WHAT'S THE STORY
Do B e t t e r – Rh y t h m
AMERICAN VINTAGE
PRODUCT AND TIMING As a true ready-to-wear brand, American Vintage not only meets consumer demands, but also offers retailers a great deal of flexibility. But is this advantage exploited sufficiently? Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photo: American Vintage
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lip it on and feel great. American Vintage of Marseille has embodied jersey in finest qualities, as well as a fashionable French effortlessness, for more than 13 years. “Our jersey competence is unique. Beyond that, our collection has undergone a significant trading-up process and we have transferred the cosy feeling of American Vintage to other product groups,” says Martina Schmidl, the Managing Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Accordingly, the collection is now supplemented with casual coats, sweatshirts, blouses, and knitwear - all staged in lifestyle content in print campaigns and on social media.
BESTSELLER MANAGEMENT
While the product is the brand’s one strength, the other is its impeccable timing. American Vintage shoulders some of the risk during pre-production, which allows retailers to tailor their product ranges to their needs without tying up budgets too soon. “We are the only contemporary supplier that is 100 percent ready-to-wear, meaning that customers can order the collection a maximum of two months in advance and can re-order within 48 hours from the warehouse during the season. This ensures optimal bestseller management,” Schmidl adds. “Smaller retailers, in particular, take advantage of this, while larger customers are sometimes hampered by their corporate structure. If we, for example, supply retailers with thick knitwear in new colours during the high season of October/November, which is what consumers desire at that time, many larger retailers reduce prices as soon as December, thus missing out on an opportunity to sell the merchandise at full price for another eight weeks.” American Vintage enjoys a strong foothold in the German-speaking market with 400 points of sale, 14 mono-brand stores, and additional soft shop-in-shops at the likes of Breuninger and pop-up areas at the likes of Stand-by Lindner Dortmund. The numbers are equally impressive. The division in question is experiencing double-digit growth rates year-on-year. “Within just under three years, we have doubled the turnover in Germany and Austria,” Schmidl points out. This is also due to service and support. The team has grown to 14 employees, while a B2B portal, which was launched last summer, allows flexible orders outside normal business hours. “We offer the right product at the right time,” she adds. “The more the customer takes advantage of this offer, the more successful we can be together.”
American Vintage is presented impeccably via storytelling, both in print campaigns and on Instagram.
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