In case more proof was needed for the spending power of generation Z, discount fashion site Yoox has just launched a new platform dedicated entirely to those born after 1997.
Called Hi_Guyz!, the site went live on Tuesday and aims to go head-to-head with the likes of Ebay and Depop, to capture part of that all-important Gen Z market.
As part of the wider Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, the new platform will build on Yoox's existing retail model of offering discounted designer fashion, but Hi_Guyz! will be more tightly curated to appeal to a younger audience.
The site is fully accessible in the UAE, with prices marked in dirhams. It also ships to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Israel, Lebanon and Egypt.
Like Yoox, it will offer overstocked and unsold designer pieces from past collections for discounted prices. What Yoox hopes will set Hi_GuyZ! apart, however, is how the stock is curated.
Instead of scrolling through thousands of options, the site instead draws on vast amounts of data gathered across the Yoox site to streamline the offering to the lines it feels will most appeal to Gen Z. There will be a stronger focus on gender-neutral lines, as well as emerging names and designers that support sustainable practices, all to better fit with Gen Z's demands.
However, Hi_GuyZ! steps into a crowded market. Resale sites such as Depop and Vinted are both well established, as are Asos and Unidays for those looking for fast fashion inspiration. Ebay has carved out a sizeable market share for itself, and search app Lyst is also extremely popular.
Speaking with The Business of Fashion, Paolo Mascio, president of the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group's fashion division explained the thinking behind the new launch.
“The idea was to create something that was welcoming, warmer and closer to their tone of voice and perspective. Our vision is to make sure they feel at home and inspired,” explained Mascio.
“We already have customers between 15 to 25 years of age and we already carry a lot of brands that appeal to this audience, but we want to represent a virtual place where young people can really meet and establish use.”
It's not hard to see why companies are vying to snag Gen Z customers. According to its latest consumer report, emerging markets company L Catterton classifies Gen Z as making up 17 per cent of the population in China, but is responsible for 25 per cent of total expenditure on new brands, while US management consultancy firm Mckinsey & Company puts Gen Z spending power in the US alone at $150 billion.
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
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Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
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Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
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Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
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Sector: Health & wellness
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Investment: $250 million
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The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
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4/5