WHAT'S THE STORY
Do B e t t e r – Rh y t h m
ON DEMAND
The mantra of the coming years should be to turn the whole industry upside down by adapting production to demand, not vice versa. This also requires the self-confidence to realise that some pieces are sufficiently timeless to remain in a collection. Photos: Manufacturers
DATA COLLECTION PIONEER
Zara. Founder Amanico Ortega may not have invented the “product on demand” idea, but he certainly was among the first to have professionalised the concept on a large scale. From the offset, the collections were based on real-time market observations and the daily evaluation of the target group’s consumption behaviour. Mantra-like, the Spanish company’s communications office answers questions pertaining to its strategic approach to collection development as follows: “Every morning, all employees of our 7,000 stores worldwide attend a meeting that is observed by the designers in our headquarters. They evaluate their observations analogous to the sales figures.” The invaluable instinct of the employees on the sales floors is underpinned by the findings of Big Data generated by the online store. The most important finding: nobody is interested in which product is searched for most often, but in how often search queries yielded no results within the existing product range. The reaction time is a mere three weeks, by the way. www.zara.com Essentials as NOS programme: Filippa K keeps 70 percent of its collection in stock.
Data-based fashion collections: Zara was one of the pioneers in this field.
70 PERCENT CORE STYLES
Filippa K. A breath of even fresher air from Scandinavia: Swedish cult brand Filippa K quasi hoisted new sails overnight when it brought Filippa Knutsson back into the fold. Kristofer Tonström, a modern marketing and social media specialist, has been appointed as CEO. The course is set: Filippa K, currently the second most influential Scandinavian brand, is keen to claim the top spot. Two seasons ago, Ben Botas’ fashion agency Ben And became Filippa K’s sales representative in Germany. “The collection has returned to its roots. This has created a dynamic that is reflected in sales,” Ben Botas explains. The brand’s decision to offer the majority of its collection as NOS merchandise is, in his eyes, not only consistent in terms of strategy, but also in terms of content. It’s a logical response to the needs of the retail industry. “Regarding style and brand statement, Filippa K is a sophisticated and uncomplicated collection that can be worn on a daily basis. The market requires modern and perfectly implemented essentials that are always sellable and can be re-ordered at any time. Deliveries from the European warehouse arrive within a few days. The times when retailers defined their product ranges based on two pre-orders per year are definitely over. Our aim for the coming season is to generate 50 percent of our customers’ total budgets with core styles.” In the future, the required innovation and excitement will be generated by the remaining 30 percent. With this service, Filippa K focuses on maximum flexibility for its customers and market proximity. This is a cutting-edge approach that the extremely solvent company can afford as such. www.filippa-k.com 110
style in progress
ICONS
Strenesse. From May onwards, Strenesse’s B2B order platform offers 30 pieces from the Iconic collection, a range of luxurious essentials in colours that remain in fashion, ex stock. Prices range from 199 Euros for trousers to 899 Euros for a double-faced coat.
