Kevin O'Connor

Kevin O'Connor developed apparel retail expertise through his career in merchandising at Gap and later Inditex (Zara's parent), experiencing both traditional seasonal buying and fast fashion's revolutionary speed-to-market model. After studying Fashion Merchandising at FIT in New York, Kevin learned traditional apparel cycles before witnessing how Zara's vertically integrated model disrupted the industry. He pursued his MBA from NYU Stern while working in retail and transitioned to analyzing apparel companies. Kevin understands product development, sourcing strategies, inventory management, and the fashion trend forecasting that separates successful retailers from those stuck with unsold merchandise. He excels at analyzing inventory turns, markdown rates, comparable store sales, and whether apparel retailers have sustainable competitive advantages. Kevin was early to recognize that fast fashion would pressure traditional retailers and correctly predicted which legacy brands would struggle adapting to faster trend cycles. His coverage spans fast fashion leaders like Inditex and H&M, value retailers, traditional department stores, and emerging direct-to-consumer brands. He also tracks how sustainability concerns impact fast fashion business models. Based in New York, Kevin is immersed in fashion culture while maintaining analytical discipline about a notoriously difficult retail category.