Amazon is reportedly going full steam ahead with its plans for a luxury brand platform. According to WWD, the new initiative is set to launch in conjunction with September's show season and will open with 12 ready-to-wear and accessory labels from the US and Europe.
The platform is part of Jeff Bezos' bid to move Amazon into the fashion industry, and it sounds like the idea is to take its existing marketplace model and whack a few more zeros on the end. Exact details are unclear at the moment because Amazon is refusing to comment on the project, but per collated rumors, the labels involved are higher-end than those tapped for Common Threads: Vogue x Amazon Fashion (a Council of Fashion Designers of America-backed project that aimed to help designers with sales during the pandemic) — a roster that included Thakoon and Derek Lam.
Brands will reportedly have full control over how their digital stores look and how their goods are priced. Unfortunately, they don't have any control over the name Amazon Fashion, which, let's be honest, sounds more like a budget store down the iffy end of Oxford Street than a place you'd go to cop quality threads. Hopefully, the rumored $100 million Amazon is putting aside for a multimedia PR campaign will inspire a better mental image. This campaign is said to include TV, film, and "streaming projects," which might mean that Amazon Originals content could become shoppable in the future — an idea that is admittedly pretty cool (imagine buying Fleabag's hot priest fit while he's thirsting about on screen, for example).
What's more, Amazon is apparently building a huge warehouse in Arizona to accommodate sales; the labels will also have access to its speedy delivery service. Amazon is also rumored to be working with London Fashion Week designers on a "sustainable project." It's not clear if that is connected to this platform launch, but it's one to keep on your radar nevertheless, as watching the brands explain sustainability when these empires are built on the exact opposite, will make for interesting viewing.
