Brands that Create Wardrobes
And my edits for which pieces I would buy
When I was sitting in my role as a buyer, a successful buy from a multi-category brand would be when I can tick off the full head to toe category assortment twice over, plus a couple of hero items.
Enough of a representation allows you to tell the brand story, build multiple looks and properly merchandise the store and pages of the website. Ideally you’re after 8-16 items, as the brand page is laid out in rows of 4. One row is too light, two rows just get you by, three rows start to feel comprehensive, and four rows are a wardrobe.
It doesn’t always work out like that though. Sometimes the brand just doesn’t have a good assortment, and completely misses a category or they have gone in a direction that season that didn’t align with our woman.
Successful brands really hit their stride when they offer their customer a wider assortment, building her wardrobe and completing the outfit. When a customer buys multiple pieces at once it increases the average order value (AOV), a key performance indicator. A higher AOV means the brand is making more money from less people, and offsets the costs of acquiring new customers.
When a customer buys multiple pieces from one store, wears them repeatedly and knows the brand delivers on wearability, fit and function, trust has transpired and there is a greater likelihood they will come back and shop again.
There is no greater marketing than the one that happens on the body each day.
Increasing the lifetime value of a customer is the brand’s ultimate success factor. It should never be a one off purchase, but a continuation over several years.
Some brands have built their whole business around being a one stop shop where they encourage you to shop multiple items at once. Wardrobe NYC’s original offer in 2017 was that’s all you could do if you wanted to get your hands on one of their pieces. The original women’s collection included: A blazer, shirt, T-shirt, skirt, blouse, coat, knit, and leggings. You could either buy four pieces for $1,500 or the whole eight-piece collection for $3,000 (USD)
I asked the question over on Instagram…
With over 200 responses, the results paint a pretty clear picture.
Top 10 results
Assembly Label - 69 mentions
COS - 47 mentions
St. Agni - 26 mentions
Matteau - 25 mentions
Bassike - 21 mentions
Dissh - 20 mentions
Harris Tapper - 18 mentions
Uniqlo - 15 mentions
Camilla and Marc - 15 mentions
Toteme - 13 mentions
