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Op-Ed | Go Big or Go Hyper-Niche

Powerful shifts in media-technology are rewriting the playbook for building a fashion brand in 2023, argues Thom Bettridge.
Pharrell Williams and Rick Owens.
Shifts in media-technology are rewriting the playbook for building a fashion brand in 2023, argues Thom Bettridge. (Getty Images)
By
  • Thom Bettridge

In late January, after speculation that anyone from Tom Ford to Harry Styles would succeed Alessandro Michele at Gucci, owner Kering revealed that behind-the-scenes Valentino designer Sabato De Sarno would take the role, prompting some to wonder whether the age of the star designer was well and truly over and if an indie favourite like Martine Rose or Kidsuper could succeed Virgil Abloh at Vuitton. That didn’t happen.

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