In Milan, police waded into crowds outside a Swatch store. In Paris, tear gas was fired. In Birmingham, a dispersal order was put in place. In London, dogs were deployed. In Manhattan, two people were arrested outside a Vans store when a crowd surged at opening time: one man fell in the rush and was handcuffed rather than helped up. A Burberry x Supreme drop at Dover Street Market ended in a brawl that shut the event down entirely.
This isn't just high spirits; people are getting seriously hurt over product launches. And it keeps happening. So are the big brands learning lessons? Are they heck. The latest flashpoint came just this week, when the the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop collection dropped on 16 May.
