Fashion Warehouse ! Who are we faking ?

Fashion Warehouse ?! Who are we faking ?

5-7 min is what sites gets from a consumer in each of his visit. That’s all !

And there are ecom retailers who are claiming themselves as fashion warehouses. For whom ?

In that 7 min is it possible to show him the warehouse/ large assortment of merchandise ? Meaningfully ? Maybe it can be attempted in the categories like electronics, where Brands/ portals does not need to take a stand. And fashion cannot exist without a stand. 

Arguably, fashion has to take a stance, operate from point of view. Benjamin Kranenk a leading designer came up with fashion Pyramid which stacks fashion rightly. Mass produced and available is to all, are essentially most basic garments. They are Industrial. Without a point of  view. As per him, right degree of fashion which should be made available to the fashion connoisseurs is couture. Which is contemporary. And yet a little pret.

Fashion has its own stages. Last stage is mass production and diluted point of view. This is stage is just before fashion is likely to go out. What happens to Baggi jeans, few years back is a good example. When whole world started to wear it, it vanished. It no longer remained aspirational. This is happening rather faster in recent times. Check shirts became half of shirts sales in 2012. And then suddenly prints took over. Dropping checks to 10-15%. It’s a cycle. And its very disappointing to see retailers selling the Dying trend to consumer, on name of Fashio.

Ecommerce players catering to masses and offering merchandise with no point of view, are fooling customers by calling it as fashion!  And maybe abusing the word “fashion”. Variety of all sorts put together cannot be called as fashion. Abundance is not fashion. Fashion has to have a story. An attitude. A distinction. Scarcity.

In effect, Consumer are left with no choice but to try and interpret fashion in their own way. They make a buy, and often realizes that putting bought garment together with what they already have is difficult. No story is being formed. And hence the garment goes back to wardrobe and gets cleared in Diwali cleaning. Unfortunate. It pains me.

Retailers should make a choice, either to become like discounted , wide, industrial houses. Selling to people who does not care for fashion. Like dfwh. Or remain honest to fashion. They cannot be both. It's dishonestly.

Ecommerce sites have large customer base and have instant access to very large population, they should take up the responsibility of helping consumer understand the fashion and identify his own choice and taste. This should be enabled by technology and data churning.

Customer should be treated as an individual and offering should be filtered for his taste, And customer should, eventually  buy from handpicked , curated fashion assortments. And enjoy wearing it. Such sites should create couture fashion which is affordable.

Warehouses cannot be fashionable . And fashion cannot happen in warehouse.  God save Fashion ! ( from warehouses)

My own ways within the Norms

My Own ways

It's a paradox. And its Human.

While we humans have intense need to belong. Yet we feel titillation in breaching the norms of the society we live in.
Breaking the norms is reassurance to the self. Its a sign of freedom and courage. It's a small breathing space individuality gets in this structured and civilized and well articulated world.

Its also apparent in today's movies where hero/ heroine is ready to marry with the person of their parents choice. its reflection of their respect to society and norms. But yet they are searching for somebody who is of their choice. And on finding one, they escape through the societal norms. This trend gained momentum after Dil Wale Ddulhania le Jeyenge.

Its also apparent in people's drawing rooms where God's representation has changed from traditional Ganesha Metal idol to the abstract painted Buddha painting. Beliefs remains but aesthetic changes. And aesthetic is individual.

 

 

Board Rooms are yet very formal. But the ambience / technology used / language / method of presentation has made it contemporary and stylish. And clothes which are worn in the Board rooms are best example of this shift - " I belong, yet I do not ( as I have my own intelligence) "

Brands  will always have something to offer which could be on verge of being controversial. Over the period of time when controversial stuff becomes acceptable, trend goes further. Like Van Heusen launched Purple collection about a decade back which are surprise and shock to Blues and creams wearer, but yet it was a roaring success. And today purple is not only a feminine color.


This phenomenon has moved  a little further and last year ,Van Heusen  Launched a line called - X Lifetsyle. Its a formal with a twist. Its  a formal which one can wear to showoff and create and impact and awe. The expectation from formals has changed. From being safe, it has moved to being noticeably, pleasantly different.

This line was launched in AW 12. Which constitute shirts, trousers and suits. Since launch VH stores are clocking 1/4th of their sales in these lines.

This collection has garments which are subtly stylized. Formals yet fashionable. Garments are such that they let the wearer be in the norms of being formally dressed, yet have a style and identity of his own.
X Lifestyle has been liked by all consumers and channel partners. As there is no Brand who has taken this space of subtle fashion. While markets have been bad, Van heusen has tapped growth of about 19% over last year. Which is about twice the industry growth in this time frame.

Consumer when asked have shown preference to this line. Their statement is that is " interesting" , and "this kills the boredom from boardrooms."

When fashion is in line with the changing psychological consumer needs, it has greater chance to succeed. This line has enabled wearer to be in the norms and yet be break it.

Its a Paradox !