New Contest

Mauro, come to Canada and check out Aritzia. I bet that at least 20% of their revenue comes from selling the following two things:

• TNA pants
  
• TNA weekender

Originally Posted by grundletaint

Click to expand...

the girls i know that throw down mucho dinero don't care about niche and hard to get ****. they wanna wear the trendy stuff (like R&R, etc.) that they can show off in.

This was my first thought.

My fiancee is one of the few exceptions (thank God), but as an artist herself she's more concerned with having a connection with the designers of what she wears. The fact that they're niche brands is just a consequence of them being smaller and more local.

Rather than niche but national (for lack of a better word) brands, is there much being made in the DC-area that you could focus on? Perhaps allocating part of your store to them so that you're one of, if not the only, boutique in the area carrying those locally-designed products -- or a few of them in one space?

My fiancee hasn't lived in Edmonton for at least eight years, but she still orders things from Nokomis regularly because she "knows" the owner/designer.

Originally Posted by tigerFormula

Click to expand...

I think Mauro's biggest problem is that he doesn't have a market for the women's clothes.

This was my other thought, which was going to lead me to asking this:

Originally Posted by milosz

Click to expand...

Mauro, have you given any consideration to dropping women's clothing completely? Is that a line that can't be crossed for your business model?

Originally Posted by Linwe

Click to expand...

I agree, most girls buy based on trends and what look/brand is hot at the moment. Most girls don't care for craftmanship or quality but assume it based on brand and are wiling to pay obscene amounts of money for **** products....

Because of that brand recognition assumption I mentioned earlier, women are less likely to buy niche brands because the brands' 'social worth' is not yet proven. Just like it's no fun talking to people about your favourite bands if they've never heard of them, it's no fun talking about your favourite clothing brand(s) if none of your friends know of them.

This is true to an extent, but like I said above it helps if you can make a connection between the product and the person who designed it...especially if they're local. The girl wearing it might not care about the finer details like we would, but feeling like they're part of or at least supporting a community helps provide that social worth.

So like others have said, I'm not sure that another contest is the right approach for this...unless the prize is to meet and hang out with X designer who can talk about and give a couple of pieces from their current collection that they think would suit the winner. Ultimately, though, you're going to have to build more of a community around the brands you carry...something you've already done a great job of with your men's lines, as you know...but for your women's lines you'll have to take a different approach, as you also know. IMO, the best way to do this isn't necessarily to carry the most up-to-the-minute-worn-by-celeb dress, but to invite in the designers, focus on more local lines (where possible), and act as the liaison to build a relationship between those brands and your consumers.

Originally Posted by KenN

Click to expand...

Mauro, come to Canada and check out Aritzia. I bet that at least 20% of their revenue comes from selling the following two things:

• TNA pants
  
• TNA weekender

sad, but true.

^^ that is definitely true with women. They are less concerned about construction,details, etc. and way more concerned with fit and branding.

if I hear another woman come in and complain about our prices I'm gonna wind up on COPS

^^ seriously 50% off for mother's day is unheard of.

I talked to my dad,and with with his marketing expertise (heh) he stated that obviously demographics for areas are always going to be different, but he recommended going for the woman who makes upwards of 60 to 70,000 dollars a year, but hey, thats sort of common sense =\\

dont really know how much of a help that is

Sorry to tell you but your going to continue to hear that. Most boutique's sales come from the women's side. I'm thinking more like a 70-30 split women's to men, maybe even more. In this forum, men are not scared to drop a couple hundred on a few pieces every so often to help build a wardrobe. Young women on the other hand don't want to spend much for an outfit they will wear only a couple of times, especially college girls. Has anyone looked at a typical college girls closet? A bunch of inexpensive brands tossed in a heap. They don't care about cone mills, chain-stitching, hidden rivets, made in the usa, subtle details, etc. unless they are in textile school or fashion design. They care about perceived value, fit, how cute is it, and most important, cost. Mauro, you have some great women's brands but some of our customers are a bunch of high end women's boutiques and they have/are mixing their product mix with some inexpensive brands because of the tough economic climate. Look for brands that are relatively inexpensive and can produce great margin but can compliment your other expensive women's brands. Don't go too cheap or your customer will think there is something wrong with it. The men's side is great, but you might have to lower the pricepoint on the womens' side if you want to boost sales.

mauro, I PMed you back but you have yet to respond to me. are you only loooking to discuss within this thread? let me know...


Kent

Originally Posted by Teger

Click to expand...

if I hear another woman come in and complain about our prices I'm gonna wind up on COPS

listen to your customers. if they're not willing to pay for what you have, get different brands.

How about having large pictures on the walls of real women wearing quality jeans and tops that fit well. In most stores, they have pics around of women wearing the clothes, but the only thing in focus is the chicks face.

Put together some outfits, and get some female clients or models to wear the clothes. Put the pics up in store and online.

Mauro just don't wear a **** and stand at the entrance... it worked for Abercrombie.




or mix it up and go for a rock star look

Originally Posted by Transcendental

Click to expand...

...but he recommended going for the woman who makes upwards of 60 to 70,000 dollars a year...

Originally Posted by paulesquire1

Click to expand...

... I'm thinking more like a 70-30 split women's to men, maybe even more. In this forum, men are not scared to drop a couple hundred on a few pieces every so often to help build a wardrobe. Young women on the other hand don't want to spend much for an outfit they will wear only a couple of times, especially college girls. Has anyone looked at a typical college girls closet? A bunch of inexpensive brands tossed in a heap. They don't care about cone mills, chain-stitching, hidden rivets, made in the usa, subtle details, etc. unless they are in textile school or fashion design. They care about perceived value, fit, how cute is it, and most important, cost. Mauro, you have some great women's brands but some of our customers are a bunch of high end women's boutiques and they have/are mixing their product mix with some inexpensive brands because of the tough economic climate. Look for brands that are relatively inexpensive and can produce great margin but can compliment your other expensive women's brands. Don't go too cheap or your customer will think there is something wrong with it. The men's side is great, but you might have to lower the pricepoint on the womens' side if you want to boost sales.

I've already spoken to Mauro about this, and I think he agrees, but if you know a little about women's brands, you will also know that his women's lines are considerably lower on the totem pole than his men's stuff, which appeals to the avid fashion guy. The equivalent woman is not really looking for AG jeans. That woman might be interested more in, say, Acne (already has an account?), Gary Graham, Prairie underground, Grey Ant, Margiela (perhaps a diffusion line like say, ligne 6), APC (already has an account), Alexander Wang, BOY by Band of Outsiders (already has an account), Surface to Air Paris (already has an account?), and then throw in basics from lines like Saint Grace that are not as easily available, as well as accessories like socks (my wife loves socks, and between $12 and $30, they are an easy impulse buy.)

However, Mauro's problem right now is to move the product he has. And that is a more difficult problem, because the low and mid-end market is really dead right now. He *needs* to move the same product that very femalecentric boutiques like Intermix and Scoop NYC are having trouble moving.

Also, branding is important. Right now, the Farinelli's brand is very masculine. The blue coat of arms screams "Dudes!" One solution might be to rebrand the women's section - call it something else, and have a store in store, like Brigitta at Blackbird, or Pas de Deux with Odin (because no woman I know is attracted to a store named after an angry Norse god.)

You should host tupperware parties, but instead of tupperware, it's like... awesome women's clothing. 15 ppl minimum, host at the store, drinks are served, party organizer gets free swag...?

Originally Posted by LA Guy

Click to expand...

I've already spoken to Mauro about this, and I think he agrees, but if you know a little about women's brands, you will also know that his women's lines are considerably lower on the totem pole than his men's stuff, which appeals to the avid fashion guy. The equivalent woman is not really looking for AG jeans. That woman might be interested more in, say, Acne (already has an account?), Gary Graham, Prairie underground, Grey Ant, Margiela (perhaps a diffusion line like say, ligne 6), APC (already has an account), Alexander Wang, BOY by Band of Outsiders (already has an account), Surface to Air Paris (already has an account?), and then throw in basics from lines like Saint Grace that are not as easily available, as well as accessories like socks (my wife loves socks, and between $12 and $30, they are an easy impulse buy.)

However, Mauro's problem right now is to move the product he has. And that is a more difficult problem, because the low and mid-end market is really dead right now. He *needs* to move the same product that very femalecentric boutiques like Intermix and Scoop NYC are having trouble moving.

Also, branding is important. Right now, the Farinelli's brand is very masculine. The blue coat of arms screams "Dudes!" One solution might be to rebrand the women's section - call it something else, and have a store in store, like Brigitta at Blackbird, or Pas de Deux with Odin (because no woman I know is attracted to a store named after an angry Norse god.)


Are you sure they aren't looking for AG, Paige, Current Elliot, Joe's, Citizen's, Ella Moss, Splendid? Those brands are the same brands that are in hundreds of boutiques across the country and are staples brands for women's boutiques. The brands you've listed are very interesting and designer but are still expensive unless you have the clientele. Imho, it still needs to be a little lower. Fine to mix those brands you listed above but also sprinkle in a bit of Free People, BB Dakota, Velvet, Michael Stars, and missing is a key jean that pretty much all women love, J Brand skinny. I guess my question is where Mauro wants to take his vision on the women's side? Designer or Generic?

I do agree with the masculinity of the store and naming the women's section something else is a great idea.