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By 2003, Sean John Was in 2,000 Stores Nationwide. Louis Vuitton Was in About 30 Cities. Both Built Real Belonging. Only One Needed a Gate.
Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Bottega Veneta cluster in a small list of money-center metros and, for at least one brand, gate their scarcest product behind a documented purchase history. FUBU, Sean John, and Rocawear built comparable fortunes the opposite way -- mass retail, nationwide, explicitly designed to include rather than exclude. Both proved real belonging can be built. Only one needed a velvet rope to do it.
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Where this connects
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