Vogue and CFDA look to Amazon to sell designer fashion

Toward the end of April American Vogue and the CFDA launched a storytelling fundraising initiative A Common Thread, which tells the struggles and hopes of the fashion community who have been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.

Through a series of videos, designers shared how their personal and professional lives were affected, with a link at the bottom of each video directing users to donate to the A Common Thread fund, which is administrated by the CFDA.

As a next step, the Conde Nast publication has now partnered with Amazon’s fashion division to sell a curated selection from 20 designers on its platform. The far-reaching tentacles of Amazon may be a beacon of light for designers who’s businesses are struggling in the wake of coronavirus, with retailers widely shuttered and worrying about selling their own inventory as opposed to buying new collections.

While Amazon is a one of the world’s largest sellers of apparel with an unrivalled distribution network, its customers are not the luxury and emerging fashion shoppers that gravitate to multi-brand e-tailers and niche fashion marketplaces.

Participating designers are able to set their own retail prices, paying a referral fee to Amazon, much like other sellers on its platform.

Vogue could pave the way for designers on Amazon

If the Amazon Vogue store proves to be successful, it may be a gateway for other brands to embrace the platform as a potential sales channel. All around the world designers have seen orders canceled by retailers and continue to struggle to make sales. Although government support lines are making it easier to secure financing, racking up mountains of debt is not a preferred strategy to stay operational.

To date the A Common Thread fund has raised 4.3 million dollars, with the first distribution of funds to be made by the end of May and a second payment planned for mid-June.

Images via Amazon