Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-08-31)

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Dedicatedfollowersoffashiontendtofallintotwogroups:

thosewhofavora heavilybrandedlookthat’sassubtleasa

footballjersey,andthosewhofavora discreet,under-the-

radarstylethatannouncesitselfonlytoa selectfew.

E-commercesiteItaliccaterstothelatterset—andthose

whoneverbeforecouldaffordeither.It beganin 2018 with

$13millioninventurefundingasyetanothermillennial-

targeting,direct-to-consumerdisrupter. Thesiteoffers

unbrandedwomen’sandmen’sclothes,shoes,bags,and

homedecorproducedbythesamefactoriesthatBurberry,

Fendi,Mackage,andotherbonafideluxurybrandsuse.And

allsoldatcost.

I firstcameacrossItalicwhena fellowfashion-obsessed

friendtoldmethepriceswereincredibleforwhatyouget.A

slimbriefcasewiththedesignandqualitysimilartoa $2,500

Pradaversionrunsjust$200;a $55poplinpajamasetis made

bythesamecraftspeoplewhosewVilebrequin’s$280swim

trunks.Byaligningitselfwithestablishmentbrands,Italic

Inc.doesn’thavetospendwhatotherDTCstartupshavehad

toshellouttobuildconsumertrust:A $36hoodiefeelsless

cheaponceyouread—inlargetypeunderthepicture—that

it’smadeinthesameplaceasa $375Armaniversion. ILLUSTRATION

BY

PATRICIA

DORIA

CRITIC BloombergPursuits August 31, 2020

If the fashion brands are concerned about being undercut,

Italic’s founder, Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Cai, hasn’t

heard. “It’s not a big problem,” he says. “We’re a small upstart

and not eating into the market share of the big luxury houses.”

Despite that winning blend of product, price, and cachet,

thecompanyhasn’tbeenfullyimmunetothechallenges

retailbrandshavefacedthisyear.InJulythesitemoved

toamembers-only model: Italic customers must now pay

$100a yearsimplytoshopthe 800 productsonthesite.Cai

saysit wasa necessarysteptolessenrelianceoninvestors,

notingthe“crashinventure-funded capital for DTC brands.”

A few luxury retailers have been testing a similar Costco-light

model: Restoration Hardware’s Grey Card costs $100 and

offers exclusive access, flash sales, and a variety of discounts.

Yearlymembershipstendtomakemenervous,though.

I made peacewithFresh DirectLLC’sDeliveryPassby

routinelyorderingoncea week—moreoftennowduringsocial

distancing.ButI’dbuygroceriesanyway.I’mlessjazzedabout

payinga feesimplytoshopforlittleluxuries,whetherPublic

Goods($59a yearfortherighttobuytoothpasteandolive

oil)orThriveMarket($60a yeartopurchaseall-naturalbar-

becuesauceandcoconutpowderedketocreamer).

Butwithallthistimeathome,I bit.I’dplannedtostart

withanorderofItalic’sSerenetowelsetanda recycledjer-

seyvintage-washshort-sleevetee,whichhavesomeofthe

bestreviewsonthesite.Butbothweresoldout—thetowelsin

everycolor—withnoestimateofwhenthey’dbeback,though

thesiterestocksdaily.

BecauseI wassetona T-shirt,I up-leveledtothePulse

performance,madefroma 95%bambooblend.At$25,it was

$10morethantherecycledversionbutstilllessthanhalfthe

priceofmytreasured$70JamesPersetees.Theboxarrived

withinthreedays.(Shippingis freeif yourorderexceeds$50.)

Thenecklinewasa littletight,butthatmayrelaxwithwear,

andoveralltheT-shirthada qualityfeel.Evenif thePulsetee

windsupbeingonlyhalfasgoodasmyPerseshirts,that’s

stilla wininmybookbecauseoftheprice.

I alsopickedupa Doppkit,somethingI’dbeenmulling

gettingfora while.Italic’s$80contenderinblackcamein

high-qualityleather,withevenstitchinganda smoothzipper—

mypersonalmarkofa qualitybag.TheDoppkitcrystallized

howItaliccanfitintheunbrandedluxuryecosystem:Most

fashionconsumersdon’twanta head-to-toelogolook.I cer-

tainlydon’t.I havea LouisVuittonKeepall 55 inmonogram

that’sbeena trustytravelcompanion for more than a decade,

but an LV Dopp kit can cost $1,000, and that’s a steep price

to pay for something that lives near a toilet. Even if it’s a

Ritz-Carlton toilet.

Style is about mastering a mix, not blindly following trends

or piling on labels. I can carry my Vuitton bag (with my new

Italic Dopp kit inside) and wear a pair of Veja sneakers and

an Italic tee. And I’m not the only one. More than ever, mod-

ern shoppers thoughtfully blend great basics with investment

pieces. It’s a more conscious way to get dressed and, in these

times, much less conspicuous. <BW>

Shopping site Italic makes a bold

move in fashion and tests the

Costco model. By Stephen Milioti

Luxury

Without the

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