Amazon enters the luxury fashion market

Back in spring 2020, we reported here on Amazon’s plan to break into the luxury fashion sector with a dedicated platform, initially only in the US. So what happened? In short: the platform did launch. Since then, Amazon has built its own luxury fashion universe, expanded into Europe, and remains locked in the same conflict that decides everything in luxury-who controls the brand experience.

What we wrote at the time: After conquering nearly every market imaginable, luxury fashion was Amazon’s next frontier. Early in 2020, the new platform was slated to launch, offering high-end clothing from external brands. According to industry service The MDS, an international rollout was considered possible after a US launch. Twelve brands were reportedly lined up to join gradually, though which ones remained unclear at the time. A major marketing push and a new warehouse in Arizona were also mentioned.

Amazon vs. Alibaba: The Real Trigger

The push didn’t come out of nowhere. Amazon’s direct rival Alibaba had long been ahead in online luxury: as early as August 2017 the Chinese giant had launched the Tmall Luxury Pavilion, invitation-only and tailored to high-spending shoppers. From day one it featured names like Burberry, Hugo Boss, La Mer and Guerlain. An Amazon platform was meant to counter that dominance. How luxury brands build their own digital sales universes-rather than surrendering them to a marketplace-is shown in our look at the digital boutique of Hublot.

What Actually Happened Next

The plan slipped; the pandemic intervened. Instead of spring 2020, Amazon Luxury Stores debuted on 15 September 2020 in the USA, app-only and invite-only for Prime members. Despite the announced dozen brands, only one showed up at launch: Oscar de la Renta. The model is a “store-within-a-store,” letting brands control assortment, inventory and pricing themselves.

Expansion to Europe-including Germany, France, Italy and Spain-followed in 2022, with a different roster than in the USA. Today the brand lineup has grown from Dolce & Gabbana and Balmain to Stella McCartney. Amazon’s boldest move came in 2025 with “Saks on Amazon,” a curated storefront of the US luxury department store inside Luxury Stores. The partnership didn’t last: after Saks Global filed for bankruptcy in early 2026, the store exited, and Amazon called its stake in bankruptcy filings “practically worthless.”

In luxury, the biggest marketplace doesn’t win-whoever controls the brand experience does. That’s why Hermès or Chanel still refuse to hand theirs over.

Why Luxury and Marketplaces Still Clash

The Saks exit put the structural issue in sharp relief: Saks cited insufficient brand involvement in the Amazon storefront. Many maisons fear a mass marketplace dilutes their painstakingly curated image, sandwiched between everyday products and bestseller lists. The biggest names-Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton-still sell almost exclusively through their own boutiques and webshops. Amazon has a toehold, but the door remains firmly in the brands’ hands. If you crave the thrill of rare pieces off the beaten platform track, you’re more likely to find it at the Antwerp Sample Sale Week.