Miss Sixty has set the basis for its relaunch in Milan. The trendy women’s fashion and jeans brand founded by Vichy Hassan in 1991 and acquired by the giant Chinese Trendy International Group, has just started a series of initiatives for its comeback. Step one of the operation is the opening a new 730-sq.-meter flagship store in Corso Vittorio Emanuele 31.
Here, Andrea Pomi, sales manager EMEA, Miss Sixty, who previously worked for Emporio Armani and Benetton, explains how the brand wants to hit the market again.
What are the plans for Miss Sixty’s comeback?
Miss Sixty’s new owner has many plans in mind. They have already started distributing the brand in China reaching very positive results. Since 2014 they have opened 150 monobrand stores and registered sales worth €180 million there. They aim to grow their Chinese distribution to a total of 300 doors by 2020.
The challenge we are facing in the EMEA countries is to first build a clear brand identity and positioning and afterwards increase our revenues. We want to reach about €30 million sales here by the end of 2018.
The group might easily open many stores throughout Europe as they already own 3,000 doors, but it first wants to concentrate on brand identity. That’s why our Milan flagship is so important.
Can you describe it?
The 730-sq.-meter store was entirely designed by CLS Architetti and by Massimiliano Locatelli, appreciated and eclectic insiders. The flagship will constantly transform itself thanks to easy to adapt and flexible decor solutions, and technical devices including video walls, aimed at engaging consumers when shopping or simply visiting the store. It will also host many events and it will start involving consumers already through its shop windows. For instance, one of them displays 112 smartphones with images of and tags from social networks showing influencers wearing our collections, and also encouraging consumers and fans to wear our collection and post their own photos.
The store occupies four floors – two underground ones, a street-level one and the Miss Sixty Caffè on the first floor managed by top quality specialists from Dal Bolognese.
Will you open more stores similar to this one?
We plan to open similar ones in almost every key city of Europe. We want to open in Berlin and Paris by end 2018, and a third store in London’s Regent Street (in addition to the already existing ones in Brompton Road and White City) by end of 2019. We would like to push distribution also through wholesale and franchise stores. In Russia we have already opened two monobrand stores and will inaugurate four more by the end of 2018, while we aim to open an own flagship store in a partnership in Moscow by end 2018.
Which are the main countries you want to focus on?
Our aim is to grow first in Italy, Germany, Russia, UK and Benelux and in a second phase also expand in France, Spain and the Scandinavian countries.
We also want to grow through e-commerce as our aim is to make this channel count for 20% of our sales.
What’s the Miss Sixty collection like?
The brand sticks to its DNA, though revisited with modern eyes. We deliver four collections per year – fall, winter, spring and summer, plus some refresh and capsule collections.
Each collection offers complete total look selections made up of about 250 to 500 pieces each, depending upon the season. 35% are denim.
Our consumer target group consists of trendy women ages 20-50, looking for elaborate pieces. If they want basic pieces they can’t find them here. We are not a fast fashion brand, but offer premium products at affordable medium-high prices that vary from an average of €120-€149 up to €250 for the most elaborate denim pieces. A winter coat may cost from €119- €590 up to €999 for fur pieces.
Will you launch capsule collections?
We want to start offering limited edition capsule collections, one per season, consisting of about 60 pieces. Each of them will involve special collaborations with designers, stylists and influencers and will be sold only through our flagships and a very limited selection of stores.
The first one will debut in February 2018 in Milan with a double event: While we will celebrate with press and influencers inside the store, top buyers will get the chance to appreciate our capsule in our magnificent 690-sq.-meter showroom in Milan’s city center, in Via Durini.
What remains of the brand’s authentic spirit?
The brand is absolutely Italian as it is an expression of Vichy’s soul. The Trendy Group also owns Vichy’s archives counting 30,000 pieces from all the collections and brands produced by Sixty in the past – including Energie, Killah and Murphy & Nye. At present we are concentrating on Miss Sixty only and drew most of our design inspiration from its original collection. Moreover, most of the new denim collection is produced in Italy, in order to maintain the same look and quality level of its origins, while the rest of the collection is manufactured in more countries, including China, India and Eastern Europe, though keeping top quality level.
Our Italian identity is key in the relaunch. If we had not kept faith with it we would have not been as successful as we are in China or Russia right now. They love its Italian DNA.
We also want to periodically present different selections of archive pieces here in our Milan showroom in order to stress the brand’s high creativity content. Our aim is to host a sort of museum or gallery dedicated to Miss Sixty’s origins.
Who designs the collection? Do you offer distinct selections for China and Europe?
A team made up of European and Chinese designers creates the collection which is the same one for all markets, even if we have developed different sizes for the Chinese consumers as they prefer to wear oversize clothes.
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