Reading Material

Fashion Meets Finance

Background:
The fashion industry is more than just trends and textiles, it’s a major driver of global economic activity. From luxury giants to athletic wear titans like Nike and Adidas, fashion brands shape consumer behavior, employment rates, international trade, and even sustainability debates. Publicly traded companies in the fashion space are key indicators of global economic health and shifting priorities in society.

Case Task:
InImagine thisyou activity,had you'll1 exploreMillion howdollars thetoday fashionto industryinvest impactsin the2 economycompanies byof analyzingyour choice, analyze the financial performance and market behavior of leading2 fashionpublic brands.companies and determine the most important 5 factors of your choice.

Refer to Stock performances, News and Events 

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Your Mission:

1. Stock Market Snapshot
   Select two fashion companies from the list below (or propose your own):

   • Nike (NKE)

   • Adidas (ADDYY)

   • Lululemon (LULU)

   • H&M (HM-B.ST)

   • Inditex (Zara’s parent company - ITX.MC)

   • VF Corp (Vans, The North Face - VFC)

   • Farfetch, Burberry, or other fashion/luxury brands

   Use sites like Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, or Google Finance to find:

   • Stock performance over the last 12 months

   • Key financial news/events affecting the company

   • Market cap and revenue size
     

2. Economic Lens
   Analyze the economic role of the company:

   • How many people does it employ globally?

   • How is it affected by inflation, supply chain issues, or global events?

   • What role does it play in global trade and GDP?

3. Link to Your LIA
   Reflect on your own LIA project:

   • How does your topic (fashion, sustainability, philanthropy, etc.) have economic implications?

   • Can it affect employment, trade, investment, or consumer behavior?

Deliverable 

Prepare a 1-pagepager, briefwritten to an executive board on convincing them to invest in these 2 companies. 

• A chart or graph showing your company’scompanies’ stock trend

• OneFinancial financial insight (e.g., why the stock went up/down)Insights

• OneEconomic economic insightInsights (e.g., the company’s impact on jobs or exports)

• A connection to your LIA topic and its economic footprint