has been a race to the bottom on costs, razor-thin margins, perpetual discounting, a lack of real product innovation, and a huge impact on the planet. By eliminating the waste, we can spend much more than other brands on product development and specification, resulting in best-in-class products at more accessible prices. Our 10/10-rated bib shorts are the perfect example of this.
How do you grow a business with no paid marketing?
I knew before launching the brand that I didn’t want to rely on Meta and performance marketing. I also know that if you create incredible products, your people will find you. My approach has been to take a long-term view of everything for the sake of building the brand in the right way, which has meant missing out on some low-hanging fruit. But, I firmly believe this will pay dividends later. That approach includes steering clear of ‘influencers’, focusing on highly targeted content, plus collaborations like our artist editions and supporting clubs like Audax Club Bristol. Obviously, 10/10 review awards help. You just need to be
able to make a 10/10 product in the first place, and you’re not going to do that if you’re cutting costs and spreading your range too thin for the sake of ‘growth’.
Where does your end customer experience value which results directly from the brand-centric focus of Kostüme? Quite honestly as a consumer, I get annoyed with the way so many brands communicate, so we start by applying the same approach
www.bikebiz.com
as we do to new product development, namely ‘Is this really of value?’ In the current age, it seems that people think frequency is the most important thing - content for content’s sake. We also have the slack in our margins to treat the customer
like we want to be treated. So many brands spend big on acquisition only to then lose their customers on the service and experience, which is madness. With our pre-order batch model, we do fulfilment in-house, meaning we can completely control things. Ultimately, brand equity and customer loyalty are harder
to achieve successfully than simply making great products. And you aren’t going to do that by relying on constant price promotions.
Why is a start-up apparel brand thriving when so many global brands are currently faced with a mountain of ageing overstock? I think a lot of consumers currently feel like I felt - they’re a bit tired of the status quo and looking for something new. There are clear and repeatable reasons why so many sartups are able to achieve success in the face of apparently overwhelming incumbent competition. I think for Kostüme certainly some of that comes from being an industry outsider and bringing a different energy and approach to a very established sector, be that the business model, product innovation or marketing style. The overstocking issue is a bigger issue that really needs to change on an industry level, and our model clearly shows what is possible.
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