H AU T E TOPICS
EDITOR’S PICKS Hugland at Vancouver Kids Fashion Week
Ketiketa
Tambere
DESIGNER CHAT Tractr
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WHEN UNDER THE Nile launched in 1998, Janice Masoud remembers being one of the few organic brands in the market. “No one really knew about organic cotton back then,� she says, recalling days of canvassing boutiques on the streets of San Francisco to sell her new baby collection. Initially, the eco-friendly angle was a hard sell so the designer emphasized the fabric’s gold-sealed Egyptian roots as well. It became the one-two punch that established Under the Nile’s brand identity. “We became the go-to company for organic,� Masoud says, noting a spike in sales about 10 years ago after actresses like Laura Dern and Kelly Preston began preaching about the benefits of organic to avoid toxins in clothing. Soon after, Whole Foods added Under the Nile to its “Whole Body� section, making it the first clothing brand stocked by the supermarket chain. Sales of the brand’s baby gowns, beanies and plush toys flourished. “We were taking two weeks to fill orders because we were that busy,� Masoud says. “Everything was going great.� But then, about five years ago, the organic clothing category started to become oversaturated, particularly companies selling goods sourced out of India and China for less. While the quality and sustainability practices didn’t match Under the Nile (the first baby clothing to become Global Organic Textile Standard-certified), Masoud was “losing accounts left and right.� Changes needed to be made—fast. “We had to change the way we did business, or we were going out of business,� she says. The company embarked on a total revamp, spanning products to internal systems with the goal to reclaim its leadership position. It remains a work in progress, but so far so good, Masoud reports. “We are working our way back up to the premiere organic brand, back to what it was 15 years ago,� she says. —Emily Beckman What are some of the changes Under the Nile has made to reclaim its leadership position? We did lots of surveys with retailers, and the first thing they told us was the need for softness, so we transitioned to combed cotton. It’s better than Pima Cotton and costs less. We updated our color palette. Our basic colors from 20 years ago were earthy tan, peachy pink and grayish blue. That has changed to a clean
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Side Show From balloon to bishop to bell, statement sleeves are quite literally the largest trend for Spring ’18.
blue, pink, sage, white and gray. We tightened our basics line but built on new prints to coordinate better. We refitted our best-selling silhouettes and made improvements to various snaps and ties. We also introduced an in-stock program. Retailers can now buy 24/7 from us. I repeatedly asked myself, ‘How can I make this more convenient?’ Convenience is key today. Is it easier or harder to run a company today? If you asked me two years ago, I would have said harder. But now that we’ve streamlined our processes, it’s easier. For example, we opened a distribution center in Texas, which has helped things run much more smoothly. Retailers who place orders by 1 p.m go out that day. It’s fantastic. Any new categories or designs in the pipeline? We just launched our endangered species organic toy collection, which has been doing well. We are really focused on layette and offering toys to match. We are going to be focusing on fruits and veggies next. How important is social media to building brand awareness? It’s very important. We are very transparent, and parents love that kind of communication. I also learn what they like and don’t like as well as what they’d like us to add. Social media has enabled us to get closer with our customers. Any advice for fellow designers? Small businesses go through ups and downs. We became successful, and we were on an up for so long that I thought we were entitled to what we were getting, but we weren’t. Luckily, we never bit off more than we could chew. We never took loans out against our company. Many companies that did have since gone under.