SPECIAL REPORT- WOMEN’S APPAREL
Get creative with colour
14
The autumn leaves falling, for many, signals the end of the golfing season, but there’s no reason why you can’t capitalise on the arrival of cooler weather by transforming the ladies corner of your shop with bold, bright outfits, ready to entice shoppers to update their winter wardrobe, says Carly Frost
T
here’s never been a better time to invest in women’s stock. Ladies golf clothing has seen a remarkable surge
in its market share of sales over the last 12 months, with many brands reporting a significant change in the split between men's and women's sales, with the latter dramatically on the rise. For the Fletcher Group, which owns Sunice and Tommy Hilfiger golf, for example, ladies apparel accounted for over 30% of its sales last year and this trend is not just isolated to these two brands. In fact market research has revealed that lady golfers are following the high street shopping trend and buying more clothing seasonally to keep up with fashion. So if you don't want to miss out on an opportunity to capitalise on the growth, now’s the time to think about buying in the right stock to transform the ladies corner of your shop in time for autumn. There are two key trends for
Autumn/Winter 2014 in ladies golf clothing - colour and pattern, which means your shop displays can be eye-catching. At the luxury end of the market, the ladies 'Clover' collection by Bobby Jones brings both to the fore. There are none of the traditional pastel colours associated with ladies golf clothing, instead bright colour stories and pretty patterns like paisley, mixed dots, blown up
houndstooth and tangled rope to name just a few.
Outerwear is always a must-have for winter
and you'll find a colourful AW14 offering from Sunice. “We have pretty much perfected garment fit and our fabric technology, so now we’re able to focus on designing collections that are on-trend," said Kathryn McClemens, Sunice golf senior product manager. Likewise, luxury Italian label Chervo is sure
to be a hit with its new ladies ‘Comfort’ range, with garments such as the Pulley sweater, which protects against the cold and wind, while offering maximum comfort and swing movement - a great buy. The other interesting finding from recent
research is that women are prepared to buy branded investment pieces if they can be worn for activities other than golf. Tommy Hilfiger golf has tapped into this by designing an A/W collection that offers the perfect on- course/off-course look. Last year the Hillfiger brands sales in Europe exceeded those in North America so as a result, for the first time, the design of the new 2014 collection has been driven by the needs of a lady playing European winter golf. “We have been very careful to ensure that every item in the range can also be worn as an everyday item," said Jon Camp, managing director of Fletcher Europe. "This means that rather than standard
golf attire we are offering garments like quilted jackets, long sleeve tops and great knitwear pieces.” If you like to follow the lead of the big golf
stores then American Golf's Apparel and Footwear category buyer Caroline Houghton has the same advice: "Trends with ladies are catching up with mainstream high street trends and trying to make the lady golfer more sporty and modern. For example, A/W14 Ladies Nike offers a balanced collection of raspberry and grape shades but mixed with on-trend ‘fluorescent’ pink. While purple and lilacs are key to A/W14 within the Green Lamb collection, accenting with subtle prints to add more dimension to baselayers and wind-tops.” The ever-popular baselayer continues to be
a must-stock essential with more and more brands, including specialists such as Under Armour and Skins, making these in the perfect shapely fit for ladies, who tend to feel the cold more than men. It’s easy to sell the concept of layering to your customers. And don’t forget those traditional club-crested sweaters. Glenmuir has all the colours of the rainbow. One clever piece of advice - add an extra
crested item this winter, like a fashionable gilet, and start a new ‘must-buy’ team trend for matches.
SGBGOLF
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