Unfortunately, those with a well-developed eye for quality, construction and fabric issues are often those that are buying the least in the shops...(my observation and that of a long-time friend of mine who is working at the Avenue Montaigne Dior Homme for almost 15 years now) It's fantastic that we have TFS as a platform to exchange and discuss about ideas, design and quality, but the percentage of buyers that are aware as us on fashion are TINY.
Also with that awareness in mind, you don't spend that much on clothing anymore, you don't necessarily
change that much or buy a complete new wardrobe every season as other more trend-oriented consumers - it's a pragmatism that tells you, you already have that great coat, you have the perfect pair of jeans and so on, so why should they de-value after they are not current season anymore? Everything you happen to buy from that point on has to be THE item you always wanted and have fallen in love with, I think you can't oversaturate that every season as it's a highly personal judgemental.
I have had really mixed experiences with Helmut on the salesfloor. The collection never changed a lot under the man himself which is understandable - his black moleskin coats, skinny tuxedo pants, shirts and jeans (the key pieces that became his signature) have always been relevant staples but had never been "fashionable", rather continuous classics. You might have had an additional detail here and there, but the pieces themself remained the same throughout the years, in terms of cut, fabrics etc. - therein lies the dilemma though when you are doing in
fashion, people are in the need of that "wow" factor if they are intending to pay the huge pricetag by arrival of goods in the shop, not at the end of season when the goods are discounted (and in Helmut's case, often still available on the salesfloor)... maybe that's the thing, he should have just kept the "classic" pieces in the storage for next season...
Dior Homme really is a good example of a brand that started with such a very elite point of view and that has now found it's destiny as a major, almost mainstream seller... it's no doubt at it's height of commercial turn-overs, albeit the difficult S/S 2006 collection. LVMH or any executives behind don't care for those that have fallen in love with all the handmade, couture-esque stuff that had been done in the first seasons; Handmade Lesage embroideries? Can we do that in dozens? No? Forget about it!
Don't get me wrong, it's the best thing you can achieve as a designer when your customers are faithful and trusting, but from a marketing point of view, and with a rather small, elitist circle of consumers you cannot maintain business. Maybe Cloak cannot produce the same quality now that they have more orders at hand, that they had to find a bigger production partner for the label... it's hard to find someone trustworthy in that regard that can continue in the same flawlessness.
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Couldn't agree more, excpet I am not sure on the last point. You'd think that with the economies of scale that larger production affords you, you'd be able to buy better fabrics cheaper. Maybe there is a time lag between the fame and the cash flows, but I surely hope we aren't being lowballed here...
