FROW News: adidas Gets a Trench, Cécred Lands at Space NK & Taylor Swift Adds Four More Songs 👀✨
Autumn is officially here. The equinox arrived this week, the evenings are getting darker, and pumpkin spice season is once again dividing the room between those who've been waiting all year for it and those still wondering what all the fuss is about.
Meanwhile, the news hasn't exactly eased us gently into the new season. adidas has made a trench coat, ASOS is bringing more choice to adaptive fashion, and Cécred has landed exclusively at Space NK. Here in Brum, there's a four-day beauty takeover on the way, while Taylor Swift has added four more songs to The Life of a Showgirl, and one very familiar face to parents of toddlers has made an album. Coats on. Let's get into it. ⬇️
adidas and Entire Studios Have Put a Trench Coat in the Sportswear Mix 🖤
A waterproof trench isn't necessarily the first thing you'd expect from adidas, but that's exactly where its second collection with Entire Studios is heading. The 26-piece collaboration takes familiar performance clothing and starts playing with the pieces we'd usually expect to find elsewhere in the wardrobe.
There are compression layers and new takes on adidas Z.N.E. and Optimé, but they're joined by a bomber jacket, track trousers and the first trench coat from adidas Sportswear. Then there's an oversized suede gym clutch, which feels considerably more like a fashion bag than something intended to carry your trainers. Footwear gets its own shake-up too. The new Feroza draws on adidas's motorsport archive, with low and boot versions sitting alongside the Dropset 4 and Adizero Adios 9. The collection launches on 29th September.
ASOS Is Bringing More Choice to Adaptive Fashion ♿️✨
Shopping for a wedding, party or important work event shouldn't mean choosing between something you actually want to wear and something that works for your body. ASOS has launched its first adaptive collection, adding 51 options across womenswear, menswear and Curve to its existing fashion offer.
Created with Disabled people and accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens, the collection includes tailoring, dresses and everyday pieces with practical adaptations worked into the clothes. Trousers have been adjusted for seated wearers, selected jackets are shorter through the body, while hidden zips, magnetic fastenings and discreet access for tubes and wearable medical devices appear across the range. ASOS has also included guidance around magnets for people using pacemakers or other sensitive medical devices.
There's a welcome amount of occasionwear too, an area where adaptive choices can still be limited. A draped mesh midi dress costs £55, a burgundy tie-front jersey dress is £48, and the chocolate collarless blazer is £60. The full collection runs from £32 to £65 and is available online.
Meet ARTEOF, the New British Label Dressing the Whole Day
You know those days when you're dressed for work, squeezing in a reformer class, grabbing coffee and eventually collapsing at home, without particularly wanting four separate wardrobes for it? ARTEOF is a new British label built around exactly that kind of day.
Created by Harri Rands and Lucy Bevan, the brand launched this week with athleisure separates, layered knits, detachable lightweight jackets and base layers. Rather than making performance kit for the gym alone, ARTEOF is interested in that increasingly familiar space between activewear and the clothes we wear everywhere else. Its wardrobe is split across Movement, Rest, Daywear and Gifting, with new collections arriving as different “chapters” instead of following the traditional fashion calendar.
And the ambitions don't stop at clothes. Club 26 will bring wellness, style, travel and culture into the brand through expert contributors and selected partnerships, giving us a better idea of why ARTEOF sees itself as a lifestyle name from the beginning. The first collection is available online now in sizes XS to XL, with prices from £40 to £450.
RIXO Has Let Bay Garnett Loose in Its Wardrobe 👗
Bay Garnett has spent decades championing second-hand clothes and the joy of making an outfit feel like your own. Now the stylist has brought that approach to RIXO for a limited-edition collection intended to mix with the clothes already hanging in your wardrobe rather than arrive as a ready-made uniform.
There are rollnecks, skirts, belts, dresses and statement pieces including the tasselled Napoleana jacket, with Garnett styling the collection herself. Prices include £95 for the Julieta earrings, £175 for the Bria top and £215 for the Joey midi skirt.
That mix-and-match thinking feels particularly right for Garnett, whose work with Oxfam and long relationship with vintage fashion have made her one of British fashion’s most recognisable advocates for pre-loved clothes. The RIXO x Bay Garnett collection is available now.
IZIPIZI Has Given Its Screen Glasses an Oval Update 👓
Between laptops, phones and everything else demanding our attention, we spend a fairly large chunk of the day looking at screens. IZIPIZI has added a new shape to its screen-glasses collection for anyone who wants something a little less functional-looking while they're doing it.
Called Memo, the new £40 frame has an elongated oval shape and blue-light filtering lenses, bringing a more fashion-led silhouette to something many of us keep beside the laptop. It comes in four colours: Coffee Shell, Orchid Purple, Toffee Beige and Khaki Notebook. The shape is what makes Memo interesting. Slimmer oval frames have already worked their way back into everyday eyewear, so these don't immediately scream computer glasses when you leave your desk.
Maebe Is Two, and Its Autumn Wardrobe Is Growing Up 🤎
Maebe has turned two, and Molly-Mae Hague's fashion label is marking the anniversary with In Rotation, its biggest autumn/winter collection so far.
For a brand that only arrived in 2024, the new drop gives us a clearer picture of what Maebe wants to be beyond the initial curiosity around its founder. Outerwear and tailoring sit firmly at the front, but In Rotation stretches into knitwear, denim and relaxed co-ords too, building more of a full autumn wardrobe around the label.
The Kensington Oversized Trench comes in chocolate brown for £200, while the stone Accord Tailored Jacket is £120 with a matching £65 mini skirt. There is also faux leather, glossy burgundy, khaki and dark grey running through the collection, alongside pieces made for the easier days when a full tailored look isn't happening. The collection is available online now, with prices starting at £45.
Khloé Kardashian and Fabletics Are Dressing for Colder Workouts ❄️
Khloé Kardashian is back with Fabletics for an eighth collection, but Drop 8 has moved well beyond the matching leggings and sports bra formula. This time, they're dressing for the bit of the year when getting out of the house for a workout requires considerably more persuasion.
There are still seamless leggings and jumpsuits underneath it all, but the fun is happening in the layers. Polar Fleece hoodies and wide-leg trousers, insulated coats and oversized faux-fur jackets push the collection into proper winter territory, with pink sitting alongside black and more muted cold-weather shades. Even the accessories have joined in, with balaclavas, scarves, gloves, hats and an oversized faux-fur tote. The 19-style collection is available now in sizes XXS to 4X, with standard and VIP member pricing.
H&M Studio Wants Our Waists Back 🖤
After bringing its autumn collections to London Fashion Week last week, H&M has now put its Studio A/W26 collection into shops, and the silhouette is difficult to miss. Shoulders are strong, waists are pulled right in, and tailoring has gone decidedly sharp.
Pinstripes run through blazers and trousers, while hourglass shirts, leather jackets and belted coats keep that cinched shape going. Lace, sheer fabrics and lingerie-inspired details loosen things up elsewhere, so it isn't all boardroom severity. The grey pinstripe wool blazer is particularly committed to the waist, while a charcoal wool coat comes belted and the black leather jacket goes high at the neck.
The collection is available now in selected H&M stores and online. After seasons of oversized silhouettes, H&M Studio is putting sharper shoulders and defined waists firmly back in the conversation.
Temple Oud Has Made It to the UK as Cécred Lands at Space NK 🫧
If the scent of Cécred's wash-day products has ever made you wish you could wear it without washing your hair first, Temple Oud Hair Perfume answers that very specific request.
The 50ml fragrance takes the scent already running through Cécred's Foundation and Styling collections and gives it a moment of its own. Bergamot and night-blooming jasmine meet oud, sandalwood and Haitian vetiver, bringing Cécred's signature scent out of the bathroom and into the rest of the day. Temple Oud is £51. And its arrival comes during a pretty big week for Cécred. The full haircare range is now available exclusively at Space NK, both in stores and online, with prices from £15 to £53. Read more about Cécred's Space NK launch here.
Bullring Is Turning Into a Beauty MRKT for Four Days 💄✨
If your idea of a quick trip into Bullring already has a habit of becoming a beauty haul, next week may not be the time to test your restraint. Birmingham's Bullring is hosting Beauty MRKT, a four-day beauty event running from 1st to 4th October.
Beauty, skincare and self-care will take over the centre, with exclusive launches, expert tips and experiences promised across the four days. And with Sephora, Space NK and two dedicated K-beauty retailers already inside Bullring, there's plenty of beauty ground to cover.
Beauty MRKT is free to attend, with activity beginning from 10am each day. If beauty is already capable of derailing an otherwise innocent shopping trip, consider yourself warned. 💄
Boots Is About to Start Selling Beauty Inside TikTok 📱💄
TikTok has already persuaded plenty of us to buy a blusher, lip oil or serum we hadn't heard of five minutes earlier. From 28th September, Boots is making the journey from “wait, what is she using?” to checkout considerably shorter by launching on TikTok Shop.
It will start with a selection from No7, including Pro Artist, Good Intent and Prime Forever, before more of Boots' beauty brands are added. There will also be a No7 TikTok LIVE for launch, bringing demonstrations, products and offers directly into the app. For Boots, this means showing up where beauty discovery is already happening rather than waiting for shoppers to make their way to its website or a store. For the rest of us, that product taking over our For You Page just got a whole lot easier to buy.
@bootsuk You heard it here first 👀 Join us on 28.09.26 at 12pm for our first-ever shoppable LIVE! 😱 Get ready to bag exclusive discounts on your favourite viral and trending No7 faves 🛍️✨ Trust us, you won’t want to miss this one 😏 #BootsUK #BootsTikTokShop #NewAndTrending ♬ High Energy - FASSounds
The UK's Biggest Superdrug Is Now at Merry Hill 💄
The West Midlands has just gained a rather sizeable new beauty destination. Superdrug has opened its biggest UK store at Merry Hill, bringing 12,831 sq ft of beauty, fragrance, health and services to the centre's Upper Mall.
And this isn't simply more shelves. Alongside its expanded beauty and premium fragrance offering, there's a Beauty Studio, aesthetics services and a nurse-led clinic, bringing treatments and health services into the same space as the beauty shop. K-beauty gets more room too, with names including Biodance and Medicube among the brands available.
For anyone used to bouncing between different shops, websites and appointments for beauty products and services, having considerably more of it under one roof is part of the appeal. And for Birmingham and Black Country shoppers, the biggest Superdrug in the country is now on the doorstep.
Joonbyrd Has Turned Perfume Into Mood Jellies 💗
Choosing a fragrance usually starts with how you want to smell. Joonbyrd would also like you to consider how you want to feel. Its new Mood Jellies are water-based solid fragrances that you sweep or dab directly onto pulse points and reapply throughout the day. There are three: Peace, with violet, vetiver, cacao, cedarwood and orris; Confidence, with peach, saffron, oak moss and ambroxan; and Bliss, with apple, jasmine, woods and labdanum.
Each costs £28, or the trio is £75. Joonbyrd describes the collection as functional fragrance informed by neuroscience, with each scent linked to a particular mood. We're not going to promise that perfume can change how you're feeling, but a water-based fragrance jelly you can carry around and swipe on certainly got our attention.
Taylor Swift Has Added Four More Songs to The Life of a Showgirl 🎤
Just when Swifties thought The Life of a Showgirl era might finally be complete, Taylor Swift has added another four songs to it. The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore arrived this week with Patient Zero, Cleveland!, Pink Clouding and Babylon, all written with Max Martin and Shellback after Swift reunited with them in Sweden following the success of the original album.
And Patient Zero is getting more than a spot on the expanded tracklist. Swift has directed a music video for the song starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson, which premieres during the MTV VMAs on Sunday. All four new songs are available to stream now.
Julia Jacklin Is Caught Between Love and Freedom on The Gem 💎
Wanting to love and be loved while still fiercely protecting your independence is complicated territory, and Julia Jacklin has made an album out of it. The Gem is the Australian singer-songwriter's fourth album, moving through intimacy, desire, faith and the expectations we place on ourselves and other people. Across 10 tracks, including Brand New, God Sometimes, The Hardest Thing and Get Away From Me, Jacklin isn't offering particularly tidy answers to any of it.
It's also her first album for 4AD, and she'll bring it to the UK next year. That includes Birmingham Town Hall on 13th February, followed by Manchester on 14th February and London on 19th February. The Gem is out now.
If You Know, You Know… Ms Rachel Has Made an Album 🎶🧸
If you have a toddler in your life, Ms Rachel probably needs no introduction. And if the words Hop Little Bunnies mean absolutely nothing to you, enjoy the peace while it lasts.
Now the woman who has soundtracked an extraordinary number of living rooms has released her debut album, I'm So Happy. There are 23 songs, including newly recorded versions of familiar favourites such as Hop Little Bunnies and Icky Sticky Bubblegum, alongside original tracks including I'm So Happy and Big Feelings.
Ms Rachel built her audience by using songs, repetition and interaction as part of early learning and language development, which is why this isn't simply a children's album from a familiar YouTube face. For plenty of families, these are already songs that form part of everyday life. I'm So Happy gives them a home beyond the screen too, with the album available digitally, on CD from £12.99 and vinyl from £24.99.
The Good Immigrant Is Asking What Has Changed in Britain Ten Years Later 🎙️
A lot can change in ten years. The question behind The Good Immigrant: The Official Podcast is whether Britain has changed enough. A decade after Nikesh Shukla edited The Good Immigrant, the essay collection exploring race, identity and what it meant to be an immigrant or person of colour in Britain, he's bringing its original contributors back together to look at the country now.
The first episode reunites Coco Khan and Nish Kumar for a conversation about flags, patriotism and belonging. This week's episode brings together Bim Adewunmi and Dr Darren Chetty, moving through children's literature, social media and Adewunmi's experience of returning to Britain after living in America. New episodes arrive every Tuesday on podcast platforms and YouTube, while a tenth-anniversary edition of The Good Immigrant, with a new introduction and afterword, is available now.
Birmingham Literature Festival Is Bringing Some Very Good Conversations to the City 📚
If your October plans could use a few more books and considerably more conversation, Birmingham Literature Festival is back from 8th to 12th October. This year's programme brings together writers including Sathnam Sanghera, Margaret Busby, Zakia Sewell, Dr Kate Lister and Adele Zeynep Walton, but the appeal is in how wide those conversations go. There are events exploring everything from identity and place to digital life, sexuality, history and the stories Britain tells about itself.
Among them, Margaret Busby, Britain's first Black female publisher, will look back over more than half a century of publishing, politics and African diasporic writing, while Birmingham-born Sathnam Sanghera returns with Tonight the Music Seems So Loud, his new book exploring George Michael's life alongside a changing Britain. The main festival runs from 8th to 12th October, with Readers' Day following on 24th October. Tickets vary by event.
That’s us for this week. We’ll be back next week with more.
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