About This Newsletter

Most content about apparel and lifestyle brands focuses on trends, growth stories, or surface-level advice. Very little addresses the harder questions: How do you fix a broken P&L, scale without losing margin, or modernize operations without disrupting what’s working?

This newsletter is where I share how I think about those problems by drawing from 25 years working alongside founders, executives, and private equity teams at premium lifestyle brands.

What Subscribers Get

Each issue covers one or more operational topic in depth: margin structure, inventory discipline, channel strategy, organizational design, or the specific challenges that come with growing from $5M to $100M. The writing is practitioner-focused with frameworks grounded in execution, not theory.

Recent topics have included open-to-buy discipline in a volatile wholesale environment, margin recovery for brands over-indexed to DTC, and how to structure a markdown cadence without damaging brand equity.

New issues are published weekly and sent directly to your inbox.

Who This Is For

This newsletter is written for founder-CEOs, COOs, merchandising directors, and the investors and board members working alongside them. If you are running or backing a premium apparel or lifestyle brand, particularly in the $5M to $100M range, this is meant to help you think more clearly and make better decisions.

About Jon Levine

I founded Apparel Advisors in 2008. Before that, I was COO at James Perse and President at Splendid and Ella Moss. Today, Apparel Advisors serves as a fractional CEO and COO resource for premium lifestyle brands. Current and recent clients include Stampd, Wildfox, Kelly Wearstler, Aether Apparel, Solid and Striped, and Electric and Rose.

For information about advisory services or to get in touch: appareladvisors.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does this newsletter publish?

Weekly, a recap of the previous week’s industry news every Monday and one or two industry articles to help address issues facing lifestyle brands.

Is it free?

Yes, completely free to subscribe.

Can I share issues with my team?

Yes. Forwarding is encouraged. Colleagues can subscribe directly at newsletter.appareladvisors.com.

Where can I learn more about Apparel Advisors?

Visit appareladvisors.com for information about advisory services, client work, and how to get in touch.

How do I reach Jon directly?

Email jlevine@appareladvisors.com or visit appareladvisors.com to start a conversation about working together.