Los Angeles-based designer Doni Namias was set to launch her first sneaker at scale in November, designed as an homage to two classic shoes: the Converse Chuck Taylor and the Nike Air Max. This would be a big step for his eponymous Nahmias, a luxury menswear brand that blends California street and skate, founded in 2018.
Due to factory delays, the product did not ship until early January.
“As a small brand, we were sidelined,” says Nahmias. “It wasn’t the launch I was hoping for.”
Independent brands have gotten used to things not going according to plan in the past three years. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, there has been a never-ending set of challenges. First, store closures and an e-commerce boom during lockdown, then disruption and inflation in his chain of supply as the world reopens.
Many new brands have survived and even thrived in the turmoil. Retailers, concerned about prolonged inflation and a weak economy, are reluctant to bet on untested brands. Investors, on the other hand, are turning to so-called recession-proof companies. This category contains few emerging fashion brands.
“It’s almost like a rule: Stop investing in fashion when the recession hits. [seen as] It’s just too unpredictable,” said Gary Wasner, chief executive officer of luxury and fashion advisory Hildan Corporation.
Younger brands are generally more disciplined when it comes to maintaining margins and inventory after surviving the pandemic. Surviving the recession will require deploying the tactics honed during the pandemic and focusing more on reducing risk and driving sales.
Unlike 2020, you will at least be able to plan ahead.
Willy Chavarria, founder and creative director of his namesake brand, said: “There is little room for frivolity in our work. [now]”
bet on the winner
Fashion brands are always trying to find a balance between creativity and commerciality. During a recession they will have to rely more on the latter.
Tired from ordering excess inventory last year, retailers are expected to reduce purchases in 2023 and focus on brands and products with historically high sales rates.
“For a while, stores needed these hyped brands,” Wasner said. “Now they need brands that everyone buys.”
Julie Gilhart, chief development officer at brand incubator Tomorrow Ltd. and president of Tomorrow Consulting, said many brands will be launching more rigorously edited collections this year.
For Judy Turner’s next collection, due out in February, founder and creative director Conley Averett wanted to make it commercially viable by using the less hit old I played around with ideas.
“I try to make the vision more aligned and clear for people who have trouble understanding it,” said Averett.
Nahmias, on the other hand, has early meetings with buyers and pays more attention to certain hot items such as jerseys, t-shirts and hats.
With less certainty about future wholesale orders, labels are directing shoppers to their sites. Chavarria will offer bespoke products exclusively on the brand’s website shortly after the February show. He also has more off-calendar drops and collaborations to boost sales and keep the label on top throughout the year.
Like retailers, the last thing brands want to do is get caught up in excess inventory. Emma Gage, founder and designer of gender-neutral apparel brand Melke, believes that gives labels that operate on a smaller scale an advantage. Gage founded Melke during the pandemic, so she focused on building relationships with local New York-based suppliers. This gave her more flexibility with her orders, she says.
“I have a product to sell and carry. I’m not overproducing,” Gage said.
The disruption caused by the pandemic has created room for brands to chart their own path. Brands have stepped up their direct-to-consumer sales channels and are therefore less dependent on being in a particular store.
Back to Creativity and Community
Tight time limits can bog designers down.
Dauphinette founder Olivia Cheng said: “But when the business is not doing well, it really stifles creativity because you feel like you don’t have the mental or financial resources to actually design.”
To combat the depression of the recession, brands are looking for innovative ways to get their products to consumers. Chen plans to host a Lunar New Year party in January, where he will be dropping specially developed shirts and unveiling new vintage and upcycling concepts.
Labels such as Melke, Judy Turner, and Dauphinette host pop-ups, open studios for visits, trunk shows and archive sales to move merchandise at low cost and meet shoppers face-to-face. We have the opportunity to match.
Brands are also reassessing how they present their collections, an easy post-pandemic task, as buyers and editors are increasingly open to viewing collections virtually or off-schedule.
Namias said he will continue to show during Fashion Month, but will likely cut the cost of the show in Paris in half. show on. She was partially funded by her personal savings, but she didn’t get the response she was hoping for.
“It’s a very crowded calendar. I just want to give myself a chance to try something different,” Cheng said.
Leaning on the strengths that come with being small and independent—agility, ingenuity, perspective, and a passionate and plugged-in customer base—help brands weather the storm.
Willie Chavarria, for example, made headlines for her show spotlighting the complexities of Latinx culture, queerness, and gender. His Spring/Summer 2023 presentation “Please Rise” kicks off with a hymn about crossing borders, and his Fall/Winter 2022 “Uncut” collection focuses on American stereotypes of Latinos. I was.
“The brand sells more than just apparel, it sells something very personal,” says Chavarria.
Chavarria wants to further emphasize that connection, adding new content to the site and highlighting other artists that Chavarria sees as being in line with the brand’s ethos. The drops are accompanied by special images and videos to encourage consumers to stay on the brand’s website.
“These brands that have something to say and know how to create a community are the most successful brands,” Gilhart said. is like the common cold, by contrast.”
