Italic and Quince are both apparel, beauty, and home marketplaces that offer luxury goods at the lowest price possible. While many brands offer a direct-to-consumer model, quince and Italic takes things a step further with a manufacturer-to-consumer model, bringing goods straight from the factory to your doorstep.
Unbranded products are offered by these brands, which use the same manufacturers as luxury brands like Stella McCartney and La Perla. But without the extensive costs of marketing high-end items, these companies are able to focus on what really matters.
Still, these affordable luxury marketplaces are similar in many ways, and choosing one can feel impossible. What’s best in the Italic vs Quince battle? Below, we’ve broken down all the nitty-gritty details so you can make the best decision possible.
What is Italic?
Italic is a membership-based brand selling luxury-grade essentials at a competitive price. While their products are made from the same manufacturer as known designer labels, they don’t have any logos or markups, resulting in the same high quality without the focus on status. Italic has men’s and women’s clothing and shoe lines, as well as home, beauty, and fitness essentials. Their catalog of unbranded, premium products is comprehensive, to say the least and helps make luxury accessible to all kinds of consumers. They offer over 1,000 products that are accessible to both members and non-members
What is Quince?
Quince is part of the new retail concept that takes out the middle man, offering luxury goods at a budget-friendly price point – minus the flashy label. The same manufacturers that make famous designer brands are used, but the lack of branding allows the price point to be more competitive. They sell women’s clothes, men’s clothes, home goods, and skincare, with a focus on fabrics and sustainability. Whether you need a new face wash, wardrobe, or duvet cover, Quince has your back.
Why Italic?
Italic is one of the only brands out there sourcing and developing the highest quality products at the lower prices possible- 50-80% less, to be precise. It’s a must for personal and gift purchases, with the membership saving you big bucks. Italic also has a feature that allows you to request a product. From free weights and kitchen supplies to workout clothes and skincare, there’s nothing you can’t find in this one-stop shop which they refer to as an “everything store”.
All products are thoroughly vetted and made from luxury materials, with a 30-day audit process to ensure quality, safety, and sustainability. Whether you’re looking to finish your gifting early or treat yourself without spending an entire paycheck, Italic can help. They have a range of membership options so you can find one that’s perfect for you.
Why Quince?
They have a full bedding guide so that consumers don’t feel overwhelmed by all the options. They also focus not just on high quality, but on how items are sourced. Everything from the factory to the quality of the material shows quinces attention to detail. They’re working towards eliminating all plastic packaging and making the switch to compostable by the end of 2022.
Quince is known for its affordable cashmere and washable silk (particularly their 59$ cashmere) but they also offer a wide selection of home goods and other apparel options. Many people have compared their quality to Everlane.
Prices
If you join Italic’s Bold Membership, which costs $60 to join, they’ll give you a $120 bonus, ensuring that you’ll earn your money back in no time. They also offer an additional credit for product reviews, at $5 a review. Combined with other endless perks like early access to products, special deals, and free shipping over $50, there are endless ways to earn more and save with Italic. The annual fee is $60. You have the option of choosing between monthly or quarterly plans for added flexibility. While membership isn’t required to purchase from Italic, it’s highly recommended based on the perks.
Cost transparency is also offered with this brand, which offers a price and savings breakdown with Italic versus traditional brands.
Unlike Italic, Quince doesn’t require any subscriptions or offer pay-to-shop models. That being said, they also don’t offer the benefits that can come along with a membership. While Quince doesn’t have a required membership fee like Italic, they do have a refer and earn program where you can earn $20 for each new person referred. Quince also sells bundles of products that allow you to save.
At Quince, it’s rare to find clothing for over $100 – even outerwear. Although Italic’s cashmere isn’t as affordable as Quince’s, its other products are competitively priced. Anything that does cost slightly more has the chic look and craftsmanship to match, but it’s still rare to find clothing priced over $100 – except for their jewelry, that is.
When it comes to bedding at Quince, the most expensive sheet bundles are $169.90, while the duvet covers range from $99.90- $229.90. At Italic, sheet bundles cost between $60-$150, while duvet covers can cost up to $85. Unlike Quince, they sell helpful add-ons like weighted blankets, throws, and mattress toppers.
Aesthetic & Categories
The look of Quince is streamlined and understated, with high-end, minimalist picks. Looks are more conservative than daring. Still, garments are all timeless, elegant, and ideal for a capsule wardrobe due to their versatility and easy-to-match colors.
Quince’s categories are:
- Men – Men can find all kinds of activewear, outerwear, tops, bottoms, and sweaters, as well as Quince’s popular $59 cashmere. Men’s skincare also gets its own category, along with accessories like socks and leather goods.
- Women – Filled with materials like Linen, silk, and cashmere, including their popular $50 cashmere line. They carry tops, bottoms, activewear, sleepwear, outerwear, and loungewear. You can also browse between accessories and skincare.
- Home – Anything you can find in a home goods store you can find at Quince. This includes bedding, which is organized by fabric/weave, bathroom products, rugs, pillows, and decor items.
Italic also offers understated styles like Quince, but they have certain pieces that make more of a thoughtful style statement and fit the designer aesthetic with silhouettes and the overall look. The number of products (and categories) they have in their catalog is also much larger.
Italic’s categories are:
- Women – Within women’s clothing are activewear, outerwear, tops, bottoms, dresses & jumpsuits, and sleepwear, including lingerie. They sell the same accessories that their competitors offer, but unlike Quince, they also sell shoes.
- Men – Men’s clothing contains activewear, outerwear, tops, bottoms, loungewear, and sleepwear. They also sell underwear and shoes, along with the usual accessories.
- Beauty – unlike Quince, the skincare here is unisex and consists of 12 essentials like Hyaluronic Acid Serum and Amazonian White Mud Clay Mask
- Home – With essentials like bedding, throws, weighted blankets, bath products, kitchenware, and more. It’s also home to travel, so you can get any bag, backpack, or luggage that you need for the trip of your dreams. They even have a pets section with beds, toys, leashes, and more.
- Jewelry – Filled with categories like rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Although affordable for the materials, there are some splurge purchases available too.
Shipping, returns, and other factors to consider
Italic accepts returns within 30 days of receiving the purchase, as long as the items are unworn, unwashed, and undamaged. Italic takes care of shipping costs for returns – just select ‘UPS’ and they‘ll take care of the rest. You can get your refund in the form of store credit, or your original payment method.
Quince takes a few days for full refunds if the customer isn’t completely satisfied, unlike Italic which has more requirements surrounding their return policy. Their free shipping and free returns are one of the ways that their customer service goes above and beyond, as does their hassle-free return process, but consumers do wish that Quince would be more transparent in showing balanced reviews on their site.
Unfortunately, Italic doesn’t deliver outside of the USA, and that includes Canada. They also don’t currently ship to Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or Alaska. Although Quince works with manufacturers all over the globe, they don’t offer international shipping either.
Is Quince worth buying?
While Quince is ideal for putting together a capsule wardrobe, it only offers a very basic designer aesthetic. Their sizing has raised eyebrows amongst consumers, as has the quality of their affordable cashmere, which has been described as thin. If you’re looking for basic staples to add to your wardrobe that won’t clash with your existing clothes, Quince is a safe bet.
Is Italic worth buying?
From the selection to their size-inclusive approach, Italic has lots of options to choose from in a range of categories, and they’re always adding more. Plus, they even accept product requests. Their membership offers tons of benefits and helps customers engage with the brand monthly in a fun way.
The bottom line
At Quince, there’s overall less of a selection, which leads to products selling out quickly. Plus, restocking dates aren’t as reliable as Italic. In terms of quality, some consumers call the Quince clothing flimsy and threadbare at times. Additionally, Italic offers a larger range of sizes and a more true-to-size fit, whereas Quince buyers often report a garment being too small or too big.
Both marketplaces are helping to disrupt the industry’s status quo and offer luxury goods at a price that’s better for both the manufacturer and consumer, but Italic has the edge in terms of selection, membership perks, and how unique and high quality the products offered are. You’ll often hear Quince compared to other brands like Everlane, but Italic doesn’t mimic anybody and stands in a class of their own. They deliver exactly what they claim to, and their integrity and transparency make them our ultimate factory-to-consumer luxury goods pick.
You should buy Italic if:
- You want to choose between 1000+ products for a multitude of styles that are true to size
- You want the quality of a luxury item without paying for the branding
- You want an exclusive fashion and home membership that pays itself annually
- You want guaranteed savings on products you love
