It’s Coming Home

Joop. IT’S COMING HOME

The brand Joop and its future is currently one of the most intensively discussed topics. Thorsten Stiebing has taken the reigns to put an end to these discussions by implementing a clear strategy that focuses on Germany as Joop’s home country and strongest core market. Interview: Stephan Huber. Text: Isabel Faiss. Photos: Joop

Mr Stiebing, do you cherish challenges? Joop has enormous potential, enjoys an exceptionally high level of awareness, and is well-positioned in the market - all this is often underestimated. The task certainly isn’t a home run, but I accepted the job offer with pleasure, mainly because I have always liked Joop and the brand is an important element with a lot of potential within Holy Group. True, we have a brand awareness of 95 percent, high ambitions, and a strong brand image. The Joop brand still generates considerable retail revenue - not only with fashion, but also with licensed products such as bags and shoes, watches and jewellery, eyewear, and Joop Living. If we manage to channel this power in the right direction, in clear product groups and details, then we are on the right track. Joop is a brand with tremendous value - not only for us, but also for retailers. So what is the exact plan? The plan is clear. We will get the brand back to where it belongs. One of the very first steps was moving back into the Joop Villa in Hamburg. This villa embodies Joop and is the brand’s origin - this is where Wolfgang Joop’s studio was. Your heart skips a beat when you enter the building. The cornflower is still engraved in the windows of the upper floor. Even after seven years of third-party use, the name Joop was still on the doorbell. The headline is “House of JOOP!” - this is where every aspect of the brand is united: Joop, Joop Jeans, and Joop Living. For us, the Joop Villa is a question of attitude. Joop is a premium brand, which is why I believe that our pricing strategy is right on the money. We have sharpened the brand’s profile. We are clear in terms of strategy and style. In terms of investment, we will focus on the product, there’s no discussion in that respect. We remain focused on the premium market - with our own individual touch and passion for our project. In terms of brand building in the fashion segment, Joop is our priority. Joop Jeans - with its glamorous past - will be an important factor again and enhance the brand. The concept is designed around Joop in the centre and Joop Jeans as part of the core. It is a derivative, but not a completely different collection. In terms of style and taste, Joop Jeans is inspired by Joop and will be developed further with intent. This is what we are currently working on with the design team, which is led by Gregor Langerspacher. The retail industry has missed Joop Jeans. The line was extremely successful and we plan to build on that success. The strategy has always been to pursue the approach of a global premium brand. We will definitely expand, because that’s what Joop is all about and Joop has the necessary potential to grow. In order to develop the brand

Thorsten Stiebing has developed a coherent concept for Joop; it focuses on a new beginning with Joop Jeans and – most of all – a return to the brand’s origins.

from the core, we have also taken a close look at the brand CI and substantiated it with content. The brand colour will be a deep dark blue, on which we place the Joop lettering in white - that does the premium claim justice and lends the products a certain power. Is Wolfgang Joop returning as the face of the brand also part of the plan? His DNA is deeply embedded in the brand and he remains an important orientation factor for the future. What will the new Joop Jeans collection look like? Joop Jeans is a complete collection. That being said, the focus is, of course, on jeans with retail prices ranging from 99 to 159 Euros. We want Joop Jeans to appeal to a wide audience and generate proportionate revenues. Joop’s women’s fashion will, for now, only be sold via the brand’s own channels? We are currently in the process of developing a new winter 2016/17 collection with a highly motivated, fresh design team. We were inspired by a new type of Joop woman; the entire concept is based on that type. The collection will be made available in autumn 2016 and consists of approximately 100 items. Is there a specific timetable for its return to wholesale? As a first step, we are selling the collection in our own stores and via our own channels, both nationally and internationally. We will decide whether to move into wholesale after the winter 2016/17 season. We are more vertically integrated and more focused on our own sales areas than before - this may lead to very interesting opportunities. Were there first talks with customers before the brand’s re-launch? We presented our strategy to selected key accounts. They were

very surprised, in the sense that the customers saw the enormous potential. They were also amazed by the short period of time we needed to develop the new concept. In terms of our retail strategy, we will reposition ourselves. When we open new stores, they have to be good enough to trigger a “wow-effect”. As a first step, we plan to focus on stores with sales areas ranging from 100 to 150 square metres and will concentrate on consistent expansion of our shop-in-shop areas. For Joop Jeans, we have a concept based on soft-shop areas and we plan to implement twenty of those per year. An important aspect is to tap into the key players in cities with approximately 100,000 inhabitants. When looking at the issues at hand with a little imagination and pragmatism, it becomes very clear where the brand belongs. We need product. The retail industry will react when it finds a brand with a strong product and excellent brand recognition at consistent prices. What does “we need product” mean? Also in the context of the ever-increasing discussion in this segment about where items are pro duced? Sustainability is important to us. From my perspective, there is a huge gap in the market in the price range below the Italian, which where Joop wants to position itself. It is vital for us to back up the premium positioning with premium content. Simultaneously, the particularly strong product groups of Joop, such as sportswear, coats, and jeans, need to compete with specialists in the respective fields. We are not afraid to face that challenge, especially as the retail industry is on the lookout for collections that are creative, communicate a clear message, and have enough power to be successful. The official launch of the new Joop brand world is expected to take place in Berlin… Precisely. There will be an internal launch for employees and license partners in the Joop Villa in Hamburg. We will then present the new Joop universe at the Premium trade show in Berlin in January in an area of 150 square metres. This is an important signal to our German core market, which is, after all, the home of the brand. Thank you for the interview.

The campaign for spring/summer 2016 presents Edward Wilding as the new face of Joop Menswear.