Moose Knuckles is ready to land in New York with its first US flagship while expanding in Asia. Marco D’Avanzo, general manager and vice president of global sales and marketing, explained the Canadian outerwear brand’s new global plans.
What are the brand's next projects?
We are structuring our marketing team to make sure our overarching brand message can be consistent across the globe and properly amplified through local channels. This will support a new business model which will include the global launch of capsules connected to the seasonal theme and moment in-store. At a business level, we are working on the set up of our first Asian subsidiary which will initially manage our business plan in China. More to come on the retail side, which we have successfully tested last year in Toronto (Yorkdale Mall) and we are preparing to roll out strategically to start with our first NYC SoHo flagship, planned for next November. A big focus this year on the direct to consumer business, as we are renewing our website and digital platforms to guarantee a more exciting and engaging experience to our customers.
Where is it sold now and where does it want to expand?
The brand is already present in all the main markets worldwide. In many of them we have just started our journey and there is a lot to do to gain awareness and expand our local presence in each of them. We definitely see a huge potential for the brand growth in the US, the UK, German speaking countries and Asia.
Will it open new stores?
We are planning to open more than 50 shop-in-the-shops next winter and some special pop-up projects for the drop of exclusive capsules. Breaking news of the year is the opening of our NY SoHo flagship, planned for next November. Our retail plan will soon touch Europe and Asia in 2020.
Will it launch new product families?
Before tackling other product categories, we are expanding the outerwear range and the big news for 2019 is the new concept for our iconic jackets in a non-fur version: collar and hood have been revised without fur but still unique and interesting. On top of this, we have our “Fly-Density” family, a super-light and elastic proposal of jackets which combine top-level performance with the absolute lightness of the garments. We will work step-by-step on other categories that we are exploring thanks to the support of new international designers who can give us their ideas and expertise.
The brand has just launched a selection of denim pieces. Was it a one-shot project or will you continue offering it in the next seasons?
Being a fully-fledged fashion brand, we aim at presenting each season new thematic collections revolving around our icons. For s/s 2020 season Moose Knuckles took a trip to Cowtown, an affectionate nickname for Calgary, the Alberta city steeped in Western culture. Inspired by the Calgary Stampede, one of the world’s largest rodeos, we reinterpreted its rich heritage as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth for the greatest outwear brand in the nation. The grasslands of the Canadian Prairies lend a nostalgic color palette to a range of lightweight quilted jackets, rainwear seam sealed parkas, and elevated country influenced pieces such as the bleached denim jacket with suede fringe in a dramatic ’80s silhouette.
How is the brand performing and what are its next economic targets?
We have a distribution close to 1,000 doors in over 30 countries. We are planning more than 50 shop in shops next winter and some special pop-up projects for the drop of exclusive capsules. Almost each of the best department stores and specialty stores in the world are carrying Moose Knuckles in their assortment and most of them are still just testing the brand and getting to know us. We forecast a business growth of 70% worldwide in 2019 (compared to 2018), establishing ourselves as one of the main global players in premium outerwear and as the only street-meets-luxury outerwear brand. Plans are ambitious and solid to keep with this pace for the long term. But at the core of it there is our relationship with the consumer and our communities across the globe. Business will be nothing but a rewarding consequence.
Read also:
