The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
SAN FRANCISCO, United Staes — Tech-bro shoemaker Allbirds is calling out Amazon.com Inc. for copying a pair of its $95 sneakers made from fine merino wool and selling them for one-third the price, the latest brand backlash against the world's biggest online retailer.
Allbirds Inc. Co-Founder Joseph Zwillinger says Amazon should mimic its eco-friendly materials as well if it's going to mimic the look of its trendy sneaker.
“We are flattered at the similarities that your private label shoe shares with ours, but hoped the commonalities would include these environmentally-friendly materials as well,” Zwillinger wrote in a Medium post Monday, offering help in securing the materials. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment.
Allbirds is the latest brand to take a swipe at Amazon, which has launched more than 1,000 private-label products — from furniture and tortilla chips to phone chargers and adult diapers. Williams-Sonoma Inc. last year sued Amazon, alleging that one of its private-label orb chairs was "strikingly similar" to one sold by its own West Elm brand.
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Amazon maintains private-label products represent a small percentage of its overall sales and are necessary to make sure customers can find the products they're looking for. Some brands are skittish about selling products on Amazon since fakes flourish on the site and they worry Amazon controls too much of the customer relationship. Nike Inc. is the latest brand to stop selling directly to Amazon, preferring to pursue a direct to consumer strategy.
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has proposed prohibiting Amazon from competing against the third-party merchants that generate most of the company’s sales.
By Spencer Soper; editors: Jillian Ward, Robin Ajelloc and Alistair Barr
The rental platform saw its stock soar last week after predicting it would hit a key profitability metric this year. A new marketing push and more robust inventory are the key to unlocking elusive growth, CEO Jenn Hyman tells BoF.
Nordstrom, Tod’s and L’Occitane are all pushing for privatisation. Ultimately, their fate will not be determined by whether they are under the scrutiny of public investors.
The company is in talks with potential investors after filing for insolvency in Europe and closing its US stores. Insiders say efforts to restore the brand to its 1980s heyday clashed with its owners’ desire to quickly juice sales in order to attract a buyer.
The humble trainer, once the reserve of football fans, Britpop kids and the odd skateboarder, has become as ubiquitous as battered Converse All Stars in the 00s indie sleaze years.