Prospective far from rosy. While the wait for the imminent grows Fashion Monthfull of debuts and unpublished creative directions, many Online stores dedicated to luxury fashion They have to deal with a very difficult moment. Deep crisis Of Ssenseadded to the difficulties faced in recent months by Luisaviaroma And Farfetchreturns the image of a sector in strong agitation.
Closures, layoffs, decline in sales and bankruptcy instances: the latest events concerning the great e-commerce sites reflect the black period of thefashion industry. Between duties, increase in prices and an increasingly restricted purchasing power, the SSENSE crisis and the like is only the first and immediate consequence of one tsunami Ready to invest the fashion in its entirety.
What happens from Luisaviaroma
It was a complicated summer for the Famous Florentine retailer. After suspending his program of affiliationIndeed, Luisaviaroma announced the closure of the headquarters of Milaninaugurated in 2024 New York. Today, however, for the 22 employees employed in Milan there is a transfer to Florence, although the unions are anything but satisfied with this solution.
Second Business of FashionFurthermore, Luisaviaroma would have presented request for negotiated composition of the crisis to the Court of Florence, asking for a 120 -day suspension from the legal actions by suppliers And creditors. The top management of the company, controlled by 40% from the bottom of private equity Style Capital therefore intend to take renovation actions. The idea is to use this procedure as a tool for a complete renovation and a possible restart. The general slowdown in the luxury sector, together with the increase in the cost of transport and excessive investments in the inventory, would be the basis of the Luisaviaroma crisis. That, always second BOFIn recent months he has seen his sales drop by 30%.
The Ssense crisis and the end of a certain idea of fashion
In the last few days, the long and deep Ssense crisis has reached a new peak. THE’Canadian luxury e-commercein fact, presented Failure application. According to what is explained by the CEO Rami Atallah, it is a preventive move to avoid a forced sale by creditors. While the future ofEtailer It will be decided by a court, Ssense and its leaders attribute this decline to the policies of the Trump Administration. THE duties of 25% imposed on goods from Canada, where Ssense is based, they had a devastating impact. The decision by the US government to cancel the exemption de minimiswhich protects the packages of value less than 800 dollars from customs rates, then gave the coup de grace.
An SSENSE store in Montreal, Canada (Photo by Graham Hughes/Nurphooto via Getty Images)
In the first half of 2025, moreover, the sales of e-commerce fell by 28% on an annual basis. Over 100 employees have been fired. The failure of SSENSE, therefore, can be traced back to wrong strategies as for a radical change in the panorama luxury. The push of the so -called Revenge Shoppingfollowed by Lockdown, has run out quickly and the choice of the Canadian site to concentrate on brands independent and on audience gen z He did not give the desired fruits. In the decade before the pandemic, SSENSE had known unprecedented growth, establishing himself as a lighthouse Of coolness And contemporaneity, strong of often brilliant communication. In 2021, the site was evaluated around 4 billion dollars and, unlike the various Net-A-Porter and Matches Fashion, it seemed the only one destined to survive.
An uncertain future
The luxury sector is experiencing a strong slowdown (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images)
In the instablishing panorama of luxury e-commerce, the most rosy moment seems to live it MyTheresa. After the acquisition of Yoox Net-A-Porter From Richemont, the German company has reinvented itself in the pole Luxexperienceemerged from the merger. In the third quarter of 2025, group sales are around 242.5 million euros. Despite the encouraging results, Luxexperience and all its competitors are looking for immediate solutions to best face the increase in costs due to duties.
Finally, the distance between potential consumers Luxury is becoming unbridgeable. The so -called buyers aspirationalIn fact, they no longer have the economic means to afford the products entry level big brands and fashion houses. THE retailerthen, they will increase the personal shopping and styling services, as well as organizing more and more events and experiences dedicated to the most faithful customers (and with the wider budget).
Luxury has truly become a deal for very few. And e-commerce know it well.