random fashion thoughts

[Faust]

[/B]well, Yes and no.
I an vouch for the fact that there is a huge base of consumers who are into edgy out there fashion that is not served buy American stores.

Maybe. That's a cat and mouse game that can be played forever, but I do think the scales are skewed towards the consumer. Most stores no longer buy in order to educate the consumer, they buy what the consumer wants. Store buyers, especially for major stores, do serious data mining of buying history in order to orient future buys.

[zamb]

Maybe. That's a cat and mouse game that can be played forever, but I do think the scales are skewed towards the consumer. Most stores no longer buy in order to educate the consumer, they buy what the consumer wants. Store buyers, especially for major stores, do serious data mining of buying history in order to orient future buys.

Running a webstore for us has been an enlightening experience

the locations people are that purchase stuff

the kind of stuff people are willing to wear/ buy/ custom order
etc.

I know and understand, stores want to buy what sells, as in the end its all a business. but thee is something to be said about something being sold because its unusual/ different rather than safe/ known

I think a good store can and should do a mix of both. I miss when stores had events to introduce new designers, new collections and stores would call a customer and say : I think i have a brand here I think you should know about as its up your alley.........customers would come because they completely trust the buyer.

[Faust]

I, too, miss the days when stores weren't just flinging merch. There are still stores that do cool stuff and have risky buys, but they tend to be in major markets. I think H.Lorenzo, for example, does daring buys. Salespeople still call up major clients. But I do miss stores like Charivari and Barneys of the 90s/early 00s, when it mattered. Barneys is the worst offender, though I understand that they need to make $$$ to dig themselves out of a huge financial hole.

[jimmycs]

As per Barneys, as you may know, they have Barneys Japan here but if I am not mistaken, they underwent bankruptcy several years back. Stores are still here, only a couple. Probably different operation than the Barneys NY. There's Barneys five minutes away from where I live here in Yokohama. Very slick store but do not carry items that interests me.

[Jtothewhat]

I do think part of it is ultimately on the consumer, as Faust claims, but it is on the stores as well. I spent most of my youth and university years working as an SA and eventually a buyer in smaller owned stores, though admittedly not anywhere near the price point most SZ brands deal in, but not exactly exactly on the lowest end of the spectrum either, most of our customers were pretty fashion conscious and willing to spend more money than the average person on clothing.. there was still the issue of trying to order what might be new and interesting for that vein of fashion while balancing what we knew would fly off the shelves and our customers would accept.

I believe, at least through my own experience on both sides of the retail-customer relationship, that if a store and its team can build a level of trust with their clientele, and is passionate about the product that they deal in, they can educate their customers and use some of the more ''accessible'' products as a bridge to something more adventurous. A lot of people go into retail stores looking to find something new, and as long as they know you aren't just jamming any bullshit you can down their throat to make a sale are pretty open to new products or looks, but a lot of the time the store and its employees don't deliver. I think this problem is exacerbated by the way many retail stores are focused on growth, and the cashflow cycle of ordering.. it does put a lot of pressure to sell items quickly, especially when you're trying to sell enough to pay for the next season because you ambitiously ordered too much inventory..you may want to order that beautiful, high priced coat that you know one of your customers will EVENTUALLY buy, but can't afford to sit on it when you know that cash could be used to buy/sell 3 MA-1 jackets in under 2 weeks and payoff your LOC.. and the most natural solution to that is to find inventory you know there is an immediate demand for. Also, it isn't too often anymore I find SA's that have the right combination of knowledge, passion, and people skills for their job to really make me excited about something I may not have considered before.

[Faust]

Yes, sales people are often the problem, too. That's where often boutiques outshine department stores in terms of both knowledge and passion.

[Ahimsa]

Yes, sales people are often the problem, too. That's where often boutiques outshine department stores in terms of both knowledge and passion.

A Barney's co-op SA I was dealing with once was wearing leggings as pants with UGGs. Really goes to show their commitment.

[Faust]

A Barney's co-op SA I was dealing with once was wearing leggings as pants with UGGs. Really goes to show their commitment.

I was in Atlanta this weekend and saw what Jeffrey's staff there looks like and it's not a pretty picture...

[gustavobradley]

I agree with all the things being said here (especially the parts about passionate or even just knowledgeable staff), but I'll also throw in the idea of regular sales being a bit of an issue.

The store I used to work at has pretty legendary sales, which keeps a lot of the customers away from buying at full price, especially since it's a smaller market where you generally don't have to worry about a piece you want selling. Aside from a few standard pieces, it has become increasingly rare to sell much of anything, with full collections sitting often untouched until the second markdown.

This isn't a huge problem for this store (it's a department store - it's bread and butter is selling cheaper, high-volume items), but it definitely has helped kill the higher-end market in my city, and probably hurts smaller boutiques elsewhere.

[Faust]

I think this situation is more or less universal, obviously with different degrees in different cities. Retail prices are simply too high. Fashion is too big by now to be supported by HNTIs alone - it needs the middle class to move this kind of volume, and the middle class is priced out.

[curiouscharles]

In my ideal world, prices would be 40% cheaper and sales would not happen.

The dream...

[zamb]

In my ideal world, prices would be 40% cheaper and sales would not happen.

The dream...

I second this 100%

[zamb]

I think this situation is more or less universal, obviously with different degrees in different cities. Retail prices are simply too high. Fashion is too big by now to be supported by HNTIs alone - it needs the middle class to move this kind of volume, and the middle class is priced out.

there is so many sides to approach this from i cannot even begin.

Yes retail prices are too high but the consumer is also at fault here.

there are consumers who simply don't want to buy a good product at a decent price because it does not signal "baller" status.

there are stores that don't want to buy a good product to sell because the wholesale price is too low for their store

there are designers who inflate prices in order to sell to certain stores or simply to rival other brands whose prices are high.
the Whole thing is sickening. and some days i don't even want to discuss it because there is so many blows to be thrown in so many directions because so many of us are guilty of the mess that exist.

I guess people are simply comfortable in finding there way around in an inefficient and problematic system rather than working (together) to implement a solution

[gustavobradley]

In my ideal world, prices would be 40% cheaper and sales would not happen.

The dream...

Definitely. It would really make things like "insider discounts" that much more special (and effective), too.

there is so many sides to approach this from i cannot even begin.

Yes retail prices are too high but the consumer is also at fault here.

there are consumers who simply don't want to buy a good product at a decent price because it does not signal "baller" status.

there are stores that don't want to buy a good product to sell because the wholesale price is too low for their store

there are designers who inflate prices in order to sell to certain stores or simply to rival other brands whose prices are high.

I agree that this is ridiculous, but I'll admit that I'm guilty of equating price with "quality" or prestige when I don't know about the brand. But, like most here, I don't necessarily buy based on that - I do at least some looking in to the brand itself beforehand if I'm interested in their stuff.

[lowrey]

Farfetch: LA Style

aka every fashion-bro's guide to overpriced sweatpants and t-shirts with holes