The Chilly Business of $1,000 Puffers

Puffer jackets and the broader outerwear market are a competitive billion-dollar market that's been historically dominated by legacy brands like The North Face and Columbia. But in recent years, there has been a strong push towards luxury with the emergence of Canada Goose and Moncler. 10 years ago, spending $100-300 on a winter jacket would have been considered to be a top-of-the-line investment. Nowadays, that price-point sits over $1,000.

If you look at famous luxury brands like Hermes, Gucci, Prada, Versace, Rolex, Hugo Boss, or Dior, they all built up their clientele and prestige through many generations. Yet luxury outerwear is remarkably young. Canada Goose and Moncler have been around for decades, but their evolution and success has only been very recent, making them truly modern luxury brands - and not the old money brands of the past.

While the rapid rise of Canada Goose and Moncler is well understood, the economics and market dynamics of outerwear have remained unexplored. Do Canada Goose or Moncler make more than mass-market brands? How different are their strategies and results? How did Canada Goose and Moncler establish themselves in less than 10 years? In this episode, we’ll cover the business of outerwear and the various approaches to building a brand through the perspective of The North Face, Columbia, Canada Goose, and Moncler.

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0:00 Modern Luxury Brands
3:56 Wholesale vs Direct
17:40 High Canadian Fashion