(2017-05-30) Mickey Drexler And The Death Of A Supply Driven Retail

Mickey Drexler and the death of a supply-driven world (Big Retail)

shift from a supply-driven world to a demand-driven world,

Many called him the “merchant prince” because of his success building some of the biggest merchandising-driven apparel brands

Shoppers were no longer bound by the limited selection (Scarcity) of products in their town

Then social media happened, further catalyzing the shift from a world of gatekeepers who governed supply to a world where shoppers increasingly wielded the powers of demand

The introduction of Instagram in 2010 might have been the final nail in the coffin

A new crop of "Fast Fashion" brands expanded rapidly, as they were able to build their culture around the demand-driven world of the present, not the supply driven world of the past. Zara and H&M, the two most well known brands, thrived as they cut lead times down to three weeks... Zara has no chief designer.