Denim special -- Gilles Laumonier
In Spring Gilles Laumonier engaged star photographer Terry Richardson for the current LEE campaign.
“We want consumers to fall in love with Lee.” Gilles Laumonier
that they have a part to play in the future of this most democratic of brands. In the past having your own stores was not that important to your company. What is the strategy for the future? GL: Retail experience is increasingly important for us. It is the space where we can immerse the consumer in the world of Lee and give them a true brand experience. We are investing significantly in our own retail network, which comprises 7 Lee brand stores as well as numerous shop-in-shops across EMEA. We recently redesigned and re-crafted our existing stores in Antwerp, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Paris and London. We feel that the new environments not only better showcase our products but also reflect our philosophy. We have more stores in the pipeline, but we are keeping the number fairly limited. Can you tell us some figures? GL: We are planning on opening between two and four stores in the next two years, which is more about showcasing the brand. We are also investing in a program with our key partners, our independent retailers, and we will also continue to invest in shop-in-shops to ensure a consistent look & feel in every store. What are the most important markets for you in Europe?
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GL: Lee is pretty well distributed across Europe. Of course Germany is a very important market for us, and we have some important partners in that market. Scandinavia is a very significant market in terms of brand equity as well as volume. We are among the top 3 denim brand solds in Sweden, and we aim to recapture our No.1 position this year! Lee has a great image in the UK, and in Italy we are also a major player sold heavily across the market. I think right now the two most important areas for us are Germany and Scandinavia. Indeed, you had a lot of scandinavian Designers… GL: Yes, but I have changed that a little bit. We have to be more international. I created an international design team, and I think this is reflected in the current collection. You started in the business in marketing. What did you change regarding the communication? GL: In recent years we haven’t been very active in our campaigns. I wanted to deliver communication that would help us re-establish the brand as one with true and authentic denim authority and a credible and unique heritage that is relevant for today, 2011 and beyond. It has to reflect our core. Our new brand sign-off “A Lee Don’t Lie’’ reflects that Lee is a true brand, for real people. We are the people’s brand.
What was the reason for working with Terry Richardson? GL: We chose to work with Terry Richardson for many reasons, but the most basic was that he is American and we are an American brand. He is a master of his craft, as are we. His style of photography is true, gritty and real; he captures the true essence of people and that’s what we wanted for this campaign. Each execution features a model and copy. With ‘’A Lee Never Ages’’ we feel we have an image that is appealing and honest on so many levels. Here you see a guy who has lived life, probably on his own terms; a guy who has some years under his belt, but is still relevant, cool and looks great in head-to-toe Lee denim. Of course we used younger models in the ads as well. For me the cherry on the cake is Riley Keough, a young hip American actress/model. We want to express our classic American heritage in a contemporary way that is relevant for today. We are undoubtedly a rich heritage brand, but that does not mean we are a dusty old cowboy brand. Most of the big denim brands have the same problem: The consumers are no longer as aware of brands as they used to be in the ’80s or the ’90s. Is it more difficult for brands to say to the consumer: buy me? GL: The world has really changed from the era when the brand was everything. Now you have huge verticals like H&M and Zara offering consumers all kind of products for low prices and the turn-around is fast. In this fast moving process, there are so many products and offers in the market. The challenge today for a ‘brand’ is much harder than say 15 or 20 years ago: it has to cut through the competition, engage with the consumer and then finally communicate about its offer and products. And what is your offer for the consumer? GL: With so many offers and products out there it can get confusing. We see our role as making a trustworthy offer – we say that we don’t lie and if you come to us you know what you will find. We have to make sure that consumers know what we stand for and that they feel comfortable with our offer. When there is too much choice, the natural feeling is to go back to what you know and trust. If the trend goes that way then original brands like Lee, with an established expertise and a rich history and heritage, potentially have a great future ahead. I hope I am right. x