Down and Duty

Talk Duties to Me. 

After a few months of relief, the tariff talk is back and boy, are there some doozies. Earlier this week, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Canada, creating newfound stress for the countless brands and retailers stationed in the country. The tariffs, which will impact up to $20B in goods across dairy, apparel, furniture, and even swimming pools, will go into effect on August 19, 2026.

The Commander in Chief has also laid the hammer down on the drug industry, claiming he’ll impose tariffs of 100% on generic drugs starting August 2028. By August 2029, that number will increase to 200%. This is Trump’s big negotiation tactic to bring more generic drug manufacturing into the US. Still, some critics say it will severely impact access and costs for citizens in the future.

If you want a refresher on what’s happened since the Trump administration took office, revisit our First 100 Days Member Brief, available exclusively to Future Commerce Plus members.

Kate Spade Goes High Fashion. ‍

Kate Spade New York is tapping former Alexander McQueen designer Jonathan Saunders as its new executive creative director. The brand has gone five years without a single visionary at the helm, and has spent the past two years navigating a steady decline in financial results. FY2024 net sales fell 6%, while FY2025 net sales fell further to $1.2B, a staggering 10.3% drop. Although financial decline has moderated, the brand has used the opportunity to implement a full-blown turnaround. 

Saunders will report to brand president and chief executive Eva Erdmann, overseeing product design and the brand’s visual identity. He most recently served as chief creative director at H&M-owned & Other Stories. 

Our Take: Saunders’ first day is August 26, and the fashion industry will be watching intently to see how he elevates the brand for a new era—and a new audience. Kate Spade has always been beloved for its cutesy-core aesthetic and, more recently, for its high-end IP collabs with Disney, the Muppets, and more, but it clearly hasn’t been enough to capture and keep consumer attention. The need for a fresh design voice has only intensified as Tapestry’s other brand, Coach, has improved its brand value among Gen Z and done much of the financial heavy lifting. 

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Craft Heads to the Merch Table.

Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chains Music Festival is already getting lots of buzz (and is already sold out) thanks to its stellar line-up that includes Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan, Chappell Roan, Garbage, and Doechii, but her new partnership with Etsy is bringing its “girl power” promise to the next level. Rodrigo has teamed up with ten female-owned Etsy businesses to create a dedicated event merch shop, available solely on the platform. Itching for a new flower crown, junk journal kit, or literal daisy chain? You can shop the collection now. ‍

Peptides Get Ready for Prime Time. ‍

Peptides like BPC-157 have been selling through vibes and social media testimonials, with promises to heal tendons, torch fat, and slow aging driving intrigue and adoption. 

This week, an FDA panel is spending two days deciding whether compounding pharmacies can start filling prescriptions for seven of them, which would offer legitimacy to a market that's been thriving without it. What's actually on trial here is institutional trust. Consumers sought out BPC-157 because they stopped waiting on doctors, insurers, and the FDA to solve what ails them. As we wrote in our annual predictions report, the body has become a platform to optimize on our own terms. Washington is just now playing catch-up to a wellness market thriving online.

Squatch-and-Sniff Kids. 

The same brand that packaged and sold Sydney Sweeney’s bathwater to a million thirsty incels now wants you to trust them with your kids at bathtime. 

Dr. Squatch is getting into kids' personal care with Lil’ Squatch, a new line of mini bar soaps that give good little consumers a taste of sensory overload. The soaps are small (great for grubby little hands), vibrantly colored, and tout kid-friendly scents like apple, grape, and melon. In typical Dr. Squatch fashion, the packaging is bold and themed, applying the vibes bound to make hand-washing a bit more appealing for kids. Many have called Gen Alpha personal care retail’s next major growth sector, which is equally obvious and icky.  

A Taste of Victory. 

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream’s founders can now breathe a sigh of relief. A July 16 ruling has named the brand victorious in a five-year fight against Rebel Creamery. A federal New York court is ordering Rebel to hand over $23.8M in profits for selling ice cream pints that infringe upon Van Leeuwen’s packaging. US District Judge Eric Komitee said Rebel, which sells a low-sugar treat, acted in “bad faith” and, in turn, must immediately redesign its labels. The brand is also barred from selling any pints using the design in question. 

The Mouth is the New Mouse.

Augmental has launched its MouthPad in the US, turning people’s tongues into smartphone, computer, and tablet touchpads. The technology has given autonomy back to paralyzed individuals who have missed out on scrolling, gaming, and even taking pictures. It also has given privacy back to people who have come to rely solely on dictation. The body is now an interface, and it’s driving innovation in accessibility.

Wellness Enters its Artificial Influence Era.

Regular old human influencers were problematic enough, but now AI influencers are taking over our feeds. And arguably, they’re encroaching on one of retail’s most personal and sensitive areas: wellness. Hundreds of AI-generated doctors, healers, and wellness influencers on social media are promoting supplements and wellness services to American consumers, The New York Times has found. Are we surprised? Nope. Does it stop us from being any less annoyed? Absolutely not.

Our Take: Overall trust in wellness influencers is splintered and contradictory. Of the 40% of consumers who get health information from these “experts,” 10% say they trust all or most of the information and 24% say they trust not too much or none of it. The majority of consumers fall somewhere in the murky middle, which means many are struggling to discern what content is actually trustworthy.