In the current economic context, even though the insolent growth of the Fashion The last few decades have marked time and new challenges have emerged for businesses, how reinvent its brand and its associated models ? Céline Choain, founder of Kea&Partners and an expert for 20 years in this strategic sector in national and international influence, gave the floor to Axelle Mathery, general manager of Maison 123, to Henry Sebaoun, partner of Drôle de Monsieur and general manager of Vanessa Bruno, and finally to Antoine Auvinet of Satisfy, a new running brand.

Create a strong brand

Axelle Mathery: inventing a storytelling

In a mid-range fashion market in decline, with historic French brands that have disappeared or are suffering, Axelle Mathery, appointed four years ago as CEO of Maison 123, has demonstrated that a flagship brand of the French family economy can still be capable of generating growth. Within the family group Etam, Maison 123 has existed for around forty years. Just four years ago, the company was losing money. "Today it is doing well, with double-digit growth for the past three years," explains the manager. The result of in-depth work to rewrite the brand. brand platform has indeed been completely redesigned, following axes such as emotion and travel, on all its customer contact points, newsletter, stores, windows, collections, website... Axelle Mathéry explains: "I did not attack the brand's DNA, I deliberately put it aside, since its positioning did not provide solutions: a rather mature woman, not concerned with fashion, not ultra-feminine, who only bought with limited purchasing power since she was retired. I reworked this target with women who wear clothes as an attribute of femininity and who take pleasure in regularly offering new products". What is the common vector of women who enter stores located on rue du Commerce in Paris as well as in Saint-Brieuc or in shopping malls? To find out, it was necessary to delve deeply into the knowledge of buyers and their profile. A major step to then reinvent this story and an inspiring storytelling.

Antoine Auvinet: creating a new vision of running

Satisfy is a new brand in the world of sports and running. It was initiated and invented by an artistic director, Brice Partouche. Which is disruptive for the world of sports and running! Brice founded the brand nine years ago. "His adolescence was nourished by skate culture and its Art de vivre, with a way of dressing, codes, a particular language, music... He realized that, in running, this variation did not exist. We were above all about performance, timed times, technical characteristics," explains the general director. The idea was therefore to engage a community around a new story. The timing was also good, with an increasing practice of sport, especially since the health crisis.

Henry Sebaoun: developing the brand territory

The Vanessa Bruno brand has been reinvented to appeal to a new audience. Artistic director Vanessa Bruno created her brand at the age of 25. It was a real success, particularly thanks to its now iconic shopping bag. Over the years, the clientele has been retained, but without really thinking about the offer, according to Henry Sebaoun. "The incarnation of the brand is important, but so are its values! Quality, manufacturing, craft, handmade... everything that will visually embody creativity and justify the price," he says.

Hybridization of models

Finding the right hybridization of your model is a necessity, recalls Céline Choain. Combining novelty and timelessness, speed of adaptation and long-term strategy, store and digital... What are the different hybridization dynamics that allow you to adapt to a clientele that has become "full hybrid"? According to the expert, nearly 70% of customers say they hybridize their purchasing act.

Antoine Auvinet: hybridization, key to customer experience

For this brand born in the digital world, it was necessary to find a suitable form of hybridization. Today, the majority of turnover is generated online: 40% in the United States and then, in second place, in South Korea. Allowing customers to touch and try the product is obviously a strength, especially when the quality and finish of the products are unique, as with Satisfy. "It is even the main differentiating criterion for our brand," says Antoine Auvinet. "Wholesale" is therefore obvious!" But the question of positioning arises. Which "wholesale" to choose and how to sell? "Of course, we know the points of sale positioned in this segment, Dover Street Market, Arrows, etc. They allow us to send a strong message right away before the customer has even had a chance to experience the product," he explains. This hybridization is one of the keys to a successful customer experience. Consistency between the different distribution channels, but also between engagement channels, social networks or customer service, is also necessary to create a solid brand storytelling. In this context, it is necessary to ensure the quality of multi-brand points of sale. How? "When a wholesale wants to make room in its stocks, and sells at -30 or -40%, it then becomes difficult to maintain a premium and high brand discourse. The first element of vigilance is therefore the price respect by the multi-brand. Manage the "wholesale" teams well and check that they are not on short-term commercial performance."

Henry Sebaoun: finding the right balance

"Our historic brand is over 30 years old. At the time, our job was to present collections and sell to resellers, department stores or multi-brands. "Retail" allowed us to have our own customers. Hybridization is mandatory because beyond the distribution channels that will allow us to generate turnover, digital allows us to create customer satisfaction. The more we satisfy the customer, the more loyal they will be. The three channels are therefore complementary. The most contributory is retail: We control our purchases, our points of sale, our budget. When we do not have enough "capex" (capital expenditure), we use wholesale because it is a medium that allows us to generate turnover, to give visibility. Finally, we cannot continue without digital tools, because they allow us to be a leading global showcase, to develop our image. According to him, the winning recipe would lie in a balance around "20% e-commerce, 40% wholesale, 40% retail".

Axelle Mathery: retail and digital are inseparable

At Maison 123, 85% of the turnover is made in store and 15% digitally. The website is inseparable from the performance of a retail network. This is why it must be cherished. At the same time, our store network has been tightened. Some stores have closed: 30% in three years. At the same time, we have reopened elsewhere, and even more in the last two years. We have also worked on personal expenses, reduced hours, made traffic kits... Everything a good retailer is supposed to do. A precise approach to operating costs per store.

The need for circularity

Given the urgency of the climate and ecological crisis, the circularity of fashion is imposed as it is on companies. “There is no brand that does not take this thought into account,” says Céline Choain, who points out that the fashion sector is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases and generators of plastic in the world. How can circularity be integrated into your model?

Henry Sebaoun: contributing without disrupting business

At vanessa bruno, in terms of circularity, we have two main themes. The first is structuring: contributing to consuming less, without altering the business. For example: energy consumption (our store parks have been using LEDs for the last three years), new store concept (in wood or stone), recycled hangers. For a technical question, we have not yet managed to avoid plastic covers. Vanessa is half Danish, so a lot of things were already in place. Her historic product, the shopping bag, is made of cotton canvas made in France and linen grown in Belgium, then processed in France. On the other hand, I forbid myself from locking myself into a logic that could prevent me from creating. Creation first. Everything that makes sense, we go for it without counting. By putting the brakes on all subjects, the risk is to arrive at prices that will mean that many of our customers will not be able to afford them. Second-hand will be launched within a few hands. I see it as a way to satisfy the customer and build customer loyalty.

Axelle Mathery: our second-hand goods generate in-store traffic

La second hand launched last February represents more than 10% of digital turnover, with a slight loss expected. Much more growth would be needed to generate a positive result. When customers deposit their products on this site, they receive a gift card that can be used in store or on the site. The upsell on these gift cards is 50%, or even much more. That was the goal. Thanks to second-hand goods, I absolutely wanted to generate traffic in store. In addition, we only take back Maison 123 clothing that is three years old maximum, except for the current season of course.

Antoine Auvinet: extend the product's lifespan

The brand is still young. The total volume of our products in circulation is not sufficient to justify second-hand. On the other hand, we do upcycling. Our water-repellent products are guaranteed P0, without PFAS, without eternal pollutants. The cotton is also organic and bio-sourced.
On performance products, there are no substitutes for plastic so far. We are working on durability: making a shoe that can go up to 800 km and not 600 km, shorts and t-shirts that can be kept for several years. Being able to repair too: our warranty is generous with a repair service that extends the life of the product to the extent that we cannot currently substitute nylon and other products for certain categories of products.