1. How Amazon Wins: By Steamrolling Rivals and Partners. Amazon set its sights on Allbirds Inc., the maker of popular shoes using natural and recycled materials, and last year launched a shoe called Galen that looks nearly identical to Allbirds’ bestseller. An Amazon rep said its shoe didn’t infringe Allbirds’ design. “Offering products inspired by the trends to which customers are responding is a common practice across the retail industry.” – Read More on the WSJ

2. RETRO READ: Allbirds Has Built a $1.4 Billion Brand Out of Wool Trainers, Now Here Come the Copycats. “We have reached peak cloning,” wrote one Twitter user) and no shortage of media attention, all pointing to Amazon’s lookalike shoe and calling … “Copy!” – Read More on TFL

3. How Burger King, Nike, and Patagonia made great advertising for an awful year. Nike was one of the first brands to recognize the new reality of COVID-19, when it posted an ad asking people to stay home and “Play for the World” by social distancing and isolating to minimize the spread of the virus. – Read More on Fast Co. 

4. Chinese fashion designers well positioned for boom in domestic market as they sell to globetrotters spending their money in China instead of Paris, London or Milan: The restrictions on entry to China mean overseas designers are prevented from coming to drum up business. In years gone by, large-scale extravaganzas would feature visits by Miuccia Prada, Karl Lagerfeld or John Galliano, generating excitement, coverage and a sales surge. – Read More on SCMP

5. Are You Ready For the Roaring 2020s? For luxury goods brands, a renewed appetite for experiences over things will bring mixed results. They have benefited from Chinese, American and European consumers treating themselves to luxury goods, but this demand will probably fade as a broader array of spending options becomes available. – Read More on Bloomberg

6. Businesses Feared a Flood of Covid-19 Lawsuits. It Hasn’t Happened. Personal-injury claims over infections are either too hard to prove or get funneled into the workers’ compensation system. – Read More on the WSJ