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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Why Legacy Labels Still Want to Be DTC Brands

Companies like Nike, Levi’s and PVH, which have been on years-long journeys to ramp up their direct businesses amid ongoing challenges in wholesale, provide case studies for how to invest in the selling channel.
An image of a Levi's storefront in London.
Levi's is one wholesale brand prioritising growth in its DTC channel as multi-brand retailers struggle. (Shutterstock)

At first glance, it looks like Levi’s isn’t selling enough jeans. The brand’s overall sales dropped 8 percent to $1.6 billion in the first quarter of the year.

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Further Reading

Nike’s Complex Relationship With Wholesale, Explained

The sportswear giant is quietly returning to third-party stores six years after it first announced a pivot toward direct channels. But this isn’t a reversal of priorities as much as it is an evolution of Nike’s distribution strategy, analysts say.

Wholesale Brands Want to Be the New DTC Disruptors

Brands that once ruled multi-brand retailers are investing in DTC to build connections with customers and improve their margins. But like digitally native brands before them, they’re finding fatter profits remain elusive.

About the author
Malique Morris
Malique Morris

Malique Morris is Senior E-Commerce Correspondent at The Business of Fashion. He is based in New York and covers digital-native brands and shifts in the online shopping industry.

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