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3. How Do You Determine What the Trends are and Which Will Work For Your Store?


To get the customer into the store, “you have to be drawn in. It has to be enticing, inviting,” said Rudes, of J Brand, who encourages taking a look or two from the runway to add some pizzazz to your store. Don’t buy a lot of it, but be willing to make a few mistakes, as the risk may pay off.


In Rudes’ case, last year’s Houlihan was inspired by the cargo and military trend on the runway. The skinny cargo pant was a novelty, but one that sparked a huge following among celebs and the fashion-forward crowd. “You have to read the fashion reviews and know what the looks are,” he said.“Every fashionista is reading the reviews. You can’t be complacent.” For this season, J Brand’s focus is on the wide-leg, which showed on runways and was a big find by the brand team at vintage stops.


That said, over-assortment is a sure pitfall. “Less is more, keep it tight,” said Rudes. “If your best seller is AG, sell that. Go narrow and deep. You have to be a smart merchant.” Men, especially, tend to be very brand loyal. “Pick the right assortment so a guy knows there is a reason to buy the next one at the same place,” he said. Women look to trends and a non-muffin- top fit. If a woman finds a brand that fits correctly and looks great, she’ll often buy more than one pair. “Jeans are a very special part of a woman’s closet,” said Rudes.


And don’t ever forget that it takes both attention to fit and fashion to be successful in the jeans business and that you can’t ignore either one. Thomas George, the owner of the legendary E Street Denim in Chicago, in an interview with Specialty Insider last year, reinforced the point. “From the crotch up, it’s all about the fit. But from there down, that’s where the creativity begins. The squiggle on the Sevens changed an entire industry.”


A Short History of Denim 4. What is the Best Way to Train Your Sales Force to Lock in a Sale?


When a store has a new item, especially of the novelty variety, Rudes thinks the best tactic is to “get on the phone and call” your best customers. “Really good stores know their fashionista wannabes.” Call them, invite them in to try the newest denim styles and take note of purchases according to brand, style and wash. Even if you only have five or six pieces, early adopters want to feel special and appreciate seeing styles ripped from the pages of magazines. “A jean is very emotional,” said Rudes.


Educating the sales force on every new style put out by a brand is also really important, he says. “Denim doesn’t walk off by itself.” He suggests that salespeople try on every new product that comes into the store, just as a restaurant has its wait-staff sample the food and wine offerings.


Paige Adams-Geller agrees, encouraging sales teams to wear popular Paige Premium Denim styles so they are comfortable with the product. “It is important for the sales team to be familiar with and have confidence in what they are selling,” she said.


(Cont.)


While some people trace the history of denim back to Renaissance-era Italy, most pin its origins on the California Gold Rush of the 1850s when prospectors needed a durable garment to wear while they were doing all that digging.


A San Francisco storekeeper named Levi Strauss had been selling denim blue jeans – jeans from the French phrase “bleu de Genes,” or the blue of Genoa and denim from the French town of Nimes, as in “de Nimes” – but it took a customer, a tai- lor by the name of Jacob Davis, to figure out the copper rivets part, which reinforced the pants at key points and created the jeans construction we know now.


The two received a patent for the design on May 20, 1873.


Two centuries – and James Dean, stonewashing, The Gap, Gloria Vanderbilt and Seven for All Mankind – later, denim is a staple of American life, an industry doing billions of dollars a year … every year.


And jeans remain the heart and soul of the denim business: Just don’t ever call them dungarees.


March/April 2011 19


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