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People shop from people — that’s the guiding principle behind Vette, a new shopping platform for creator-led storefronts launching in early 2026 from Condé Nast. The problem Vette aims to solve is that right now, shopping the recommendations of the people we follow isn’t easy.
Typically, social media creators use affiliate links to send followers to shop on brand and retailer sites. Vette gives them the capabilities to build their own e-commerce sites using a marketplace model, meaning customers will shop the creators’ sites directly, and brands will drop ship orders. Checkout will be handled by Vette.
Think of the creator – a personality with an entrepreneurial mindset, like a former editor or influencer – as the curator of their own boutique, where they can sell favourite items from fashion and adjacent categories, without inventory overhead or full-fledged operating teams.
“Affiliate is high friction. This will make it more seamless to find something on social media and then purchase it,” says Lisa Aiken, Vogue’s executive fashion director and Condé Nast’s SVP of commerce, who is leading Vette. (Vogue Business is also owned by Condé Nast.) Aiken spent years of her career as a buying director for retailers like Net-a-Porter, Neiman Marcus and Moda Operandi before joining Condé Nast in 2022. Aiken currently leads Vogue Shopping, the title’s affiliate business. Commerce revenues at Condé Nast have grown approximately 200 per cent in the last five years.
“Over the last five years we’ve made investments in our commerce capabilities and have seen major growth every year as a result. Now, we’re building on that foundation with Vette, a model that helps creators thrive and brands grow stronger connections with consumers. It’s a step that sets a new standard for what the future of commerce can be,” said Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch in a statement.
Vette — which operates as a backend operating platform, rather than a consumer-facing site — is currently taking the concept to market before its launch next year. It comes at a time when social media algorithms have dominated discovery, prompting creators to turn to channels like Substack, where they can own their audiences. It also comes as retailers, from Ssense to Saks, go through a period of significant upheaval. To that end, Aiken sees Vette at the centre of an ecosystem that better connects creators and consumers, as well as brands, who are looking for new distribution channels.
“Wholesale is exceptionally challenged right now, and DTC is expensive,” says Aiken. Vette wants to be an additive model that provides a new route to market. “The brand component was very core to the mission. I don’t think existing models support larger designers or emerging talent in a productive way right now. And with retailers that come under pressure, that pressure rolls onto the brands.”
Vette also offers creators a suite of AI-powered tools to make selling easier for creators – many of whom are working with small teams – to get up and running. Inventory feeds are built in, so creators can browse and select new items from available brands to sell on their sites, recommended to them using AI. Marketing and insight tools are also enabled to help creators drive traffic and sales as well as understand what items are selling and at what price points. “They can own their audience relationship because it’s direct,” says Aiken. “It’s an extension of the social platform.”
Vette will operate on a revenue share model with creators and brands, the details of which aren’t currently being disclosed. Aiken foresees Vette as a facilitator of a new fashion ecosystem, using the trust Condé Nast has built with brands. This will be translated to creators looking for new ways to establish a new direct line to consumers, who are currently navigating a disjointed social commerce experience. “I want it to be a win-win-win,” she says.
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