Hello and welcome back to as seen on :)
We have quite a few new readers here, and since today’s edition is paywalled, an introduction feels appropriate.
as seen on is a cultural intelligence newsletter for people who want to understand the systems shaping culture before everyone else starts talking about them. Every week I cover fashion, beauty, media, technology, and the business of culture—not as separate industries, but as interconnected forces that shape how we spend, signal, and make meaning.
It’s written for founders, strategists, marketers, creatives, and anyone who reads a headline and wonders: Yes, but what does it actually mean?
In today’s newsletter: I'm digging into Reformation's billion-dollar IPO, why fashion founders everywhere are paying attention, and whether public investors will actually buy its "earned relevance". I’ll be making the bear case for blush, which may have finally hit category saturation, and looking at what Sephora's new hair category actually signals about where it wants beauty to go next. I'm also tracking an already wild week for two entertainment giants: a federal judge just paused Paramount Skydance's $110 billion Warner Bros. Discovery takeover, even as WBD's own CEO is bidding $68 million on a bankrupt Jewish summer camp. Anthropic is hiring someone to "explain AI safety to Wall Street" and OpenAI’s merch sucks. Elsewhere: Marc Jacobs Beauty's surprise bestseller and early performance, betting as the new wedding guest entertainment, South Korea's cadaver anti-aging trend,
and, as always, a fair amount of GLP-1-shaped news.
Also mentioned in this issue: SIMAD Holdings, Cosmopolitan, Julia Mervis, Beehiiv, Rachel Cusk, Ben Affleck, Natalie Portman, La Boîte, Clare, Laurel Supply, Erewhon, Ulta, Merit, Fenty Beauty, L&C Bio, Neko Health, Daniel Ek, Midjourney, and more…
Calm founder Alex Tew posted on X that a routine Neko Health scan found a “strange-looking mole” on his back. It turned out to be malignant. “I’m grateful to Neko for helping me discover this—I’m not sure how I would have otherwise,” he wrote. Neko Health, the preventative health startup co-founded by Spotify founder Daniel Ek, last week closed a $700 million Series C at a $7 billion valuation. Midjourney (yes, them), is also creating a body scanner, which it plans to integrate into a spa experience with hot tubs and saunas, opening in SF sometime in 2027.
I have a few things to say about Paige Lorenze’s (Paul, now?) recent nuptials and the power of sticking to the bit but I suggest you watch this TikTok instead. Her brand, Dairy Boy, has teased a bridal collection. But of course!
Reformation is targeting a valuation of up to $1 billion in its upcoming U.S. IPO. I care because this is less a story about a singular brand than it is a referendum on every DTC apparel brand that came before it, and a bellwether for other would-be public fashion brands (Skims, Quince, Vuori, Alo) waiting in the wings. Some thoughts:
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.