WHAT'S THE STORY 45
GIVE YOUTH A CHANCE! Rejuvenating product ranges and meeting the new challenges posed by digitisation are vital tasks of the retailers. Why not take advantage of the abilities of young employees to advance the fashion retail industry? It seems like too few are tapping in to their enormous potential… Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Interviewees Illustration: Claudia Meitert@Caroline Seidler
Johannes Westerheide has just returned from the order round. He was on the road for numerous days, visited many colleagues with his team, and talked to a number of people. After all, he has been working in the industry for ten years and has established a sophisticated network. “When I attend trade fairs or visit showrooms, I notice that very few buying teams of renowned fashion houses bring along young people,” the MD of Silomon muses. “Generally speaking, our industry doesn’t include young talent enough, maybe because we fashion workers believe that we are always on top of the latest trends, no matter how old we are. Nevertheless, someone in his or her mid-40s will always struggle to comprehend certain dynamics in the same way someone who has grown up with them does.” At the same time, the retail industry is facing increasing cost pressure. “Acting from necessity, many retailers aren’t willing to invest in inviting their young employees,” Westerheide says and adds: “Many perceive such ideas as a personnel expenditure that doesn’t result in direct revenue. Only very few have understood that this investment is vital for their survival.” Change
Offline and online – anything goes. The challenges within the market are highly complex. Communication has changed completely and the
flow of information has accelerated enormously. What defines us today is young in its core. The technical digitisation and social media are young topics that are demanded – and often advanced – by the young. And they can be incredibly beneficial to stationary retailers. Just like many others, Johannes Westerheide perceives himself and Silomon as a retail business in the midst of a finding process. He strives to create experiences on the sales floor and wants to advertise them on all media channels. “We discussed the issue at management level and realised that anyone who doesn’t understand the topic – or isn’t savvy in terms of social media – can’t implement it well,” Westerheide admits. “That’s why I have transferred this particular field to a few employees aged between 20 and 25. They use social media quite intuitively.” Silomon posts on Facebook and Instagram roughly three times a week. The ideas for these posts are mostly suggested by salespeople working on the floor. “It’s impossible to measure the success directly, but we have noticed that our style in progress 218
