What's the Future of Fashion?

FashionSIGHTS Unveiled with Achim Berg

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FashionSIGHTS is an independent corporate think tank dedicated to exploring and shaping the future of the fashion industry. Rooted in rigorous research and powered by the expertise of our team and extensive network, we deliver value through THOUGHT LEADERSHIP and Advisory services to our clients, including senior decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and investors.

Our unique inSIGHTS engine allows us to create hindSIGHT and foreSIGHT – analyzing past trends, addressing current challenges, and anticipating future opportunities. Based on our distinctive understanding, we actively support and make INVESTMENTS in start-ups and scale-ups at the intersection of fashion and technology, driving innovation and transformative growth.

At FashionSIGHTS, we use our convening power to foster a COMMUNITY of forward-thinkers by connecting our clients and partners with current and future decision-makers of the industry. We collaborate in a culture defined by trust, integrity, high performance, teamwork, and kindness. Together, we are reimagining the future of fashion.

Latest News

linkedin January 2026

Fashion overstock is like fresh produce: if it doesn’t sell ...

There’s a prevailing belief in the industry that #digitization and #AI will finally solve the overstock problem. But off-price retail isn’t just a temporary fix - it’s a structural feature of the system, acting as a release valve for persistent oversupply. In challenging times like these, wholesale often plans too optimistically and relies on discounting and off-price channels as a fallback. The two-year value curve tells the story clearly. Products launched at full price with short shelf lives rapidly depreciate. Proprietary data from the team at smatch shows that after two years, discounted items typically retain only around 17% of their original retail value. In practice, that means clearing older inventory often requires markdowns of 74–83% off the original price.
linkedin January 2026

The Evolution of Fashion's Super Winners

Since 2017, McKinsey & Company and The Business of Fashion have anually identified the so-called “Super Winners” in their State of Fashion report. These are the 20 top-performing publicly traded companies in fashion, apparel, and luxury, ranked by their absolute economic profits. The FashionSIGHTS team examined this list more closely to understand how the performance of these Super Winners have changed over time. What stands out is how little the top of the ranking has shifted in the past ten years. The same players largely remain in place, often just swapping positions. Meanwhile, some former leaders have dropped significantly in the rankings, while some categories such as off-price brands like The TJX Companies, Inc. have gained considerable ground.
linkedin January 2026

The Stratospheric Growth of the Luxury Industry Over the Pas...

Over the past 25 years, the luxury sector has experienced remarkable expansion, with several brands reaching unprecedented scale. LVMH stands out as the clear leader, generating €85 billion in annual revenue - more than the next five competitors combined (Richemont, Kering, CHANEL, Hermès, and Tapestry). Since 2000, LVMH has grown more than 7x. Meanwhile, single-brand houses such as CHANEL and Hermès have shown exceptional performance, growing approximately 10–15x over the same period to achieve annual revenues of €15–20 billion. This highlights the strength of focused brand identity and long-term equity. Another key trend emerges from the data: France dominates the global luxury market. French-based companies lead the industry, while Italian, American, and British competitors lag behind.
linkedin January 2026

A snapshot of the arguments that sparked the most debate

Not a press roundup. A snapshot of the arguments that sparked the most debate, comments, and off-platform conversation in 2025: drawn from pieces I was quoted in. Across FT, WWD, and WSJ, three articles kept resurfacing — because they captured the key tensions the industry faced last year, and will likely keep grappling with.
linkedin December 2025

#Books that shaped my 2025 …

Mostly non-fiction A lot of fashion Some art and biographies Plenty on mindset, business, and economics And many inspiring voices from around the world The 2026 plan? The rules stay simple (and slightly ambitious): → more books → 3 languages (would love to read one in Swedish) → more fiction → even more fashion & luxury → buy almost exclusively from independent bookstores Bonus milestone: seeing my own Future of Fashion book on this list next year :)
linkedin January 2026

Do luxury brands get it wrong with mass-market sports sponso...

Another strong article by Adrienne Klasa in Friday’s Financial Times. Luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Prada and Moncler are doubling down on major sports sponsorships: the Olympics, Formula 1, the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Chinese women’s football team,Inter Milan, Real Madrid C.F.. I get the logic. It’s entertainment, it’s global scale, it generates massive (social) media exposure. And I largely agree with the arguments made by my friends Jonathan Siboni and Erwan Rambourg, who are quoted in the piece. And yet - I get it, but I also don’t. Take LVMH and the Olympics. That sponsorship almost had to happen. A home game in Paris, unmatched access to experiences, champagne, hospitality - and, not least, an elegant way of reminding Kering who’s who. Strategically, it made sense.
press July 2025

Fast Fashion no longer guarantees succes

TextilWirtschaft by Michael Werner

Achim Berg spent many years at McKinsey as an analyst and consultant - focusing on luxury and fashion. Recently, he struck out on his own with FashionSights. “Even in times like these, the business can still be fun,” says Berg who doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths and remains deeply passionate about the industry.

press June 2025

A50 – The list of the 50 most important Germans in fashion

Achtung & FAZ magazine by Alfons Kaiser, Jennifer Wiebking, Markus Ebner, Alex Rottenmanner, Nicole Urbschat, Silke Wichert

Achim ranks No.10 on Achtung magazine’s annual “A50” list acknowledging his lasting industry influence and founding of FashionSIGHTS.

For the first time, FashionSIGHTS founder and managing director Dr. Achim Berg has landed on Achtung magazine’s annual “A50” list - a ranking that spotlights influential German individuals shaping the global fashion landscape. He debuts at No.10, just behind Mytheresa CEO Michael Kliger and Chloé creative director Chemena Kamali.

The magazine highlights Achim’s lasting influence on the industry, citing his role in establishing McKinsey’s global Fashion & Luxury practice and his standing as one of the most quoted business voices in the field. His founding of FashionSIGHTS is recognized as a timely and strategic move, that unites data-based hindsight and foresight with deep industry expertise at a time of fundamental industry transformation.

press September 2025

The Great Fashion Reset - How to Fix Luxury’s Trust Issues

BoF by Sarah Kent

Achim comments on recent scandals exposing luxury supply chains and its impact on luxury perception and consumer trust

The luxury industry is currently facing a structural crisis. Price hikes far beyond inflation have raised consumer doubts about value and trust. Slowing sales, management missteps and recent "Made in Italy" court cases exposing sweatshops, have further damaged the industry's image. Achim notes that luxury brands have been chasing volumes without strengthening supply chain controls, often turning a blind eye. He highlights that this is especially shocking for small-volume, high-margin companies, whose higher prices are justified by promises of exceptional quality.

event May 2025

The Future of Retail Summit, Milan

Achim Berg joins the opening panel at the first edition of "The Future of Retail" Summit, hosted by FASHION Magazine in Milan on May 5th. The summit gathers leading voices from across the fashion industry from Italy and beyond to explore the evolving dynamics and future of fashion retail. In the discussion, Achim addresses the complex challenges and emerging opportunities that are currently reshaping the industry landscape.

linkedin

The 2025 Forbes Billionaires List is out - and it’s clear: F...

The combined net worth of fashion and luxury billionaires in the Forbes Top 200 fell to $522bn, down 16% from $617bn in 2024. That decline is mirrored in the number of fashion/luxury figures in the Top 200: just 10 in 2025, compared to 14 last year. Notable drop-offs include: • Giorgio Armani now ranked #208 with $11.8bn • Sky Xu (Shein Shein) now #323, net worth down by $2bn • Michael Rubin (Fanatics slipped to #248 • Nicolas Puech (Hermès heir, 5% stake): dropped entirely Last year, Bernard Arnault (LVMH) briefly claimed the top spot as the world’s richest. But tech is back on top: Elon Musk has reclaimed #1 with a net worth of $342bn (as of March), while Arnault fell to #5, with his fortune down to $178bn (from $233bn). ...

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