# data[].attributes.body
Create a case study of a concept that is or has been significant to/in fashion culture ?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This week, Virgil Abloh's last show for Louis Vuitton, staged posthumously in Paris, raised questions on how to manage the legacy of a multi-tasking creative genius who brought streetwear to the highest levels of the luxury market and became the only Black designer to not only helm a luxury mega-label but take on a wider role at a major luxury group.

Vuitton chief executive Michael Burke has said the company isn't in a rush to name a successor, but tapping a designer who can extend the brand's successful foray into streetwear, increasingly central to the luxury business model, is likely to be a key consideration.

Signs of streetwear's growing importance to the luxury sector were everywhere this week, not just at the Vuitton show. On Tuesday, as invitations arrived for Japanese streetwear guru Nigo's debut show for Kenzo, LVMH Luxury Ventures said it had taken a minority stake in New York-based streetwear label Aimé Leon Dore. The same day, Swiss brand Bally named Rhuigi Villaseñor, the founder of Los Angeles-based streetwear brand Rhude, its new creative director.

It's no secret that streetwear has become a critical part of luxury's business model, helping to drive blockbuster results in recent years for major brands like Gucci, Dior and Balenciaga.

At the heart of the shift is a new generation of consumers, who grew up with hip-hop, skateboarding and basketball, and have long mixed their Supreme with their Dries Van Noten.

Generations Y and Z are already the main growth engine of the luxury market. By 2025, they are expected to account for 45 percent of total luxury spending. But this underestimates their influence. A "Millennial mindset" has rapidly taken hold in the luxury market, transforming consumer preferences across all generations.

"A style that was rebellious 20 years ago has become totally mainstream now. It isn't Larry Clark's 'Kids' anymore," said Thomas Chauvet, luxury analyst at Citi. "That means brands have to rethink their business model."

On the back of this shift, streetwear has become a key driver of luxury sales growth. In particular, the category has helped to restore luxury's appeal with men amid declining demand for suiting, watches and formal shoes. And whereas ready-to-wear for both men and women was once largely focused on complex tailoring, office attire and eveningwear - making it far less profitable than the industry's "golden-goose" handbags with their high margins and attractive retail economics - the new lexicon of logo tees and hoodies has been highly lucrative.

Streetwear has also brought the luxury industry compelling new sales and marketing strategies, from product "drops" that generate buzz and are more in sync with consumer expectations for newness at the speed of social media to new community-building efforts that tap into eagerness, not just for cool-looking clothes, but something to believe in and belong to. Brands have discovered that when the engaged communities built by streetwear designers collide with the clout of a luxury logo, they can sell status hoodies for the price of a suit.

Importantly, the streetwear ethos has also helped to revamp the very meaning of a luxury logo, the sector's most powerful commercial tool. Whereas monograms had fallen out of favour for many clients in mature markets like the US and Japan, streetwear designers turned logos into expressions of tribal identity, not just markers of affluence. And while exclusivity remains critical to the luxury equation, reframing logos as badges of belonging to the communities fostered by figures like Virgil Abloh has chimed with a growing focus on inclusivity.

In the US market, where a reckoning with racial inequality has rocked society, harnessing creators anchored in America's urban culture over designers with a penchant for ivory towers has also helped to combat the perception that luxury brands are not only exclusive but exclusionary.

Ultimately, streetwear may one day become as significant an addition to luxury's business model as a category like beauty, which also came with millions of new consumers, new marketing and distribution strategies, and highly favourable economics.
THE NEWS IN BRIEF FASHION, BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Richemont, Burberry earnings signal that luxury market is thriving again. Richemont had its fastest holiday season sales growth in at least a decade and Burberry Group forecast 35 percent earnings growth this year.

Prada revenues surge past pre-pandemic levels. The Italian luxury group reported 2021 revenues that grew 41 percent year-on-year to €3.36 billion ($3.83 billion), closing the year up 8 percent compared to 2019′s pre-pandemic levels.

LVMH invests in Aimé Leon Dore. The French luxury giant's venture capital arm is taking a minority stake in Teddy Santis' New York streetwear brand for an undisclosed sum.

Hermès sues NFT creator over 'MetaBirkin' sales. The French leather goods giant alleges trademark infringement and dilutive use of its iconic Birkin name in its 47-page complaint submitted to New York's Southern District Court.

Advocacy groups push to toughen New York Fashion Act. A group of 20 human rights and labour organisations are lobbying to extend the reach of the legislation proposed earlier this month beyond greater disclosure.

Puma sales reach record as shoe demand overcomes Covid snags. The German sneaker and sportswear company saw sales rise 32 percent in 2021, reaching €6.8 billion ($7.7 billion). Puma shares have outperformed Nike and Adidas in the past year as the industry grapples with supply chain challenges.

Yoox launches marketplace. The e-tailer, which is part of Richemont-owned Yoox Net-a-Porter Group (YNAP), is expanding its operating model to incorporate a marketplace platform to sit alongside its existing wholesale business - marking a shift towards the business model favoured by rival Farfetch.

Hugo Boss exceeds 2021 sales target after strong Q4. The German fashion house said revenue rose 43 percent in 2021 to €2.786 billion ($3.17 billion) - bringing it to only one percent below its 2019 result.

China sales of luxury goods grew 36 percent in 2021, Bain estimates. Domestic sales of luxury goods reached 471 billion yuan ($74.24 billion), a near doubling in two years, according to Bain & Company's annual "China Luxury Report 2021,″ released Thursday.
THE BUSINESS OF BEAUTY

Alphabet's Verily signs L'Oréal in multi-year skin deal as losses grow. The health tech arm of Google's parent company will study skin health and explore new products with the cosmetics maker. Verily has previously drawn criticism for signing one-off research collaborations in lieu of focusing efforts on gaining recurring subscribers to its software.

TikTok's parent company enters China's perfume market. ByteDance's Emotif line of perfume is said to be testing some products on third party e-commerce platforms in China - its latest venture into consumer products, which have previously included food, beverage and personal care. This comes as reports emerge that the company saw year-on-year growth slow to 70 percent in 2021, said Reuters.

Chinese beauty retailer Harmay raises $200 million in new funding. The up-and-coming Beijing-based beauty retailer has secured $200 million in recent Series C and D rounds of funding, led by QY Capital and General Atlantic, BoF learned.

Beautycounter names new chief executive. Gregg Renfrew, founder of the clean beauty company, will now serve as executive chair and chief brand officer. Marc Rey, former chief executive and global growth officer of Shiseido Americas, will take the reins as CEO. The change comes after Carlyle Group took a majority stake valuing the brand at $1 billion in April 2021.
PEOPLE

André Leon Talley has died. The pioneering fashion editor, known for his high-profile friendships, larger-than-life personality and decades-long career at American Vogue and others, suffered a heart attack at the age of 73.

Report: Asos considers former Farfetch executive for chief executive role. Andrew Robb, who previously served as chief operating officer at Farfetch, is among the candidates being considered to become the online retail giant's next chief, according to a Sky News report published Sunday.

Bally names Rhude founder Rhuigi Villaseñor as creative director. The Swiss luxury brand has tapped the founder of the LA-based streetwear brand to oversee artistic direction starting with the Spring/Summer 2023 season, Bally said in a statement.

SMCP appoints new board chairman following reshuffle. The French fashion group said Monday that independent director Christophe Cuvillier will step into the chairman role following a vote last week to dismiss five board members associated with former majority owner Ruyi Group.

Valentino reorganises structure, creates two new management roles. The Italian fashion house created a chief operations role to be held by Giuseppe De Mori, and a global chief financial officer role to be held by former Chanel CFO Alberto Fasanotti. De Mori will oversee the brand's industrial strategy, digitalisation and sustainability.
MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

Amazon to open fashion store where algorithms suggest what to try on. In the e-commerce giant's latest move to grow its fashion business, it will open a 30,000 square foot "Amazon Style" shop near Los Angeles later this year.

Shopify, JD.com pair up in China as e-commerce competition intensifies. Through the partnership, the Canadian e-commerce giant will allow merchants in the US to sell to JD customers in China.

Former GQ style deputy editor launches fashion and sport focused magazine. Elgar Johnson will launch CircleZeroEight in April, with contributions from Katie Grand, Saul Nash and photographer Ewen Spencer.
Compiled by Joan Kennedy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Signs of streetwear's importance to the luxury business model were everywhere this week, from Virgil Abloh's last collection for Louis Vuitton to LVMH's Aimé Leon Dore deal to Bally's appointment of Rhuigi Villaseñor.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Streetwear: Fashion x Culture with insight from London, Paris, and Milan - VOCAST

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Streetwear: Fashion x Culture with insight from London, Paris, and Milan - VOCAST

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fashion brands have been using creative methods of digitalisation in both innovative and sustainable ways over the past few years. Brands like Dior have used augmented reality for try before you buy solutions in makeup and accessories.

# data[].attributes.body
Hypebeast defines streetwear as “fashionable, casual clothes”, but explains that this definition undermines the “multi-billion dollar” industry that streetwear has become. Streetwear as we know it today originated in the ’90s, in the hip-hop scenes of New York, the surf-skate and graffiti culture of Los Angeles, and within the nightlife of Japan. James Jebbia has said that his influence as a designer “was definitely the young skaters in New York. Also traveling to Japan and seeing their great style. Traveling to London. It was a combination of that.” Designers like Jebbia and Shawn Stussy pioneered streetwear in the US with their brands Supreme and Stüssy, and designers such as Nigo and Hiroshi Fujiwara aka “the godfather of Harajuku”, led the movement across the

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The History of Streetwear: From Stüssy to Vetements

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Last week, Tobias "Tobey CSC" McIntosh arrived at Stanford, one of America's top universities. The 18-year-old from Crenshaw, a predominantly Black inner-city district in South Los Angeles, was valedictorian of his high school class and graduated with a 4.8 grade point average. He is also a budding fashion entrepreneur.

In the last four years, McIntosh has turned Crenshaw Skate Club, a streetwear business he started when he was just 14, into a small but fast-growing skater brand with fans like Justin Bieber and Supreme, which stocks the label in its LA store.

The rise of Crenshaw Skate Club speaks to just how much the American fashion landscape has shifted in recent years, as labels selling simple T-shirts and hoodies, imbued with street cred and a sense of community, increasingly rival designer brands for fashionability. And because a wider set of upstarts can silkscreen T-shirts and sell them online than launch designer labels, budding fashion entrepreneurs now come from once unlikely places.

Crenshaw's rough if rapidly gentrifying streets were famously depicted in John Singleton's coming of age drama "Boyz in the Hood" and the songs of slain rapper Nipsey Hussle. The neighbourhood isn't exactly a feeder for Stanford. Or, a hotbed of skateboarding. On the streets of South Los Angeles, it's basketball that reigns. Skateboarding is still more closely associated with white kids.

"If I think of a kid from Crenshaw, one of the first things that comes to mind is not going to be a kid on a skateboard," says Chris "Spanto" Printup, the founder of LA streetwear label Born x Raised. "I thought it was very brave and very bold of him to just even call it Crenshaw Skate Club. I'm sure there's a lot of people from Crenshaw that said: 'Yo that's not what we're about over here.'"

But these days, the LA skate scene is giving birth to more diverse crews. The dreadlocked McIntosh says he launched Crenshaw Skate Club precisely because he did not see himself and his friends in most skate videos and magazines. "What I wanted to do was create something that represented me and my friends in the skate industry," says McIntosh, who started skating when he was 12 years old after Spoety, one of the workers he befriended at Supreme's LA store, gave him one of his first boards. "Also, growing up in Crenshaw, in the inner city, there's a lot of negative activities that you could get into as a kid. I felt that skating is a positive outlet for my friends' time and could keep them from getting into trouble in the streets."

This summer, Crenshaw Skate Club hired its first full-time employees. It also expanded its product assortment from T-shirts ($30) and hoodies ($72) to socks, sweaters, hats, pins and skateboards. In July, on the back of buzzy collaborations with top LA streetwear labels BornxRaised, The Hundreds and Carrots, Crenshaw Skate Club launched a line of polo shirts with French megabrand Lacoste.

Collaborations are "how you show your worth and that you are leveling up," says Printup. McIntosh declined to reveal sales figures, but says the label has "exponentially grown" the past year and a half with the bulk of revenue coming from direct-to-consumer sales.

Although McIntosh says he took business calls during lunch breaks from high school and sometimes stayed up until 3am working on his brand, he maintains that, these days, "it isn't hard to start a brand." The tools are there, he explains, pointing to Instagram and e-commerce platforms like Big Cartel. "The hardest part is to not give up."

In his first month in business, McIntosh did not sell a single T-shirt. But instead of feeling defeated, he hit the streets, foregoing traditional marketing channels in favour of guerilla tactics common to the skate community, like handing out stickers in Fairfax, the busy Los Angeles shopping district that's home to the city's Supreme store. "I think there's such a strong core to my brand because I establish direct relationships with people," he says. "If people only see your brand on a computer screen or an ad, that's not real."

Another key to Crenshaw Skate Club's success is a sense of place. "Streetwear without having roots and ties and a story about where you come from, it's just a trend," says Printup. "I think of brand owners like rappers. We give you the play-by-play and the story of our neighbourhood. And a lot of us grow up in poor, impoverished areas."

For too long, the youth in places like Crenshaw have seen few pathways to a better life. McIntosh hopes Crenshaw Skate Club can help to change that.

"My ambition is to empower inner-city skaters all around the world," says McIntosh. "They don't just have to play basketball or rap or sell drugs. They don't have to do that. I want to show people in my community that they can do whatever they want."
Related Articles: Virgil Abloh: 'I Am Not a Designer' James Jebbia on Taking Supreme Global

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Last week, Tobias "Tobey CSC" McIntosh arrived at Stanford, one of America's top universities. The 18-year-old from Crenshaw, a predominantly Black inner-city district in South Los Angeles, was valedictorian of his high school class and graduated with a 4.8 grade point average. He is also a budding fashion entrepreneur.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
LONDON, United Kingdom - "Being in Bergdorf authenticates what we're doing. It gives us credibility, 100 percent for sure," says Ronnie Fieg, founder of upmarket streetwear store and label Kith, which, this September, opened a shop-in-shop at the luxury retailer's men's store, just one week after the launch of Rihanna's Fenty x Puma line across the street at Bergdorf Goodman's women's store.

The collaboration was the first of its kind for Fieg's upstart streetwear empire and the venerable Manhattan department store alike, and kicked off with a capsule collection of six limited-edition products, ranging from baseball caps ($75) and hoodies ($180) to complete tracksuits ($330), many of which rapidly sold out.

But Bergdorf Goodman is not alone in its embrace of high-end streetwear labels. Last month, London's luxury department store Harvey Nichols worked with Kristian Andersen, fashion and design director of the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, to launch a contemporary pop-up space on its men's floor, named Project 109 X CIFF, celebrating emerging street fashion brands including 424, Axel Arigato and This is Not Clothing. A number of other luxury department stores, from Galeries Lafayette to La Rinascente to Selfridges, have also been stocking more high-end streetwear labels.

The interest in streetwear is rooted in the need to attract new millennial customers and help shake off slow growth linked to shifting consumer behaviour and the rise of e-commerce and monobrand stores. Between 2015 and 2016, the global retail value for department stores grew by just 2.3 percent, with those in the US increasing by only 1.4 percent, according to recent data provided by Euromonitor.

Streetwear has offered a way for them to drive customers into the store that perhaps hasn't been there before.

"Department stores today are most insistent about getting traffic and appealing to a new consumer - those are their biggest objectives," says Robert Burke, chairman and chief executive of consulting firm Robert Burke Associates. "Street style has offered a way for them to drive customers into the store that perhaps hasn't been there before," he adds.

"There's a cross-generational appeal and what's interesting is that these two worlds are finally meeting in the middle," agrees Jian Deleon, senior menswear editor at WGSN. "A typical streetwear consumer might have walked into a Bergdorf or a Barneys and might not have felt like anything spoke to his or her personal style or cultural taste, so it validates the culture now on a more massive commercial scale."

Project 109 x CIFF pop-up | Source: Harvey Nichols

Department stores are also attracted to the way streetwear labels engage their customers with weekly product drops, communicated via social media and designed to drive excitement with a stream of constant newness. "When Ronnie [Fieg] proposed his idea of this core collection augmented by limited-edition collaboration product that would have organic demand generated by social media, we were very attracted to that idea," explained Joshua Shulman, president of Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus Group International, in a previous interview with BoF.

"With these lines in specific, we certainly see a younger customer in the store, but what's also interesting about these brands, specifically, is that their connection to their client is direct, through social media," adds Bruce Pask, men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman. "I think it really has empowered their customer and it maintains that interest and engagement."

"We have seen an immediate response with the drops creating a repetitive customer where they want to come back and spend time in the store," continues Pask. "You're creating this need and desire that you want to be back in the store and check what the latest drop is, and I think it creates a great level of engagement."

Kith currently has over 717,000 followers on Instagram, while Fieg's personal account has over 458,000 followers. Meanwhile, the Instagram accounts of Off-White and its founder Virgil Abloh have a combined following of over 1.25 million.

You're creating this need and desire that you want to be back in the store and check what the latest drop is.

Clearly, department store partnerships can also benefit streetwear brands, providing them with powerful new sales channels, not to mention access to a new consumer base and increased high-fashion credibility. Kith's shop-in-shop at Bergdorf Goodman, for example, is located adjacent to luxury brands like Thom Browne, Dries van Noten and Tom Ford. Similarly, Off-White has a shop-in-shop across from Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen at London's Selfridges.

"Department stores allow me the luxury to design in both the streetwear and the high-fashion mentality," says Abloh, whose brand is currently stocked at 25 department stores across the world, including Barneys New York, Galeries Lafayette and Harvey Nichols, which, all together, account for about 15 percent of the company's total turnover. But this hasn't diminished the brand's street-cred, emphasises Abloh. "Streetwear used to be an independent retail thing, very much like you didn't want to sell out. One thing that millennials have taught us is that the idea of selling out doesn't exist to them and you don't lose credibility by being in an established department store."

Authenticity is critical to ensuring the success of a partnership between a streetwear label and a department store, however. "It's not enough for the department stores to just bring the brands to the store, you have to act and speak the language of the consumer and the brands if you want a long-term relationship," says Kristian Andersen.

Robert Burke agrees: "When it's anything less than authentic, it can backfire on both parties and it will die a quick death."
Related Articles:
[ With Kithland, Ronnie Fieg Presents His Ultimate Collaboration ]

[ The Unlikely Success of Virgil Abloh ]

[ What's Next for the American Department Store? ]

[ Department Stores Battle for Manhattan ]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Will Luxury Streetwear Get Millennials Into Department Stores?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LONDON, United Kingdom - "Being in Bergdorf authenticates what we're doing. It gives us credibility, 100 percent for sure," says Ronnie Fieg, founder of upmarket streetwear store and label Kith, which, this September, opened a shop-in-shop at the luxury retailer's men's store, just one week after the launch of Rihanna's Fenty x Puma line across the street at Bergdorf Goodman's women's store.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
All businesses must learn to navigate the cultural and technological shifts ushered in by young consumers, but this is particularly important for the fashion industry because it is predicated on style and novelty. Gen-Zers - the first true digital natives - range from ages 12 to 25 and are now coming into their own.

Having mastered social media platforms at an early age, this generation is adept at producing and consuming fashion content, doing so at a faster pace than any generation before. This inverts the design process where styles are now percolating bottom-up rather than being pushed down from the traditional gatekeepers, while also accelerating trend creation. This digital savviness manifests in the way Gen-Z discovers, purchases, and even disposes of fashion. As a result, this generation has the power to reshape all the points in the consumer journey as they mature and gain purchasing power.

Brands and retailers must take note of this generation's intricacies in order to thrive. BoF Insights' latest report Gen-Z and Fashion in the Age of Realism focuses on the US, where Gen-Z has an estimated disposable income of $360 billion.

Below is a look at what the fashion industry needs to know to craft a winning, long-term strategy with Gen-Z.

The vast majority of Gen-Zers find fashion inspiration through social media platforms, especially TikTok with its personalised #ForYou pages. Nonetheless, the next step - in terms of converting those young consumers - is arguably more important. In this case, Instagram still comes out slightly ahead in terms of providing the information needed to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, Snapchat and Facebook lag with BoF Insights' panel despite their investments in social commerce features, including AR try-on and integrated shops, respectively.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Implications of Gen-Z for the Fashion Industry - in Five Charts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
All businesses must learn to navigate the cultural and technological shifts ushered in by young consumers, but this is particularly important for the fashion industry because it is predicated on style and novelty. Gen-Zers - the first true digital natives - range from ages 12 to 25 and are now coming into their own.

# data[].attributes.body
The very first reason original streetwear brands like supreme have become important is that they provide us with comfortable outfits. Streetwear apparel is warm and cozy. It doesn’t restrict movement as dresses or skirts do. This means you can wear streetwear outfits for almost any activity.

So far, streetwear is the most comfortable fashion style available.  For this simple reason, streetwear will have a massive audience for years to come.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I am often asked the question, what is luxury? While some may argue that it's a dream or pure emotion, I propose a more precise description: it's the ability to create extreme value for a client. Or, if we switch perspectives, it's a person's belief that an experience created extreme value for them. Hence, something is only luxury if its perceived value is dramatically higher than that of other experiences.

Through my research on unlocking hidden value drivers of luxury, I found that an anticipated shift in perception is what drives value. In a groundbreaking study, I was able to show that if someone sees the exact same person in two different settings, the luxury setting (say a man with a Rolex or a Patek Philippe watch or a woman in a Chanel dress) offered a significantly more positive perception of the person than a normal environment (say, the man now wears a Swatch or the woman the same dress but now we think it is made by H&M). People felt that the person in the luxury setting was more attractive and had a higher self-esteem, greater expertise, more opportunities, and a more interesting life.

If an anticipated shift in personal perception is the key driver of perceived extreme value - hence the fundamental accelerator of seeing something as luxury - then it is logical that any brand, product, or service that can help people improve their anticipated future has a strong potential of becoming the ultimate luxury.

This is not surprising. For many people, spending a day at a beautiful spa, getting pampered through an exceptional massage, or indulging in a spectacular resort are moments of extreme value. In times where people feel the pressures of an increasingly complex and fast-paced reality, emotional wellbeing becomes an investment into self. These include guided retreats, detoxification treatments, and the rediscovery of ancient healing practices and rituals.

But human upgrading can go much further. Ankha Marza, the founder and CEO of Speak Your Power is one of the best coaches in the world in her field. Her focus is communication, public speaking, leadership presence. She helps supercharge opportunities in life and guides with sensitivity, expert insight and heart. She's done this with CEO's and their teams, founders, students, Navy SEALs. "Your voice and presence are your gift and power. Use them to awaken, influence and inspire" Marza says. "It is critical to understand and connect with each of my clients, so I can help them eliminate what's holding them back, help them see more of their superpowers and show up as more of who they already are." It's a great example of working closely with a person and providing extreme value by maximizing their potential.

Traci Moon, a well-known life coach and psychic who is often shuttled in by her clients in a private jet to even the most remote locations, helps people through a multi-step process to unlock their power without fears and anxiety. Her method provides her clients with exceptional mental clarity and action-oriented tools and techniques to support important decisions in their lives and manifest profound and lasting change, feeling in full control. According to her, "the moment when people take control of their destiny, while they feel deep empathy and compassion is a true game changer in the lives of people."

Meanwhile, gyms at the high-end have become increasingly sophisticated, providing motivating experiences that go far beyond the workouts. In Santa Monica, Los Angeles, the Human Upgrade Center takes the gym experience to a different level. Workouts are done using a high oxygen environment to achieve better results in less time. Another brand, the Superhuman Protocol, promises a sequential system using magnetic pulses, oxygen-supported workouts, and red-light therapy to dramatically change the way people feel: the ultimate well-being.

During the recent Pepperdine Disruptive Luxury Symposium, one of the key insights was the amount of spending that the ultra-wealthy assign to bio-hacking, having the best personal trainers in the world, and having private chefs that curate healthy food. Wellness, health, and longevity are the new luxury.

The trend of a human upgrade through technology originated in Asia, with a particular interest in Korea, Japan, affluent Chinese. Oxone therapies, oxygen bars, detoxifying treatments assisted by sophisticated tools, and a sheer endless variety of heating, cooling, nourishing, or soothing patches applied all over the body are already somewhat mainstream. The metaverse further boosts opportunities in human upgrade: virtual reality apps help countless people to meditate, find focus, and make endurance sports like indoor rowing and cycling feel like a computer game, transporting people into dystopian worlds, serene sceneries, or into outer space. The extreme value creation of human upgrading is literally everywhere.

And in Hollywood, many celebrities transformed their bedrooms into large hyperbaric chambers, allowing them to sleep in their beds with pressures up to 2.5 atmospheres and with 95-97 percent oxygen, helping them to maintain a dramatically younger appearance and boost their energy for on-screen appearances. It's a technology that is becoming increasingly popular and chambers can cost $40,000-$100,000 or above, the equivalent of many premium cars.

Providing extreme value to people, products and services that promise a human upgrade the ultimate luxury. The highest value perception is, in fact, when we feel a brand or a service truly cares for us and improves the way we are.
This is an op-ed article that reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Jing Daily.
Named one of the "Global Top Five Luxury Key Opinion Leaders to Watch," Daniel Langer is the CEO of the luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm Équité, and the executive professor of luxury strategy and pricing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He consults many of the leading luxury brands in the world, is the author of several best-selling luxury management books, a global keynote speaker, and holds luxury masterclasses on the future of luxury, disruption, and the luxury metaverse in Europe, the USA, and Asia. Follow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why 'Human Upgrading' Is The Ultimate Luxury | Jing Daily

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I am often asked the question, what is luxury? While some may argue that it's a dream or pure emotion, I propose a more precise description: it's the ability to create extreme value for a client. Or, if we switch perspectives, it's a person's belief that an experience created extreme value for them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The rise of streetwear has been inescapable, with the youth-culture trend revolutionizing the face of retail over the last few years. Starting from independent, grassroots brands and now filtering into the mainstream via global retail conglomerates, consumer demand for streetwear seems stronger than ever. The symbolic peak of success being the valuation of Supreme, a New York skateboarding brand, at $1 billion, which was then subsequently followed by another streetwear unicorn in Detroit based sneaker startup StockX.

This puts streetwear and athleisure brands in a completely different league compared to more conventional fashion brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, who are reducing their retail footprint and evolving store experiences to keep up with changing customer requirements.

According to Vogue Business, streetwear demand continues to grow, with U.S. teen interest seeing exponential growth in brands like Supreme and Champion and streetwear-influenced designs continuing to drive sales for the luxury sector. Streetwear has been a reliable draw for high-end brands trying to capture a younger market, with several established fashion brands finding success collaborating with niche streetwear labels.

Arguably the most infamous collaboration, and one that set the tone for subsequent partnerships, was the Supreme and Louis Vuitton collection. Shown at Paris Fashion week, the ultimate barometer of high fashion's approval, this was followed by a wave of streetwear collaborations with more traditional retailers.

British fashion institution Burberry collaborated with Russian designer Premium luggage brand, RIMOWA Gosha Rubchinskiy, taking the traditional heritage check design and fusing them with Russian youth-culture inspired by football and 90s rave aesthetic. paired up with Off-White to create a transparent suitcase, a fresh variation from the popular aluminum-look cases that RIMOWA was famed for.

Building on their catwalk success, LVMH then tapped Virgil Abloh-the American designer, DJ and stylist who first came to prominence as Kanye West's creative director-as their new men's artistic director. His appointment at the creative helm of such an established brand was a definitive indicator, cementing the exponential influence of streetwear.

The move to embrace streetwear was not just about sales though. Although it was a possible catalyst behind sales, ( LVMH saw a 16% increase during the first financial period of 2019, in comparison to 2018 ), the companytook care to call out Louis Vuitton's "striking and innovative" creativity, highlighting their "universally acclaimed" fashion shows in its quarterly corporate report.

The fashion shows were just the start, with a significant focus on the streetwear-clad crowd that attended them. Instead of traditional advertising campaigns, social media is the go-to platform for shoppers to discover streetwear and its influencers, with designers filling their catwalk FROW with social media influencers like Emma Chamberlain and model Karlie Kloss.

This dose of youth culture at traditionally industry-only events defines the real value that streetwear brings. Whether it's young people, social media or a fashion trend, it brings relevance and cultural currency, thus making heritage brands much more appealing for a younger consumer.

Take the example of Ralph Lauren, a strong representation of a timeless all-American heritage brand. Polo Ralph Lauren teamed up with London skate brand Palace which, outside of its loyal following, seemed practically unknown in comparison. However, the collaboration was launched to the delight of young "hypebeasts" and fashion insiders everywhere, strengthening Ralph Lauren's positioning within the younger market and landing Palace further fashion credibility in one move.

It's not a one-time project for Ralph Lauren either. Learning from streetwear success stories is helping brands speak to a whole new generation of customers. I n a bid to court them, Ralph Lauren plans to increase marketing spend by $100 million over the next five years, with the creative class firmly in mind.

The main challenge that businesses will face is recreating the not-so-secret ingredient that made streetwear brands a success in the first place. The community. Established brands may be able to partner with the right designer and they may be able to change their model to the weekly drop that's common with streetwear brands but will they be able to replicate the mutual values and sense of belonging that has been key to growth?

Tia Castagno, managing director and global head of innovation at media agency Vizeum, says, "For me, success can be measured on whether you manage to build a real tribe around your brand rather than how many ratings you can buy and how many people you're reaching. Think of a brand like Supreme and the fact that when it does a drop it has a queue outside of the shop that goes three times around the block from hours before, if not the night before."

Community-driven brands are seeing tremendous success. Whether it's a tribe of loyal beauty lovers at Glossier, a meeting of entrepreneurs at WeWork or a bunch of creative trendsetters on Depop, building a community doesn't just facilitate customer success, it fosters brand loyalty.

With more retailers inevitably rushing to cash in on the streetwear trend, brand loyalty will be the one thing setting them apart in a saturated market. Time will tell which brands have got it right.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supreme Appeal: How Brands Use Streetwear To Attract Gen-Z

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The rise of streetwear has been inescapable, with the youth-culture trend revolutionizing the face of retail over the last few years. Starting from independent, grassroots brands and now filtering into the mainstream via global retail conglomerates, consumer demand for streetwear seems stronger than ever.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's a tough time to be in business. Thanks to spiking inflation rates, ongoing supply chain issues, overstocked inventory, and on-and-off store pandemic closures in China, companies across the apparel and beauty sectors have dimmed their outlooks for the rest of the fiscal year despite beating analyst expectations in previous quarters.

But luxury players aren't letting headwinds slow them down. On October 11, French conglomerate LVMH posted a sharp rise in sales in the third quarter, up 19 percent on a comparable basis from a year earlier to 19.8 billion euros ($19.2 billion) - a testament to the ongoing demand for high-end products around the world. In fact, the group attributed revenue growth to American tourists taking advantage of the strong dollar to splurge in Europe, as well as easing health restrictions in Asia.

That said, Louis Vuitton sales were flat in China during the period - better than the second quarter but still far from recovery. As LVMH chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony said on a call with investors, "The Chinese market is not working the normal way. We still have disruptions, both in terms of people being in lockdown, some stores are being closed. If you look at brick and mortar, the traffic in stores is still very low compared to 2019."

Given these fluctuations in the mainland, the company's biggest division, fashion and leather goods, pulled most of the weight. In the first nine months of 2022, business grew 31 percent (24 percent in organic) to 21.3 billion euros ($20 billion), led by Louis Vuitton. In addition to a successful men's Spring Summer 2023 LV show in China, the star label unveiled many new products, including the Tambour Twenty collector's watch. Limited to just 200 pieces, the $17,800 timepieces went "immediately out of stock" after being released in September, the company noted.

LVMH isn't the only luxury giant turning its fortunes around. Earlier this week, Shanghai-based Lanvin Group announced that revenue in the first half of the year grew 73 percent year-over-year, representing "one of the highest growth rates in the global luxury industry." Although Europe and North America largely drove this performance, Greater China managed to surge 32 percent year-over-year in sales as brands expanded their presence on local e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Xiaohongshu. (Still, the owner of Sergio Rossi lowered its valuation in light of shifts in the currency and stock markets.)

As these results show, strong local demand in Europe and North America and rebounding tourism are helping global businesses to weather the storm. However, Bernstein analyst Luca Solca tells that Chinese consumers remain the most important constituency for these players. "We see in our analyses that - as soon as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted - Chinese consumers will go back to the stores."

It's also important to remember that these affluent consumers are not heavily swayed by inflationary pressures. "Luxury is not a proxy for the general economy," explained LVMH's Guiony. "We don't necessarily sell to the average household. We end up selling to affluent people and they have a behavior on their own that's not necessarily totally aligned with economic or GDP ups and downs."

As consumers getting out of the pandemic are in "carpe diem mode," luxury names can head into the holiday season with some optimism. But they're not completely out of the woods just yet: "Clearly, at one point luxury spend will normalize and converge back to fundamentals," Solca continued. "This is why we think it would be important for luxury brands to find a 'growth relay' between western consumers moderating their spend into FY23E and Chinese consumers accelerating." Those that do will be the ones that pull ahead of the pack.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Soaring Sales At LVMH Prove That Luxury Consumers Are A Different Breed | Jing Daily

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's a tough time to be in business. Thanks to spiking inflation rates, ongoing supply chain issues, overstocked inventory, and on-and-off store pandemic closures in China, companies across the apparel and beauty sectors have dimmed their outlooks for the rest of the fiscal year despite beating analyst expectations in previous quarters.

# data[].attributes.body
The difference between streetwear and luxury wear is that streetwear has a history. While luxury trends change monthly/yearly and often represent nothing specific, streetwear is rooted in ethnic fashion style. Streetwear represents a culture that embodies a unique lifestyle, music, and art. It gives the skateboarders, rappers and D.J’s a platform for self-expression. The cultural representation it provides makes it very important.

# data[].attributes.body
Streetwear is an urban fashion style that’s very trendy. For this reason, a streetwear online store can achieve massive profits in today's market. And the best thing about the urban nature of streetwear is that it’s not limited to one demographic. Besides teenagers or youths, older men and women can also wear streetwear. This is the reason veteran artists like Kanye West, and Jay-Z can wear streetwear the same way newer artists like DaBaby, Lil Baby and Bryson Tiller can.

Streetwear’s modernism/urbanism creates room for people of all ages, races, and countries.

# data[].attributes.body
The icing on the cake is that streetwear isn’t just comfortable but also stylish. The patterned hoodies, colorful sneakers, ripped jeans and zipped t-shirts all come together to create an edgy, bold look. Streetwear’s stylishness is one reason celebrities and the average man/woman alike are obsessed with the trend.

Streetwear is also versatile. One can easily rotate each piece and come up with a new look each time.

# data[].attributes.headline
Strategy& and Hypebeast, a leading online media platform for men’s contemporary fashion and streetwear, recently conducted two surveys to show how fashion brands can best succeed in selling streetwear: one covering more than 40,000 consumers worldwide, and another involving around 700 people working in the industry. The results showed that:

# data[].attributes.subject
Strategy& and Hypebeast, a leading online media platform for men’s contemporary fashion and streetwear, recently conducted two surveys to show how fashion brands can best succeed in selling streetwear: one covering more than 40,000 consumers worldwide, and another involving around 700 people working in the industry. The results showed that:

# data[].attributes.body
Streetwear consumers are young: more than 60% of consumers surveyed were under 25.

They are not all that wealthy, either: about 70% of respondents reported an annual income of $40,000 or less.

But they have money to spend on their favourite brands: 56% reported spending an average of $100-$300 on a single item. Asian consumers spend more, with 32% of Japanese respondents spending an average of $500 or more per product.

They connect directly with brands both offline and online: 53% are most likely to buy streetwear products in the brand’s own store; 42% from its website.

Social media is their top source (84%) of influence, followed by the other young, urban people they see around them.

Successful brands have strong links to the cultures out of which streetwear grew: musicians have the most credibility among consumers in our survey (65%), some way ahead of social-media influencers (32%).

Streetwear’s young fans think of themselves as being socially conscious, a trend that is spreading to all consumers: 70% said social awareness and brand activism were important to them, while 29% of PwC’s GCIS participants responded they buy brands that promote sustainable practices.

# data[].attributes.body
Streetwear is a style that can be enjoyed by both men and women. While streetwear women’s outfits might come in smaller sizes than men’s, a streetwear style girl can still choose to buy her outfits in men's streetwear sizes.

The fact that size isn’t a hindrance within streetwear is a major reason it’s unisex. Whether you choose to go for big sizes, moderate sizes or fitting sizes, your streetwear apparel will still come out looking great!

# data[].attributes.body
The evidence shows that growth expectations for streetwear are robust, even as there are some clouds gathering over the retail industry amid a global economic slowdown. As many as 76% of industry respondents in our survey expected the market to continue to grow significantly over the next five years.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Streetwear is loosely defined as common clothing items for casual wear that gain significance in the lifestyle of a people. Usually, one can trace the roots of streetwear culture to California in the 80s when skating was quite in fashion. Later on, it was adopted as hip-hop culture taking over everywhere including Japan. However, in the past few years and especially in 2018, streetwear became more commonly appreciated and prominent with Yeezy, Supreme, Nike, and Adidas.
The millennial and Gen-Z are now the growing consumers of the fashion and they seek products that offer a sense of community along with trend. It can be speculated that streetwear culture is about an attitude towards trends and fashions, therefore, becoming a lifestyle rather than a reduced fashion statement.
How is Streetwear Becoming Common?
Social media and technology are not the same as it used to be. Once a trend is adopted by famous people, it is then hyped by fans and social media influencers. On Instagram, it is easier to see the trend of social media influencers and celebrities to promote a common style or trend which later trickles down to the common man before the next new thing is introduced. Most of the people who hype up the culture are young people who share their taste for certain things.
For instance, a shared love for 'indie' music and 'alternative' bands gave rise to people who dressed similarly. Similarly, the streetwear culture is something of a representation of the people, their taste in arts, music, and fashion. In other words, this type of trend encompasses a broader population and allows everyone to participate. It is only natural that more people would dress up trendy when the trend is easily accessible and in fact, introduced by the people rather than high-end fashion brands or magazines.
Which Brands Fall Under Streetwear Culture?
Although people can wear fake or alternative things, the brands still take up much of the space in the streetwear. Brands such as Nike, Adidas, Supreme, Off-White, and Obey. Most of these brands are equally reciprocated by men and women equally. However, there are others like Stussy, A-Cold-Wall*, Kith and Heron Preston which have refined collections for women who want to wear streetwear.
These brands make the desired large-sized hoodies and t-shirts and huge sneakers. The trend usually includes graphic logos and animations which especially cater to the youth on Instagram. There is an interconnected nature of fashion consumption fueled by social media and street culture.
The Market for Streetwear Culture
While big names like Supreme or Adidas and many others remain a preference among consumers, they are not limited in their choices. Many people are now starting their own business or startup to cater to the streetwear culture which would be more affordable for people with different income levels. There is a wide market for anyone who has unique ideas to present authentic and fashionable streetwear to the people who are inspired by hip-hop culture in 2019. In fact, you can even resell the items and they sell out within hours.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Streetwear Culture- What You Need to Know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Streetwear is loosely defined as common clothing items for casual wear that gain significance in the lifestyle of a people. Usually, one can trace the roots of streetwear culture to California in the 80s when skating was quite in fashion. Later on, it was adopted as hip-hop culture taking over everywhere including Japan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Streetwear Culture: Trends Through the Decades

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The definition of “streetwear” is vague. Most people use street style as a way to express the things they identify with most and to show off their uniqueness.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Daxue Consulting - Market Research China

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Streetwear in China has colorfully and poetically blossomed among gen Z with the help of hip-hop culture, national pride and a need for individual expression. US skate culture plays an important role in this movement, making streetwear and skatewear more mainstream in China.

Social media keeps Chinese youth in tune to emerging trends and cultures. Similar to the early origins of streetwear in the US, kids find brands and tap into the community they create. There is a sense of discovery and ownership resonates with teens who are forming an identity.

Thanks to popular reality shows related to Chinese rap culture, street fashion went from underground into the mass market. First, The Rap of China launched in 2017, then the Street dance of China has followed the hype, and The new rap of China in 2020. The trend is still continuing, attracting more and more attention. These shows inspire Chinese consumers to talk about streetwear culture and fashion, making the market more and more attractive.

Source: Heuritech, Street Dance of China, Season 3
Millennials and Gen Z are the key consumers in the streetwear market in China

As luxury brands adapt to the tastes of newer generations, the fastest route to youth culture has been through strategic partnerships with streetwear brands in China. Streetwear-obsessed Chinese millennials and Generation Z have become a significant focus for luxury labels. The global streetwear craze has outsize influence in China, where Gen Z and Millennial consumers make 42% of luxury purchases.

The savviest luxury streetwear collaborations leverage not only the popularity of global streetwear like Off-White in China, but also the influence of young local celebrities. Rimowa, for example, used Chinese KOLs to drive social hype for the Off-White collaboration. Millennial actor Zhu Yilong and members of Chinese Gen Z pop idol groups modeled with their suitcases. Additionally, youth in China are getting the streetwear inspiration from social networks, such as TikTok.

Data Source: Hypebeast, Top sources of streetwear inspiration for Chinese consumers
Fashion icons and rappers are the key KOLs of streetwear in China

Streetwear brands in China attract relatively few KOLs. The most popular are rappers. They often show up to interviews and events wearing distinctive and high-profile clothes. As Chinese people pay a lot of attention to their music and shows, they are at the same time quite influenced by this new fashion. From that perspective, the Rap of China is incredibly significant to brands. It offers free marketing and promotion as well as product placement for their wares.

Source: Sina Fashion, Kris Wu in Rap of China
The tendency to copy the style of popular musicians some people call the "Chris Wu effect" in China. He is one of the most famous singers and actors in China with a unique personality. He is also one of four judges on the show alongside Wilber Pan, popular Chang Chen-Yue and MC HotDog. Chris Wu's immense popularity among female consumers piqued the curiosity of the Supreme brand, which he often wore on the show. Some Chinese stars such as Edison Chen and Shawn Yue are also leading the trend. Edison Chen even has its own brand, named CDC.

Data Source: Hypebeast, Which figures Chinese consumers consider the most credible in streetwear

How streetwear brands in China differ from other countries

Many fashion brands in China have benefited from the popularity of street trends. T-shirts with seemingly rebellious slogans which, in fact, have no connotations are already some of the specialties of the Chinese streetwear brands. At the same time, the so-called " jelly generation ", which is a new breed of young artists, are finding inspiration in childhood imagery and nostalgia marketing. It made Chinese streetwear brands adapt eccentric details in their collections.

For instance, Chinese brand THETHING founded by Zheng Yi and Zheng Zhu launched collaborations with artists, graffiti writers and painters. Their goal was to create a label that would allow people to "express individual beauty and personality".

Source: Cool Hunting, THETHING Chinese streetwear brand

Korean influence in China's streetwear trends

Unlike Chinese streetwear, which gets inspiration from hip-hop, Korean street style skyrocketed since the rise of K-pop. Female and male K-pop groups are encouraging fans to admire and draw inspiration from streetwear. More revealing clothing such as miniskirts and short shorts is extremely popular in Korean streetwear. Thanks to the beauty standard of long, slender legs, such clothing has become popular in China as well.

Source: Lychee, Korean streetwear styles have also influenced Chinese streetwear trends
Japanese influence in China's streetwear trends

Japan's streetwear draws inspiration from Anime and Manga, and can be seen as the most fantastical among east Asian fashion. Complete with ribbins, bows and bouncy curls, this child-like fashion is a continuous source of nostalgia. In contrast to Korea's mini-skirts, Japanese skirts are very voluminous and normally paired with petticoats, and the tops As many Chinese also grew up watching Japanese anime, this fashion certainly has its share of influence in China's streetwear market.

Source: Lychee, Japanese streetwear style "Lolita"
Chinese streetwear trends

There is one common denominator when it comes to the Chinese street style, and that is brand names. Oftentimes, Chinese streetwear is complete with designer brands and logos plastered all over the outfits.

Source: Guest of a Guest, Chinese streetstyle
Luxury segment of the streetwear market in China

In addition to Chinese celebrities, brands are also tapping into the power of local digital streetwear platforms. For example, 18.6% of luxury fashion brands posted promotions in partnership with China's most popular streetwear platform Yoho!. Montblanc went a step further with a full-fledged Yoho! product collaboration.

Competition between foreign and domestic streetwear brands in China

Chinese millennials embrace Supreme

Data Source: Hypebeast, Which brands represent streetwear to the Chinese consumers the most
Supreme is a popular American streetwear brand, with only 12 stores worldwide. The Rap of China brought about an explosion of hip-hop culture in China, as well as popularity of Supreme. Despite the government's attempt to bad hip-hop, the culture and fashion still thrive. Along with it, the streetwear grail, Supreme. Supreme has no physical or online store in China. The nearest Supreme store is in Japan, so fans of the brand use resellers. Chinese millennials are the key consumer group for Supreme in China.

Local Chinese streetwear brands use authenticity to attract consumers

Authenticity will always remain key to the Chinese consumers. Therefore, non-Chinese brands need to find the right partners to work with. From a business perspective, China is a whole different market with today's heavy import tax so the right partner can help navigate the culture along with the business side.

Li Ning (李宁): a home-grown sports brand competing with Nike and Adidas in streetwear in China

Li Ning is a Chinese sportswear brand established by the world-class Chinese athlete Mr Li Ning in 1990. Embracing the current wave of national pride, the brand is leading among streetwear brands in China. The brand positions itself as having a "modern and worldwide vision of Chinese legacy, educated by way of life of the road and made conceivable by the leap forward advancements of Li-Ning".

The Li Ning brand made an appearance at New York Fashion Week in 2018. It demonstrates the capacity to incorporate both Chinese with Western styles. The brand maintains high quality standard of material and texture, which is a demonstration of the quality of Chinese assembling.

Source: Li Ning, Premium collection
What is the next stage for the streetwear market in China?

2017 was an important year for Chinese streetwear. Thanks to reality shows, mainstream consumers suddenly took interest in it. "It quickly took off when a lot of people started selling their own streetwear brands via WeChat and targeting people from third or fourth-tier cities in China," said Jiang Yisen, co-founder of the Chinese streetwear e-commerce app Wargo. After the death of self-made WeChat brands, Taobao became the dominant platform for the streetwear brands in China.

This shift toward authenticity and quality design is vital to understanding how the streetwear market in China is shifting. Many streetwear brands walk a fine line between knocking off and playing off existing icons or brands. "A knock-off is sticking a Mickey Mouse to your shirt, while a play-off is tribute to Kate Moss" - said Xiaozhu, the founder of the brand Graf. As the streetwear audience in China has become savvier about counterfeits, they've started to crave authentic brands.

As interest in streetwear continues to grow, it offers opportunities for the streetwear brands in China. Although the spirit of streetwear didn't originate in the East, the growth of it will likely continue to thrive.

Streetwear is not the only upcoming Chinese fashion trend, learn about the blossoming male beauty market in China

Listen to over 100 China entrepreneur stories on China Paradigms, the China business podcast
Listen to China Paradigm on Apple Podcast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Streetwear in China: a new form of expression

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Streetwear in China has colorfully and poetically blossomed among gen Z with the help of hip-hop culture, national pride and a need for individual expression. US skate culture plays an important role in this movement, making streetwear and skatewear more mainstream in China. Social media keeps Chinese youth in tune to emerging trends and cultures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Supreme has the secret sauce for creating a cult-like following:

Over 6M Instagram followers

Their products resell at over 1200% their retail price

Founder, James Jebbia, net worth of over $40M dollars

Today's article shows you EXACTLY how Supreme New York has grown from a one location retail store run by skateboarders to a worldwide known ecommerce brand with a following larger than some religions.

It is VERY long and detailed. It analyzes practically every aspect of the company. Traffic sources, email marketing, influencer marketing, page layout, viral content, advertising campaigns, you name it.

Here I will include only a few particularly interesting elements. For all the rest, head over to the article and have a cup of tea to read everything comfortably.

For those of you who don't know Supreme, Wikipedia to the rescue:
"Supreme is a skateboarding shop and clothing brand established in New York City in April 1994. The brand caters to the skateboarding, hip hop and rock cultures, as well as to the youth culture in general. The brand produces clothes and accessories, and also manufactures skateboards."
It also has more viral content than any other 'big name' streetwear and skateboarding companies. Which is impressive because this industry is well known for creating the viral content.
They are all about the unusual.
They produce very limited quantities. At the same time, when a Supreme product sells well, they never make it again. That's what creates the hype and insane resell prices that get as high as 1200% or more. The effect?
Their homepage is unusual too.
Yes, that's the whole homepage. There's nothing else on that page.

They want you to chase them, they won't chase you.
Unusual newsletter
When you sign up... you get nothing. Crickets actually start chirping as you wait for any sort of email from Supreme.

Their email marketing strategy actually makes customers impatient for their next email. Again, "you chase us".

Supreme has been known to send messages and updates to a select group of customers. The way they come up with this list is a mystery.

Supreme's email tactic is such a mystery that sometimes they do not even send order confirmation receipts. There are dozens of conversations online regarding order confirmations. It only adds to the mystery.

Here are the nine key takeaways from the article:

1. Intentionally limit the quantity of every product you sell. This is how you can build a demand frenzy around your brand and get people in internet groups and major news sites promoting your product for you.

2. Match your homepage design with your brand image. If you're trying to go high-end luxury, keep your website simple and stylish.

3. Rethink your email marketing strategy. Are your customers replying to your emails excited to get the next one, or do you send out so many they just ignore you? Just because 90% of retailers spam people with emails and push for sales does not mean it is the best tactic for your email list.

4. Release content your target customers want. Just because everyone is writing blog posts, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the right marketing tool for you. Supreme use "lookbooks" that get the attention of their fans and the media. Think outside the box for what content your buyers want to engage with, and how often.

5. Find moderators inside subreddits of Reddit to promote posts for you. This is the only guaranteed way of getting links to your business promoted in Reddit without being self-promotional.

6. Get collabs with celebrities. You do this by helping them researching them and helping them hit the goal they are working on right now, building your product with them and showing them how you will promote them to your audience.

7. Focus on growing one social media channel. You can't win on every social channel, but you can double down on one like Supreme did with Instagram by finding what type of posts your audience most like to engage with.

8. Double down on advertising campaigns that work. Supreme have being doing photo tee and poster ads for over a decade. They haven't jumped around between different marketing channels, they just do what's worked in the past. Look at what's worked best for your business in the past and double down on it today.

9. Use these two ecommerce marketing rules together: Scarcity and Consistency. By limiting the quantity of product you sell and releasing product at a consistent time and day every week/month/year you can sell out of product consistently.

For more weirdness and ingenuity, read the full thing. I've only scratched the surface here. Even if you won't use any of the tactics, it's interesting to see the thought process and how you can do things differently.

PS. I liked this one in particular.
No biggie, just $2k on eBay. And not even in my size 😄

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Case Study: Supreme Streetwear's Insane Success - GrowRevenue.io

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Supreme has the secret sauce for creating a cult-like following: Over 6M Instagram followers Their products resell at over 1200% their retail price Founder, James Jebbia, net worth of over $40M dollars Today's article shows you EXACTLY how Supreme New York has grown from a one location retail store run by skateboarders to a worldwide [...]

# data[].attributes.headline
According to surveys conducted by Strategy& and HYPEBEAST, streetwear buyers are young and “not all that wealthy.” In fact, the research highlighted that over 60 percent of respondents were under 25, and about 70 percent reported having an annual income of $40,000 or less: not your traditional luxury demographic.

# data[].attributes.subject
According to surveys conducted by Strategy& and HYPEBEAST, streetwear buyers are young and “not all that wealthy.” In fact, the research highlighted that over 60 percent of respondents were under 25, and about 70 percent reported having an annual income of $40,000 or less: not your traditional luxury demographic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To anyone connected with the world of streetwear, Stussy is one of the first names to pop into one's mind when asked about the subculture's most prominent brands. The annual sales figures also back up the brand's stellar reputation - last year alone, Stussy did over $50 million USD in worldwide sales, making it one of the biggest years ever for the brand. What is remarkable, however, is that Stussy has managed such a phenomenal feat without selling out, unlike brands such as A Bathing Ape and Volcom. What is even more remarkable is that Stussy has done so without the man behind the name, Shawn Stussy, who left the company he founded in 1996, citing personal reasons. Business of Fashion has taken an in-depth look at how the team behind the brand, including the likes of Frank Sinatra Jr. and Luca Benini, have kept the integrity of the brand intact in the eyes of the expansive Stussy International Tribe, by hiring a mix of the right people and pursuing a "brand first, revenue second" business approach. Read an excerpt below and find the full article online here.

In Europe, Luca Benini helped boost Stüssy's retail presence through his distribution company, Slam Jam. To this day, Stüssy does more business globally than it does in the US and David Sinatra estimates the split is about "60-40," with Japan remaining its largest customer base. Stüssy's international tribe has swelled into a worldwide movement. "Even though they don't have the original designer, their most iconic signature would be the font - his handwriting, which they were able to retain," says Gibbs.

Stüssy also traded in the currency of the logo flip - the reinterpretation of famous trademarks and images with a knowing nod, channelling the attitude of placing graffiti or a sticker over a subway ad. In addition to Stüssy's Chanel homages, the younger Sinatra remembers one particular Stüssy pattern modelled after Louis Vuitton 's monogrammed print: "I know Shawn did it, it was probably in the late '80s, we called it 'Stu-ey Vuitton,' and we got sued for it, actually."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Stussy Became a $50 Million USD Streetwear Brand Without Selling Out

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To anyone connected with the world of streetwear, Stussy is one of the first names to pop into one's mind when asked about the subculture's most prominent brands. The annual sales figures also back up the brand's stellar reputation - last year alone, Stussy did over $50 million USD in worldwide sales, making it one of the biggest years ever for the brand.

# data[].attributes.headline
“But when you buy luxury streetwear, you’re not paying for the most handcrafted, highest quality piece; you’re buying into a subculture.

# data[].attributes.subject
“But when you buy luxury streetwear, you’re not paying for the most handcrafted, highest quality piece; you’re buying into a subculture.

# data[].attributes.headline
 Currently, luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga have made contemporary streetwear the cornerstone of their collections (and it is paying off handsomely). Their strategy primarily attracts a community of sporty, urban teens who can afford entry-level luxury items.

# data[].attributes.subject
 Currently, luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga have made contemporary streetwear the cornerstone of their collections (and it is paying off handsomely). Their strategy primarily attracts a community of sporty, urban teens who can afford entry-level luxury items.