Hi, and welcome back to as seen on.
I’m currently reading I Used to Be Charming, a collection of nearly 50 of Eve Babitz’s nonfiction pieces. Babitz’s work is one of the rare nonfiction reads I can be bothered to read (as opposed to listening to on audio) because her way of describing every and all things is so humbling it has the effect of making me marginally kinder to everyone I encounter that day. I feel smaller in a way I can tolerate. Too bad I so strongly dislike her fiction.
My feelings about Babitz are only slightly less generous than hers about Francis Ford Coppola. What devotion.
In today's newsletter: I feel bad for Lululemon, a newsletter wants to help its readers find love, fashion tech is having a moment, TikTok is hiring a Creator Manager for News, Nike has a Substack, long-term bullish on the ad industry, comparing big tech, A.I. salaries, a website that ranks restaurants based on their diners’ attractiveness, Feed Me expansion plans, and a bunch of other stuff.
ENJOY!
Cosmoss, the Kate Moss–founded skincare and wellness brand I’d never heard about, has gone into liquidation. According to corporate filings, the company owes $4 million to creditors, including more than $3 million to Moss’ talent agency, Kate Moss Agency. It last filed company accounts in 2023 and has never disclosed its revenue.
Rhode follows the same teaser playbook every time. And it works every time. Lemon season is here.
Yesterday I texted to let her know I planned to write about her. I’d read about three articles in the last week where she’d replied with some variation of “Not interested” when asked about Feed Me being an object of lust for prospective acquirers. In a recent conversation with Peter Kafka, Emily alluded to new projects on the horizon and then gave me a quote about said projects: