PUCKnews.com
Phoebe Philo’s Anti-Distribution Distribution Strategy
A friend texted me on Friday that Austin’s ByGeorge had become one of the chic local retailers now carrying
Phoebe Philo’s LVMH-backed namesake brand. No surprise, given that ByGeorge is run by
Molly Nutter, a former Barneys exec with great industry relationships and an excellent client base. I was surprised, however, to discover that
P.P. is also being distributed through Mytheresa.com via a private portal accessible only to certain personal shoppers and V.I.C.s—a major evolution from the launch strategy where Phoebe Philo was available online exclusively at PhoebePhilo.com. (A rep for Mytheresa had no comment.)
The thinking behind this is smart. In the new LuxExperience group, which also includes Yoox and Net-a-Porter, Mytheresa is being positioned as the A’maree’s to Net-a-Porter’s Barneys. One is ultra-exclusive, and the other is
pretty exclusive, but also carries stuff that gets discounted to under $100 at the end of the summer sales season. Will it work? Only if people want to buy what’s on offer. A’maree’s, by the way, is also carrying Pheebs. (Wow, she’s really going to hate it if I start referring to it like that.)