Last fall, online personal styling service Stitch Fix initiated its Retail Therapy rebrand as the answer to what Stitch Fix CMO Debbie Woloshin described as “broken” shopping experiences—for instance, when customers hit the mall for needs like special occasions or body transformations and come home empty-handed.

Stitch Fix launched Retail Therapy as part of a rebrand into a new tone of voice and look connected to its message of personalization, community, and AI-enabled human styling. At a high level, the concept tackles how in-store shopping has lost its personal touch, leaving customers either begging for help in messy dressing rooms or drowning in endless online options.

In its third iteration of Retail Therapy, Stitch Fix found that 95% of men liked the idea from a convenience perspective and 90% of men found it fun and motivating to try Stitch Fix. Among women, 89% found the campaign appealing and 85% said it was relevant—the platform's highest relevance score with women ever, Woloshin said.

We caught up with Woloshin, who has now been at Stitch Fix for three years and goes on to the site at least four times a day, on the sidelines of Shoptalk Fall recently. “As we build upon the messaging of Retail Therapy, it’s resonating,” Woloshin said. “We see it in watch time, in engagement.”

Keep reading here.—VC

In July, agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided a popular Asia Food Market outside Buffalo, New York. They seized computers, cell phones, and business records, and detained nine employees, according to immigration attorney Alejandro Gutierrez who represents the workers.

“Officers from several agencies showed up to arrest anybody they found in the place, even people who had valid work permits,” Gutierrez told Retail Brew. He added that out of the nine detained, only two were released from custody as of September 16.

Earlier this year, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reportedly set a quota for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to arrest at least 3,000 every day, tripling the previous quota, and the tactics agents have used have drawn criticism for their aggression.

According to the Center for Migration Studies, the US workforce is made up of 8.5 million undocumented workers and around 8% work in retail trade. Raids appearing to target larger businesses with immigrant workforces, like the supermarkets Asia Food Market, are making news.

Keep reading here.—AV

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Darshan Shah is principal of Accelerator Funds at venture capital firm XRC Ventures.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? At XRC Ventures, I source and invest in startups that tackle the friction points between evolving consumer behavior and the limitations of legacy infrastructure. We back innovative companies with solutions that drive commerce and help retailers become more efficient.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Startups deal with all sorts of challenges and opportunities. We collaborate with founders on evolving market dynamics, navigating tariffs, leveraging AI’s impact, and staying ahead of competition.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I enjoy building XRC’s relationships with universities across the country, specifically with programs that are interested in commerce enablement, retail, and digital health. Helping students navigate the world of entrepreneurship and the early-stage ecosystem is exciting.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? AI is everywhere, but particularly around hyper-personalization in retail.

Keep reading here.—EC

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