Discussions about the fashion industry thread

[ter1413]

 

[schraiber]

I've just continued to be baffled by how controversial the Balenciaga ads were. If it weren't for the controversy, I think I'd have seen them, thought they were stupid and tasteless, but then again a lot of advertising is, and moved on with my life.

 

[GG Allin]

I've just continued to be baffled by how controversial the Balenciaga ads were. If it weren't for the controversy, I think I'd have seen them, thought they were stupid and tasteless, but then again a lot of advertising is, and moved on with my life.

Me too, but I think you and I are not the intended audience for the latest child abuse moral panic going on in teh United States. Given that this is obviously the situation, I sorta think it was foolish of Balenciaga to wage right into it with this sort of ad campaign, but they apologized (unlike Kanye), so I fail to see how it even remotely rises to the level of what Kanye is doing.

 

[sushijerk]

Tbh I think the Bondage teddy bear would have come off as another out of touch high fashion weirdo attention grab if it wasn't for the "hidden" 1st amendment court docs. That really adds to the mosaic and fuels the current conspiracy theories. Maybe this will bring Denma back down to earth a bit.

 

[cb200]

Annual state of fashion from McKinsey & Business of Fashion is out.

The State of Fashion 2024: Finding pockets of growth as uncertainty reigns

McKinsey’s State of Fashion report offers the best of our research and insights into the fashion industry. Explore the findings from our latest 2024 report.

www.mckinsey.com

Nike and LVMH are their top two super winners in their report.

 

[ter1413]

 

[chobochobo]

Just saw this in one of the expat forums here

https://geoexpat.com/classifieds/personal-items/everything-else/ad/549577

 

[LA Guy]

Annual state of fashion from McKinsey & Business of Fashion is out.

The State of Fashion 2024: Finding pockets of growth as uncertainty reigns

McKinsey’s State of Fashion report offers the best of our research and insights into the fashion industry. Explore the findings from our latest 2024 report.

www.mckinsey.com

Nike and LVMH are their top two super winners in their report.

Sounds about right. Growth in luxury, generally from losing a bit to holding in clothing otherwise. Just a microcosm of our world.

 

[LA Guy]

Why 2022 Wasn’t So Bad – and 2023 Might Be Better

The fashion industry has cheered this year as consumers have repeatedly defied economists’ predictions for an imminent, and sharp downturn. A global recession may still be on the table, but even now there are reasons for hope.

www.businessoffashion.com

Maybe. But then there is this:

Why Even Luxury Brands Can’t Quit Discounting

After avoiding markdowns for much of the last two years, many brands may be tempted to return to their old ways this holiday season. Are discounts a necessary evil?

www.businessoffashion.com

So, I'm undecided. We've seen a bit of both.

 

[jah786]

Dear friends of Style Forum, Happy Holidays to all of you!
I was on the Ralph Lauren site today, looking at some RRL items and I couldn't help but notice that the website experience at Ralph is absolutely awful. I mean Kanye/Elon awful (couldn't resist). I think it might be the worst website in all of fashion retail. In the world of Ralph, it's RRL or nothing for me, but finding RRL is hard! and then staying in the RRL area is hard! I have to work hard to shop that site. Beautiful clothes but everything about the shopping experience is a dumpster fire.

Is there any large fashion player with a worse ecom experience than Ralph? Dept stores included. For years they had terrible websites but a quick check on Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's confirmed my suspicions, they are better than Ralph.

 

[LA Guy]

Dear friends of Style Forum, Happy Holidays to all of you!
I was on the Ralph Lauren site today, looking at some RRL items and I couldn't help but notice that the website experience at Ralph is absolutely awful. I mean Kanye/Elon awful (couldn't resist). I think it might be the worst website in all of fashion retail. In the world of Ralph, it's RRL or nothing for me, but finding RRL is hard! and then staying in the RRL area is hard! I have to work hard to shop that site. Beautiful clothes but everything about the shopping experience is a dumpster fire.

Is there any large fashion player with a worse ecom experience than Ralph? Dept stores included. For years they had terrible websites but a quick check on Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's confirmed my suspicions, they are better than Ralph.

The Ralph Lauren site is a triumph over usability. I know that they did not just want a bring to market solution, but what they got instead was truly terrible.

If you want truly awful websites, though, you need to go with Italian brands. Not a major brand (I met them at Pitti Uomo once, but the truly awful experience makes up for it. The clothes can be done well - Frans Boone used to carry them (https://www.fransboonestore.com/). Um, for the full experience crank up the volume, You've been warned:

CALVARESI - A / W 2013 COLLECTIONS

calvaresi, Calvaresi, sartoria,

www.calvaresisartoria.it

 

[jah786]

The Ralph Lauren site is a triumph over usability. I know that they did not just want a bring to market solution, but what they got instead was truly terrible.

If you want truly awful websites, though, you need to go with Italian brands. Not a major brand (I met them at Pitti Uomo once, but the truly awful experience makes up for it. The clothes can be done well - Frans Boone used to carry them (https://www.fransboonestore.com/). Um, for the full experience crank up the volume, You've been warned:

CALVARESI - A / W 2013 COLLECTIONS

calvaresi, Calvaresi, sartoria,

www.calvaresisartoria.it

Italian websites can be pretty terrible and that one is really bad. Italian yarn spinners and weavers are also pretty awful. But the biggest players are fine. Yoox is usable. So luisaviaroma. That's my point, RL is a huge company, they bring in about 6B a year with a 10% profit margin. They make money. The fact that their website is such a dumpster fire is beyond belief.

If we are going international, then I have to call out the Japanese select shops. United Arrows website on google says "United Arrows official mail order" and when i click on it, it times out. I can't even get it to load! Honestly they might be the global winner because you can't even get to a website.

 

[LA Guy]

Italian websites can be pretty terrible and that one is really bad. Italian yarn spinners and weavers are also pretty awful. But the biggest players are fine. Yoox is usable. So luisaviaroma. That's my point, RL is a huge company, they bring in about 6B a year with a 10% profit margin. They make money. The fact that their website is such a dumpster fire is beyond belief.

If we are going international, then I have to call out the Japanese select shops. United Arrows website on google says "United Arrows official mail order" and when i click on it, it times out. I can't even get it to load! Honestly they might be the global winner because you can't even get to a website.

Rakuten is pretty bad as well. Often, the website just times out your card. Or forgets your login.

At least Ralph lets you pay.

 

[LA Guy]

Someone elsewhere asked, and most people here already know, but this bears repeating, since I hear complaints about "markups" all the time:

Incidentally not for the fashion industry, in which retail is often closer to 2.3-2.5x wholesale, because it needs to be, Exact markups vary by industry.

The margins are lower than you calculated. Aside from overhead xpenses, if they have retailers, the must sell to them at wholesale. Typically, a designer will markup the product 100% landed cost (so, including sipping and tariffs), and the retailer will markup at least 100% (this is called keystone). These are very conservative estimates. Designers and retailers absorb the costs of salaries, marketing, retail spaces, theft, defective or returned defective products and excess inventory, markdowns, etc... Good retail profit margins are about 10%. Retail is a low margins business that requires fiscally responsible practices.

 

[styleforumfan]

Is writing on the wall for Stitch Fix?


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