Phoebe Philo - Designer

[TaylorBinque]

I do think PP and her husband also need to step up. Clearly, there are clientele who are willing to spend large sum online. But, e-commerce, is very different than a creative house. You would need people to actually run the system. Given their UI design at the launch, I knew it was going to be a nightmare backend. And it surely is. A start-up like this needs a solid strong corporate culture that is flexible enough to attract talent and grow business. On the other hand, the creative side of things and the momentum of actual products. Well, seems like the hype is dying down too.

 

[rowjellies]

I’m nosey and curious what her husband brings to the table. Wasn’t he an art gallery owner?

 

[Drusilla_]

^unless they're Gagosian/Saatchi and the like, that's not a line of work known for attracting people with business acumen.

 

[Lola701]

Yet fashion brands keep recruiting people like this. I CANT. They are usually super clueless and make zero sense.

I think it’s because the CEOs studied business in prestigious universities, they are straight and ended up in fashion because of their connections and not because they actually like it. Some of them have this inferiority complex and they wish they were working at a more serious business, so they like to get people from this kind of companies because they think they are more prepared and smart.

Ridiculous.

What you are saying is true but let’s not forget that a lot of those business schools students goes to fashion simply because Bernard Arnault has become this new emperor of capitalism.
There are people who only goes to PolyTechnique simply with the goal to work for LVMH.

Fashion is a business that someone has to learn, it’s a taste someone has to acquire, it’s a sensibility that you have to have in you.

Arnault himself learned the business when he was at Dior and in reality, he learned for 20 years, looking at his competitors.

But those fashion suits aren’t necessarily like that. That’s why we have someone like Akeroyd thinking that you can just decide on a strategy as if all brands are on the same level.

Domenico De Sole who remains one of the best fashion CEO was a lawyer but he understood the industry.

I’m nosey and curious what her husband brings to the table. Wasn’t he an art gallery owner?

Probably additional funds and emotional support. That’s already a lot.
Rightfully they were clever and had enough common sense to hire a CEO.

 

[Drusilla_]

are they changing anything about the way they do this? I'd think a little more physical distribution would be a good idea.

 

[Thefrenchy]

As long as they work deeper on their spaces concepts because that pop-up they did wasn't it...

 

[Lola701]

are they changing anything about the way they do this? I'd think a little more physical distribution would be a good idea.

She said in the Nytimes piece that physical presentation and retail presence is in the works on short term.

They had a retail presence at Bergdorf by the second collection so, it’s fair to assume that in the next year more change will come.

 

[rowjellies]

That Bergdorf popup looked cold, dingy, and poorly put together.

 

[style_expert]

Sounds like her line will indeed be available at Le Bon Marché very soon (according to my contact person there). The same pieces we already know and have seen on her site.

 

[rowjellies]

Phoebe Philo Launches Brick-and-Mortar Wholesale​

After launching as a direct-to-consumer, online-only venture, the LVMH-backed label is diversifying its distribution strategy

Images from Phoebe Philo's October 2023 launch. (Courtesy Phoebe Philo)

By

• ROBERT WILLIAMS

04 September 2024

Phoebe Philo’s LVMH-backed eponymous label is set to diversify its distribution strategy, adding a handful of brick-and-mortar wholesale accounts in key fashion cities in Europe and the US.
The hotly-watched venture’s third collection (which it refers to as seasonless “edits”) will launch online September 10, after which the collection will be rolled out to concept stores and luxury department stores for the first time. Stockists will include 10 Corso Como in Milan, Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Dover Street Market in London and Paris, Neiman Marcus and Maxfield in Los Angeles and The Webster in South Beach, Miami.
The expansion to brick-and-mortar wholesale comes less than a year after Phoebe Philo’s launch as a direct-to-consumer, online-only venture. A strategy of digital drops with strictly limited volumes had promised to boost full-price sales and perceived exclusivity for the brand, but it was unclear whether the scarcity-driven model could scale.
The move to evolve its model toward a mix of direct-to-consumer and wholesale also comes amid a gloomy market for online luxury. A planned merger of Farfetch and Yoox Net-a-Porter was scrapped late last year amid mounting losses at both e-tailers, while Matchesfashion shuttered. For Phoebe Philo, interest in snapping up new pieces as soon as they hit the website has waned since a sold-out launch last October: ready-to-wear, bags, silver jewellery are currently in stock on the site in a variety of styles and sizes.

 

[yslforever]

So no Le Bon Marché ? Dover Street Paris is rather limited.

 

[Kennnnn]

I wonder if she'll have any points of sale in Asia.

 

[Lola701]

Surprised that she is not distributed either at Le Bon Marché or La Samaritaine…
Bergdorf and Neumann are really a luxury type of destination whereas the others seems to be more about the fashion crowd.

Interesting…
I mean Chanel sold at one point at DSM.

I wonder if she'll have any points of sale in Asia.

Ultimately. But it’s a huge market to get in so it’s better for her to take her time.
It will only be a year so far since the first collection.

She needs to be settled in the influential markets first.

I think DSM and Corso Como have stores in Asia so they may have a deal later.

 

[rowjellies]

Bergdorf and Neumann are really a luxury type of destination whereas the others seems to be more about the fashion crowd.

Interesting…
I mean Chanel sold at one point at DSM.

DSM and especially Maxfield LA is more dark edgy avant-garde. Maxfield doesn’t even carry The Row and Khaite I think.

Why isn’t she at NAP?

 

[style_expert]

So no Le Bon Marché ? Dover Street Paris is rather limited.

The list of retailers in the article is not the complete list. It'll be available at LBM as well from what I heard.

Moving to brick and mortar retail is the only good move she can make at the moment, she should have done it right from the start but better late than never I guess...

 

[Frederic01]

I wonder when, if ever, she will do an actual runway presentation? At the moment, there is a kind of energy and dynamism lacking at the brand, no? The whole direct-to-consumer and those very basic looking stores in dull grey lack soul and spirit, which is something that really differentiated her Celine from other brands at the time. The runway shows and stores, with the architecture, design-elements, and music, was very unique. These elements very much added dynamism to her aesthetic. It was exciting.

And all these announcements of drops and store deliveries is all very corporate and bureaucratic, there is no fantasy or dreaming in that kind of strategy. It's just all very grey and business. It's like reading news of when new office supplies are going to be delivered.

Personally, I'm saddened to see her take this kind of joyless approach to her brand especially given her previous approach at Celine...

 

[ghostwriter10549]

Patrik Silen, the now allegedly fired CEO, came from ASOS. A rather strange choice indeed. At the very least you would expect the very basics of e-commerce to be covered (as in timely refunds, no bugs/ technical problems, timely delivery and emails).

They placed all their bets on their one e-commerce horse which seems to be the biggest mistake. A highly selective launch with maybe 10-15 global retailers would have been much better. They could have held events for the launch and their clients would have had an instant connection and feeling with the brand (or not) and the brand would be more ‘alive’.
Now there is no emotion or interesting storytelling, it’s all rather flat and one-dimensional. Only the d-t-c channel is simply not enough for such an aspirational priced brand. Even if the products would have been absolutely brilliant and incomparable to anything else on the market (which also they’re not really)

Storytelling is the key word in this discussion. We are starving for storytelling in this industry, and I thought PP could bring a really appealing one. The only story here is the cult following and the hype behind the launch, but after that, they gave us nothing. We need to know specifically what PP's vision and woman are without a big brand behind it. We get glimpses of that now, but it's not enough.

 

[Creative]

If something we learnt from Tom Ford is that presentations can be ok for one season, but if you want to succeed you need the shows (not that TF succeeded with the shows either , but still).

 

[Lola701]

DSM and especially Maxfield LA is more dark edgy avant-garde. Maxfield doesn’t even carry The Row and Khaite I think.

Why isn’t she at NAP?

If production is limited, it’s probably better to restrain the numbers of Internet retail spaces isn’t it?
I think it’s clever to reserve the exclusivity of the e-shop to her own website.

NAP probably has more traction and Phoebe’s website is not really engaging anyway. If she handle her logistic well, she could function like Celine…

I wonder when, if ever, she will do an actual runway presentation? At the moment, there is a kind of energy and dynamism lacking at the brand, no? The whole direct-to-consumer and those very basic looking stores in dull grey lack soul and spirit, which is something that really differentiated her Celine from other brands at the time. The runway shows and stores, with the architecture, design-elements, and music, was very unique. These elements very much added dynamism to her aesthetic. It was exciting.

And all these announcements of drops and store deliveries is all very corporate and bureaucratic, there is no fantasy or dreaming in that kind of strategy. It's just all very grey and business. It's like reading news of when new office supplies are going to be delivered.

Personally, I'm saddened to see her take this kind of joyless approach to her brand especially given her previous approach at Celine...

I think she will. It creates an excitement for clients anyway so it’s necessary…Even more considering that she does show pieces.

And in reality, clothes in motion is always great.

For me she should do a presentation at the end of PFW, off Calendar as a way to mark the arrival of the collection in stores.

 

[Frederic01]

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