The Biggest Retail News of 2019: Nordstrom, Barneys, Forever 21

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This photo shows the Barneys department store in New York. The luxury retailer could be joining a growing list of retailers that have filed for bankruptcy. Barneys New York is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the latest retailer to buckle as shoppers move online. The iconic clothier founded almost a century ago will keep the doors open at its 10-story Madison Avenue store, but it has secured $75 million in financing to pay employees and vendors as it seeks a buyerBarneys Bankruptcy, New York, USA - 16 Jul 2019

The exterior of Barneys New York.

Bebeto Matthews/AP/Shutterstock

2019 isn’t even over, but it’s already been full of changes for the retail industry. Retailers provided plenty of headlines, from store bankruptcies to grand openings and multimillion-dollar deals. Scroll down to revisit some of the biggest retail news so far.

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Saint Laurent and its creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, have bought designer Olivier Châtenet’s complete collection of vintage Saint Laurent clothes, consisting of 4,000 pieces dating from 1966 to 1985. ⁣ ⁣ It marks a major acquisition for the Kering-owned house, which has also tightened its links with the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris, which has a separate archive of 5,000 items of clothing, 15,000 accessories and thousands of sketches. Vaccarello recently curated his first exhibition there, dedicated to YSL muse Betty Catroux.⁣ ⁣ In an interview with WWD, Châtenet explained why he decided to let go of his collection, which has become an essential resource for anyone interested in Saint Laurent — including director Bertrand Bonello, who borrowed scores of items to dress actors and help re-create catwalk scenes for his 2014 film “Saint Laurent.”⁣ ⁣ “I like the idea of this collection having a life and being useful, not just something I enjoy on my own. I’ve had lots of fun putting it together over the last 30 years and showing it, with exhibitions in Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and it wasn’t about ownership. I still love it as much, even if it no longer belongs to me,” he said.⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in bio for more. Report: @jdiderich
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L.A.'s @racetoerasems is hosting a drive-in gala this year. ⁣ ⁣ The event will offer a live concert, auction and exclusive look at an upcoming Tommy Hilfiger collection on Sept. 4 at the Rose Bowl.⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in bio for more.⁣ ⁣ Report: @ryma___________
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@AliciaKeys has partnered with @elfcosmetics to launch a "lifestyle beauty" brand.⁣ ⁣ An @elfcosmetics statement describes the project as "a culmination of Keys' personal skin-care journey" and notes the line will include "skin-loving, dermatologist-developed, cruelty-free products." It will launch in 2021.⁣ ⁣ "It's so much more than just the products. She has such important messaging on inclusivity, empowerment, wellness, self care, rituals — so really being able to bring all those elements out in rich storytelling is a key part of what this brand is going to be about,” E.l.f. chief executive officer Tarang Amin said in an interview. ⁣ Tap the link in bio for more.⁣ ⁣ Report: @_a_collins 📸: @zefashioninsider
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"You know, I've been doing emojis before there was an Internet," says artist @KennyScharf.⁣ ⁣ He's been painting his trademark Pop Art emotive faces since the early Eighties, certainly long before the word emoji became part of the digital lexicon in the late Nineties. And Scharf's colorful faces, informed by Abstract Expressionism, certainly offer up more emotional nuance than the ubiquitous digital yellow smileys. Presented together, his work surveys the subtle variations of human reaction.⁣ ⁣ The faces run the gamut of color, expression and texture. Sometimes they're angry, full of scratchy lines, and sometimes they're happy, almost delusional, with rainbow colors and swirled lines. They can also be confused, or sad, and sometimes they're worried — as the faces painted in early March were — and sometimes they're optimistic. Sometimes they have three eyes, or none at all; all of the faces seem happy to be seen.⁣ ⁣ An irate face, orange and filled in with scrawled black lines, accompanied a June 16 post on Scharf's Instagram account. In the caption, Scharf wrote about his experience with police brutality as a young white graffiti artist. "I’ve been the target of police brutality more than once in my younger days spray painting in the NYC streets. I learned very early that my life was spared because I am not Black," he wrote. ⁣ ⁣ "Moodz" will be open by appointment, after months of galleries primarily showing exhibitions online. Although there is always a physical effect of seeing art in person — and certainly given the scale of "Moodz" — Scharf's work is prime for the digital space. "Obviously, these faces are perfect for the Instagram post," he says. "And, they just take up a circle and a square."⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in bio for more.⁣ ⁣ Report: @ktauer 📸: @joshuawhitephotography
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Writer Raven Leilani spoke to WWD about her much-anticipated debut novel "Luster."⁣ ⁣ "Luster" has so far received critical praise, and her literary peers have referenced the novel with excitement well ahead of its August release. At the beginning of the year, one of Leilani's professors from NYU's MFA creative writing program, Zadie Smith, wrote an essay praising Leilani's work for the February issue of Harper's Bazaar; the spread included a self-portrait painted by Leilani. Leilani shares an interest in portraiture with the protagonist of "Luster," Edie. Unlike Leilani, Edie hasn't yet established herself creatively.⁣ ⁣ "Most of my work has been done after the 9 to 5," Leilani says. "That frenzy made it into the work; you see Edie trying to balance those demands of work and survival and art, and I was doing the same thing.”⁣ ⁣ Her novel marries a dedication to literary craft with mainstream appeal. It's an unusual page turner, with a storyline that captivates with dark comedic effect within the mundane, familiar stakes of everyday life. As a young woman figuring out what she wants and how to get it, Edie's choices are complicated and at times shocking and always exciting from the vantage of a voyeur.⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in bio for more. ⁣ ⁣ Report: @ktauer 📸: @ninasubin