Pawz
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Below is a clip from the Vox article, which may be read in full here: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/...ry-brandless-gucci-celine-prada-louis-vuitton
"Consider the luxury handbag: made from sumptuous leather, trimmed with sturdy hardware, built to stand the test of time, and finished with the brand’s status-imbuing label. Taken together, these details make the case that such a bag is worth a big investment.
Would this same luxury handbag still be covetable with the label stripped away? Italic, a new startup that sells brandless luxury-quality goods for a fraction of their retail price, is betting on it.
Launching today, Italic is a marketplace that gives shoppers access to factories making products for luxury brands like Celine, Prada, Cartier, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Givenchy, Coach, Burberry, and Miu Miu. Membership to Italic marketplace will cost $10 a month.
In return, shoppers can buy two items monthly: think a leather tote from a Celine manufacturer for $145 (compared to $3,300 from Celine), glasses from a EssilorLuxottica factory for $70 (the brand’s Rayban frames typically cost $175), a leather jacket from a factory that works with J Brand for $425 (while a leather coat from the brand could run you $990). You can get cashmere scarves from the factory that works with Burberry, or linens from the factory that supplies to the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons chains for $100.
By giving shoppers access to brandless luxury, without the markup, Italic founder Jeremy Cai calls his startup “the real version of direct to consumer.”
“Both luxury and direct to consumer brands mark their products up, with the former spending money on fancy marketing and the latter giving money to Facebook and Google so shoppers find them, but the factories never see that money,” Cai said a few weeks ago. “Gucci’s markup is 10X. Casper, Allbirds, or whoever, say their prices are lower because they are cutting out the middleman, but they are also a middleman. Italic, on the other hand, gives consumers the ability to buy straight from the world’s best factories, at a factory price.”
Cai says the company was “creating an entire new category of shopping.” His startup arrives at an opportune time, as shoppers are keen on value. Italic is the latest startup to bet on brandless merchandise, banking on the assumption that consumers will want quality over brand names, and are willing to eschew labels if the price is right..."
"Consider the luxury handbag: made from sumptuous leather, trimmed with sturdy hardware, built to stand the test of time, and finished with the brand’s status-imbuing label. Taken together, these details make the case that such a bag is worth a big investment.
Would this same luxury handbag still be covetable with the label stripped away? Italic, a new startup that sells brandless luxury-quality goods for a fraction of their retail price, is betting on it.
Launching today, Italic is a marketplace that gives shoppers access to factories making products for luxury brands like Celine, Prada, Cartier, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Givenchy, Coach, Burberry, and Miu Miu. Membership to Italic marketplace will cost $10 a month.
In return, shoppers can buy two items monthly: think a leather tote from a Celine manufacturer for $145 (compared to $3,300 from Celine), glasses from a EssilorLuxottica factory for $70 (the brand’s Rayban frames typically cost $175), a leather jacket from a factory that works with J Brand for $425 (while a leather coat from the brand could run you $990). You can get cashmere scarves from the factory that works with Burberry, or linens from the factory that supplies to the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons chains for $100.
By giving shoppers access to brandless luxury, without the markup, Italic founder Jeremy Cai calls his startup “the real version of direct to consumer.”
“Both luxury and direct to consumer brands mark their products up, with the former spending money on fancy marketing and the latter giving money to Facebook and Google so shoppers find them, but the factories never see that money,” Cai said a few weeks ago. “Gucci’s markup is 10X. Casper, Allbirds, or whoever, say their prices are lower because they are cutting out the middleman, but they are also a middleman. Italic, on the other hand, gives consumers the ability to buy straight from the world’s best factories, at a factory price.”
Cai says the company was “creating an entire new category of shopping.” His startup arrives at an opportune time, as shoppers are keen on value. Italic is the latest startup to bet on brandless merchandise, banking on the assumption that consumers will want quality over brand names, and are willing to eschew labels if the price is right..."
