Phoebe Philo - Designer

[Melancholybaby]

I'm trying to grasp how this conversation started...have we had some solid facts/information/reporting on how the brand is performing? Or is this just people's perception because she's not gone down the traditional route, playing the fashion game, doing shows etc?

 

[style_expert]

From a margin standpoint, owning your DTC (direct-to-consumer) sales channel through a self-operated website actually gives her more control over pricing, branding, and inventory. Yes, the rollout has been gradual—but that also means she’s avoiding massive overhead and unnecessary wholesale pressures. She’s not dumping collections into markdown bins just to meet retailer timelines.

And let’s not forget the resale value of her Céline-era pieces. The demand has held strong for over a decade. That’s not nostalgia—that’s brand equity. She’s tapping into that loyalty now, and by limiting access and maintaining exclusivity.

True but her initial 'exclusive' DTC approach didn't work and PP is now selling at around 38 multibrand stores worldwide. So in the end she did need the wholesale market.
I think it's healthy for a starting brand to have a physical presence around the world, especially at that price level. What she is doing right is keeping the online distribution exclusive to her own site thus far.

 

[Lola701]

True but her initial 'exclusive' DTC approach didn't work and PP is now selling at around 38 multibrand stores worldwide. So in the end she did need the wholesale market.

I’m not sure that starting a DTC approach was the end of it all. It allowed them to have some Data and to probably figure out the strategy regarding distribution.
Having BG as her first retailer, having developed e-commerce fairly globally that early in the existence of the house and then her choices of retailers are all very interesting.