- Designer Joseph Altuzarra spoke with Business Insider ahead of the premiere of Amazon's "Making the Cut," where he serves as a judge alongside Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, and Chiara Ferragni.
- The show is hosted and executive produced by former "Project Runway" judges Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum.
- Altuzarra told Business Insider that Amazon is on the forefront of transforming the fashion industry and that this competition model could disrupt the way consumers interact with fashion.
- He also spoke about the challenges young designers face, and the advice he gives those hoping to succeed in the fashion industry.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Joseph Altuzarra knows a little something about fashion. He is, after all, a contemporary fashion icon who launched his eponymous label 12 years ago, picking up a slew of awards in the meantime. Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is known to favor his work, while Awkwafina wore one of his gowns to the 2019 Met Gala.
It's no wonder that, when Amazon came looking for an expert for its new fashion competetion show "Making the Cut," Altuzarra was chosen to sit alongside the likes of Naomi Campbell and former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, to judge the next set of aspiring fashion entrepreneurs.
"When I was approached initially about the show, I really never would have thought that I would do anything like it," Altuzarra told Business Insider. "I'm sort of a newbie for all of this."
But he adapted quickly, becoming a mentor to those on the show and a leader in a competition seeking to "serve as a platform for young designers." He also ended up learning a lot himself about what the future of fashion will entail.
"Making the Cut" sees Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn return to their fashion competition roots
"Making the Cut" is Amazon's latest foray into the fashion retail sphere. Hosted and executive produced by former "Project Runway" hosts, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, the show brings together 12 designers who travel to New York, Paris, and Tokyo, to undergo challenges which test their abilities in design and entrepreneurship.
Altuzarra said that, as a judge, he made sure to give advice to the up-and-coming designers. One piece of advice he has for all of those breaking out in the industry: to be careful with social media. Social media was not as prominent as it is now when he started out 12 years ago, and today, designers often have trouble cutting "through the noise" of all the information on the internet, he says.
"[My] biggest piece of advice [for young designers] is to really be authentic," Altuzarra said. "When you're a young designer, [authentic is] the hardest thing to be, because you're constantly told by buyers and by editors and by the public what you should be. And sticking to your guns, even it's not the most popular thing at that moment - it's always the best thing to do."
These young designers will be judged by a rotating panel of fashion experts, which includes Campbell, Roitfeld, Nicole Richie, Chiara Ferragni, and of course, Altuzarra. Designers will be eliminated throughout the course of the season, with the final winner receiving a hefty $1 million prize. The show premieres Friday on Amazon Prime.
Amazon still has a chance to disrupt the fashion industry
A unique standout feature of "Making the Cut" is that the audience can buy winning designs on Amazon immediately after each episode has aired. As Business Insider previously reported, Amazon has been gradually building up its presence in the fashion industry over the past three years.
In 2017, the company brought on Christine Beauchamp - who previously worked at Ralph Lauren Corporation and L Brands - as the president of Amazon Fashion. Since then, Amazon has launched its brands Goodthreads and The Fix, a collaboration with Calvin Klein, and a line with Drew Barrymore.
In May 2019, Amazon launched The Drop, a program where social media influencers design "limited edition fashion collections," which are then sold exclusively at the online retailer. The Drop collections are launched every few weeks, and, according to Glossy, are only available for 30 hours or until it sells out.
Amazon also launched Prime Wardrobe and Echo Look in 2018. Prime Wardrobe allows customers to select items online, try them on at home and only pay for the the items they want to keep. Meanwhile, Echo Look lets customers take photos of themselves in clothes, and has a "Style Check" feature that gives advice on which outfits look best.
According to estimates from a Wells Fargo report cited by CNBC, Amazon made about $35 billion from its sales of apparel and footwear in 2018. While this was less than 15% of Amazon's total sales that year (about $232.9 billion overall), the $35 billion in apparel and footwear sales eclipsed other big names in the apparel industry, such as athletic retailer Lululemon, which brought in $3.3 billion in sales in 2018, and Gap Inc., which had net sales of $16.6 billion that year.
If Amazon's "Making the Cut" is a success, Altuzarra says it has the potential to further disrupt the fashion industry, which, he says, is "ready for new ways of interacting with customers." The show will also be able to attract a new generation of consumers, as both fashion and Amazon find new ways to market toward younger customers.
Generation Z has a spending power of nearly $150 billion - though the stability of that is perhaps uncertain as a possible recession in the US looms.
"Amazon is really starting to become a leader in the fashion space through initiatives like this," Altuzarra said. "I think it will make a difference."
