In the current economic context, even as the insolent growth of fashion in recent decades is slowing down and new challenges are emerging for companies, how can one reinvent their brand and 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, managing director of Maison 123, to Henry Sebaoun, partner of Drôle de Monsieur and managing director 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 struggling mid-range fashion market, with historic French brands having disappeared or are struggling, Axelle Mathery, appointed CEO of Maison 123 four years ago, has demonstrated that a flagship brand of the French family economy can still generate growth. Part of the Etam family group, Maison 123 has existed for about forty years. Just four years ago, the company was losing money. "Today it's doing well, with double-digit growth for the last three years," explains the CEO. This is the result of a thorough overhaul of the brand. The brand platform has indeed been completely redesigned, focusing on themes like emotion and travel across all customer touchpoints: newsletters, stores, window displays, collections, website, and more. Axelle Mathéry explains: “I didn’t alter the brand’s DNA; I deliberately set it aside, since its positioning wasn’t offering solutions: a rather mature woman, not particularly fashion-conscious, not ultra-feminine, who only bought with limited purchasing power because she was retired. I reworked this target audience, focusing on women who wear clothes as an expression of femininity and who appreciate receiving regular new products.” What do the women who enter boutiques located on the Rue du Commerce in Paris, in Saint-Brieuc, or in shopping malls have in common? To find out, it was necessary to delve deeply into understanding the shoppers and their profiles. This was a crucial step in order to then reinvent the brand’s story and create an inspiring narrative.

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, circularity in fashion is becoming essential for businesses. "There isn't a single brand that can ignore this issue," says Céline Choain, who points out that the fashion industry is one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases and producers of plastic. How can circularity be integrated into a business model?

Henry Sebaoun: contributing without disrupting business

At Vanessa Bruno , when it comes to circularity, we have two main themes. The first is fundamental: contributing to reduced consumption without disrupting the business. For example: energy consumption (our stores have switched to LED lighting over the last three years), a new store concept (made of wood or stone), and recycled hangers. Due to technical limitations, we haven't yet managed to eliminate plastic from the garment bags. Vanessa is half Danish, so many things were already in place. Her signature product, the tote bag, is made of cotton canvas manufactured in France and linen grown in Belgium, then processed in France. However, I refuse to get stuck in a mindset that could stifle creativity. Creation comes first. Anything that makes sense, we embrace wholeheartedly. By restricting ourselves on every front, we risk reaching prices that many of our customers won't be able to afford. We'll launch our secondhand line in a few days. I see it as a way to satisfy the customer and build loyalty.

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

The secondhand section , launched last February, represents over 10% of digital sales, with a slight loss anticipated. Significant growth would be needed to achieve a profit. When customers list their items on the site, they receive a gift card redeemable in-store or online. The upsell rate on these gift cards is 50%, or even higher. That was the goal. My aim was to drive in-store traffic through the secondhand section. Furthermore, we only accept Maison 123 clothing that is no more than three years old, excluding 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.