Where the money is going in fashion and beauty: from nylon recycling to a braiding robot

Investment and M&A activity is the most honest indicator of where an industry is heading. Here are the most notable recent deals in fashion and beauty, from textile recycling to retail giants.

Hugo Boss. Frasers Group has increased its stake to approximately 30.28% (up from 26.06%), which demands an official takeover bid under German legislation. The move follows Frasers’s €2 billion (€38 per share) takeover proposal in June, which Hugo Boss believed was “financially inadequate,” urging shareholders to reject it. Frasers, now Hugo Boss’s largest shareholder, said its offer still stood through July 27. Its portfolio includes House of Fraser, Flannels and Sports Direct.

Merit. Founded in 2021, the US beauty brand is designed as an antidote to using multiple trend-led products, collapsing everyday cosmetics into a curated, minimal line-up. The investment is led by Vasiliki Petrou, managing partner at Semcap Beauty & Wellness, who founded the Unilever Prestige division in 2014, spanning Dermalogica, Paula’s Choice, Hourglass and K18. “Merit is one of the most thoughtfully built brands in beauty, a true icon in the market,” Petrou said. “I love the timeless brand aesthetic, the simplified and edited approach to beauty, and the focus on the millennial and Gen X consumer, which is a significant white space in our industry.”

Syntetica. The French startup transforms textile waste into recycled nylon through a proprietary chemical method that allows processing of fabrics containing multiple materials. The funding will help build its first commercial facility in France, able to transform hundreds of tons of post-consumer textile waste annually. Syntetica already works with Victoria’s Secret and Etam and plans to partner with more brands. Investors include Ecotechnologies 2, Lululemon, MAS Holdings, Swen Capital Partners and EQT Ventures.

Fleek. Founded in 2021 by Abhi Arora and Sanket Agarwal, Fleek is a wholesale vintage fashion marketplace connecting retailers and resellers with verified secondhand wholesalers worldwide, enabling bulk sourcing through a digital marketplace with integrated logistics and quality assurance. Investors include Burda Principal Investments, Ebay Ventures, FJ Labs, H14, Andreessen Horowitz, HV Capital and Y Combinator.

Whering. A digital wardrobe and styling app founded in 2020 by Bianca Rangecroft. It lets users catalogue the clothes they already own, create outfits, track wardrobe usage and receive styling recommendations, aiming to encourage more intentional consumption and reduce unnecessary purchases.

Halo. The hair technology company has developed its first product, HaloBraid. Launching in salons this fall, the device will be the first automated hair braiding tool that works alongside stylists, halving braiding time from as long as 10 hours per appointment. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s VC firm Seven Seven Six is leading the investment into a business launched off the back of Yinka Ogunbiyi’s winning Harvard Innovation Labs pitch. “As an investor, I look for founders that see something broken that everyone else has accepted as fixed,” said Ohanian. “Braiding is a perfect example: it is a process that has not materially changed in thousands of years, despite being one of the most popular hairstyles for millions of Americans and a significant part of the $270 billion salon services industry.”

Innovist. L’Oréal Group has taken a stake in the Indian personal care company, whose portfolio includes haircare brand Bare Anatomy, skincare brands Chemist at Play and Sunscoop, and bodycare brand Vinci Botanicals. It was founded in 2018 by Rohit Chawla, Sifat Khurana and Vimal Bhola with a focus on science-first formulations, transparent ingredients and in-house R&D. “Our investment in this innovative Indian startup is a clear testament to our unwavering commitment to expanding L’Oréal’s footprint in India,” CEO Nicolas Hieronimus said. “By bringing together the very best of L’Oréal’s global expertise with Innovist’s high-performing, science-led products and deep-rooted understanding of the Indian consumer, I believe we are poised to shape the future of beauty in this dynamic market.”

Remedy. A dermatologist-developed skincare brand founded by Dr. Muneeb Shah in March 2024, targeting dark spots, dryness, fine lines, dullness, keratosis pilaris and sensitive skin. It is stocked on Amazon, TikTok Shop and Target, the latter since December 2025. The Series A investment from L Catterton will support advancing clinical research, expanding product categories and improving inventory.