A puffa jacket selling for $139.99 on Amazon has a story to tell about the disruptive threats facing the luxury goods industry.
The Orolay Thickened Women’s Down Jacket has been the viral consumer hit of the winter. It is Amazon’s number one bestseller in women’s down jackets and parkas. Equipped with many zips and pockets, and in a cocoon silhouette that nods to the designs of luxury brands Moncler or Balenciaga, it has become an internet sensation. It has its own hashtag and even its own Instagram account @theamazoncoat, assuring its place in the zeitgeist.
Crucially, for the luxury goods industry it also encapsulates disruptive threats long feared by executives and owners of Europe’s luxury brands: Amazon’s ability to sell sought-after fashion, China’s capacity to make it, and a belief among luxury’s traditional clientele that it is chic to spend less.