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The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.

Ssense's bankruptcy has left a long tail of small brands owed money they will almost certainly never see. — Ssense's bankruptcy has left a long tail of small brands owed money they will almost certainly never see. (Getty Images)

By

Imran Amed

20 March 2026

For more than a decade, I have been trying to draw attention to one of fashion’s most persistent and least discussed structural failures: the way big multi-brand retailers treat the small independent designers whose work they depend on to project taste, edge and cultural relevance.

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About the author

Imran Amed

Imran Amed is the Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Business of Fashion. Based in London, he shapes BoF’s overall editorial strategy and is the host of The BoF Podcast.

In This Article

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Retail

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