Customers used to have to shop in two completely different worlds: luxury or mass market.  However, recently, many manufacturers and retailers have satisfied customers’ needs for something in the middle by “bridging the gap” between bargain basement fashion and high-priced designer clothing.  These brands are enjoying double-digit growth as they are attracting customers from both spectrums, those who could not previously afford high-end fashion and those who are no longer interested in high-end fashion prices.

French apparel brands like Sandro, Claudie Pierlot, the Koples, and Zadig & Voltaire, are expanding into the U.S.  These brands are higher end fashion that is meant to last longer than what is found at Zara or H&M.  These brands intend to expand into retailers like Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, as well as into free-standing stores around the country.  The Kooples is a brand that blurs gender boundaries and currently has seven sales locations within Bloomingdale’s.  Zadig & Voltaire, known for its chic weekend wear, plans to open a flagship store in Soho this year.  This expansion is a reflection of the growing demand for more selectivity and better customer service than mass clothing chains, with price tags ranging from $100 to $1,000.

Discussion Questions:

In many markets, being a middle of the road brand or retailer amounts to a perception of mediocrity in the marketplace.  Yet, the brands and stores mentioned in this article tout the success of being between luxury and mass.  Would you buy these brands or shop these stores if they were available in your area?  Why or why not?

 

SOURCE: Nadya Masidlover, Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2013