A look at Amazon’s private label apparel
Last month, Store Brands covered the growing trend of private label apparel coming out of traditional retailers, including clothes from less assuming stores such as Kroger and its Dip line, Fred Meyer stores, and the surprising success of the Kirkland apparel line at Costco. Adding to that trend could be Amazon.
According to an article in Glossy, a fashion and beauty publication that focuses on digital and technology, Amazon has 106 fashion-focused private brands in apparel, footwear and accessories under names such as Amazon Basics, Goodthreads, Spotted Zebra and more, and that the retailer expects to lean on these private brands to drive its way into fashion.
Per the article, Amazon’s greatest strength is its influencer network to drive interest in its own branded apparel and items. More than a year ago, Amazon garnered stories across several fashion magazines and newspapers regarding a winter coat it sold. The olive green, functional winter coat eventually became so popular among influencers that it became known as “the Amazon coat” and ended up getting its own Instagram account.
The coat was made by a company named Orolay in China that expected to make $40 million in revenue in 2019.
Beyond influencers pushing a product like the Amazon coat, Amazon could expand the work its doing with influencers to be a platform for exclusive products developed by influencers. Amazon sells these items on a feature it calls “The Drop,” which makes an influencer-created product available for 30 hours. This tight-window of availability drives demand and cache around the product, much like how the Supreme clothing line has made its clothes popular.