Page 22 - Ragtrader Magazine April 2020

22
APRIL 2020
IN FOCUS
TECHNOLOGY
WWW.RAGTRADER.COM.AU
Personal
Maison de Sabré is capitalising on personalisation, Imogen Bailey reports.
THE BEGINNING OF 2020 has been tough for Australian fashion retailers, with a string entering administration, many impacted by the bushfire crisis and now the developing and uncertain effects of the coronavirus.
However, one business that is bucking the trend is digital, personalised accesso- ries label Maison de Sabré.
Designing and hand-finishing the wal- lets, phone cases and small leather goods in Australia, the business capitalises on the per- sonalisation and monogramming trend that has been taking the fashion industry by storm.
In 2019, the business experienced many milestones including its first direct-to-cus- tomer showcase at Mercedes Benz Fashion
Australian sales increased 300% while combined international revenue increased 700% over the weekend.
Week Australia (MBFWA), a moment which proved pivotal for the business co-founder and creative director Omar Sabré says.
“2019 was such a big year for us at Maison de Sabré so narrowing down our highlights to just one is very hard.
“One particular moment that stands out though, was our showroom in The Suites at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA) 2019.
“It was the first time we had show- cased our products directly to customers,
which was great as we were able to wit- ness instant reactions and receive real time feedback.
“We also used the suite as an opportu- nity to launch our first ever artist collab- oration. We teamed up with NYC artist Amber Vittoria to create a limited-edition product range which we presented to buy- ers, stylists, influencers and customers.
“We also used the offline presence as an opportunity to launch business card cases and men’s bifold wallets, and it was great to see what people resonated with and what products and colours attracted the most attention,” he said.
But it wasn’t just the physical presen- tations that proved key for the brand in
2019.
As a digitally native brand,
Maison de Sabré took part in the Cyber Weekend sales and broke its records from 2018 in an hour of going live.
Australian sales increased 300% while combined international rev- enue increased 700% over the eCommerce shopping weekend.
Sabré says that while the business expected the sales to be strong, it offered a tough lesson in planning to meet the requirements of success.
“Cyber Weekend was hugely successful for us in 2019.
“Such a strong performance was also a huge learning curve for us; we were confi- dent the sale would do well but didn’t antic- ipate it to be quite as successful as it was.”
Keeping up with the trends and con- versations in fashion is Maison de Sabré’s
strength, with the Pantone Colour of The Year playing an integral part of the 2020 product offering Sabré explains.
“Given the fast-evolving nature of fash- ion, we are always on the lookout for new trends that will resonate with our audience and create a natural fit with the Maison de Sabré brand.
“Colour plays an integral part in the way we encourage our customers to express themselves, and we are in love with the 2020 Pantone Colour of The Year, Classic Blue.
“Blue has been a staple in our range since we launched our first phone case range in July 2017, so we have chosen to hero blue as our colour of the year too.
“We will also continue to leverage key retail days throughout the year to bring
space