M.A.C Brand Owner Estee Lauder Posts Surprise Revenue Growth

Lipstick is displayed at the M.A.C flagship store in Paris. (Reuters)
Lipstick is displayed at the M.A.C flagship store in Paris. (Reuters)
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M.A.C Brand Owner Estee Lauder Posts Surprise Revenue Growth

Lipstick is displayed at the M.A.C flagship store in Paris. (Reuters)
Lipstick is displayed at the M.A.C flagship store in Paris. (Reuters)

Estee Lauder Cos Inc on Friday reported a surprise rise in second-quarter sales, as the M.A.C brand owner benefited from a strong demand for its premium skin-care products in China.

A sustained strong demand for skin-care products, including serums and moisturizers, from customers keeping up their self-care routine has helped Estee Lauder and its peers cushion the impact from weak demand for traditional make-up items such as foundation and lipsticks.

Sales in its Asia/Pacific market rose 35% in the second quarter, helping the company post its first growth in revenue since the onset of the pandemic.

Estee Lauder also said it planned to resume its share buyback program during the second half of the fiscal year.

Net sales rose to $4.85 billion from $4.62 billion a year earlier, beating expectations of $4.49 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

The company forecast third-quarter net sales to grow between 13% and 14%, while analysts on average estimate net sales to rise about 15.3% to $3.86 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.



Armani Couture Channels Black as Maestro Misses Paris Bow for 1st Time, Days from 91st Birthday

A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)
A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)
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Armani Couture Channels Black as Maestro Misses Paris Bow for 1st Time, Days from 91st Birthday

A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)
A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)

Armani Privé opened Tuesday under an unmistakable shadow. For the first time in the 20-year history of his couture house, Giorgio Armani was not present in Paris to take his bow.

Days from his 91st birthday and following doctors’ advice after a recent hospital stay, Armani reportedly oversaw the Paris couture week show remotely from home, a moment of absence that lands heavily for a designer who has shaped every one of his brand’s collections since its founding.

The show’s theme, “Seductive Black,” played out with literal and symbolic force on the runway: black in myriad forms, from liquid velvet and lacquered silk to pavé crystals and flashes of gold. Even the models’ makeup followed suit, rendered in shades of gray.

For some in the front row, the relentless palette felt pointed. Guests quietly wondered if the choice of black was a coded message from the maestro himself.

This is not the first major show Armani has missed this season. Just weeks ago, he was forced to sit out Milan Fashion Week for the first time in the label’s history, following a brief hospitalization.

According to the brand, the absence was a precaution to save energy for his Paris couture appearance.

For decades, Armani — often referred to as “Re Giorgio,” or King George, in Italy — has been both the creative and business force behind one of fashion’s last great independent empires.

The Tuesday collection balanced tension and control. After an uncertain start, including velvet jodhpurs and stark crystalline seams, Armani’s familiar codes quickly emerged: tuxedo jackets transformed into evening gowns with plunging lapels and floating bow ties, tailored blazers worn on bare skin and military-inspired equestrian jackets paired with slim velvet pants.

Bursts of embroidery and colored feathers provided a balance from the monochrome.

Armani’s recent absences have sent ripples through the industry. In a landscape dominated by conglomerates like LVMH and Kering, Armani remains the sole shareholder of his company, personally overseeing every collection for nearly 50 years. In 2024, Armani Group reported revenues of $2.5 billion, while Giorgio Armani’s personal fortune is estimated at $11–13 billion — even as the global luxury market faces headwinds.

Armani is widely credited with redefining men’s and women’s tailoring, pioneering gender-fluidity in fashion, and inventing celebrity red-carpet dressing, from Julia Roberts to Cate Blanchett. Yet the designer himself has acknowledged that age is now a reality to deal with and that pulling back could be a necessity.

Whether the monochrome collection was a deliberate metaphor or simply a showcase of discipline, “Seductive Black” felt personal — both a mood and a message, perhaps an understated nod to a master whose presence, even in absence, remains absolute.

As the show closed, the final bow belonged to the models alone. But Armani’s vision — uncompromising and unmistakably his — filled the room.