The Lead Announces the Foremost 50 of 2019

The Annual List Features the Leading Digital Native and Direct-To-Consumer Brands Who Were Built for Innovation & Continue to Embrace Technology to Transform Their Businesses & the Industry.

The Lead has released the 2019 Foremost 50, an annual list recognizing high-growth, breakout, digital native and direct-to-consumer brands that are reinventing and redefining the future of fashion and retail.

The Foremost 50 selection process and list are designed not only to recognize groundbreaking companies but also to highlight the collective trends and best-practices that signal where the fashion and retail industry is headed.

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Selected companies were vetted and chosen using a rigorous methodology. The Lead’s selection committee starts by reviewing countless nominations from the community and the brands themselves, while also conducting internal research. The companies are analyzed across seven dimensions –  innovation, commercialization, media buzz, competition, team, market opportunity, and investor value creation.

Although the product innovation is important, The Lead’s predominant focus is the ways these companies are innovating in the market, including marketing and customer acquisition, customer experience, technology implementation, channel diversity, and capital efficiency. We aim to spotlight companies that are taking risks while creating investor value.

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Taken together, The Foremost 50 companies are a strong indicator of the fashion and retail industry’s future. By understanding this group of rising stars, we believe leaders across the industry can extract best practices, apply new business models, and anticipate ever-evolving consumer expectations.

The 2019 Foremost 50 are:

• 11 Honoré

• Allbirds

• Anine Bing

• Anomalie

• Atoms

• AUrate

• Birdies

• Boll & Branch

• Bombas

• Brooklinen

• Burrow, Choosy

• Dagne Dover

• Dia&Co

• Enso Rings

• Everlane

• Feather

• Glossier

• GOAT

• Grailed

• Hawthorne

• Helix Sleep

• HIMS

• Knot Standard

• Kopari

• Le Tote

• Lulus

• Madison Reed

• Marine Layer

• Ministry of Supply

• Part & Parcel

• Primary

• Prose

• Rent The Runway

• Rhone

• Rockets of Awesome

• Rothy’s

• Senreve

• Snowe

• Stance

• StockX

• Summersalt

• Supergoop

• ThirdLove

• thredUP

• Thursday Boot Company

• Tula

• UNTUCKit

• Winky Lux

• Zenni

Regarding the announcement, Adam Tishman, Co-Founder and CEO of Helix Sleep said, “One of the most important aspects of successfully growing a digitally native brand is realizing the power of networking with those experiencing similar challenges and triumphs. That’s why it’s exciting for Helix to be part of this community and selected to The Lead’s Foremost 50 List”.

The Foremost 50 will be honored at The Lead Forum on January 30th at The Four Seasons in Downtown NYC. This invite-only event features an awards ceremony, presentation of The Foremost 50 Insights Report, CEO Vision Talks, and networking focused round-table conversations.

The Lead’s next annual list, The Leading 100, will feature the innovative and disruptive technology companies that are serving the fashion and retail industry. Nominations can be submitted at www.the-lead.co. The Leading 100 will be announced in April/May 2020.

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