By Diletta Bortesi, Marketing Director, Fashion & Lifestyle, at Studio Mirari.

Anticipating Uncertainty and Managing the Tariff Impact While Preserving Premium Brand Positioning

If you’re an Italian fashion brand selling in the U.S., chances are you’ve found yourself wondering:
How should we respond to rising tariffs? Should we increase prices? Cut margins? Leave the market altogether?

In spring 2025, these questions became pressing when the U.S. announced potential new duties on Made in Italy apparel. For brands with significant exposure to the American market, the implications went far beyond pricing, they threatened long-term brand perception and customer loyalty.

In this article, we’ll walk you through a real case: a premium Italian fashion brand (with 100% production in Italy) facing this exact challenge. The approach we took, a multi-tiered plan that combined communication strategy, pricing intelligence, logistics and market diversification, offers a model you might find helpful too.

The Challenge: How to Stay Premium Without Losing Customers

Tariffs create a domino effect: production costs rise, prices may need to increase, and customers, especially in the premium and affordable luxury segments, can be quick to walk away.

While some brands chose to pass the cost onto the customer through price hikes, that strategy is risky: it can erode trust and dilute the brand’s value proposition, especially if not handled with care.

Deloitte forecasts show that rising tariffs could significantly dampen U.S. consumer spending in the coming years, highlighting the long-term risks of relying solely on price increases. ¹

¹  Tariffs will impact the economy … and so will uncertainty – Deloitte.com

Meanwhile, new data from Vogue Business (July 2025) confirms that U.S. apparel prices are already rising, with handbags showing some of the steepest increases: Burberry (+12%), Bottega Veneta (+8%), Louis Vuitton (+5%). T-shirts and sunglasses are also climbing across top brands, while only sneakers and wool coats remain stable. As pricing pressure intensifies, even affluent consumers are starting to scale back spending.²

² “Tariffs’ impact on fashion is finally here — here’s what the data shows”, Vogue Business, July 18, 2025.

This highlights the limits of relying solely on price hikes to absorb the cost of tariffs. The goal here was to stay premium, preserve customer trust, and avoid panic, all while building resilience.

Objectives

• Preserve relationships with U.S. customers
  
• Limit the potential financial impact of tariffs
  
• Strengthen the “Made in Italy” brand positioning
  
• Activate alternative strategies to offset potential market losses
  

A Multi-Level Response

1.Direct, Calibrated Communication with End Customers

Rather than staying silent or going full alarmist, the brand added a subtle banner to its U.S. site:

“Shop before it’s too late: your favorite Made in Italy brand may be subject to increased duties.”

It was just enough to prompt action, without creating anxiety. Messaging in email and social channels reinforced this with a sense of exclusivity and timing, rather than fear.

2. Reinforced the Brand Story

Email campaigns targeted at U.S. customers were redesigned to spotlight:

• the craftsmanship behind Made in Italy,
  
• the uniqueness of their production model,
  
• and the opportunity to buy before macroeconomic changes took effect.
  

By weaving these elements into a compelling and authentic narrative, we not only reinforced the brand’s positioning but also encouraged immediate engagement. Remember: consistent storytelling remains one of the most powerful tools for building long-term brand equity.

3.New Market Scouting and Strategic Budget Reallocation

Recognizing the need for geographic diversification, the brand launched test campaigns in receptive markets such as Canada, Australia, and the Middle East. This was made possible by a new digital strategy that included:

• shifting focus away from top-of-funnel activity in the U.S.
  
• reallocating budget toward acquisition campaigns in target markets,
  
• using these campaigns to test resonance, price elasticity, and messaging effectiveness to support future distribution opportunities.

By exploring new geographies with agility and strategic intent, the brand positioned itself to mitigate risk and build resilience over the medium term.

4. Strategic Pricing Adjustments and Smarter Shipping 

We didn’t just raise prices across the board. Instead, we:

• adjusted pricing on selected SKUs, avoiding distortions compared to other markets,
  
• optimized shipping and returns costs to preserve customer trust and perceived value on the product
  
• and bundled offers where it made sense ensuring overall business sustainability
  

The goal was to absorb part of the tariff impact while keeping the customer experience seamless.

5. Improved Logistics with a U.S.-Friendly Model

To avoid delays and keep costs down, the brand considered:

• warehousing inventory at wholesale value in the U.S.,
  
• experimenting with on-demand shipments: grouping orders in Italy, shipping in batches to the U.S., and fulfilling locally.
  

This allowed to maintain a seamless and unchanged shopping experience for customers, while improving delivery speed and lowering duties.

The Results

This strategy helped the brand achieve several medium- to long-term goals, including:

• Maintaining a stable performance in the U.S. despite the tariff pressure,
  
• Strengthening brand trust among customers through transparent and timely communication,
  
• Increasing net U.S. revenue by +22.2% YoY, with a +32.3% peak in May 2025,
  

Laying the foundation for sustainable growth in new markets.

Monthly growth in U.S. direct-to-consumer sales throughout 2025

Key Takeaways for Fashion Brands Facing Tariff Pressure

1. Start communicating early but keep it calm, clear, and customer-first.
   
2. Reinforce your brand story, because price adjustments alone won’t win.
   
3. Don’t panic-price, adjust carefully, strategically, and only where needed.
   
4. Use testing to prepare new markets for scalable growth.
   
5. Optimize logistics creatively to cut costs without killing your D2C model.
   
6. Turn the challenge into a brand moment: transparency and agility build long-term trust.
   

If you’re facing similar questions in your organization, we hope this case gives you some good inspiration. Tariffs may be outside your control, but how you respond can shape your brand’s future.

About the author

Diletta Bortesi is a Marketing Director with 20+ years of experience in marketing and communications, focused on the Fashion & Lifestyle sectors. She brings a 360-degree perspective to the field, combining strategic vision with hands-on expertise.

Andrea Dell’Olio
Head of Marketplaces Boggi Milano

Enrico Fantaguzzi
Co-founder Digital Fashion Academy

Fashion eCommerce is continuously evolving, and events like Shoptalk Europe give us a front-row seat to what’s coming next. We caught up with Andrea Dell’Olio to unpack the biggest takeaways – from AI and brand control to what’s actually driving digital performance right now.

Fresh from attending Shoptalk in Barcelona, Andrea Dell’Olio, Head of marketplaces at Boggi Milano and experienced fashion professional, shares his reflections on the evolving landscape of fashion eCommerce after attending the ShopTalk event in Barcelona. 

In our conversation, we covered the most current topics in fashion digital business from artificial intelligence to the critical role of brand control and logistics performance. Here are the key insights from our discussion.

Shop Talk Barcelona: A Curated, Insightful Experience

Andrea described the Shop Talk Barcelona as “molto ben organizzato, ben curato” (well-organised and thoughtfully curated). Unlike broader industry events, this one was focused, manageable, and filled with high-calibre companies and quality sponsors. A standout feature was the one-to-one meeting format, likened to a “business speed dating”, which helped forge highly relevant connections.

The ancillary events, including a closing party hosted by the Ministry of Sound at Citadelle De Monjuïc, elevated the experience and contributed to valuable networking. However, connecting with major retailers like MyTheresa, Harrods, or Mr Porter proved more challenging, signaling a potential area for improvement.

AI-Powered Product Data: Efficiency and Scalability

One of the most pressing themes from the event – and our conversation – is the strategic use of Artificial Intelligence to enrich product data. Andrea notes growing interest in tools that generate attributes and content directly from product images, helping brands meet marketplace demands without intensive manual effort.

This is particularly crucial for working with platforms like Zalando, whose Z Direct system shows a direct link between enriched product data and performance metrics such as Add to Basket and Return Rate. As this guide on engagement rate and product discovery explains, optimizing how products are surfaced and interacted with is central to driving conversion on marketplaces. AI’s role in automating structured data, enriching content, and improving SEO visibility cannot be overstated.

From Product Images to Performance: How AI Drives Marketplace Success

Tools and partners like Dressipi, IEN, and emerging integrations with DAM/PIM systems (like Salesforce Commerce Cloud) are redefining product information pipelines. 

💬 “A brand must adapt to the environment… without losing its true nature.” – Andrea Dell’Olio

Brand Control is Non-Negotiable

With an increasingly conscious consumer base, especially Gen Z, brand control has become a competitive differentiator. As Andrea puts it, brands must maintain control over pricing, stock, and image to avoid diluting their identity.

“In a constantly changing world, a brand must adapt to the environment, which includes macroeconomic contingencies of a certain type – duties, adverse markets conditions and so on. However, it’s important to maintain relevance and a consistent brand identity, adapting to market conditions without losing your true nature.”

Boggi Milano was cited as a strong example, evolving from a heritage formalwear brand into a full-fledged lifestyle label, now thriving on platforms like Farfetch. But success comes with strategic discipline: avoiding discounting wars, carefully selecting channels, and protecting long-term brand equity, even if that means saying no to Amazon-level reach. As outlined in this overview of luxury fashion eCommerce KPIs, tracking the right performance metrics – while maintaining exclusivity and brand perception, is key to succeeding in the premium space.

Logistics and Last-Mile Excellence

Operational excellence extends beyond product content and brand equity. Andrea emphasised the importance of logistical agility, citing conversations with Zeos (Zalando’s logistics division) about leveraging hybrid business and fulfillment models. Brands are increasingly mixing internal and external logistics to optimise cost-performance ratios and scale efficiently.

In urban markets like Milan, Paris, and London, Same-Day Delivery is fast becoming a benchmark. Consumers now expect Amazon-like speed and service across all premium segments, pushing brands to innovate or risk being left behind.

A Final Note on Barcelona

Having not visited Barcelona in over 15 years, Andrea was struck by the city’s transformation: cleaner, more organised, and deeply international. A fitting backdrop to an event that reflects the spirit of evolution and reinvention permeating the fashion eCommerce world today.

Key Takeaways

• AI is revolutionizing product data creation and SEO performance.
• Brand control across pricing, image, and channel strategy is vital for long-term growth.
• Same-Day Delivery and hybrid logistics are shaping consumer expectations in urban markets.
• Events like Shoptalk are valuable for insight, but execution remains the differentiator.

Conclusion

From AI-driven product data to safeguarding brand integrity and mastering last-mile logistics, fashion brands are navigating a complex digital terrain. Events like Shop Talk offer critical insights and connections, but as Andrea Dell’Olio reminds us, the real challenge lies in how we execute these learnings. The brands that balance innovation with strategic control will shape the future of fashion commerce.