Emily Hall
Total Image Analysis
FASH265N
“She lives boldly and loves deeply. She’s a WILDFOX.”
Wildfox is a vintage-inspired women’s knitwear brand based in Los Angeles. The label was co-
A B O U T
created by two best friends who were inspired by a love for vintage tee shirts and the magic of everlasting friendship. (http://www.wildfox.com/about/). Kimberley Gordon moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19. Her talent with sketching and Photoshop landed her a gig with a T-shirt designer who taught her the trade, and, in 2007, she ditched her Hollywood aspirations to her own brand, Wildfox, with her best friend, Emily Faulstich (Lieber). They credit the creation of the brand to a time Emily and Kimberly were sitting in her bedroom talking about if only we had a T-shirt line and how cute it would be, as they felt an inexplicable bolt of electricity that said “WE CAN!” (Chon). They went from there looking for money to get it off the ground, when musician Jimmy Sommers filled that the role—now functioning as CEO and president of Wildfox brand (Radovic). The brand is very vintage inspired, so they wanted something that evoked that feeling. Fox is very 70’s and the girl who wears or likes our clothing is not afraid of getting a bit wild (Chon). Kimberly and Emily “wanted to shop for vintage-looking graphic tees but couldn't find them. So we just filled that hole” (Lieber). This past December, Wildfox revamped their design team. Creative director Andi Sharp is taking the lead to continue the brand’s momentum by broadening their product offering. As the brand expands, Sharp explains changes that are taking place. Their customer is “still designing for a casual, L.A. girl but she’s out of college in her late 20s now and still going out.” Also in efforts to lessen their ecological footprint, Sharp has implemented the use of materials made from recycled bottles, rayons, and natural fibers (Hamanaka).
M E R C H A N D I S E
A T T R I B U T E S
Known for its iconic campaigns, dreamlike quality, and clothes that tell a story, Wildfox has grown to include a full range of tops, bottoms, dresses, and skirts, while the White Label collection offers a range of luxuriously soft sweater knits, laces, chiffons, velour, and sequins. Wildfox Kids, the “little sister” adaptation of the women’s line. Today, Wildfox continues to develop its lifestyle brand with a wide range of Intimates, Swim, Sun, Denim and Accessories. In August 2015, Wildfox expanded into the beauty category with the debut of its first fragrance, in partnership with Elizabeth Arden (http:// www.wildfox.com/about/). Wildfox’s offers all types of clothing types—and is relevant because it is all the more reason that this is a lifestyle brand. Wildfox markets its products to embody the interest, attitude, and opinions of their girl—they are inspired, and seek to inspire their customer.
Wildfox’s pricing strategy is within the prestige price zone. Prices are set higher due to merchandise being of higher quality of similar products. Below, first, is the price lining for volume, and,
P R I C I N G
O R I E N T A T I O N
second, for promotional. Wildfox utilities pricing strategies to appeal to their customers. Their pricing objectives is within Market Skimming, as they set premium prices to which attracts consumers less concerned with price, but more with status and creation of image. Their prices often end in even numbers or an “8� whole dollar ending, which is characteristically apart of the prestigious pricing strategy, but with sale items they often end in .99 on the low end, and straighter prices on the high end, in .00 or .40. Wildfox partakes in this practice because they wish to maintain their image as a company of high quality to a young customer base that can afford luxuries. Low End
High End
Tops
$53.00
$216.00
Sweatshirts
$88.00
$250.00
Sweaters
$98.00
$379.00
Essentials
$55.00
$158.00
Sunglasses
$159.00
$210.00
Swimwear
$64.00
$122.00
(Basic Knit Tops and Pants)
(Sold as Separates)
Low End
High End
Sale Tops
$57.00 $33.99
$145.00 $116.00
Sale Sweatshirts
$68.00 $33.99
$128.00 $102.40
Sale Sweaters
$108.00 $63.99
$194.00 $155.20
Sale Swimwear
$58.00 $28.99
$188.00 $150.40
(Sold as Separates)
Cover-Ups
$68.00
$248.00
Dresses
$88.00
$348.00
Bottoms
$62.00
$248.00
Intimates
$28.00
$153.00
Fragrance
$22.00
$97.00
Wildfox’s brand is practically solely online, so their customer services are also through an online medium, with general questions and returns each having their own email addresses, with one telephone number to talk to a customer
C U S T O M E R
service agent. Their hours are in Pacific Time, Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to
S E R V I C E
5:00 AM. Their large online presence differentiates them from other retailers, also, they have many retailers that carry their products, which broadens their reach in terms in customer service in pleasing customers in their products, no matter where they were purchased from. Wildfox ships their products domestically and internationally. They offer standard ground, 2-day, and standard overnight shipping domestically, while t hey offer flat rate shopping and express world wide. Customers subscribing to the Wildfox Newsletter allows for the customer to be included in new arrivals, lookbook premieres, and special offers—they also receive 15% off their first order. Also, if customers are students, and have registered at UNiDAYS, they also may receive 15% off their order. Wildfox doesn’t have a typical rewards program as other companies do, as the sales in their company is based upon their online base, there isn’t a “rewards card” to be had, but, there is a Reward Points Program, that allows customers to earn points for certain actions taken on their site—based in making purchases, register on the site, subscribing to a Newsletter for the first time, sending invitation, converting invitations to customer and orders made, reviewing products and tagging products on their site. Only registered customers are able to register and accrue reward points, which are then redeemable at time of purchase towards the cost of the order. Reward points may also be capped at the maximum value of points which can be accrued, and can also be set to expire in the order to which they were first earned (wildfox.com).
A T M O S P H E R E
Wildfox, inspired by the bohemians of the 1970s, the brand was started by a real love for vintage “everything.” From their name to the way their business operates to this day, their original inspiration, their atmosphere has stayed constant. One of the aspect that differentiates Wildfox from other retailers is that they haven’t hanged the way they operate and have found success by being authentic to the girl they created their brand to dress back in 2007. It has proved extremely important to them to keep their girl in mind. If they were to loose sight of their girl, they would loose their customer base and the loyalty they have built in the marketplace as a retailer that provides these products (Fashion Gone Rogue). In Wildfox’s retailing experience, they take the elements of the brand’s creation—two girls inspired by vintage inspired pieces, creativity, and a time of peace and love. You feel like you have entered a fantasy fashion land, with the comfort of your best friend’s bedroom. They convey these elements with the most recent collection’s inspiration, ranging from Cowgirls to Academy Scholars, their retail experience is magical. Even as though they only have two retail stores in California, and pop-up-shops throughout the country, they are able to divulge their customers into their fantasy land in the design and merchandising of their stores. Their flagship and secondary store were skillfully and meticulously designed to enhance their product, while alluding a feel of comfort. Designed by Katie Hurley of Fineas+Clover, the décor is a mixture of locally sourced vintage and modern décor, incorporating antique tables, vintage china displays and found objects with etched mirrors, and hand blown glass chandeliers, the enchanting space is the “ultimate Wildfox girl’s dream.” (continued on next page)
A T M O S P H E R E
The interior transforms the Wildfox personality into a physical space patrons can experience on an intimate level. The interior boasts beamed ceilings, a fireplace, and patio cabana, which will serve as an area to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Lining the walls of three shag carpeted dressing room areas is custom wallpaper featuring collages of the brand's most iconic campaign imagery in a sepia tone topped with a shiny, metallic coating (Daniels). Merchandise is donned upon custom tables and cabinets, grouped by type—from folded typography tees, to loungewear draped on a bed-styled table, the way any bedroom would look. They mix merchandise in sections of the store mixing products of different price points to encourage a well-rounded shopping experience. After opening their first store seven years after their business’ creation, along with partnering department retailers, their online presence was extremely important to the success if their business. The “atmosphere on their website is similar to that of their stores, but with a sleeker more user friendly feel. Upon reaching their domain, customers are offered to shop, look at lookbooks, their history, press, and their customer base wearing their product. they employ a classic, luxury feel on their website, allowing their designs to speak for themselves.
C U S T O M E R
P R O M OM T I I X O N A L
Wildfox’s customer is the millennial, so to communicate, they use technology and social media outlets. The most direct way to be in the know about new products, lookbooks, and upcoming sales is to create an account by signing up with an email. On a weekly basis, you then receive emails that encompass the brand, from typography to photos. With these, you really get all the information you could ever need—from their bi-yearly Warehouse Sales, or popular products that are being restocked, or bring marked down. But of course, a main source of communication is through social media. Wildfox is dialed into the social media universe. They have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, Vimeo, Tumblr, and YouTube. Their followers on these accounts ranges from 68K to 1.1M. On each of these outlets they share inspiration—whether that may be photos of their newer collection, photos that inspired recent collections, celebrities wearing their fashion, inspirational quotes, or music playlists, they are sure to stay on brand—with an overall low-key-cool-girl who rocks the hell out of vintage pieces. She is “a girl who is strong, outgoing, driven, and extremely whimsical!” (Hoffman). Even as they are all over the internet, they aren’t as prevalent on these outlets as their competitors, but as they are just a decade old, they have so much to grow in visibility, but I believe widespread popularity for the brand is to come. As to any business, having your consumer basis know that you are out there is massively important. It is through a brand’s visibility in the marketplace that they are placed in more stores and become available to a greater population of people. Wildfox’s strategy of pricing to marketing is based on prestige, and there is nothing more prestigious than having a well-known presence on social media.
C U S T O M E R
P R O M OM T I I X O N A L
Wildfox first became popular amongst the celebrities that wore their products in the spotlight. Everyone is wearing it—Halle Berry, Alessandra Ambrosio, Megan Fox, Taylor Swift- the marketing couldn’t be better! (Radovic) Wildfox utilizes an Omni-Channel approach in their retail strategy to reach their consumer. An important aspect of an Omni-Channel approach is the retailer having a deep knowledge of how their shoppers behave, by tracking their use throughout all channels—TV, display, search, social media, email, and direct mail (Krueger). As a company of the modern era that utilizes technology, this brand uses this approach to get their brand's name out there in efforts to grow their customer base, as well as keeping the loyalty of their current ones. As stated above, Wildfox participates in sustainable practices in their newest collection with new creative director Andi Sharp using materials made from recycled bottles, rayons, and natural fibers (Hamanaka). As a company inspired by the 70s, including peace and love into all their creations, they are sure to continue in sustainable practices. The strategies Wildfox employs is relative to their image and consumer profile. Through the utilization of advertising in creation of lookbooks feeds the way they reach their audience—wether it’s by email subscriptions or posted on social media, their ‘70s vibe is always being communicated. They practice aspects needed to be competitive in the market place, but the way in which they publicize themselves is on brand—it has a very cool-girl, low-key fashionista feel, which allows them to stay themselves and reach their target consumer.
L O C A T I O N
Seven years after their creation, in 2014, Wildfox opened their first flagship store on the iconic Sunset Boulevard Plaza shopping district of Los Angeles in West Hollywood, CA 90069, and soon opened a secondary retail location in 2015 at the Malibu Country Mart in Malibu, CA 90265. Wildfox only has two brick-and-mortar locations, although their merchandise is carried in about 1,600 stores including Ron Herman, Planet Blue, Akira, and Shopbop, along with select department stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Malibu is a beach city in Los Angeles County, California. It is situated 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is famous for its warm climate and a 23-mile coastline, rugged mountains, wooded canyons, and sheltered coves (http://www.malibucity.org). Its real estate market is still in recovery after the market crash of 2008, but has resurged as businesses have entered the marketplace from restaurants to clothing retailers. The market structure in Malibu is high saturated, as there is over 150 retailers in the 90265 alone. Malibu is one of the greatest destinations in the country, as there is a lot of money circulating in this area, making it a great shopping designation, but not one where Wildfox’s consumer lives. Wildfox’s consumer is too young to live in Malibu, as it costs an average of $136,700 yearly to live there. While Wildfox’s parents may live in Malibu, the area in 90265 doesn’t match the targeted consumer profile, but due to its popularity as a shopping town, it is still very successful.
Wildfox Malibu Store
3835 Cross Creek Rd Malibu, CA 90265 Economic Base:
L O C A T I O N
• Population: 17,630 residents - Urban population: 12,689 - Rural population: 4,940 • Gender: - Males - 8,814 - Females - 8.816 • Race: 87% White - In the US Census Malibu was in the top 5 for zip codes with the highest white population
• Age: Median resident is 47 years old - 27.8% Never Married • Income: $295k/year - Median household income above state average
• Homeowner: - Estimated median house/condo value in 2013: $1,000,001
• Children: - Average household size is 2.5 people, so limited amount of children
Competition: (Businesses)
• There are about 4,400 businesses in Malibu
- The market is saturated in retailers
Transportation Access:
• Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1)
• Big Blue Bus • Metro Expo Line (MTA)
C O M P E T I T O R
Wildfox’s direct competitor is Free People. As we have learned of Wildfox’s image, from history and merchandise offerings to customer service tactics and atmosphere, they are very similar to Free People. Similar to Wildfox Couture, Free People defines their customer as “intelligent, creative, confident. She pushes the limits. She is a strong spirit, guided by the beat of her own drum. As feminine as she is cool. There is not another one like her,” they sell to the same girl. Their merchandise offerings are very similar, as are their pricing strategies. While Wildfox derives from inspiration based in the 1970s, Free People began their journey in 1970, as a small West Philadelphia, to which was later changed to Urban Outfitters, but opened back up in 1984, and in 2002 began their journey throughout the omni-channel market. Differently, Free People is far far larger than Wildfox, as they are apart of the Urban Outfitters, Inc. portfolio. Their wide stance within the marketplace allows for them to have a wide grasp in reaching their customer base, as they beat Wildfox by triple on all social media sites on followers and have hundreds of brick-and-mortar locations as well as being sold in department retailers such as Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. While they seek inspiration from the same timer period, their city of creation were on separate coasts—the 70s shared similar ideals, but between Los Angeles and Philadelphia, there are differences to be made on styles of merchandise.
WORKS CITED "Businesses in 90265 Malibu, CA." Small Business Database of USA. Small Business Database of USA, n.d. Web. 29 July 2016. <http://www.smallbusinessdb.com/ search?geo=90265+Malibu%2C+CA>./.latest_citation_text Chon, Alicia. "Kimberly Gordon." The Raw Book. The Raw Book, 28 May 2013. Web. 15 July 2016. <http:// www.therawbook.com/2013/05/28/wildfox/#disqus_thread>. Daniels, Elizabeth. "New Wildfox Flagship Store in Iconic Shopping District." Fashion Trendsetter. Fashion Trendsetter, Sept. 2014. Web. 31 July 2016. <http://www.fashiontrendsetter.com/content/interior/2014/Wildfox-NewFlagship-Store-in-Los-Angeles.html>. Fashion Gone Rogue. "Wildfox Kimberley Gordon Interview (Exclusive)." Fashion Gone Rogue. Fashion Gone Rogue, 22 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 July 2016. <http://www.fashiongonerogue.com/wildfox-kimberley-gordon-interview-l ookbook/>./.latest_citation_text
WORKS CITED Hamanaka, Kari. "Wildfox Charts Course Under Revamped Design Team." WWD. WWD, 26 Dec. 2015. Web. 17 July 2016. <http://wwd.com.online.library.marist.edu/fashion-news/ready-to-wear-sportswear/wildfox-charts-newcourse-under-design-team-10302093/>. Hoffman, Ali. "We Tour Wildfox's Amazing HQ — MAJOR Office Envy, Ahead!” Refinery29. Refinery29, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 July 2016. <http://www.refinery29.com/2013/11/57589/wildfox-designer#slide>. Krueger, Julie. "Omni-Channel Shoppers: An Emerging Retail Reality." Think with Google. N.p., Mar. 2015. Web. 26 July 2016. <https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/omni-channel-shoppers-an-emerging-retailreality.html>. Lieber, Chive. "How Wildfox Built a Successful Fashion Business Out of T-Shirts."Racked. Racked, 30 June 2014. Web. 15 July 2016. <http://www.racked.com/2014/6/30/7589699/wildfox-couture-wildfox-clothing-kimberlygordon-vintage-shirts>.
WORKS CITED
Radovic, Katarina. "WILDFOX | Branding Magazine." Branding Magazine. Branding Magazine, 27 Aug. 2011. Web. 25 July 2016. <http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2011/08/27/wildfox/>. "90265 Zip Code (Malibu, CA) Detailed Profile." CityData.com. CityData.com, n.d. Web. 29 July 2016. <http:// www.city-data.com/zips/90265.html>.