The Robin Report’s Post

When Copycats Win: The Woodland vs. Timberland In the 1990s, Woodland, inspired by Timberland's success, entered India with a similar name, logo, and product range. Timberland’s delayed entry in 2010 was met with skepticism as it was perceived as a Woodland imitation. Timberland's higher-priced boots struggled against Woodland's established reputation and competitive pricing. #branding #marketing #woodlandvstimberland #businessstrategy #business

I rocked Nautica in the 90s while my friends preferred Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren®. A major reason was that David Chu, founder and designer of Nautica, was also Taiwanese American. Born in Taiwan and moving to the U.S. at the age of 13, David faced his share of challenges right from the start. He originally wanted to be an architect, but an unexpected turn during an illustration class at FIT pushed him into fashion design. It wasn’t planned, but it would set the foundation for his entrepreneurial journey. After college, he launched an apparel business in Taiwan with some friends and it failed miserably. Undeterred, David returned to the U.S. and worked for five years with Kayser-Roth. Then, in 1983, at just 28 years old, he took another leap, launching Nautica with six men’s jackets. His love for the ocean inspired the brand, which combined fashion and functionality. What started as a small idea soon took off, landing in stores like Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. But success didn’t come without its struggles. Scaling Nautica meant navigating new product categories, building retail partnerships, and expanding globally. By the mid-90s, Nautica became a billion-dollar brand, rivaling the likes of Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2003, VF Corp. bought Nautica for $600 million, and David walked away with a hefty $104 million. David’s story is a powerful example of perseverance and evolution for many. But for someone like myself who has spent his entire career in retail and e-commerce, he’s a symbol of what's possible. And that was why I rocked those colorful polyester jackets! #retail #ecommerce #aapi

The modern care/repair space is so nascent that any efforts by brands are appreciated. However, current pilot programmes are poorly structured and don’t tell you much. Here are four top tips for making the most of pilots and moving the industry forward. 🥅 1. Go into it with achievable, clear goals. I recently spoke to a high-street shoe brand that got involved in a repair pilot but was disappointed when it failed to produce the revenue boost they were expecting. This executive was now dealing with unnecessarily spent political capital and an unclear way forward. Repair is the greatest CRM tool ever, but it won’t complete or replace primary sales. For high-street/accessible brands, it produces first-party data that helps build stronger relationships and all that entails, like loyalty and wallet share, ultimately lowering acquisition costs. For premier/aspirational and luxury, it can also keep fakes off the market and win back customers from the second-hand or wholesale retail market. 🚛 2. Understand who you are best placed to be in the process. What role do your customers expect you to play? What role can you afford to play? Even in expensive luxury repairs, there isn’t tons of room at the trough, so who you are in the process will be a function of brand positioning, pricing power, and how the service is designed (e.g. extended warranty or enduring service option) If you’re a luxury brand, you will have pricing power and can afford to - and will be expected to - take a more hands-on role. If you’re a high-street or aspirational/accessible brand, you may be able to play a bit-part, like being the last quality check, the order management/communications coordinator, or the logistics arm of the process. 👩💻 3. Focus on scalable systems, not marketing gimmicks. When we started The Restory, we knew there was pent-up demand, but we didn’t know how much until we were quickly overwhelmed. Demand shows up if you treat repair like an enduring part of your overall proposition. And when it comes, if the systems—people, processes, and technology—aren’t in place, it will get messy, complicated, and disappointing quickly. It's better to focus on and test the system design rather than trying to measure how many people will take up zipper repair within six-months in one market. Focus on how you would design and scale a unified global experience, build a reliable network of global partners, and or harvest data to achieve your ultimate aims (refer to point one).   📊 4. Own your customers and your data. Whatever pilot you decide on, it's crucial that you own both the customer and the data. There is no point in doing any pilot if you give away the asset you ultimately seek to earn a return on. It may feel more manageable at the time, but it’s a strategic misstep in the long term. 👩🏫 Net/net when done right, repair is magic to your brand. But it’s important to understand how to wield its power and understand its complexities, too.

Heyy Linkdin fam..!! Recently, our group went to Dolmen Mall for Marketing project where we checked out the strategies of top clothing brands like Levis’Store , Under Armour , adidas , Diesel Outfitters Stores , and more. We gotta give a big shoutout to our awesome instructor Owais Mohammad for being there every step of the way, sharing valuable insights, and helping us learn about the industry. We couldn't have done it without his expertise and guidance! Thankyou sir 💖 #learning #retail #visit #clothingbrands #FashionAnalysis

It feels this news has slightly slipped under the radar, but it is huge. VF Corporation are getting battered from all sides at the moment, and in a call to analysts this week Bracken Darrell announced a drop of 27% in Q4 sales for Vans, despite saying he can "see the turn ahead through the tunnel." I'm not sure everyone believed him at the time, however he had an ace up his sleeve - Sun Choe is the new Global President of Vans and is the sort of blockbuster hire that suddenly changes the rhetoric. Obviously a turnaround is a big group effort, but what a confidence boost to the teams. Sun has lead design and merchandising for renowned global brands, including lululemon, Marc Jacobs, West Elm, Madewell, Urban Outfitters, Levi Strauss & Co. and Gap. Her reputation and track record is significant. “Sun is a strong leader who is focused on consumer insight and has a proven track record of driving brand heat, and translating it into financial results. I am confident that Sun is the right leader to take Vans to new heights,” Darrell said. It's actually been a better week for Vans. The Proenza Schouler’s Puffy Vans Slip-On collection is one of the best collaboaration I've seen in ages. The duo reimagines the 1970s Vans classic in super soft leather and minimalistic colourways and the results are stellar. So, is this the catalyst where the VF turnaround starts to gain traction? We've seen what Fran Horowitz has done with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and there are many parallels that can be drawn with Vans. The chances are the numbers will get worse before they improve, but I'd bet that the brand and VF Corporation as a whole is in much better shape twelve months from now. DHR Global #fashionnews

This campaign from 2009 remains, hands down, my favorite. It’s the best engagement piece I’ve ever seen, from the brand that has always been close to my heart—Levi Strauss & Co.—for the product that I still can’t get enough of: Levi’s Engineered Jeans. The campaign was all about originality. Levi’s invited people to come down to their Tokyo store and create something uniquely their own using the world’s biggest photocopier. It was pure genius—buy a pair of Levi’s, climb onto the copier, and let your originality shine through. What really blew me away was how they brought in Japan’s biggest star, Takuya Kimura, to kick off the whole thing, followed by other big names like Karen Mok. Suddenly, this wasn’t just a marketing stunt; it was a cultural moment. The images captured became a gallery of Tokyo’s coolest people, and everyone wanted in on it. And Levi’s didn’t stop there. Those scans became the heartbeat of the campaign—turned into dramatic posters, print ads, bus wraps, billboards, and even TV spots. It was this seamless mix of the physical and digital that made the campaign unforgettable. It wasn’t just about selling jeans; it was about celebrating individuality and creating something lasting. That’s why it still sticks with me today. #OldbutGold #LevisEngineeredJeans #BBHAsia

Since we started working with Burnside Village shopping centre in South Australia back in 2013, a lot has changed in terms of fashion and trends. However, the tagline we came up with for them has lasted all this time and continues to be compelling and memorable. We've learned that the best taglines connect with a brand's purpose. These are the ones that last, even as trends and what customers want keep changing. It shows how crucial it is for a tagline to be rooted in the brand's fundamental values, not just the latest trends. #BrandIdentity #CreativeAgency #BrandMessaging #LongevityInBranding #BrandValues #CreativeProcess #Taglines #BrandAuthenticity

It's 2020 and VF Corp (Vans, Timberland, The North Face) decides to continue to expand it's brand portfolio and beats out Carlyle, Disney, and H&M in a bid for the hottest streetwear brand of the last decade in Supreme and has a winning bid of $2.1B on ~$500m of revenue and ~10% net margins. VF Corp had a market cap of ~$50B. It's 2023 and VF decides it's consolidating it's brand portfolio and selling off Supreme, which has grown nominally since acquisition but ultimately under expectations. It finds a buyer in EssilorLuxottica for $1.5B. VF today has a market cap of ~$6.5B. To be honest, given the multiple compression in the market, credit to the Supreme brand that there wasn't a bigger loss on the exit.

According to Charm’s Growth Score, several DTC cowboy boot brands have surged ahead, becoming the fastest-growing #cowboyboot brands of the moment. Learn more about them below: https://hubs.li/Q02mcRmJ0 Tecovas Stetson Lucchese Bootmaker Billini Lane Boots RUJO Boots FREEBIRD STORES, Inc. The Frye Company #danpostbootcompany Old Gringo Boots Follow brands for FREE to receive in-depth insights and updates on your competitors or brands you care about. Link in bio to start Charm for free today. #ecommerce #dtcbrands #dtc #charmanalytics

Hold onto your style, because Manors Golf Apparel is gearing up for an EPIC 2024! We're not just talking trends; we're talking GROWTH. Harnessing the power of past data, we're not just predicting the future; we're creating it! Here's the scoop on how we're revolutionising our operations: Precision Re-orders - Bid farewell to overstock nightmares! We're using insights to finesse our inventory, ensuring every piece finds its perfect home. Customer Centric Collections - By understanding past preferences, we're curating collections that resonate with YOU, our incredible fashion-forward community. Agile Operations: Thanks to accurate forecasting, our production and distribution are in sync, minimising waste and maximising efficiency. Global Expansion - Brace yourselves for the MANORS takeover! #ManorsApparel #FashionGrowth #DataDrivenStyle #FutureOfFashion #NoMoreOverstock #PlayForSomethingDifferent