Category: News

Benetton revamps its store format and customer experience

January 2, 2019

United colors of Benetton renews its store concept with a new flasghip store in Padua, Italy. With a completely revamped hi-tech and informal concept that goes beyond the traditional concept of a store to become an urban and contemporary showroom. During a design thinking workshop for a leading fashion retailer, we came up with the idea of including a … More Benetton revamps its store format and customer experience

H&M embraces Fashtech

December 26, 2018

H&M announced in March 2018, during its quarterly results, a huge problem: $4.3 Billion in unsold clothes. There are many causes of unsold inventory like a wrong collection/product, bad forecasting, wrong allocations, decrease in traffic, wrong prices… But, the trend has changed and the Swedish fashion retailer announced a 9% sales increase (VAT included), 32% … More H&M embraces Fashtech

Awarded Top 100 best retail blogs to Follow in 2018

December 17, 2018

The Fashion Retailer: Awarded Top 100 Retail Blog In March 2017, there was a conference at IESE on Fashion and Luxury Goods where, Patrizio di Marco (Dolce & Gabbana), Alessandro Varisco (TWINSET Simona Barbieri), Giorgio Presca (Golden Goose), Sian Keane (Farfetch), Luca Solca, amongst others, talked about how to manage talent in fashion and luxury companies. At … More Awarded Top 100 best retail blogs to Follow in 2018

Sears Goes Bankrupt

November 21, 2018

“The King is dead, long live the King?” Large retailers are celebrating the new american retail market share redistribution but many of them are coming to an end. The traditional proclamation “the King is dead, long live the King” dates back to the XIII-XIV century in Europe and was used as a way to maintain the … More Sears Goes Bankrupt

Bonobos. Fit for every man

November 19, 2018

Bonobos launches a new extended sizing line to include bigger/taller men, continuing their natural customer-centric business approach focused on better-fitting menswear. Founded by Brian Spaly (also founder of Trunk Club) and Andy Dunn, Bonobos is a menswear brand offering the perfect fit pants, a personal guideshop and customer service Ninjas. • Perfect fit: The objective … More Bonobos. Fit for every man

Virtual Training: building a Digital Workforce at Walmart

October 30, 2018

The World is rapidly evolving and the new environment requirements (industry, economy, new business models, analytics, digital platforms, uberization…) oblige companies to adapt their operating model to survive. The future workforce will be a mix of bots, external and internal talent that will face new roles and new needed skills. Walmart, the retail behemoth from … More Virtual Training: building a Digital Workforce at Walmart

Nike´s new retail approach: curated stores

October 16, 2018

Nike recently opened its first new concept store: Nike by Melrose, in Melrose Avenue (LA). The retail approach is brand new and takes into account the latest trends in fashion such are customization, localized assortment and omnichannel. In this store, product (footwear and apparel) mix is unique and exclusive, different from other Nike stores, and … More Nike´s new retail approach: curated stores

Amazon Storefronts

October 9, 2018

The Curated Hyper-Segmentation era is here The Long Tail illustrates how traditional business based on Blockbuster, built under massive media, celebrities, mass-market products, Hollywood, MTV, have lost their strength and even disappeared. The Pareto principle resulted in a global mainstream, clone society: a Zebra Society (Zebra as a metaphor for a non-differentiated, extremely homogeneous society), empowered … More Amazon Storefronts

3D Knitting by Uniqlo

October 2, 2018

Uniqlo recently presented its latest innovation in manufacturing: 3D Knit. Some weeks ago, I posted 3D knitting or printing in fashion: benefits and success cases where you can find more details about this trend. With Uniqlo´s 3D Knit dresses and sweaters launch, it´s clear that this is not science fiction any more. As a fashion technology (fashtech) … More 3D Knitting by Uniqlo

Retail Game Changers 2018

September 25, 2018

Every industry has its main players, but also disruptors, innovators, niche players that find a different business model, innovate in fabrics, have a different approach to the customer… We can mention the value proposition of Warby Parker (Pure player, high quality, good price), Bonobos (Easy shopping, better fit), Rent the Runway (Fashion-as-a-service), Everlane (Radical Transparency), … More Retail Game Changers 2018

Fashion Co-Creation: As-a-Service Liquid Design Model

August 7, 2018

Liquidity, everything is getting liquid. Bauman described our modern life as “liquid modernity“, where change is happening faster than ever. Relations, connections, organizations are ephemeral, flexible, plastic. As Politics, Economy and the organization of Society, businesses are already including “liquidity” in their value chain, from defining processes to defining their resources and capabilities. In the … More Fashion Co-Creation: As-a-Service Liquid Design Model

H&M uses Artificial Intelligence to optimize the assortment

May 17, 2018

Fashtech, phygital, omnichannel, hybrid retail…I´m sure that sociolinguistics are happy to think about new words to describe Fashion 4.0 and the omnichannel era. It´s seems creativity is everywhere.  But as a Sociologist, I can confirm that our society is evolving faster than wording, and we will see many other attributes to describe some of the … More H&M uses Artificial Intelligence to optimize the assortment

Artificial Intelligence in Fashion Retail

April 30, 2018

Fashion Retail is adapting it´s business model at the pace of digitalization. As Darwin said, it is the most adaptable to change that will survive. After reading IESE insight “5 Building Blocks for Cyber-Physical Value Chains”, from Professor M. Sachon (Issue 33, Second Quarter 2017), I decided to start writing a series of articles about … More Artificial Intelligence in Fashion Retail

Why is there a lack of excitement when Millennials visit Department Stores?

February 12, 2018

The Bird´s Cage Strategy is over. Millennials are running away from Department Stores. A day in the life of a Millennial visiting a Department Store Last week, I had (and say HAD/must) to visit a department store in Barcelona because I needed to change a Xmast gift. Department store´s business model is explained in many business … More Why is there a lack of excitement when Millennials visit Department Stores?

Is Data killing creativity in Fashion?

January 29, 2018

ANALYTICS IS KILLING CREATIVITY The Fashion Industry is evolving as retail landscape is also in reconstruction. Big data, machine learning and technology 4.0 are leadind the change and users are accelerating it thru e-commerce and the online arena. All the steps and participants along the fashion value chain are impacted and evolution is a need … More Is Data killing creativity in Fashion?

Strategic Acquisitions: Amazon vs Walmart

November 13, 2017

M&A is one of the main strategic options for companies that want to ensure their success in a very competitive and globalized market. Even more, in a hyper-connected society and customer centric economy. The retail industry is not any more about increasing the number of macrostores in order to have more efficient economies of scale, … More Strategic Acquisitions: Amazon vs Walmart

Niche fashion is the new black for investors

October 23, 2017

Who says retail is dead? It´s the retail apocalypse for many department stores or fashion retailers in USA that couldn´t manage their different channels and pricing…but Supreme is the example of retail excellence in the Millenials era. An era where niche players have the power as I wrote in the Fashion retail long tail. According … More Niche fashion is the new black for investors

Uniqlo, the fashtech retailer, opens in Barcelona

September 25, 2017

Uniqlo, the fashtech (fashion technology) japanese retailer opens its first store in Barcelona, next Zara and H&M flagship stores. “For all major companies, starting point has to be Barcelona. We want to grow with this city of art”, has secured this Tuesday, founder of Uniqlo Tadashi Yanai (source: Turkey Telegraph). Therefore, the japanese retailer is positioned … More Uniqlo, the fashtech retailer, opens in Barcelona

Amazon opens shop-in-shop inside Kohl´s deparment stores

September 7, 2017

Everybody is expecting to see pure players going offline with experimental point of sales or pop-up stores. This was the recent case of Everlane going offline. Amazon opening stores inside Kohl´s is a surprise: the biggest long tailer and market place is getting into department stores! This is a great alternative to regular expansion based … More Amazon opens shop-in-shop inside Kohl´s deparment stores

Louis Vuitton, World of experiences

August 2, 2017

Louis Vuitton is one of the most prestigious luxury fashion houses in the World. In a previous post, I analysed diversification and segmentation in the fashion retail industry. Armani and Inditex are fashion retailers that have grown thru different diversification strategies. Armani is closing some of its brands due to some inconsistencies between brand, value … More Louis Vuitton, World of experiences

Everlane goes Offline

July 25, 2017

Everlane is a brand built upon an awareness of a new kind of consumer. The kind of person who cares where her coffee and chickens come from, and also her clothes. -TheFader Everlane was founded in 2010 in San Francisco, California, USA, as a pure player with the aim of selling its own designed, affordable … More Everlane goes Offline

H&M invests in supply chain as fashion rivalry intensifies

July 10, 2017

Cost controls helped H&M (HMb.ST) to limit a drop in quarterly pretax profit but the fashion chain said it was increasing investments this year as it tries to keep pace with its larger rival, Zara owner Inditex (ITX.MC). H&M, the world’s second-biggest fashion company, said conditions remained very tough in key European markets and in … More H&M invests in supply chain as fashion rivalry intensifies

Le Tote, fashion based on customer data

June 22, 2017

Millenials are prioritizing experiences over tangible products. More than 75% of Millenials would choose to spend money on an experience over buying a product (Harris Group study – 2016). More than that, the experience is not based on onwnership, but on NOwnership.  They (we) want to feel the adrenaline but without ties, and sharing economy is already … More Le Tote, fashion based on customer data

Future proofing: Inside LVMH’s under-the-radar beauty brand incubator

June 7, 2017

Do you know what Kendo is? Based in San Francisco, Kendo creates or acquires beauty brands and focuses on developing them into global powerhouses. The portfolio today consists of Kat Von D Beauty, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Formula X Nail, OleHenriksen and Bite Beauty. The name KENDO is a play on the phrase “can do.”  What … More Future proofing: Inside LVMH’s under-the-radar beauty brand incubator

Michael Kors to shutter up to 125 stores in next 2 years

June 5, 2017

Is Michael Kors a luxury brand any more? As I mentioned in a previous article about the luxury fashion pyramid , Michael Kors is located in the aspirational luxury segment. But after their uncontrolled growth strategy, betting for every channel, we can argue about it. If you see the same bag many times in your daily … More Michael Kors to shutter up to 125 stores in next 2 years