23 minute read
We Need a New Learning Culture
Excellent personnel requires excellent management. Does the fashion industry lack such specialists at management level? Jürgen Müller, founder and managing partner of Suits Executive Search, and Alexander Gedat, a serial advisory board member, sat down with editor-in-chief Stephan Huber to discuss the status quo. Interview: Stephan Huber. Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Interviewees
Jürgen Müller
Not a week goes by without new insolvency
filings. Is the fashion industry also facing a shortage of skilled talent at management level?
Alexander Gedat: I think so. Many managers continue to rely on old leadership principles; they are authoritarian and restricting. However, it has never been more essential to grant employees space for their individual development. There are still too few managers willing to elevate their employees in our industry. Jürgen Müller: The heritage of this industry is one of the contributing factors in this respect. It attracts individuals with what we call “doer qualities”. They rely on their gut instinct and are committed movers. In the past, this mentality was the catalyst for great success stories. There was no need for higher education, especially in the retail trade. This is why we have a below-average rate of university graduates compared to other sectors. Today’s market is more complex, with much more competition on various levels. Business management as a whole has become much more demanding. Digitisation is a challenge in a league of its own. Qualifications that led to success 20 years ago are quite simply no longer sufficient. Alexander Gedat: When I joined Marc O’Polo in 1995, my MBA was the highest educational attainment in the whole company. I started hiring more academics stepby-step. We now need data analysts and mathematicians for the online business and the management of digital processes. We need people with skills that used to have absolutely nothing to do with our industry!
And these specialists don’t necessarily perceive fashion as a business and career opportunity…
Alexander Gedat: Moreover, a new generation has different demands, as well as different ideas as to what
Alexander Gedat
constitutes a successful life. Some 30-year-olds decide to quit their jobs when they no longer enjoy them, without having a new job lined up. Let’s be honest, that would have been unthinkable in our generation. Jürgen Müller: Others quit after a mere nine months in the job on grounds that they don’t see any advancement. But after nine months one has only just become acquainted with the new tasks! This is indeed a new mindset that companies need to respond to.
Speaking of the academic quota: are our universities producing the talent the fashion industry needs?
Alexander Gedat: Excellent brands have no problem finding designers. It is, however, a disaster when looking for engineers or travelling technicians.
A disaster in terms of training and learning content?
Jürgen Müller: No. It’s more structure-related. When the production was relocated, so were technical jobs. Correspondingly, less training is provided here. Alexander Gedat: I have also noticed that learning and development as a whole still haven’t been given a positive spin. I firmly believe that one can still teach oneself a lot after graduating, provided one enjoys learning. Lifelong learning needs to be more than a mere buzzword.
What does that mean for the fashion industry?
Alexander Gedat: As an employer, the industry needs to develop. To achieve this, we are all required to show a willingness to learn on a permanent basis. Zalando is now at least the second or third largest customer of almost all fashion brands, and may well be the largest customer of most brands in five years. Manufacturers need know-how to be a competent partner for the Amazons and Zalandos of this world. This also requires a different personnel structure. I myself could no longer
“Technological knowhow is becoming increasingly important for brands.” Alexander Gedat
negotiate with one of Zalando’s executives on the subject of development, quite simply because my know-how is no longer sufficient. Jürgen Müller: The situation requires people who can manage the interface to Amazon and Zalando, who speak the same language, and who have the necessary standing. They have to understand what an Amazon buyer needs. The demands are completely different to those of P&C, for example. Business with such players is largely data-driven and much more rational.
In reality, most orders are still written on notepads. At the same time, the iPhone is being used for taking photographs…
Alexander Gedat: Seriously? That’s absolutely incredible. Such processes should be completely digitised. The future has already begun. The HR departments also play a key role, for example as initiators and management coaches. This begins with the selection process, which is defined by completely different criteria than in the past. Jürgen Müller: I find it interesting that very few managers within our industry attend career fairs. The CEOs and Managing Directors prefer to visit fashion exhibitions and leave the handling of personnel to their HR people.
Can fashion even compete with other industries as an employer at top level?
Jürgen Müller: This is a real challenge, especially in the new fields of digitisation. High potentials in the tech sector would rather apply for a job at Google than at Mytheresa. Alexander Gedat: Finding excellent talent has never been easy. And it will become even more difficult in Germany.
Jürgen Müller is the founder and managing partner of Suits Executive Search in Munich (www.suits-group.com). His recruitment consultancy fills top positions in the fashion and lifestyle business. Suits is one of the leading players in this particular field. Müller knows the market and its people like the back of his hand. Before becoming a consultant in 2012, he was the editor-in-chief of Textilwirtschaft. Then, as now, he believes it is his duty to support companies. Müller is also the author of Profashionals, a leading German fashion business blog with more than 8,500 subscribers. (www.profashionals.de). All the more reason for employers to satisfy and develop their employees. This means that investment in training needs to be ramped up significantly, no matter whether it’s for technicians or store managers.
In the “good old days” those who were better salespeople than others were elevated to the position of store manager. Is this now also a job for academics?
Alexander Gedat: Generally speaking, I don’t believe that a capable manager necessarily has to be an academic. Such positions require, above all, emotion. A mathematician with a doctorate may find it more difficult to be an excellent leader than a talented store manager. Being a store manager has something inspiring about it! Where else is one always surrounded by beautiful products with which one can seduce customers? Jürgen Müller: And a store manager needs to be an inspiring person! I have, by the way, never understood why someone would prefer to sit in a bank in front of a computer screen, compiling columns of numbers. Yet that job is considered more prestigious than selling fashion.
Is the job of selling fashion really so much better than its reputation?
Jürgen Müller: Providing a service to people generally doesn’t create an air of excitement. But a sales job in fashion has a lot to offer: beautiful products and - in many cases - a highly attractive workplace. One gets to encounter and communicate with many different people… Alexander Gedat: The working hours make it possible to relax and read the newspaper before work starts at ten o’clock. Or one can do sports for one or two hours.
That’s one way of looking at it. But the argument of low wages cannot be brushed aside that easily.
Alexander Gedat: An average salesperson earns an average wage. Excellent salespeople who sell products worth up to 600,000 Euros per year are paid exceptionally well.
How can one improve the public perception of jobs in the fashion industry?
Alexander Gedat: Everyone should do what they’re good at and what makes them happy. We should therefore increase investment in strength management. This starts in schools, which tend to spend more time working on weaknesses than promoting strengths. In my opinion, the German school system needs a complete overhaul.
What can a fashion business do to kindle an interest in the industry among young people?
“The fun returns with the performance.” Alexander Gedat “Providing a service to people generally doesn’t create an air of excitement.” Jürgen Müller
Alexander Gedat: The industry is already doing a lot. It starts with an excellent product everyone wants to identify with. Why are so many young people keen on working for Apple or Google? Because the product is excellent.
Nevertheless, fashion doesn’t seem to attract the best students.
Alexander Gedat: You don’t need the best students, you need the right ones for the job. Even top salespeople spend half their time filling shelves, which means their strengths are only utilised fully to 50 percent. It would be much better to allow them to sell products for 70 or 80 percent of their time and to hire someone else for the other tasks. That’s how strength management works!
Back to those who climbed the ladder as non-academics. They mostly became so successful due to being extremely industrious. If you want to be successful, you need to enjoy working hard. Isn’t it a problem that many people believe they can build a career without putting in too much effort these days?
Alexander Gedat: I don’t think that society believes that. Everybody knows that someone like Cristiano Ronaldo practices free kicks when the others are already in the showers. Nothing comes from nothing. But then there are many who don’t want to work that much, which is perfectly fine too. Jürgen Müller: The issue of work-life balance crops up in many job interviews, even at management level. You’d be surprised. It’s quite paradoxical, especially as the boundaries between work and private life are increasingly blurred. That’s why I don’t really like the term. What really matters, at the end of the day, is the perfect life balance. Alexander Gedat: This harbours the risk of burning out more quickly, perhaps in repetitive jobs that quickly become boring. All the more one should offer employees the chance to continuously broaden their horizons. At BMW, every manager has a different job every five years! This prevents boredom and creates a genuine learning culture.
Jürgen, you have worked as a recruitment consultant for seven years. For a very long time, new talent was primarily recruited from within the industry. Has this approach changed?
Jürgen Müller: There are certain fields, such as product management or sales, where an industry background is essential. But in other fields, such as HR, finance, marketing or IT, one often recruits externally. Fashion people are, however, equally interesting for other markets. Half of our clients are no longer fashion companies. Talents from the fashion industry are in demand because they have a sense of aesthetic and style, they embody creativity and flexibility, and they are used to swift changes.
The perception of fashion outside the industry is positive?
Jürgen Müller: Yes. Although the perception that fashion isn’t really business does prevail in some quarters. Some believe it’s all about red carpets and pretence. Fashion unjustly has a superficial image, especially in Germany. Alexander Gedat: Most people underestimate the immense influence of fashion. I have a motto that I believe in: “Success makes sexy!” However, the fashion industry needs to work hard to regain this success first. It needs to catch up in the areas of digitisation and profitability. Our industry is characterised by the virtue of changing things quickly in order to return to success. I am very confident that fashion will succeed in doing just that.
Alexander Gedat is an advisory board member and supervisory board chairman of several medium-sized clothing manufacturers. He laid the foundation for his excellent reputation within the industry during his more than 20 years at Marc O’Polo. He has been instrumental in the brand’s development, especially as CEO from 2012 to 2017. He is particularly passionate and enthusiastic about transformation and life-long learning.
MEINDL AUTHENTIC LUXURY THE BROAD HORIZON OF THE “GEBIRGS- STÄTTER”
The Meindl flagship store in Salzburg highlights the brand’s international potential. Text: Stephan Huber. Photo: Helge Kirchberger
By opening a Meindl store in Salzburg you are symbolically starting a new chapter in your company’s history.
The store fulfils a dream I have harboured for many years. I firmly believe this is a milestone for us. Here in the heart of Salzburg, we can now present our brand world in its entirety. We are eager to show what we can do, how we live our values and translate them into high-quality products, and how one can make “Authentic Luxury” tangible. This also applies to the completely home-grown store design, which we implemented exclusively with regional craftsmen. It’s timeless, sustainable, and future-oriented.
Your store in Salzburg also proves that Meindl stands for so much more than “Tracht” in the literal - and often misunderstood - meaning of the term. Do you intend to continue developing this aspect on an international level too?
Markus Meindl is not merely opening a store in Salzburg - he is granting access to his and his brand’s world.
We certainly don’t rule that out. We perceive this store as an excellent blueprint for future projects. We are eager to learn, to gather experience. These findings can then be the foundation for considering our next steps. We’ve always had this approach. For example, I registered the term “Gebirgsstätter” as a trademark 20 years ago. It describes the interplay of the city and the mountains, of urbanity and archaic nature as a place of longing. When you think about it, this topic is more relevant now than it has ever been. Meindl operates in precisely this tension field. The great thing about this location is that we can compete with brands such as Prada and Louis Vuitton on an international level. This is very exciting for us.
Many people don’t even know that the Meindl universe also includes a wide range of accessories and furniture. Will you communicate this more aggressively in the future?
We will showcase the fact in the store, which allows us to experience the customers’ reactions in real time and draw conclusions accordingly. What is clear is that we are continuously developing our brand in an intelligent manner. This, of course, also includes new product groups. There will also be regular collaborations with major international brands. They will be comparable to the great success we enjoyed when we teamed up with Hublot.
The store is plastic-free, right?
Yes, we’re committed to that. Generally speaking, we have always tried to operate as resource-efficiently as possible. The entire industry, as well as every individual, is called upon to face up to this challenge.
Given the high quality of your products, you also have very high standards in terms of service quality. Was it difficult to find suitable personnel?
The people we hired for the store here in Salzburg underwent a four-month training programme in Kirchanschöring. We selected and trained them very carefully. We started looking for staff via our own networks at a very early stage, but many were chosen based on personal referalls. The excellent reputation of our brand proved enormously beneficial.
Let’s talk about skilled production workers. Meindl products demand a great deal of skill in this respect too. How difficult is it to find suitable candidates for production vacancies - now and in the future?
It’s definitely a challenge. If we hadn’t started actively looking for skilled production specialists in Hungary and Croatia at a very early stage, we would probably be facing an insurmountable problem. We offer these workers the opportunity to bring their families along and supply housing. They love being here, which means that we can rely on a certain influx of people. We have thus managed to prevent a bottleneck in production - for now at least.
There’s no chance of finding such workers in Germany or Austria?
It remains very difficult. Young people were conveyed a completely false, negative picture of the value of craftsmanship and vocational training for a very long time. On the other hand, we only recently welcomed the second grammar school student who is completing a tailoring apprenticeship after passing her A-level exams. That’s ideal. She made a very conscious choice. We also hire lateral entrants from other companies from time to time. The excellent workers are still out there, somewhere. Given the ubiquitous trend that people are once again interested in where a product comes from, how it was manufactured, and what it stands for, craftsmanship training is becoming more relevant again too.
You’ve worked with refugees too. Please tell us about your experiences…
It was good, even excellent in some cases. We had colleagues in the sewing and cutting departments with a certain amount of previous experience in their fields. I believe that both technical and social competence are important, the latter even more so. This aspect is often underestimated, but it’s the cornerstone of mutual success.
PLACE A CHERRY ON THE CAKE? OR RATHER ADD A PINCH OF CHILLI TO YOUR RANGE? REACTING TO TRENDS WITH YOUNG BRANDS CREATES EXCITEMENT. THE RHYTHM? HIGH FREQUENCY OR ANTICYCLICAL.
Bespoke Boots
BCC:ED. Italian footwear specialist AKV Srl manufactures each pair of shoes by hand on historical machines. Quality is always the highest maxim. Launched in 2013, Bcc:ed (the abbreviation stands for Blind Carbon Copied) focuses on exclusivity and a selective distribution policy. In addition to sturdy mountaineering boots and suede Chelsea boots, the label offers low shoes and chukka boots with Vibram soles, as well as lighter and thinner smooth leather shoes and boots. The collection comprises approx. 15 models for men and women in up to four variants. Purchase prices start at 110 Euros; the core price stands at 150 Euros. Horse leather shoes, however, cost a little more. The markup is 2.7. Repeat orders can be placed in small quantities or individual sizes.
Bcc:ed Calzaturificio Civitanovese srl, Civitanovese Marche/Italy, T 0039.339.8675538, avkshoes@gmail.com, www.bcced.it Expression and Simplicity
COSTER COPENHAGEN. The balancing act between special and commercial is tricky. Coster Copenhagen masters it with ease by focusing on innovation with Scandinavian simplicity, the use of fresh colours, and expressive prints. Pia and Chris Coster, who launched the label in 2012, are known for their social commitment to their produc tion partners in China, Turkey, and India. The womenswear is distributed through out Europe, as well as in Australia and Canada. Germany is the second strongest market with 100 customers, including Stulz Waldshut-Tiengen, Langeloh & Peters’son Hamburg, and Venus Mode Munich. The label offers two collections per year. With a markup between 2.7 and 3.0, purchase prices range from 29 to 66 Euros and 37 to 60 Euros for dresses and trousers respectively.
Coster Copenhagen A/S, Humlebæk/Denmark, T 0045.72220231, sales@costercopenhagen.com, www.costercopenhagen.com Tranquil Luxury
FRENKEN. The CV of Dutch designer Erik Frenken reads like a Who’s Who of designer fashion: it ranges from Alberta Ferretti to Vic tor & Rolf, where he was head designer before joining Avelon. In 2017, he decided to launch his female outerwear collection Frenken. He focuses on extraordinary ready-to-wear clothing and feminine total looks. As of the summer collection 2018, the brand is being represented by Bernard Waage’s fashion agency Select Studio. The sales experts man aged to turn 10 customers in the DACH region into more than 60, including household names such as Lodenfrey, Reflection, and Fashion Clinic. The two main and pre-collec tions per year are manufactured in Italy and Portugal. At a mark-up of 2.7, purchase prices range from 80 to 100 Euros. “This places Frenken in the Affordable Luxury category,” Waage says.
Frenken, Amsterdam/The Netherlands, T 0031.70.2504260, frenken@frenkenfashion.com, www.frenkenfashion.com
Dragons’ Den
MOROTAI SIGNATURE. Breuninger and Oberpollinger are already convinced: Morotai Signature’s collection meets a real demand with its fashionable sportswear. “I have always been on the lookout for a brand that offers a cool look for several sports, not just for merely one category such as football or basketball,” says Rafy Ahmed, who found ed Morotai in 2017 with three like-minded partners. After appearing on the German equivalent of “Dragons’ Den”, the label won over 80 retail customers on the spot. Active wear is now supplemented by the streetwear line Morotai Signature, which was on show at Premium and Ispo. The clear-line sportswear range is primarily black, white, and grey. It also offers shoes for men and women that can be combined easily. At a mark-up of 2.5, retail prices range from 50 to 200 Euros.
Morotai GmbH, Birkenfeld/Germany, T 0049.7231.3740190, rafy@morotai.de, www.morotai.de
Made in Scotland
LE BONNET. Minimalist design, excellent wearing comfort, durable quality: the beanies, balaclavas, scarves, and gloves by Le Bonnet come in many colours, from muted to strong shades. Matthieu Jansen launched his label in Amsterdam in 2015. His goal is to create accessories that fit everyone optimally, knitted on traditional machines in one of the oldest factories in Great Britain. The label uses high-quality lamb, merino, and cashmere wool sourced from Scotland and Italy. Accordingly, the items feature the lettering “Made in Scotland” next to the discreet logo. Komet und Helden acts as the sales representative in Germany and Austria. At a mark-up of 2.5, purchase prices hover around the 24 Euros mark. The collection is complemented by a range for children called Le Petit Bonnet.
Le Bonnet Amsterdam B.V., Amsterdam/ The Netherlands, T 0031.623.277661, contact@lenewblack.com, www.lebonnet.nl Two Cities, One Spirit
LA_B. The LA_B athleisure collection attempts to connect two cities with similar mindsets. Thus, both LA and Berlin are rep resented in the label’s name. The collection consists of trendy hoodies, shirts, sweats, and pants - some of which feature printed graphics or lettering. Two collections per year are distributed via an agency in Germany, the head office in Berlin, and an American agency. Pieces can be reordered from Joor at any time. This option makes sense because LA_B offers a relatively high proportion of all-season products. Seasonal must-haves and updates of classics add excitement every season. At a mark-up of 3.0, purchase prices range from 22 Euros for t-shirts to 90 Euros for hoodies. Reference retailers include Jades in Düsseldorf, Kith in LA and New York, and Traffic in LA. Managing Director Ines di Rado explains: “LA_B unites artists and creatives from two cities. They define themselves by common attitudes. Whether in LA or Berlin, our collaborations are based on curiosity, forward thinking, and productive coopera tion. We serve a generation that isn’t pretty, but beautiful.”
LA_B, Berlin/Germany, T 0049.30.25787717, ines@la-b.com, www.la-b.com
SUSTAINABILITY IS A CONVINCING ARGUMENT AT EVERY PRICE LEVEL. THE UPSCALE SEGMENT IS DOING ITS HOMEWORK. THE RANGE OF GREEN BRANDS IS GROWING EVERY SEASON.
Amsterdam Love
ANECDOTE. Jetteke van der Wyck van Beuningen has dedicated her ready-to-wear collection to sustainability and the ideals of slow fashion. Thus, the designs are time less and wearable. She launched her label in Amsterdam in 2009 and attaches great importance to the quality of natural materials such as alpaca wool and mohair knit. The collection focuses on clean basics. The brand was introduced to German retailers in 2016. With the autumn/winter 2019 collection, Bernhard Waage’s fashion agency Select Stu dio was chosen as sales representative. With two collections per year and purchase prices between 50 and 70 Euros (with a mark-up ranging from 2.7 to 2.8), Anecdote is aimed at customers in the medium to upper price segment.
Anecdote, Amsterdam/The Netherlands, T 0031.20.3304300, alexander@anecdote.nl, www.anecdote.nl Weatherproof
QUARTZ CO. Canada is renowned for its competence in cold protection. This also applies to the family business Quartz Co, which was taken over by the brothers Jean-Philippe and Francois-Xavier Robert four years ago. They have recalled the strengths of their product: produced in Canada from innova tive materials, a membrane ensures water and wind tightness. The down and hides are supplied by sustainable sources. In addition to the classic, waisted parkas for men and women, the label also offers a younger line. It boasts approx. 40 styles in total. Jackets can be re-ordered via a stock programme. At a mark-up of 2.5, purchase prices range from 300 to 400 Euros. In Germany, the brand is stocked by the likes of Conleys, Breuninger, and Bergfreunde. Quartz Co is now represent ed in more than 20 countries.
Quartz Co, Québec/Canada, T 001.450.252.7660, info@quartz-co.ca, www.quartz-co.ca Fair Trade Collective
RHUMAA. They perceive themselves as a cooperative of artists with bases in Amster dam and Cape Town; their product combines the ideals of fair trade, certified eco-ma terials, and the promotion of local crafts in developing countries. When Dutchman Daniel Beernink founded his Rhumaa label in 2015, he probably never thought that the market for his collection produced in Europe would prove to be so vast. The items are now stocked throughout Europe in fair fashion stores and large multi-label concepts. Each season, the brand presents 65 to 80 new piec es at an average selling price of 168 Euros, with a mark-up of 2.6. The individual collec tions are always created in collaboration with an artist from a developing country, telling stories about cultures, society, and dreams.
Rhumaa, Amsterdam/The Netherlands, T 0031.20.2440385, sales@rhumaa.com, www.rhumaa.com
No More Microplastics
GUPPY FRIEND. When clothes made of synthetic materials are washed, broken plastic fibres (i.e. microplastics) are released into the waste water - subsequently into rivers and oceans, and thus also into the food chain. The smart Guppy Friend wash bag collects these fibres in its corners. After washing, these can be easily removed and disposed of. The soft surface of the bag also ensures that clothing generally loses fewer fibres than is usually the case, which extends the service life of the respective products. The wash bag was invented by Alexander Nolte and Oliver Spies, the Managing Directors of Langbrett, together with the team of the non-profit or ganisation “Stop! Micro Waste”, which draws attention to the (micro)plastic waste problem and initiates solutions to avoid plastic. The retail price is 29.75 Euros.
Stop! Micro Waste gUG, Berlin/Germany, T 0049.211.46861604, us@guppyfriend.com, www.guppyfriend.com FAIR THROUGHOUT
SHIPSHEIP. Minimalist fashion with a sustainable claim is the credo of Joana Ganser and partner Daniela Wawrzyniak. The pair launched their label in Cologne in 2015. Its design reflects longevity and quality con sciousness. Shipsheip works with certified sustainable materials, but also with smart fibres such as merino wool/algae fibre or eucalyptus. They attach great importance to fair working conditions at suppliers; the production chain is made transparent on the website. The year-round basic stock collection is supplemented with summer and winter styles. Purchase prices for dresses, tops, and coats range from 23 to 81 Euros, with a mark-up of 2.5. Last but not least, Shipsheip also offers a small, refined range of accessories.
Shipsheip Holistic Fashion, Cologne/Germany, T 0049.221.20436528, info@shipsheip.com, www.shipsheip.com Clear Conscience for the Masses
THOKKTHOKK. The crucial question of green fashion is whether one should offer high-quality fair trade pieces with sustain ability certificates in the low price segment and thus be economically successful? Some might say this is a contradiction in itself, but the Munich-based label ThokkThokk, found ed by Vinzent Johow and managed by Verena Paul-Benz, sees it as a challenge. Its casual sportswear for men and women has already won over 150 customers throughout Europe. The items can be purchased directly via an online B2B shop. The customers include RR Revolve Fair Fashion in Zurich, Green Ground in Vienna, and Zuendstoff in Freiburg. Since 2008, ThokkThokk has been producing two 80-piece collections per year, with purchase prices ranging from 6.99 Euros for socks to 120 Euros for jackets. The mark-up of 2.4 to 3.0 is impressive.
