The Quiet Revolution That’s Changing the Way You Shop

European luxury brands like Gucci are now street-style staples, while counter-culture brands like Vetements thrive in a world where names like Chanel and Louis Vuitton so long dominated. Not to mention the game of musical chairs between the top creative posts at leading luxury fashion houses from Calvin Klein and Christian Dior to Oscar de la Renta and Valentino. Especially within the contemporary fashion market, we’re increasingly seeing emerging designers embracing a “direct-to-consumer” business model, often overlaid by an ethical or sustainable component. By going straight to the source for fabrics and manufacturing, eliminating middleman wholesalers, and selling to you directly online or via popup shops, these new brands are able to provide top quality products at a fraction of the cost — compare a high quality cashmere sweater priced at $3,395 by one well-known designer label with the same quality sweater from Naadam at $299.