This month, we’re looking at how beauty and fashion brands are leaning on the unexpected. From Owen Wilson’s laid-back West Coast charisma to Zara’s new AI try-on, brands are blending culture, tech, and personality in real time.

Here’s what caught our eye.

Personality as the Signal

Not your typical beauty spokesperson, but instantly recognizable. 

An investor, actor, and now beauty ambassador, his laid-back charisma fits California Naturals’ West Coast cool ethos.

The brand leans into humor and human storytelling, with a more people-first rather than ad-first approach.

You can see it everywhere: CVS, Ulta, Amazon. Casual, community-oriented, unmistakably West Coast.

A brand on our radar.

AI Mirrors Retail Disruption

Zara hasn’t exactly been known for an easy ecommerce experience. Its ultra-editorial model imagery often looks aspirational, but leaves shoppers guessing on size and fit.

That’s what makes Zara’s latest move notable.

Zara is among the first big fashion brands to push AI into a fully integrated try-on experience, signaling a shift in retail tech and personalization.

How it works: selfie + full-body photo → realistic avatar → try-on.

The virtual fitting room could reshape how Gen Z and Gen Alpha expect to interact with fashion commerce.

See it in action

Beauty Enters the Arena

Sports are finally becoming a launch platform for beauty.

If you caught our September feature we covered how the NBA may have popularized the tunnel walk, but the WNBA is driving fashion’s next cultural wave with WNBA merchandise up 68% year-over-year, Vogue Business. We see this today extending to beauty.

Topicals recently closed a funding round with participation from WNBA star Angel Reese and artist Rema, aligning the brand with culture-shaping voices rather than traditional VC alone. 

For the release of Slather, a retinol-infused exfoliating body bar, Topicals tapped WNBA player Lexie Brown and NBA player Jarred Vanderbilt for a campaign titled Smoothest In The Game. 

Athletes are proving to be some of the most credible and versatile beauty ambassadors.

A New Chapter

VAAN has been acquired by Verndale.

This next chapter gives us room to scale intentionally, deepen our DTC expertise, and build something bigger while keeping what makes VAAN, VAAN. 

Same leadership. Same team. More opportunity.

👉 Read Verndale’s full announcement

Wearable Tech

Woke up with my Hatch alarm clock, checked my Oura Ring sleep score, poured coffee, all while wearing a red light mask. Is it self care or maintenance?

Wellness tech is now quietly woven into our daily lives.

The Christmas gift of the season, device-driven skincare is having a moment.

More brands leading the way:

• Omnilux: LED therapy as nightly ritual

• NuFACE: Microcurrent for facial fitness and symmetry

• DRx SpectraLite™ LipWare Pro: Clinic-grade LED lip therapy

• Medicube Booster Pro: Microcurrent + electroporation for better absorption

• FOREO: Cleansing intensity adjusts to skin type

When beauty becomes responsive, routines stop being routine.
More in our latest article 

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