Luxury Briefing: Amazon Luxury’s Trisha Gregory on scaling Saks partnership and redefining marketplace prestige

Since launching in 2020, Amazon Luxury Stores has been working to sharpen its credibility. It took a major step forward this spring, when Saks on Amazon debuted on April 29. The partnership launched with a curated launch selection that included Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, Etro, Stella McCartney, Giambattista Valli, Erdem, Fear of God, Jason Wu Collection, Rosetta Getty, Johanna Ortiz, Chantecaille and La Prairie. The storefront spans women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, accessories, and beauty.

Gregory described the Saks tie-up as central to the platform’s next phase. “Our partnership with Saks really allowed us to increase the selection by bringing on almost 50 brands,” she said. “We know our customers want to shop for these brands, and we’ve been excited by the early data points we’ve seen from the Saks brand launch.” Visits to the Amazon Luxury store homepage have increased by over 140% year over year in 2025, according to Amazon.

Saks’s presence on Amazon is designed to feel distinct from the mass marketplace. The storefront includes “digital window displays,” inspired by Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York flagship, where customers can browse the virtual windows and add items directly to their cart. A dedicated campaign, “Saks Arrives on Amazon,” rolled out with six visual video vignettes directed by Max Siedentopf and a physical window installation at the Manhattan flagship. Product categories are refreshed with themed edits like New Arrivals, Women’s Weekend Uniform and Men’s Elevated Essentials, echoing department store merchandising in a digital setting.

On the Saks Luxury Storefront Live section, “Summer Style with Ellie Thumann” features the influencer, who has more than 1 million Instagram followers, walking through how she would style 25 items sold on the platform. Saks also brought its Hamptons Style Suite online, with celebrity stylist Erin Walsh — who counts Selena Gomez among her clients — presenting around 10 Amazon looks and showing how to put them together. In beauty, Saks has produced videos with celebrity makeup artist Lisa Haron in partnership with Chantecaille, as well as an esthetician from La Prairie, featuring tutorials and tips tied to the storefront’s beauty assortment.

Amazon is also leaning on its broader ecosystem to differentiate from other luxury marketplaces. 

“The opportunity for brands and customers that is quite unique is this Amazon ecosystem of opportunities that we offer to brands,” Gregory said. “That includes Prime Video, which [links to] shoppable entertainment opportunities. We [also] have Amazon Music. We have sports partnerships spanning F1, the LPGA, the NFL and the NBA. And, of course, we have Amazon Live. Saks has already produced many high-returning [based on views] segments with Amazon Live and some of its designer partners since launch [like the Hamptons Styling Suite]. These are the types of opportunities that help tell the brand stories, help position them uniquely in front of our customer base and differentiate us from the other marketplaces.” Amazon was unable to share exact metrics for Live views in time for publication.

Critically, the Prime Video proposition shows both promise and risk. Amazon has already tested commerce-integrated formats, from “Making the Cut” episodes in 2020 that linked to shoppable looks to interactive ads in Prime Video earlier this year. In theory, Saks edits could be surfaced in shoppable red-carpet specials or award-season coverage, drawing on the prestige of Prime’s cultural moments. 

That would mirror how Netflix has used entertainment IP for retail partnerships, from its high fashion Halston limited edition collaboration in 2021 to its capsule with Lacoste in 2023. But while those tie-ins leaned on broad fandom, luxury brands demand careful context — placement next to blockbuster shows or major sports programming could feel off-brand. With Amazon, the question is whether Saks’s curated selection can retain exclusivity while being pushed through mass-viewership pipes.

Maintaining credibility is a key focus. “Credibility comes from consistency, and so we are hyper-focused on continuing to build the right team and the right support across Amazon,” Gregory said. “Just this year, you’ve seen Saks and Luxury Stores on the Amazon homepage. That’s a huge focus for Amazon overall. We’ve increased discoverability. On the back end, from customer service to clienteling, humans, AI and various features will be working to consistently elevate and create a seamless environment for our brands and for our customers. We’re very invested in the technology and the innovation that will further elevate the experience going forward.”

The long-term aim, she added, is to grow the audience beyond the luxury core. “Our vision is to be a destination that serves many customers, from existing luxury customers to a lot of the aspirational customers who may be shopping for more contemporary and premium brands on Amazon.” Examples include brands like Michael Kors, which opened its Amazon storefront in March.

Gail Gallie on why fashion belongs at the heart of nature finance

On Sunday night, the new fashion climate event The Nat hosted its first Gala in New York City, setting the tone for Climate Week NYC (September 22–28) and the U.N. General Assembly. The Gala was created to mobilize culture and capital to help close the $711 billion nature finance gap, funding high-impact projects for restoration, conservation and education. For Gail Gallie, a British social entrepreneur and co-founder of communications agency Project Everyone, the driving force behind The Nat, the choice of city and timing was deliberate.

“We wanted to host the first Gala where the right mix of people would be,” she said. “In 10 years of attending Climate Week, I have seen that mix, including finance, policy, nature practitioners, celebrity, media and business all converge here. Starting on Sunday felt like putting nature right at the top of the week.”

The Gala brought together leaders from culture and luxury, with supporters including L’Oréal, Deloitte, Salesforce, Spotify and Bank of America, alongside a guest list that spanned fashion icons such as Stella McCartney. For Gallie, that mix mattered. “Everything is at stake if we crash the natural system,” she said. “There was no choice if a business wishes to thrive in the future but to look at a more sustainable approach to supply chain, ingredients and usage. And, reputationally, this is an exponentially increasing concern among younger consumers.”

To avoid symbolic gestures, The Nat planned follow-up roundtables with brands, focused on rental, reuse and repair models. “Behind the scenes of the Gala, we are working with brands to see how we might support each other to evolve,” Gallie said.

She added, “Nothing makes things fashionable like fashion,” she said. “As well as improving their own footprints, brands can set trends which inspire all other industries to follow.”

Inside the London Fashion Week buy: What Nordstrom and Harrods are betting on – rewrote it

Following the close of London Fashion Week, buyers from Harrods and Nordstrom pointed to a season defined by individuality, creativity and celebration.

Simon Longland, director of fashion buying at Harrods, said: “Roksanda’s 20th anniversary stood out as a true celebration of her signatures, including dramatic tailoring, elegant gowns, and the striking interplay between form-fitting silhouettes and exaggerated volume, all brought together with her masterful use of colour.”

Both Longland and Nordstrom’s associate fashion director, Linda Cui Zhang, agreed that Erdem’s 20-year anniversary show was a highlight. Longland described it as “a show that reaffirmed [designer Erdem Moralıoğlu’s] exceptional skill in form, fabrication, and workmanship,” while Zhang noted its balance of heritage and modernity.

Zhang also praised Simone Rocha for “putting femininity at the forefront,” with its “playful and sensual collection that was both romantic and considered for the modern wearer.” In addition, she described Connor Ives as delivering “glamour, wit and personality,” with its “joyous display of bold neons, flowing fringe dresses and beaded Jimmy Choos.”

As for Burberry, Longland said: “What stood out was the balance between authenticity and relevance,” adding that the collection not only honored the brand’s legacy but “actively invested in its future audience.”

The buyers also pointed to designers Chopova Lowena, Patrick McDowell, Priya Ahluwalia, Ashley Williams and Johanna Parv as evidence of London’s thriving emerging scene.

Executive moves

• Galeries Lafayette has promoted longtime executive Alexandre Liot to deputy CEO in charge of operations and Alix Morabito to director of offer and purchasing, as part of a leadership reshuffle under new CEO Arthur Lemoine.

News to know

• Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026, running September 23–29, is now under way. It will feature 55 runway shows and 67 presentations, including designer debuts at Gucci (Demna), Jil Sander (Simone Bellotti), Bottega Veneta (Louise Trotter) and Versace (Dario Vitale). Plus, fashion fans will see returns by Boss and The Attico, a tribute to Giorgio Armani, a public egg-hunt stunt by Diesel, the new Cinemoda Club film series, and rising talents like Francesco Murano, Galib Gassanoff, Giuseppe di Morabito and Lorenzo Seghezzi.
• Demna debuted his first Gucci Spring 2026 collection in Milan with a character-driven concept called La Famiglia. The collection blended archival references with new symbolism, and launched alongside a Spike Jonze–directed short film. The pieces will be sold for two weeks in 10 global cities as Demna begins shaping his long-term vision for the brand.
• ThredUp has rebranded with a new site design and AI-driven features, including the personalized Daily Edit, trend-focused Trend Report and enhanced listing photos. The company’s aim is to boost conversion, streamline the shopping experience and strengthen its positioning as resale demand grows.
• Arc’teryx CEO Stuart Haselden apologized after the brand’s sponsorship of Cai Guo-Qiang’s fireworks display in Tibet sparked backlash over environmental concerns. Haselden pledged accountability, corrective action and a review of practices while postponing the brand’s planned Climate Week sustainability event.
• Ahead of Paris Fashion Week, LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault condemned France’s proposed “Zucman tax” of 2% on wealth above €100 million (about $108 million) as “an offense that is deadly to our economy.” He called it ideological and warned it would harm businesses and workers.

Listen in

On this special London Fashion Week edition of the Glossy Podcast, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff unpack a season charged by President Trump’s visit, Parliament’s debate on fashion’s value, and new BFC head Laura Weir’s moves to waive designer fees and boost visibility. The LFW schedule mixes big names like JW Anderson and Simone Rocha with fast-fashion players such as Zara and fresh NEWGEN talent, including Jenn Lee and The Ouze. At the center is Burberry, where CEO Joshua Schulman’s “Burberry Forward” strategy, new campaigns and wholesale reception are being put under the microscope. In the episode, Bernstein’s Luca Solca weighs in on the brand’s turnaround prospects and ongoing accessories challenge. Listen here.

Read on Glossy

How Kate Spade’s new CEO is reviving the brand. Brilliant Earth launches second capsule collection with conservationist Jane Goodall. At LFW, Patrick McDowell is launching digital product passports with a story. And how party brand Retrofête went professional.