Thanks for writing this. I found this very interesting, especially having previously lived in Montreal. I’ve known many, many people who’ve worked there over the years and have seen the outsized cultural impact SSENSE has had on the city.
My one question is what do you think about SSENSE’s role in the democratization of fashion? I probably would’ve never been able to afford certain brands if it weren’t for their site. I don’t want to support the Amazon-ification of fashion but I also think their role in making certain brands more accessible is a good thing. What do you think?
i think if you find a beautiful, well-made piece that you love, that's special and meaningful, that you feel great in & cherish for a while -- *and* you get a deal on it -- that's cool
i don't think that's a description of what regularly happens at any huge e-commerce site working at gargantuan volume, by definition
That’s a great point. The stuff I end up buying on SSENSE never seems to have staying power in my closet. They’re nearly all impulse purchases that don’t hold the same significance as things I just happened upon at a thoughtfully curated shop IRL. This same dichotomy holds true for everything I’ve bought on Amazon too. Thanks for writing about this!
Bleak sh*t. I totally get a (s)sense of dread browsing ssense as I scroll the countless pairs of pants whose styles all merge together with no feeling for the actual item. As much as I wish to buy some High End item for the low I just never feel inclined to from ssense as I would at some retail store
Great read, especially the ending. It informs a lot of my ssense spending which is usually on stuff I already know about or have seen in better context (tabis, camions) whenever I explore on ssense I get this feeling after a bit like none of it matters or is interesting at all
My fave Spyplane read so far. Thx for the investigative reporting and providing us with the low down on ssense. Sequoia investment says it all, this is a profit machine at all costs - human, creative, ecological, etc.
Great piece. The approach is a data-driven evolution of the way the US retail model has evolved over the last couple of decades: engineering margins and markdown schedules to constantly wave a “great deal” flag in front of consumers eyes. Markdowns and sales no longer a way to clear excess inventory at the end of a season, but a well calculated part of the sell-through formula. Everything everywhere on sale all at once ☹️
1) They have so many brands, but the site layout makes it really hard to actually discover them. Even some simple filter like Japanese or women-run brands would be nice.
2) To their credit, their styling is excellent (probably because it's done by intuition and not algorithm!)
3) Someone should build a Chrome extension SSENSE wishlist so they don't get any wishlist data for their algorithms! (Also their wishlist sucks because you can't sort it in any way)
4) Spot on that, probably because of the quantity of items, they give basically no valuable info on the products, adding to the "flatness" of the site
5) Their customer service is one of the worst I've ever seen including often cancelling ordered items with no explanation and major shipping delays as mentioned in previous comment
I think the dirty secret that anyone with industry experience will tell you is that for most brands, markups are OBSCENE if consumers are buying stuff at MSRP. Materials, labor, and logistics are a fraction of the sticker price, and the rest is going to various "intangibles" along the way.
As someone who lives in a smaller market without a lot of exciting local retailers, something like SSENSE is sort of a blessing; I can access quality, interesting jawns in a convenient way. While it feels cool to support independent retailers, besides a handwritten note and a fuzzy feeling it doesn't really add much value when all I'm doing is opening up a cardboard box a delivery service dropped off.
Maybe we need to see a bit of a different buying and selling culture, looking to a place like Japan for inspiration. You know that if someone is stocking Kapital they're going to be a top-tier joint with excellent, knowledgeable staff presenting it well, and that they'll be keeping the line around for a while. Could this be on the side of brands to limit where they're selling, and buyers to make a multi-season commitment, even if that first one gets marked down?
This part: “ Materials, labor, and logistics are a fraction of the sticker price” is not true for so many small brands.
I know this industry down to the fiber costs and sure, there are plenty of high-margin luxury brands in the mix for ssense, but when you are talking about small brands that are making 10,50,100 pcs per cut, there’s very little margin to fuck with. Good textiles are $ these days. Weaving or knitting, expensive. Labor costs including logistics and store staff, also expensive (unless you don’t pay your staff a living wage)…
There’s also the relationship aspect - my clients know my team well, and it goes both ways when it comes to getting that hard to find item or doing a special pickup in Japan or even just something as simple as a discreet heads up when the big box comes in from DHL before it’s on the website.
However if you don’t want a relationship with your retailers, you don’t want the context, and you just want the object then ssense is your spot (or whoever’s got the 30% off code this week).
Thanks for writing this. I found this very interesting, especially having previously lived in Montreal. I’ve known many, many people who’ve worked there over the years and have seen the outsized cultural impact SSENSE has had on the city.
My one question is what do you think about SSENSE’s role in the democratization of fashion? I probably would’ve never been able to afford certain brands if it weren’t for their site. I don’t want to support the Amazon-ification of fashion but I also think their role in making certain brands more accessible is a good thing. What do you think?
i think if you find a beautiful, well-made piece that you love, that's special and meaningful, that you feel great in & cherish for a while -- *and* you get a deal on it -- that's cool
i don't think that's a description of what regularly happens at any huge e-commerce site working at gargantuan volume, by definition
we did a thing trying to think critically about the idea of "the democratization of fashion" in a different context btw https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/p/when-ppl-talk-about-democratizing?s=w
That’s a great point. The stuff I end up buying on SSENSE never seems to have staying power in my closet. They’re nearly all impulse purchases that don’t hold the same significance as things I just happened upon at a thoughtfully curated shop IRL. This same dichotomy holds true for everything I’ve bought on Amazon too. Thanks for writing about this!
I pity the fool who confuses data with intuition.
Great post. Also loved that is not paywalled. This is the kind of analysis that should be shared!
Bleak sh*t. I totally get a (s)sense of dread browsing ssense as I scroll the countless pairs of pants whose styles all merge together with no feeling for the actual item. As much as I wish to buy some High End item for the low I just never feel inclined to from ssense as I would at some retail store
Great read, especially the ending. It informs a lot of my ssense spending which is usually on stuff I already know about or have seen in better context (tabis, camions) whenever I explore on ssense I get this feeling after a bit like none of it matters or is interesting at all
this was eloquent asfk
My fave Spyplane read so far. Thx for the investigative reporting and providing us with the low down on ssense. Sequoia investment says it all, this is a profit machine at all costs - human, creative, ecological, etc.
Excellent reporting my man
Notably missing is the poor customer service at SSENSE and the way all their Instagram posts are flooded with “Where is my order??!” comments.
The most non-Amazon behavior, yet the customers still come.
Great piece. The approach is a data-driven evolution of the way the US retail model has evolved over the last couple of decades: engineering margins and markdown schedules to constantly wave a “great deal” flag in front of consumers eyes. Markdowns and sales no longer a way to clear excess inventory at the end of a season, but a well calculated part of the sell-through formula. Everything everywhere on sale all at once ☹️
this is a BANGER
As a new reader, this peace def is making me reconsider ssense, especially as how it relates to my own buying habits.
Great post! Some random thoughts:
1) They have so many brands, but the site layout makes it really hard to actually discover them. Even some simple filter like Japanese or women-run brands would be nice.
2) To their credit, their styling is excellent (probably because it's done by intuition and not algorithm!)
3) Someone should build a Chrome extension SSENSE wishlist so they don't get any wishlist data for their algorithms! (Also their wishlist sucks because you can't sort it in any way)
4) Spot on that, probably because of the quantity of items, they give basically no valuable info on the products, adding to the "flatness" of the site
5) Their customer service is one of the worst I've ever seen including often cancelling ordered items with no explanation and major shipping delays as mentioned in previous comment
This is high-quality stuff appreciate the work you guys do!
I think the dirty secret that anyone with industry experience will tell you is that for most brands, markups are OBSCENE if consumers are buying stuff at MSRP. Materials, labor, and logistics are a fraction of the sticker price, and the rest is going to various "intangibles" along the way.
As someone who lives in a smaller market without a lot of exciting local retailers, something like SSENSE is sort of a blessing; I can access quality, interesting jawns in a convenient way. While it feels cool to support independent retailers, besides a handwritten note and a fuzzy feeling it doesn't really add much value when all I'm doing is opening up a cardboard box a delivery service dropped off.
Maybe we need to see a bit of a different buying and selling culture, looking to a place like Japan for inspiration. You know that if someone is stocking Kapital they're going to be a top-tier joint with excellent, knowledgeable staff presenting it well, and that they'll be keeping the line around for a while. Could this be on the side of brands to limit where they're selling, and buyers to make a multi-season commitment, even if that first one gets marked down?
This part: “ Materials, labor, and logistics are a fraction of the sticker price” is not true for so many small brands.
I know this industry down to the fiber costs and sure, there are plenty of high-margin luxury brands in the mix for ssense, but when you are talking about small brands that are making 10,50,100 pcs per cut, there’s very little margin to fuck with. Good textiles are $ these days. Weaving or knitting, expensive. Labor costs including logistics and store staff, also expensive (unless you don’t pay your staff a living wage)…
There’s also the relationship aspect - my clients know my team well, and it goes both ways when it comes to getting that hard to find item or doing a special pickup in Japan or even just something as simple as a discreet heads up when the big box comes in from DHL before it’s on the website.
However if you don’t want a relationship with your retailers, you don’t want the context, and you just want the object then ssense is your spot (or whoever’s got the 30% off code this week).
And just how do you pronounce their website? Is it like Essence or just sssssssence?
I always assumed it was like a snake was pronouncing it. I never thought to think of it as "Es-Sense" and now I can't unhear it.