Miss Tweed fêtes its fifth birthday this week. It was launched in 2020, during lockdown – a great time to start an independent online news platform when people have nothing else to do than talk to journalists.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our readers who support us with their subscriptions, particularly those who have been with us since the beginning. Since then, Miss Tweed has gone from strength to strength. In little time, we have become the go-to media for exclusive news and in-depth analysis on the fashion and luxury industry.
Since 2021, Miss Tweed organizes every April a “Luxury at the Summit” series of conferences in the French ski resort of Val d’Isère. The summit is not only fun, it offers a unique opportunity to widen your network and reflect on what the future holds for the sector. Here’s a short film on this year’s summit in case you missed: https://youtu.be/3z9DOOv-CYI
This year, we held an elegance contest during the Miss Tweed Cup giant slalom - a world premiere. We produced a short film about it. A rare moment of bliss: https://youtube.com/shorts/3dNXm8iOMGc?si=85ksx7Hb_9uo7vMz
In 2025, we did not raise our prices. Readers now get more stories every month, either on exclusive breaking news or by our new columnists Fabio Becheri on ad campaigns and strategies and by Catherine Lebrun, on brands’ history and heritage. We are currently investing in new content you will discover soon.
Today, the luxury goods industry is hit by its worst downturn since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. When business is tough, heads roll, brands are put up for sale, managers look for a new job. You would think that now more than ever, you need Miss Tweed’s exclusive news and analysis.
The reality is that Miss Tweed is a victim of the widespread sharing of its articles. Copying an article to “send it to a friend” who will forward it to another friend, then to other friends, then across the entire company intranet, is prohibited. It’s called copyright infringement and it’s of course, illegal. It is punishable by three years in prison and a €300,000 fine.
By participating in this massive plundering of our legitimate copyright, these “friends of friends,” these looters who think they are acting in good faith, are causing us serious harm. Every copy or sharing of an article contributes to depriving Miss Tweed of fair compensation for its work. It’s ironic that people whose job depends on creativity and respect of intellectual property rights have no problem committing intellectual theft – as that’s what it is. It’s as if you went to a luxury shop, picked up a handbag and walked away without paying for it.
We have proof that many people share our articles without paying copyright fees. There are WhatsApp groups that distribute Miss Tweed's articles, and even all of our content. Some create PDFs, print them out, and share them with their colleagues and superiors to look smart and well informed. Others share their access, because it's so cool...
As you know, our business model is based on subscriptions. Unlike many of our competitors, we do not carry any advertising. It’s what guarantees our editorial freedom.
High-quality journalism costs a lot of money. Your subscriptions finance the salaries of our illustrator, editors, contributors, photographers and software developers. They are the best in their field. If you work in the fashion or luxury sector, you are well placed to know that talented people are expensive.
We have estimated that Miss Tweed lost tens of thousands of euros in revenue from people who illegally shared our stories in the past year. We know who many of you are.
Reluctantly, we are planning to take legal action against those companies and groups whose staff share our stories without paying copyright. Last year, a broker shared one of our stories with at least 300 people. It dealt with our lawyers, and paid us a sizeable compensation, out of concern for its reputation.
We have already started canceling the subscriptions of those we have proof are sharing our stories.
Now is the time to support us. Please stop illegally sharing our stories. Just subscribe or get your company to purchase a corporate subscription designed for multiple users. You need our information, we need your support.
Many heartfelt thanks. I wish you a great summer.
Astrid Wendlandt, Miss Tweed Founder and Editor
