Meet Classic Edgy

The eponymous label by Dee Ocleppo offers timeless style with a twist—without the sticker shock.

DEE OCLEPPO LOVES classic style, but infused with a sexy twist. Think Grace Kelly mixed with Lauren Hutton, she says. That design premise has served as Dee Ocleppo’s foundation since it debuted in 2012.

“Our aesthetic is elegant, timeless and luxurious,” Ocleppo says. “We strive to make pieces that you’ll wear for years to come—true closet staples.”

Ocleppo doesn’t believe consumers should spend extravagantly for such timeless pieces. In fact, a key ingredient of the Dee Ocleppo recipe is accessible craftsmanship. Every piece in the collection (spanning shoes, handbags and apparel) is priced under $500 retail. “Our craftsmanship combined with our accessible price points are what sets us apart,” explains Ocleppo, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. “Everyone is enamored with the amazing quality and fit of our Italian-made products and are even more thrilled when they realize that they can get our luxe pieces at a more affordable price.”

A former top model and now creative director for Judith Leiber, Ocleppo has been married to Tommy Hilfiger since 2008. Suffice to say she is well experienced in the world of fashion. “Being exposed to the industry all these years has given me a unique eye and ability to recognize something that’s different and fresh,” she says, noting that she is able to manage her creative director duties and her own label harmoniously. “Judith Leiber is a more established legacy brand that owns the evening and special occasion bag arena, whereas Dee Ocleppo offers everyday pieces,” she says. She admits, though, that being married to the legendary designer is an ace up her sleeve. She describes her husband as her biggest supporter and mentor. “I’m so thankful for his experience and insight on our brand,” Ocleppo says. “Working as a team with him is the best business and design advice I could ever ask for—it’s priceless.”

Ocleppo’s collective experience translates into delivering another collection of classics with modern twists for Fall/Winter ’23. “Our latest collection is full of timeless styles that are enhanced with fresh colors and fun embellishments,” she says. “Barbiecore pink, of course, is everywhere, along with neon, boucle, bows and fun textures to add extra touches to our pieces.” The designer adds, “We’re known for our comfort and standout, handcrafted quality while our overall style is classic edgy.” continued from page 8 retailers from around the country,” reports Schwartz, the company’s chief revenue officer. Adds Pierce, vice president of sales for the sheepskinbased brand: “Traffic was steady the first day, and there were retailers from all around the country.”

Who is the Dee Ocleppo woman and what is she looking for in her shoe purchases? Our shopper is fashionable and style conscious. She loves designer items, but she’s thrilled that she can buy our Italian accessories at a more affordable price. She’s looking for quality and quantity. She loves how she can fill her closet with our shoes!

What do you attribute your label’s longevity to most? The ability to pivot. This industry moves fast, and everything can change so quickly. You have to be open to change, as well.

Speaking of which, have you adapted your approach to design since the pandemic? For example, some say high heels will never be as important. Personally, I’ve tried to incorporate a slower pace of life since the pandemic, spending time with my family and embracing more creativity. As for the death of high heels, we’ve actually had an uptick in sales, so I disagree. Everyone is looking for a reason to get out and dress up!

What are some key goals for 2023? Expanding our retail footprint by working with more partners domestically and internationally.

What are some of your biggest challenges and how are you planning to overcome them? This is a highly competitive industry and retail is very challenging. The key is to be able to anticipate and adapt to what consumers are looking for. It’s about staying relevant and meeting their needs. For example, during Covid we had to pivot and rethink our digital strategy to ensure we were able to maintain and connect with our customers.

Any advantages to being a woman running a woman’s shoe label? First off, to have my own voice and business to create pieces for other women is so empowering. My vision marries exceptional quality of our Italian factory partners with an unmistakably American point of view. Like all women, my life is multi-faceted and ever-changing. Our designs must meet those demands in terms of style, comfort and quality. And while I may love luxury, quality and price are not always synonymous. We make sure that women are not just buying a logo.

Who are some designers you admire? I have several favorites besides my husband, of course. I love Wes Anderson, Brandon Maxwell and Johanna Ortiz. I love their aesthetics as well as their work ethics.

What is your first shoe-related memory? Getting my first pair of Nike sneakers when I was around 11 years old. They were blue nylon joggers with a yellow swoosh. Soon after, I got another pair in white leather with a red swoosh. I had wanted them so badly, and when my parents finally bought them for me, I was so proud and felt very cool because, growing up in Rhode Island, my shoe closet consisted mainly of a varied selection of L.L. Bean styles!

On that note, what shoe must every woman have in her closet? A classic black pump. It’s timeless, elegant and goes with everything.

What do you love most about designing shoes? I love the ability to create something unique and special that will make someone feel just as unique and special when they wear them.

Another IR bright spot was the positive mood that prevailed in the face of an ongoing pandemic, supply chain disruption and record inflation. Pierce cites, in particular, the positive outlook of many independents. “That segment is pretty vibrant, because they manage their inventory and buying dollars more closely,” he says. “It’s the majors who are not as optimistic right now.” The exec says the athletic market’s lagging sales might be a factor. “Athletic is dragging down the overall business, as most buyers are saying work, dress and comfort are pretty good areas,” Pierce says.

Astobiza believes the independent, brown shoe-based channel is poised for growth. “I feel our channel will have a pickup in the next few years as people go back to the office and life gets a little more normal,” he says. “Our Biza wholesale business also received great exposure. We picked up new accounts, so it was a success for us overall.”

Kehrwald says several brands made nice additions to their Fall/Winter ’23 assortments. “We feel good about filling a couple of possible misses in our assortment with these offerings,” he says. “We feel good about our lineup for the second half of this year.”

Schwartz notes that many of the retailers Aetrex met with are coming off a strong 2022, despite the difficult economy. “There’s caution about the economic climate, but the retailers we met with are planning solid growth in ’23,” he says. A factor helping fuel Aetrex’s growth is the success of its Albert2Pro in-store foot scanning devices. “That’s been a huge success,” Schwartz reports. “3D scans increase footwear conversions, drive incremental profit through orthotic sales and customers and sales associates love the experience.” Aetrex’s business grew 45 percent in 2022.

Spears concurs on the overall positive outlook of many buyers. “Retailers were telling us that 2023 is the year they get back to pre-pandemic levels,” he says. “In fact, some said they were already back to 2019 levels and beyond.” As for what caught the attention of buyers, Spears cites Ara’s dress collections, especially kitten heels, fancy materials and boots with oversized bottom units. “The oversized look is very on-trend, and buyers were surprised by how light and comfortable ours are,” he says, adding that the return of its stretch fabric boots collection was also a big hit.

Utilitarian product attributes were also of note at Lamo. “The addition of NeverWet water- and stain-repellent coatings on select styles was a nice selling point,” Pierce says. “And due to our recent successes at farm and feed stores, we’re putting more emphasis on those design elements, and the reaction has been good.”

Imbox’s Hede chalks up much of the interest his company received to utilitarian attributes, as well. “Everyone could see the value in our technology as a way to elevate their in-store experience and create a new revenue source through our unique business model,” he says. Hede adds that a trade show is the ideal way to get Imbox’s message across. “It’s a unique technology that many have not seen before, but once they see a demo, they understand why consumers will love it.”

Essentially, trade shows are about seeing and believing. Hauss aims to facilitate that exchange as seamlessly and enjoyably as possible. “It’s no longer the norm to expect reps to be able to visit retailers in their stores as often as they used to. They’re just stretched too far,” he says. “That’s why shows like Atlanta and IR offer such great opportunities to see everything retailers need to see under one roof.”

Aetrex’s Schwartz cites the early timing of IR as another plus. “Given the supply chain challenges of the past few years, it’s important that retailers and brands get their orders in early,” he says. “We appreciate that IR has worked hard to secure dates in January and July (28-30) for 2023. And San Diego offers direct flights, warm weather, hotels within walking distance of the show and the airport is 15 minutes away.”

IR’s friendly vibe was icing on the cake for Hede. He cites the opening night Conversations Over Cocktails party that featured the management teams of Aetrex and Tradehome Shoes. “It was great to hear about their admirable reputations and work cultures,” he says. “The friendliness of everyone in the industry made it easy to connect, and it shows the value of spending time with each other in person.”

Astobiza says a key takeaway from IR was the need for another show where vendors and retailers can meet under one roof to do business and build relationships. “We’re all busy running our day-to-day businesses, but it’s so important to support these shows,” he says. “Vendors need to see more retailers, and retailers need to see more vendors. It’s that simple.” based upon the requirements and recommendations of all desired online trading partners and marketplace destinations. Syndic8’s data audit simplifies the syndication process for brands and prevents unnecessary back and forth between brands and buyers. It also constantly scans for errors, and as brands expand their digital footprint through Syndic8’s library of 100-plus trading partner and marketplace connections, the need to be accurate across the digital ecosystem is crucial.

REEBOK HAS CHOSEN Syndic8 as its product content management and distribution software partner. Syndic8’s expertise in the syndication of high variant SKUs, as well as its additional services in enhanced video content management and verification, will allow the athletic brand to optimize and expand its digital selling channels.

“Working with a client of Reebok’s caliber is further validation that Syndic8 is a meaningful solution for small clients as well as large enterprises,” says Chris John, CEO and cofounder of Syndic8. “Syndication is a very fluid and constantly changing delivery process, and having a dedicated and flexible partner like us is essential.”

Syndic8’s drag-and-drop software performs a comprehensive data audit

“Our company acts as a centralized repository of all your digital data,” John says. For example, Syndic8’s Verification Service monitors whether a product is live and listed correctly on the digital shelf. The service also monitors any MAP price violations, which protects a brand’s integrity as well as its bottom line. Overall, Syndic8’s revenue expansion and protection based technical solutions streamline the lifecycle of brand’s products from inception to sale.

“Having good control and governance of all digital data is critical to distributing quality content across an ever-expanding network of digital partners,” John says, noting that Reebok is a feather in the company’s growing portfolio of clients. “Their brand recognition is stellar, and working with their experienced team to help streamline their digital delivery data process so their product catalogs can hit the digital shelves on time, with accuracy to maximize sales and help improve their brand consistency is an honor.” continued from page 15 than ever. On that note, we’re always looking ahead and searching for expansion opportunities and increased market share. We plan to leverage our amazing structure, logistics, management and execution.

Dare we say we’re moving on from pandemic life? Or will things never go fully back to “normal”?

I think we’ve forgotten what normal feels or looks like. But it’s not a matter of going back; it’s a matter of moving forward and embracing what that looks like.

As with any significant societal occurrence that impacts all our lives, it’s a matter of looking for the opportunities to improve life moving forward. Hopefully, we’ve all learned some valuable lessons. In the meantime, American Exchange Group has been able to overcome the Financial Crisis, the Retail Apocalypse, the pandemic and record inflation. We’ve learned how to change our business model and adapt to the ever-changing retail landscape and consumer behavior. We’re very nimble. We have a culture of no bureaucracy. You don’t need to get 16 approvals from upper management. I’m a very approachable CEO. Anyone can approach me with an idea, and we’ll make decisions on the spot.

Back when you were 13, did you ever envision your career evolving into this? Not a chance. I never thought I’d be where I am today. But now this is just the beginning.

You are the epitome of the American Dream, no?

This couldn’t have happened anywhere else in the world. The CEO of one the banks we work with suggested I teach a course at Harvard Business School. I’m really a very behind the scenes guy but, who knows, maybe someday.

What do you love most about the shoe industry?

The white space that exists. We’re looking to fill those voids. I also love seeing people wearing our shoes and knowing that we provided a fashionable, well-priced and quality item to support them as they navigate their daily lives.

What do you love most about your job?

I don’t really view it as a job. I truly love what I do, and I enjoy every second and aspect of it. I especially love networking and building relationships. That’s what keeps me going the most. I tell people I’m a 36 year old with a 70-year-old soul. •