Latest news with #RichardLevin


Fashion Network
6 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Loop Cashmere in new crowfunding bid to support next growth phase
British knitwear brand Loop Cashmere has launched a new equity crowdfunding campaign on retail investment platform Republic. The five-year-old fashion company, founded by a team of 'seasoned cashmere and fashion experts', aims to raise a minimum of £300,000 (of which £225,000 has been committed to date, it said) to support the 'next phase of its growth journey'. Since inception, Loop said it has attracted the backing of institutional investors, including Finance Yorkshire/Anticus Partners, as well as private supporters, enabling the business 'to evolve into a successful omnichannel model'. Current stockists include Harvey Nichols and Wolf & Badger. The current campaign is expected to run for around three weeks, although as CEO Aude Villebrun and founder Richard Levin noted: 'The pace of investment will ultimately dictate the timeline'. Claiming more than 2,900 customers, 94% five-star reviews on Trustpilot, and year-on-year growth, they added: 'We believe our model is resilient, relevant, and ready for the future.' Levin said: 'We've always been focused on building community… Allowing our customers to become investors felt like a natural extension of that.' Backed by 'double-digit year-on-year revenue growth, international demand, and outstanding customer retention', Loop said it is carving out its niche as a next-generation British brand. Its ambition is to 'redefine what knitwear can be: modern, versatile, uplifting, and made to last'. Villebrun added: 'If we surpass our minimum target we'll be able to restock our most in-demand pieces, which sell out quickly. It will also allow us to grow our team and expand internationally—an exciting next step for Loop.'


Fashion Network
6 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Loop Cashmere in new crowfunding bid to support next growth phase
British knitwear brand Loop Cashmere has launched a new equity crowdfunding campaign on retail investment platform Republic. The five-year-old fashion company, founded by a team of 'seasoned cashmere and fashion experts', aims to raise a minimum of £300,000 (of which £225,000 has been committed to date, it said) to support the 'next phase of its growth journey'. Since inception, Loop said it has attracted the backing of institutional investors, including Finance Yorkshire/Anticus Partners, as well as private supporters, enabling the business 'to evolve into a successful omnichannel model'. Current stockists include Harvey Nichols and Wolf & Badger. The current campaign is expected to run for around three weeks, although as CEO Aude Villebrun and founder Richard Levin noted: 'The pace of investment will ultimately dictate the timeline'. Claiming more than 2,900 customers, 94% five-star reviews on Trustpilot, and year-on-year growth, they added: 'We believe our model is resilient, relevant, and ready for the future.' Levin said: 'We've always been focused on building community… Allowing our customers to become investors felt like a natural extension of that.' Backed by 'double-digit year-on-year revenue growth, international demand, and outstanding customer retention', Loop said it is carving out its niche as a next-generation British brand. Its ambition is to 'redefine what knitwear can be: modern, versatile, uplifting, and made to last'. Villebrun added: 'If we surpass our minimum target we'll be able to restock our most in-demand pieces, which sell out quickly. It will also allow us to grow our team and expand internationally—an exciting next step for Loop.'


Boston Globe
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Can elite universities remain global?
One reason the schools have arguably been caught off guard is less so: They have misread the nation. Advertisement Large and influential swaths of America The globalization of America's universities began decades ago. When Richard Levin assumed the presidency of Yale in 1993, in his inaugural address he stated that 'as we enter the 21st century, we must aspire to educate leaders for the whole world. … We must focus even more on global issues … if we are to be a world university.' For Levin, the mission was clear. In the early 18th century, Yale's mandate was to educate leaders and citizens for the region. 'By the mid-nineteenth century, our compass had become the whole nation,' he said. Now the work would be global. And Yale was far from alone in such ambitions. Advertisement From the establishment of campuses overseas to the creation of research centers and collaborations worldwide and the embrace of international students, many universities have changed dramatically in the years since Levin made those remarks. Today, For years, this embrace of international students was largely seen as in accord with the national interest. Despite pockets of protests, globalization on campus was treated as inevitable — and desirable — in many quarters. Meanwhile, the federal government maintained expansive investment in these universities — to the tune of The assumptions driving the internationalization of America's universities, however, have now changed. Many people no longer believe globalization is good for America. That change is most obvious in the MAGA movement. But the anti-Israel protests tinged with anti-American, anti-Western, and anti-capitalist messages that some international students have helped lead have alienated other Americans as well. Advertisement As a result, many universities have been caught out over their skis. Some now see a heavy international student presence less as a virtue and more as something suspect when it comes to university leaders' motives and wisdom. On university campuses, many faculty would undoubtedly disagree and argue that globalization is still a positive force for America. But with seats scarce at exclusive universities, filling them with international students is seen through a zero-sum lens. Universities may now face a decision. Do they want internationalization or federal support? Both may no longer be an option. The compact between universities and the federal government can only continue if the work of the university is seen as being in lockstep with the national interest. This isn't to say this is the end of global universities. Or of research universities. Minerva University, where I serve on the board of trustees, is unabashedly global. Eighty-five percent of students hail from countries other than the United States. All students live outside the United States for three of their four years. But Minerva doesn't take any federal money, nor is its model built around research. On the other hand, the Highly selective universities may choose to fight to retain federal support and remain global in the hopes that they can weather the next few years. Advertisement But with alternative models and the ascendance of skepticism around the merits of globalization, it seems less clear if this will be a viable strategy.