandising, and CX. Korea’s KAIST AI research into fabric motion modeling and TechBullion’s generative photo retouching coverage illustrate this systemic adoption.
Strategic Insight
AI is becoming the operational backbone of luxury production pipelines. Brands investing early in cross-functional AI ecosystems will capture greater creative throughput and lower supply-chain friction.
III. CONSUMER MARKETING :AGE OF EXPERIENCES AND PURPOSE | Read More
Consumers are pivoting to purposeful, frugal consumption. Gen Z’s demand for authenticity is changing the way value is defined in retail.
Signal in the Market
McKinsey’s consumption data and Placer.ai’s in-store metrics show declining foot traffic but rising engagement in “experience-driven” promotions, such as Best Buy’s Techtober campaign. Consumers are deliberating but not disengaging.
Strategic Implication
Brand growth depends on experience innovation, not discounting. Integrating values-based storytelling with hybrid physical-digital touchpoints is key to maintaining relevance during economic compression.
IV. THE GLOBAL SOUTH: NEW GROWTH GEOGRAPHIES | Read More
Africa Finance Corporation partners with Lagos Fashion Week to build creative-industrial infrastructure across West Africa.
Signal in the Market
Parallel to this, Thailand’s Fashion Hero program boosts SME-led exports to 220 billion baht. Regional investment is tying creative identity directly to economic development, moving “fashion” out of soft culture into hard infrastructure.
Strategic Implication
The Global South is no longer a sourcing ground but a strategic growth engine. Investors and policymakers should look for cross-sector opportunities where creative economies align with renewable manufacturing and logistics ecosystems.
Subject Matter’s Reflection
Fashion’s value chain is rapidly changing - AI tools, resale platforms, and regional industrial investment are building new scaffolding for fashion’s global value chain. The emphasis is heavily on operational resilience.
The future of fashion will belong to those controlling the physical and digital infrastructure of creation: the servers, supply chains, and sustenance systems powering cultural production.
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