MAM
Spykar and Vidyut Jammwal stitch together stories in new podcast drop
MUMBAI: Looks like Spykar is weaving more than denim, it’s stitching together stories worth listening to. The homegrown fashion brand has dropped the second episode of its podcast series, It’s in our jeans, featuring actor and martial artist Vidyut Jammwal in an unfiltered, heart-to-heart chat with Spykar co-founder and CEO Sanjay Vakharia.
Following the success of its debut episode, the series continues to celebrate Indian grit, creativity, and ambition through candid conversations. In this latest instalment, Vidyut takes listeners on a journey through his modelling days, film career, and Hollywood debut: all while reflecting on failure, discipline, and the art of staying grounded.
“It’s always a pleasure speaking with Vidyut, and sharing our camaraderie with the world through this podcast was truly special,” said Vakharia. “His discipline and energy are infectious. This episode offers a deep dive into his life and mindset that’s sure to inspire many.”
Fittingly recorded at Spykar’s stylish corporate headquarters, the episode captures the brand’s authenticity and the actor’s raw honesty. Jammwal fondly recalls his first big modelling campaign for Spykar itself calling it a full-circle moment. “Imagine going from modelling for a brand to acting, and then endorsing it again. That’s an achievement,” he said.
On failure, he offered a striking perspective: “The difference between a student and a master is that the student fails a few times, but a master fails a zillion times. I don’t see failures as failures. Nothing in my life has gone my way and thank god for that.”
With new episodes dropping every fortnight, ‘It’s in our jeans’ continues to bring India’s finest voices to the forefront. The podcast is streaming on Spotify, Youtube, and Apple podcasts, making it easy to tune in wherever you are.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
