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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Luxury Has Lost the Plot — and These Brands Are Picking Up the Slack

Emerging labels like Kallmeyer, TWP and Studio Nicholson are capturing high-spending shoppers with premium quality at accessible prices, forcing the industry to rethink what luxury means in 2025.
Studio Nicholson campaign
London-based Studio Nicholson has grown sales by double-digits every year post-pandemic and is slated a record year in 2025. (Studio Nicholson)

At a pop-up boutique in Aspen last winter, Kerry Pieri struck retail gold.

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Further Reading

The Unlikely Return of Accessible Luxury

As spending patterns shift, a new generation of mid-market American labels are thriving by offering value-conscious products with a point of view. Can they scale like the titans that came before them?

Why Fashion Is Maxing Out on Minimalism

The Row’s success – including a recent investment from the families behind Chanel and L’Oréal at a unicorn valuation – is the most prestigious example of a rising generation of women-led independent brands that sell minimalist, approachably chic clothes. Some of them have billion-dollar aspirations of their own.

The Contemporary Market Needs a Rebrand

How will middle-market labels that survive the pandemic convince shoppers their products are worth their price tag? The answer may be to get out of department stores — and tweak the narrative.

About the author
Cathaleen Chen
Cathaleen Chen

Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and drives BoF’s coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors.

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