Cache Flow #25: Fashion News Roundup
May 16-23: This Week in Fashion x Tech x Resale News
In this weekly series, we feature a roundup of the latest news in fashion x tech x resale.
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Google has launched new AI-powered shopping tools: The tools integrate Gemini AI with its Shopping Graph to offer personalized product recommendations and conversational search capabilities. A standout feature is the virtual try-on tool, which lets users upload full-length photos to realistically preview how clothes fit their body. Additionally, an agentic checkout feature allows users to track prices and authorize Google to auto-complete purchases using Google Pay when preferred conditions are met.
Apple plans to launch AI-powered smart glasses by late 2026: The glasses will incorporate cameras, microphones, speakers, and Siri integration for hands-free tasks like calls, music control, navigation, and live translations. This move is part of Apple's broader push into wearable AI devices, aiming to compete with Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses and Google's Android XR models . The company has reportedly canceled plans for a camera-equipped smartwatch to focus on developing these smart glasses and other AI-integrated wearables.
Google has partnered with Warby Parker to develop AI-powered smart glasses as part of its Android XR platform: The move aims to compete with Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses (and seemingly, Apple now too). These glasses will feature augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, including real-time language translation, navigation, and messaging. Google has committed up to $150 million to this collaboration, with the first line of smart glasses expected to launch after 2025 .
Urban Outfitters has launched "UO Haul," an omnichannel campaign aimed at supporting Gen Z students during significant life transitions: The initiative features citywide pop-ups, interactive events, and themed glass-walled trucks in New York City, each styled to represent different aesthetics such as 'The Pretty Haul' and 'The Plush Haul' . Additionally, the campaign includes collaborations with partner brands and services like Collegeboxes by U-Haul to streamline the college move-in experience, along with upcoming 'Campus Essentials' pop-up shops across 20 college markets.
Lincoln’s memorabilia racked up $7.9 million in sales: A historic auction in Springfield, Illinois, featured 144 artifacts associated with President Abraham Lincoln, including blood-stained leather gloves he carried on the night of his assassination. The auction raised $7.9 million total, with the gloves fetching $1.52 million, and proceeds will go toward repaying an $8 million debt from a 2007 purchase by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation. Other notable items sold included a handkerchief Lincoln had with him the night he was shot ($826,000), a “Wanted” poster of assassination conspirators ($762,500), and the earliest known sample of Lincoln’s 1824 handwriting ($521,200).
Innovation agency IoDF and tech firm Epam have partnered to make digital product passports (DPPs) more engaging for consumers: The move comes ahead of the EU's 2030 mandate requiring them on all garments and accessories. Their approach combines storytelling, community features, and blockchain technology to create interactive experiences where users can track product histories, authenticate items, and even earn resale royalties. By blending fashion creativity with technical infrastructure, the collaboration aims to transform DPPs from compliance tools into emotionally resonant platforms that promote sustainability and deepen brand-consumer connections.
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With love and hot girl energy,
Cache 💚
Never fails to educate me! Love the weekly roundup!!👏💗