The Shoptalk 2026 Ramp-Up

GAP Gets the Fest Test. 

The San Francisco-based brand is cementing its place in modern culture by becoming the exclusive clothing apparel sponsor for this year’s Coachella. The core of its activation is Hoodie House, which will serve as a “central hub” for festival goers, creators, and artists to gather. In addition to a lounge, there will be a dedicated product showcase, a claw machine game where people can win fun prizes, and a customization area, where folks can pick up the exclusive Gap x Coachella hoodie and have it souped up with patches, hoodie drawstring bead sets, and collectible bag charms. Gap Encore Members and credit card holders will be able to reserve express access to the activation ahead of the festival. 

Zara Goes High Fashion. 

The fast-fashion retailer has formed a two-year partnership with designer John Galliano, who will “re-author the brand’s archives through a series of seasonal collections.” The Dior and Givenchy couturier will take pieces from past Zara collections, reconfigure them into new designs, and launch them seasonally starting later this year. Zara made a big splash on social media, with some commenters noting that it was “now their favorite retailer.” However, others were quick to question the intricacies of the partnership, asking whether Galliano would merely be reimagining designs or actually reusing old and unused materials. 

Our Take: The partnership shows the contradictory feelings we have towards fast-fashion retailers, especially when they partner with beloved designers or even mirror runway trends. As Ana Andjelic noted on our podcast, Zara is a retailer that amplifies hits. It takes design trends, then models and scales them to make them accessible to the general public. Collaborating with Galliano shows it’s committing to more distinct, even high-fashion designs, but it doesn’t change its role in the much larger fast-fashion issue. We’ll be exploring this partnership further in tomorrow’s Things We’re Overthinking. Subscribe to get it ASAP. 

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Meta’s Not So Meta, After All.

The tech juggernaut is doubling down on physical retail after being wishy-washy about the business that inspired its name change. Meta Labs has signed a ten-year lease with Vornado Realty Trust to turn its Fifth Avenue pop-up into a permanent NYC location. The five-level, 15,000-square-foot space is a hands-on “playground” where customers can test and buy Meta’s wearable tech, including its AI-powered glasses and Meta Quest headsets. (Stay tuned: we may or may not have a visit scheduled for an upcoming Field Notes. 👀)

Despite wearable tech being a major focus for the company, the fate of its Horizon Worlds metaverse hangs in the balance, mainly because the Quest headsets required to access these digital experiences have failed to take off. Meta initially announced it would shut down this division, but CTO Andrew Bosworth quickly walked back the news, saying they had decided not to shut down the experience after all. This could merely be a way for the company to temper even more criticism after news of a 20% workforce cut swept through the media. 

Oura Gets That Aura. 

After dominating the smart ring market, Oura may come to our homes next. The health tech company is bringing in the perfect person to help: Brian Lynch, Apple’s former senior director of home devices. Lynch spent nearly 24 years at Apple working across product design, advanced materials, and hardware, so he clearly has the expertise not just in home but in wearable tech. He joins three other Apple alumni who switched over to Oura, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ricky Bloomfield and Chief Design Officer Miklu Silvanto, who both played pivotal roles in advancing Apple’s health and AI-powered wellness offerings. 

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I Dough. 

Dunkin’ is marketing its way through wedding season. Today is National Proposal Day, and the brand is celebrating by launching a new Wedding Cake MUNCHKIN. People who purchase 25- and 50-count orders of the donut hole treats will also get a limited-edition “I Dough” ring box, at least while supplies last. This is one piece of a much larger stunt campaign: people who incorporate the ring box into their actual proposal moments will be eligible to win a bridal experience at a Vera Wang flagship salon. The winner will select a wedding gown, and Wang herself will embroider the winner’s go-to Dunkin’ order inside it. She is the brand’s Chief Proposal Officer, after all. 

A Recipe for Growth. 

Melissa Ben-Ishay has stepped down as CEO of her namesake brand, Baked by Melissa, to focus on what she knows and loves best: creative and commercial partnerships. Baked by Melissa’s CFO, Sanjay Khetan, has stepped into her leadership shoes, with Ben-Ishay officially serving as President. Khetan will continue to strengthen the brand’s operational and financial standing so it can grow effectively as Ben-Ishay continues to build collaborative partnerships and leverage her expansive social media following as a demand-gen tool. Over the past year alone, Baked by Melissa has partnered with Tabasco, Cabot Creamery, Ferrero, Blue Apron, and Emily in Paris, illustrating how the brand’s quirk and creativity can adapt to different brands.

Waymo, Here We Go. 

Waymo’s co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, is hitting the media circuit hard to show that driverless cars are safe and ready for everyday use. In a profile from The New York Times, Mawakana picked apart the company’s myriad challenges, from basic traffic violations to a voluntary software recall and several more serious traffic incidents. She noted: “We have a higher burden of proof for all of society.” This is especially true as Waymo sets its sights on NYC as its next major market, which Mawakana admitted was “complicated” due to its congestion and murky regulatory path. Future Commerce’s Phillip Jackson predicted that Waymo would be a major winner this year, mainly because autonomous vehicles will become more accepted by the general public. 

Jeff Bezos Wants to ‘Transform’ Something Else. 

The tech billionaire is putting feelers out for a new fund designed to “transform” manufacturing firms with AI. After getting $100B from investors, Bezos will use the money to acquire companies in major industrial sectors to modernize and automate their operations. The fund is connected to his newest AI startup, Project Prometheus, for which he serves as co-founder and co-CEO.