Mario Abad (he/him) is a Miami-based fashion journalist specializing in luxury menswear business analysis and industry innovation. As Fashion Editor at PAPER Magazine and founder of the Substack newsletter Mannish, he combines financial acumen with cultural criticism to decode fashion's evolving landscape.
Recent Milestones: Launched industry-leading Substack Mannish (2025), featured in DIARY Directory's "New Voices in Fashion Journalism" series. Over 50+ bylines in Vogue, ELLE, and Forbes analyzing luxury market trends.
Abad began his career immersed in womenswear during fashion's early 2010s golden age, citing Marc Jacobs' Louis Vuitton tenure and Phoebe Philo's Céline as formative influences. His transition to menswear journalism coincided with luxury fashion's "quiet revolution" in mens tailoring and streetwear hybridization. Since 2022, he has served as Fashion Editor at PAPER Magazine while launching the Substack Mannish in March 2025 - a newsletter dissecting menswear's business underpinnings through investigative reporting and insider access.
This manifesto-style introduction to Abad's Substack outlines his analytical framework for examining menswear. He traces the sector's evolution from Raf Simons' 1995 debut to LVMH's 2024 acquisition of a major streetwear label, emphasizing capital flows over aesthetic trends. The piece establishes Abad's methodology of combining financial data analysis with designer interviews and supply chain investigations.
Abad's ongoing newsletter series features deep dives into topics like celebrity stylist contracts, textile tariff impacts on luxury pricing, and the rise of "quiet luxury" investment pieces. A March 2025 analysis of Kering's menswear division revealed previously unreported design team restructuring through anonymous executive interviews and SEC filing analysis.
Demonstrating range beyond pure fashion reporting, this health-focused piece examined how male celebrities leverage their platforms for medical advocacy. Abad balanced celebrity interviews with medical expert commentary, showcasing his ability to humanize complex issues through personal narratives.
Abad prioritizes stories grounded in verifiable financial metrics or consumer behavior data. A successful 2024 pitch about post-pandemic suit sales resurgence included proprietary retail analytics from a mid-sized Italian tailor, which Abad expanded into a cross-analysis of LVMH earnings reports and Millennial spending habits.
While covering major houses, Abad actively seeks stories about designers reshaping menswear's future. His profile of South African designer Thebe Magugu (2023) combined interview access with technical analysis of Magugu's patented textile innovations, setting a template for pitching under-the-radar talent.
Despite writing for celebrity-focused PAPER Magazine, Abad typically rejects pitches centered on star endorsements or red carpet fashion. A 2025 rejection of a Met Gala retrospective pitch noted: "Unless we're analyzing contractual relationships between brands and celebrities, it's not our lane."
Abad's most shared work connects fashion to broader sectors. His 2024 investigation into Formula 1's luxury partnerships (Mercedes-AMG x Virgil Abloh, Ferrari x Armani) used motorsport sponsorship data to predict luxury goods' experiential marketing budgets through 2026.
Pitches incorporating scholarly work receive priority consideration. A recent Harvard Business School study on Gen Z's secondhand market participation led to Abad's 2025 analysis of luxury brands' vintage authentication programs, featuring exclusive interviews with Richemont executives.
While formal awards aren't documented in available sources, Abad's work has achieved significant industry recognition:
"Mannish fills the critical gap between Fashionista's trend reports and Business of Fashion's boardroom analysis - finally someone explaining why those Raf Simons sneakers cost $1,200 without either condescension or apology." - Anonymous industry executive, quoted in The Cut (2025)
His Substack launch was covered by DIARY Directory as a case study in modern fashion journalism, highlighting Abad's hybrid approach of traditional reporting rigor with newsletter-era accessibility. The platform specifically noted his innovative use of SEC filing analysis in luxury coverage - a methodology typically reserved for financial reporters.
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