How Brands Are Taking On Quince

Over the past six years, Quince has become a go-to for shoppers seeking bargains on everything from cashmere sweaters to suitcases to diamond necklaces, many of which look similar to – and sometimes come from the same factories as – products that cost much more. Sales more than doubled to $700 million last year, Puck News reported.

The brands in Quince’s crosshairs have struggled to come up with a response. Consumers are more primed than ever for good deals as tariffs and economic uncertainty take hold. Asking them to pay premium prices for knits or pleated pants when dupes are a click away is a losing game. And Quince is just getting started: In July, the San Francisco-based startup reportedly raised $290 million at a $4.5 billion valuation.

“[Quince] has the money, they have the margin,” said Calla Murphy, senior vice president of digital strategy and integrated marketing at Belardi Wong. “It’s hard to beat that on a product to product basis.”

But a new, dupe-proof playbook is starting to emerge. Brands are investing more in crafting an identity that can’t be easily copied, even if individual cashmere sweaters and linen dresses can. They’re also releasing more products that use unique materials and designs, again to foil copycats.

White + Warren’s popular cashmere crewnecks can cost more than $400, while Quince offers similar garments for $50. In June, the womenswear label launched a version of the sweater embroidered with a row of four sardines in black and sky-blue, inspired by its customers’ fondness for luxurious recreational activities like sailing, said Catherine Morrissey, White + Warren’s president.

The new style has become a fast bestseller, helping to push White + Warren’s average order value up more than 30 percent to $500 in the past three months, Morrissey said.

“Quince is … pushing premium brands to serve their customers all the more authentically,” said Brett Andersen, head of operations at the investment firm and creative agency Bullish.

Updating the Assortment

With more shoppers going for Quince for their basics — think $15 t-shirts or $50 cashmere sweaters — premium brands are finding ways to make their pieces stand out.

The apparel label Bleusalt makes plenty of basics of the sort that can be found by the dozen on dupe retailers’ websites. This year, it’s introduced new products that riff on old favourites, but with a hopefully Quince-proof twist. In July, the brand introduced a $220 oversized tee dress that iterates on a popular $140 oversized T-Shirt. It’s sold out twice. This month, Bleusalt launched a new version of its classic Cindy pants — a mid-rise, straight leg style named after Cindy Crawford, a personal friend of founder, Lyndie Benson. At $200, it features a racer stripe down the sides and can be paired with a matching $260 zip-up jacket.

Thanks to those products’ performance, Bleusalt is now on pace to grow annual sales 20 percent this year, Benson said.

That doesn’t mean brands need to rush an endless assortment of new products to market, Andersen said. That’s playing into dupe retailers’ hands; premium brands can offer a more curated experience.

“Quince has thousands upon thousands of SKUs in hundreds of different categories. Being focused can create clarity for your customer,” Andersen said. “Quince is a tanker. Premium brands are sailboats.”

Signalling Your Worth

In addition to its lower prices, Quince promises to have comparable, if not better, quality than premium brands. Two can play at that game.

Elevated basics maker AYR, for example, takes as long as a year to test fabrics before rolling out new products in order to ensure it meets the standard its consumers expect, said Maggie Winter, the brand’s co-founder and chief executive. It’s an important approach for a brand like AYR which generates two-thirds of its annual sales — which are slated to jump more than 10 percent to $75 million in 2025 — from repeat clients who shop at least twice a year, she added.

“I would rather have a business that grows a little bit more slowly, but is really deliberate and uncompromising about its quality and its suppliers and its manufacturers and its approach to design, than one that is meant to please everybody immediately,” Winter said.

Here too, the message needs to be fine-tuned to counter Quince’s pitch.

“Find that one thing that makes you really unique and how you make or design your clothes, even if it’s a very small thing and tell that story very well,” Andersen said. “Just saying the words ‘This is going to be better clothing at a lower, fair price’ isn’t a very compelling story.”

Bleusalt, for example, plans to revamp its product pages with imagery and a description of its fibres, which are made from wood and don’t shrink when they’re washed.

“When times are tough, the instinct is to look outside and see what you can do, but I feel like it’s a much better idea to look inside and see what you’re not doing,” Benson said.

The Power of World Building

Premium brands are also investing in building up their brand worlds — a contrast from Quince, which has less of a distinct point-of-view. In May, Everlane launched its first brand campaign to establish itself as a sustainable and affordable luxury label, and is hiring a recognisable face for its upcoming fall campaign to reaffirm that message.

Bleusalt, for its part, is partnering with around 50 influencers who already wear and post about Bleusalt and will make content that reinforces the message that its wares are equally suitable for elegant dinners or lounging at home, Benson said.

A company’s retail footprint can also communicate its distinct identity. Buck Mason, for instance, leans into its classic Americana aesthetic in its retail stores, stocking them with surfboards, vintage convertibles and more. Its new two-story flagship store in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood includes slick wood furnishings and over 1,000 vintage books on display.

Spotlighting a brand’s founder can also be effective, especially if that person falls into the same age demographic as its core customer. Womenswear label Sold Out’s consumer base of mostly 35 to 55-year-olds engage the most with content that features its 47-year-old founder and chief executive, Kiane von Mueffling, modeling styles in the brand’s studio or on vacation, generating a two-times higher return on ad spend than glossy imagery and videos, she said.

“Realising that was essentially disruptive for us in terms of explosive sales growth,” von Mueffling added. “It resonates in such a deep way that now it’s about how I free up time to do more of that.”

Ultimately, premium brands are better positioned when they can effectively communicate their worth to consumers who are willing to spend for their version of classic silhouettes, instead of directly competing with Quince for shoppers for whom “good enough is good enough,” said Katie Thomas, head of the Consumer Institute at global management consulting firm Kearney. “If you’re shopping at Quince, are those people really ever going to actually pay for the step up,” she added.

Belardi Wong’s Murphy put it more plainly: “Quince is going to pick up the people who want knock-offs or some cheap alternatives,” she said. “If you’re going to continue to be a premium brand, you want to make sure you’re acquiring those premium customers and getting them to come back to you.”