You may have seen a recent tweet that started a chain reaction of media articles, blog posts, news clips and tweet threads about Amazon “ripping off” the popular wool shoe brand Allbirds. Initially I chuckled. But then as the tweet gained more and more traction, I thought I should say something and actually became a bit frustrated. So I came back with the following:
Candidly, my firm does a lot of business on Amazon via their marketplace along with others like Walmart, Wayfair, Costco, Macy’s, Kohls, etc. But let’s be real. Amazon is a easy target. They own >50% of ecommerce growth. They have numerous lines of business with significant traction. And currently, Amazon doesn’t seem stoppable.
However, most of what Amazon is doing in retail has been done to some degree before. I often point out that Sears was the first to have the “endless scroll” with their massive catalogs, next day delivery via rail and even private label homes that were sold under the brand name Sears. Endless options, quick delivery and private labels are nothing new. When was the last time you visited a Macy’s and didn’t see the Macy’s brand right next to the Polo Ralph Lauren branded product?
So why the frustration? Copying or shall I say using inspiration from other brands is commonplace is fashion. Fashion companies have been copying each other since the dawn of time. Every brand we work with from small to large will “shop the market” every few months to understand trends in colors, silhouettes, cuts, fabrics, fabrications and manufacturing methods. Some brands entire business model is founded upon being “inspired” by the designs of other brands and plowing that design savings into marketing. Just look at Nike suing Skechers just this morning. Or how about this blatant copy of Supreme branding on a New York City sweatshirt I am staring at in JFK airport this morning?
Fashion is founded upon trends. Fashion thrives on the copycats. Fashion is a virus of design from other brands. Is this right? It’s grey. But it sure isn’t isolated to Amazon and definitely isn’t new.