Yang Dayun: "Suitcase Show" Trunk Shows Fashion Industry "Pre-Sale"

To build personal relationships with top customers, brands are making more efforts than ever before, and these top elite customers also make the brand profitable.

New York, the United States

In the front row, you can see a group of low-key brand private customers in addition to the slouched fashion editor, high-profile star and cool headed buyer.

They usually wear the clothing of the press conference brand, but they are somewhat like the fans who are wearing a band T-shirt at the rock show.

Many of these special brand fans, who spend six or seven digits a year on brand clothing, can directly help brands achieve quarterly sales targets.

In the latest fashion week, if you look closer, it's not hard to notice that such a group of private customers is rising.

Dior advanced customization, Chanel and the front row of the Herm / s senior dress show, the figure of the American comedian and the talk show host Steve Harvey's wife Marjorie Harvey.

But she won the invitation not because she married a celebrity, but rather an amazing fashion collection she showed to millions of fans on Instagram.

In May 2014, the website of Harvey called "Lady Loves Couture" was launched on the website, mainly including the form matching, product recommendation and other lifestyle contents, all written by Harvey herself and the website professional team.

Allison Brown, editor in chief of the website, said that Lady Loves Couture is the first attempt of "Marjorie Harvey personal brand".

Harvey's private customers have played an important role in the development of high fashion for a long time.

In the final analysis, tailored clothing is still a "one-time deal" business. Lynn Wyatt, Becca Cason Thrash, Qatar Princess Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned and other social celebrities have developed private long-term cooperation with designers, and commissioned designers to design dress dresses.

However, private customers are no longer exclusive exclusive uniforms.

In fact, the private customers of top garments have also attracted the attention of customers.

To be exact, it is even more difficult to form a one to one loyalty relationship with private customers in today's three odd shopping experience.

In addition, top customers know more than ever before.

"Our customers are now more like editors or curators, and I think this is also related to the immediacy of all kinds of information," said Jess Christie, director of MatchesFashion.com global communications. The website has reserved a private Shopping Center for private customers near Marylebone in London. Marie Bohn,

"Despite the close relationship between customers and designers, the customers of advanced garments are also smart and have a better understanding."

But in many cases, this is also the best marketing strategy for designers.

A private customer like Harvey or a street wear actress Ulyana Sergeenko, who wears clothes designed by herself, can do that.

Start awareness.

To maximize the development of such influence, MatchesFashion often forms partners with the top customers in the world's major cities to host the Trunk Shows.

Recently, the retailer invited top customer Brooke Davenport to host a dinner in Dallas, Texas, to pay tribute to designer Joseph Altuzarra.

MatchesFashon, a long-term loyal customer Davenport (more than 10000 Instagram fans) hosted similar events in Losangeles in 2015.

But most importantly, these customers bring real money value to designers.

"Generally, the more money you spend here, the more opportunities you will get."

PS Dept, CEO of private shopping, said Michelle Goad.

Although PS Dept receives commission from sales that happen on App, Goad often needs to connect designers to App users so that they can truly enjoy VIP treatment.

"If you want to be invited to a fashion show, a private party or a pre purchase channel, you need to establish a direct connection with the brand."

"It's not enough to buy products only through a wholesale channel," she said.

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But most of the suitcase shows (the main designer's latest series of pre order activities) are held in department stores and boutiques. Department stores and boutiques will receive commission on sale products during activities (most of which are 2.2 to 2.5 times the profits of wholesalers).

This pattern is also a great benefit to designers, because designers only receive early production when they receive the deposit of clothes, which means they have the resources to produce products that may not enter the sales market at the end.

"This is an important part of our business, especially in the US," said Alex Bolen, chief executive officer of Oscar de La Renta. "This is very helpful for us to manage inventory."

The fashion show has traditionally been held within weeks of the launch of the brand fashion.

In most cases, this is the only place for customers to talk about clothes directly with designers. In turn, designers can also get customer feedback directly, which is a valuable asset in the current competitive environment.

But this mode also develops with the change of shopping mode.

"In the past, private customers would get the agenda of social activities and charity banquet so that they could get the products they want to buy in advance," Bolen said. "But now people no longer do this."

But now, customers want to be able to get products quickly in the weeks before the start of the event.

In response, retailers are meticulously weaving this "instant gratification" in their suitcase show.

For example, MatchesFashion and Altuzarra jointly held the first digital suitcase show recently, coinciding with the event hosted by Davenport in Dallas.

But compared with the traditional suitcase show, the clothing in this digital suitcase show is more exclusive. It is a seasonal shirt skirt series and can be shipped immediately.

"It's a good time to create freshness between the spring summer series and the early autumn series," Christie said. "There will be no so-called autumn winter clothing. It will be more fluid and elegant.

These customers are located in more than one residential location in different time zones and climate zones. They can buy products that are not necessarily for the public. They are also very excited and happy.

If it's a traditional suitcase show,

It will continue to promote interaction between designers and customers.

But more than one brand told UTABrand that they are now considering giving up their suitcase show, but holding brand activities at stores or in their customers' homes to achieve greater profits.

Listed companies will not disclose private customers' sales.

But the shift from wholesale to direct selling is a sign of change.

Although wholesale is still the dominant sales channel for the luxury goods market, it occupies 66% of the global luxury apparel accessories and jewelry industry, and direct retailing is also growing.

According to Bain consulting (Bain & Company & amp; Company), luxury brand retail stores grew by 13% in comparable store sales over the same period last year.

But retailers argue that this is actually more beneficial to private customers and brands.

"Some of these female customers are spending almost every day in our store, and there are many exchanges between us," Christie said. "We can provide services for them.

Designers also don't want to return products and deal with logistics. "

Many top elite customers also employ private shopping consultants.

Joan Kaufman, a private consultant who works in New York, has many customers who are prominent in the company or at the top of the company. She buys products from retailers, but most of the time she works directly with designers to complete her tasks.

"As time goes on, more designers will want to establish a direct relationship with myself," she said.

I can't even understand why anyone wants to go shopping in a big department store.

But no matter what method, designers can better and better understand their customers, though often not through direct personal contact.