Hey gents. Today’s article is a long time coming cos I’m finally going to talk about Italic, a brand you all introduced me to over a year ago (thanks again!).

I think it’s worth talking about this brand cos it raises some interesting questions about price points, quality of varying brands, including designer ones, and even an interesting new business model for Direct-To-Consumer products. I haven’t seen Italic’s model duplicated on any other site so it’ll be interesting to see whether they stay profitable in the next few years and, if so, whether any other retailers will follow their lead.

So how do they work, you ask?

Business Model

Italic is, in a nutshell, a Costco of apparel and home goods: they charge a membership fee ($10 a month or $100 a year) in order to sell their merchandise at cost, allowing you to come out way ahead, in theory, in terms of the total you pay for the product you get.

My main goal was to address the veracity of their top selling point, which is that they offer luxury pieces at non-luxury prices. They frequently name high-end brands all over their website, but the sticking point is that their pieces are merely made from the same manufacturers as those brands.

In other words, you’ll find shoes made in the same factory as Prada and Armani but, as I saw, this often did not mean that they were of the same quality as those brands.

By stark contrast, Italic’s own pieces were often far inferior to the luxury brands they name-drop in terms of both material and design.

Just the same, they’re worth looking into if your circumstances are right and you go into it knowing what to expect, which is why I’m here.

Shall we take a look at a few specific pieces?

Sneakers

It’s not Common Projects but it is lovely.

I bought a pair of Italic’s Cadence Sneakers in navy blue and quite like them (I opted for a different color cos I already have a TON of white sneakers!).

At first glance these somewhat reminded me of Undandy in terms of quality of leather. Very attractive, reasonably well made. But I wanted to wear them a bit before making the final call.

So I did.

After a few days of walking around in them, it became pretty clear to me that it wasn’t fair comparing them to luxury sneaker brands like Common Projects or Koio, the latter of which run upwards of $400 for a pair.

Yes, the Italic shoes looked nice (sleek and minimalist, which I like), only the leather itself isn’t comparable to the supple, butter-soft calfskin for which brands like Koio are known.

Just the same, Italic sneakers are pretty hard to beat at the price point of $75 (plus the membership fee!). You won’t find better leather, soles or craftsmanship in sneakers at this price. Italic might be worth looking into if you’re in the market for new sneakers and you’re not willing to spend more than $100 or so.

Cashmere Sweaters

“Cashmere is timeless.” —Carson Kressley

I also want to talk about their cashmere sweaters. I bought the gray one you see me wearing in the video above and I quite like it (think I look good?).

When I bought it over a year ago, before they changed their business model, I paid $95 plus $15 in shipping. As with the sneakers, this total cost is comparable to other brands at this price point but in no way on par with the luxury brands they mention on their apparel page.

It is a nice cashmere sweater: a basic piece, but not a luxury item in terms of its quality.

In all fairness, cashmere as a whole isn’t what it used to be. Like silk, it’s a surprisingly strong fiber for all its softness, at least when the weaves the manufacturers use are themselves also strong.

But that’s not happening as often anymore.

Cashmere is getting thinner nowadays across the industry in that garments made out of it are almost always single-ply (what does that mean?). I suspect that this is part of why cashmere garments costs less nowadays but these are the types of trends the industry won’t comment on.

Wallets

I have one more piece by Italic that I want to talk about: my wallet.

I bought this piece early on, and quite like it, but like the sweater and the sneakers, it’s not a luxury item. It’s obvious even to the naked eye that the leather is of inferior quality to, say, Mont Blanc or Ekster (which my assistant loves!).

But again, in all fairness, it gets the job done at a reasonable price, so it may be a good investment if that’s what you’re after.

Just don’t expect luxury.

IS It Worth It?

Whether Italic is worth buying from rather depends on what you’re after. If all you want is a single pair of sneakers or a decent cashmere sweater, Italic’s steep membership fee may not be worth it.

If, on the other hand, you’re planning on stocking up, it certainly is.

Their product range is pretty comprehensive in terms of men’s and women’s apparel and in all fairness I haven’t tried too much of it.

After buying three or four pieces, the membership fee pays for itself, and the at-cost prices are a great deal if you’re stocking your wardrobe or home in bulk. I haven’t yet bought any of their home goods or basics (they’ve got plenty of choices of underwear: want me to try them?) but I might do so in the next few months.

I’m not too happy that they bill their pieces as “luxury” items simply because they’re made in the same factories as those brands, but if shop this brand knowing to expect a middle-of-the-road item, you’ll be well-served.

CONCLUSION

So there you have it, gents. My honest review of Italic’s business model, as well as a few of their pieces.

Thank you again for alerting me to this company and for waiting for my take on it so patiently.

Now talk to me.

What’s your experience with Italic? What pieces have you ordered? What do you think of their quality? What brands would you compare it to?

Perhaps most importantly, what do you think of their business model?

Do you know of any other DTC menswear brands that follow this model of membership fees in exchange for items sold at cost? Any that you want me to review?

You know I always like hearing from you.

Talk to me down in the comments or DM me on Instagram or Twitter.

Want to see my most recent shoe review? Check it out here.

Miss the memo that I moved? Catch up here.

Until next time, gents, this is the Kavalier.

Italic Membership: Worth It?