Is the Luxury Fleece Era Over?
As the inimitable A$AP “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye” Rocky once rapped in “Fashion Killa,” his 2013 magnum opus: “She got a lot of Prada. That Dolce & Gabbana. I can't forget Escada. And that Balenciaga.” He’d also name-check Alexander Wang, Helmut Lang, Cartier, and even Donna Karan.
Were he to write “Fashion Killa” today, another far more random brand would likely show up: Alo. Yes, that Alo. The LA athleisure brand beloved for its leggings and made famous by Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Bella Hadid (and occasionally an NFLer like Joe Burrow).
A Rocky co-sign is unexpected if you’re not paying attention to the moves Mr. Rihanna is making, but the man is loving the brand. He wore a white Alo Accolade quarter-zip in an Instagram post this week (announcing he’s guest-judging the social network’s Bode-approved awards) and wore the same pullover in navy post-Met Gala in May, styled with Prada sneakers and a Chanel backpack.
Seeing someone of Rocky’s stature wear an Alo fleece, when he’s so often seen in major labels, is as much a sign as it is a reason to do a postmortem on the cultural dominance of something like that viral $910 fleece. (Which, hey, at least that one’s 100% wool.) Compare Alo’s $148 cotton-polyester sweater to a stylistically comparable Miu-Miu half-zip, which is $2,450 and made entirely of polyester.
Houston, we have a problem. The bottom of the cozy-luxe fleece market has fallen out. Even the proudly expensive fleece is on deep discount. Seasonal sales happen all the time, of course, but it hits different when they include products whose price was meant to signal exclusivity. Meanwhile, more affordable brands like Alo — and Zara, and COS — are hiring superstar photographers like Steven Meisel for their campaigns and staging full-on runway shows.
Luxury isn’t going anywhere (and I’m sure Rocky still adores his Dior), but he’s also helping dispel the idea that a fleece needs to cost close to a grand to be worth buying.
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