Good morning, Broadsheet readers! SafeSport faces two congressional hearings this week to explain why it is struggling to handle sexual misconduct cases in U.S. sports, the Supreme Court will soon hear oral arguments in the mifepristone case, and hybrid work leads to new trends in workwear. Have a thoughtful Thursday.
– Back to work. Sali Christeson loves working women. And, to her, it never made sense that brands didn’t go after the professional female customer more directly, instead targeting women through their overlapping identities as household decision-makers and moms. “No brand owns the working woman,” she says. “And that’s such a miss.”
Christeson is the founder and CEO of Argent, a nine-year-old workwear brand sold online, at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, and in three New York stores. The brand specializes in suiting—in both typical muted colors and flashy hues like hot pink and red. With most blazers priced in the $400 range and trousers in the $200s, Argent appeals to a high-earning, repeat customer and women who splurge on a professional outfit for a career milestone or major event, from an onstage conference appearance to a lawyer’s high-profile trial.
After a COVID-era dip, the brand’s sales have rebounded over the past few years with three-fold growth between 2022 and 2023. Argent has leaned into the opportunity to build community and connection for working women through apparel. The brand outfits leading women it calls its “work friends,” including Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon, Tubi CEO Anjali Sud, and journalist Katie Couric. “There’s a reason to come back every season,” Christeson says of the advantage workwear presents in building community.
Bringing a “work-first” lens to other categories has helped Argent expand. For instance, a recent collaboration with denim brand Agolde ensured that jeans in the collection didn’t feature any distressing or rips. Christeson founded Argent after working in tech at Cisco and wanted to provide options for women dressing for both formal and casual business environments.
These days, she says, hybrid work is leading more women to make their appearances in the office worthwhile and dress up for the days they’re heading in. “They really want to show up,” she says, and they see their clothing as “an extension of their personal brand.”
While Argent naturally wants to be the brand to own the working woman, Christeson still thinks the customer is a valuable one for other brands, too. “It’s such a cool woman,” she says. “And I see such excitement from that woman in a way I’ve never seen before.”
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Day in court. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments next week in the case challenging the availability and accessibility of abortion pill mifepristone. The case begins as medication abortion accounts for the majority—63%—of abortions in the U.S. The 19th
- SafeSport scrutiny. Representatives from the U.S. Center for SafeSport will testify in back-to-back Congressional hearings this week as the organization responsible for sexual misconduct cases in U.S. sports faces backlash for not doing enough. Much of the criticism is targeted at how long the center takes to resolve cases and how few cases are resolved at all. Wall Street Journal
- Round the clock. Karat, a company that conducts interviews for giants like Citi and Walmart, told Fortune that allowing interviews to be scheduled at any time, day or night, is helping attract more Black women applicants. Roughly 22% of women and non-binary candidates also took advantage of Karat's redo option, which gives applicants another shot at an interview if they’re unhappy with their first performance. Around 87% of second-timers received job offers. Fortune
- Recognizing invisible work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wants data depicting the household work overwhelmingly done by women to be included in the consumer price index inflation measure. The BLS argues that services like caretaking and cooking are important factors behind spending and living standards and should be included in the well-monitored metric. Bloomberg
- On court, in court. The University of Illinois’s star basketball player is leading his team into the NCAA tournament despite being charged with rape in December. Terrence Shannon Jr. won a lawsuit in January claiming that the school’s decision to suspend him would impede on his NBA draft prospects and possible endorsements. Shannon is not expected in court on the charges until May; his lawyer denies the claims. The Athletic
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Alation named Yvonne Wassenaar to its board of directors. Smashburger named Starbucks alum Denise Nelsen CEO.
ON MY RADAR
The financial influencers women actually want to listen to Time
How the Windsor women became human shields The New York Times
What happens to the stay-at-home girlfriend after a breakup? Cosmopolitan
PARTING WORDS
"I feel like now I’m in a position to empower so many more people directly or indirectly instead of just performing or inspiring by my performance."
— Retired Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn on her new gig as co-owner of the Utah Royals women's soccer team
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