Being the only retail site allowing customers to pre-order looks straight off the runway, Moda Operandi has now taken over Dubai, because of a global initiative to support local fashion designers and to promote new emerging talent. The site’s CEO Deborah Nicodemus and its Senior Vice President of Merchandising & Planning, Mary Chiam will be at the forefront of this initiative to expand their luxurious portfolio. Deborah Nicodemus’s path included a vast experience in the merchandising and brand management field, right at the heart of the biggest international brands such as Gucci, Prada and Cartier. Mary Chiam’s career path was notably bursting with e-commerce experience, as she was a part of the Net-A-Porter team prior to being Head of Merchandising at The Outnet.
Azyaamode sat down with the two successful ladies to learn more about this growing business and its expansion into the Middle-East.
You stock the world’s biggest fashion brands. What is the process you generally rely upon when selecting the latest brands/ designers?
D.N: We approach our designers with a diversified network of people on our team. So in addition to the merchandizing team - which I currently manage - we have buyers coming from Saks, Gucci, etc…
With their wide range of experience, you could imagine their growing network of new emerging designers. We also have many people contacting us themselves through emails or phone calls. And since we love discovering different collections, we call in the samples and have designers walk us through their collections as they share their inspirations and vision. It’s a unique process where we get to know them and understand their point of views more.
We also want to make sure that the pieces are of quality since our customers are very sophisticated, with a knack for fresh and striking pieces, whether the beauty is in the cut, or anywhere else. For instance, when we launched the Johanna Ortiz off the shoulder top two years ago, we realized it was a beautiful silhouette that was not in the market place and we really wanted to capitalize on that. So as we started seeing a lot more of it from several other designers, that number became a bulging trend and it is now everywhere in the market. Hence, my team’s goal is to always pick up new pieces and silhouettes and focus on developing them.
Could you tell us more about your trip to the UAE? What do you wish to accomplish during your stay?
D.N: Well, considering the substantial type of growth in the Middle-East, not doing any market outreach would be unsound. So almost two years ago, we decided that we were going to do an international expansion that would place the Middle-East as a top priority for us. Hence, the lineup would respectively consist of Europe, the Middle East and then Asia. Even though we were quite interested in Asia at first, we flipped the schedule and decided to primarily explore the Middle East.
What exactly pushed you to expand your association with the Middle-East?
D.N: Our business usually relies on a mix of 60% from trunk show and 40% from the in-season Boutique. In the Middle-East however, the trunk show business is substantially higher, with a 70/30 proportion. And since department stores feature only 25% of a collection, our clients bend more towards what’s not ‘accessible’. In other words, they are interested in the whole collection, not just the tip of the iceberg. More importantly, our clients are fascinated by new emerging designers, which is why there are always new additions to our site- in terms of products- every single day.
Do you put the time and effort to advise designers on their collections?
D.N: Yes, absolutely. We give them our feedback and advise them on ways to ameliorate their designs, in order for them to match and excel in the market place. In other words, we have the amazing opportunity to develop the lines with them and place our recommendations accordingly. What’s mainly interesting is that designers have the ability to get very creative since we have a lot of ability to maneuver in terms of price. Let’s say that our clients are not very sensitive to the price, so that leaves a lot of room for creative movement.
What are your expectations from Fashion Forward?
D.N: I think having expectations can sometimes blind you, so our initial approach is to be extremely open-minded about it. Who knows, we might stumble upon surprising things! And quite frankly, while our business is predominantly ready to wear, our two-year old fine jewelry business is significantly growing for us. We mainly sell color, and our clients love it! So the majority of our business relies on earrings, followed by rings – which is the second strongest category. And our average price point in the jewelry business is 10 thousand dollars, which is a final sale. It’s hence a category that we are going to continue to grow. I am very excited about fine jewelry and luckily, in this particular region, we do a disproportionate amount of business in this department. Considering that 70% of our total business is in apparel, there is a considerable shift in fine jewelry in the Middle East. I personally think it’s chiefly because of the average price point and Middle-Eastern clients are more comfortable with even higher price points!
Do you face any difficulties when it comes to delivering quality? How do you deal with complaints?
D.N: Well, we haven’t had any quality issues when it comes to construction. I think that the only difficulty we’ve had to face was about when it comes to fit. Designers are actually quite interested in finding out if there were problems with the sizing and the fit, as they would want to make the adjustment themselves. Fortunately, it’s something we can notice right away because our return rate is relatively low compared to the industry. In the off-chance that a single style is commonly being returned, we would immediately contact designers to let them now.
Moda Operandi has just recently launched its first bridal collection. What are your thoughts on the growing demand for online bridal shopping?
D.N: Well bridal is going to be a very important part of our business. And generally speaking, we want to create space between the competition and ourselves and ensure our growth in this bracket. Since bridal is an extremely intimate business and since Moda is renowned for its high touch experience, this endeavor is perfect for our business model. It is very consistent with couture as well, which bodes well for us. These two businesses go hand in hand - what with the tailoring, measuring and fitting.
M.C: Our business is predominantly driven by dresses and most specifically occasion wear. We recognize that the bride nowadays is looking for more than one dress; she has different occasions, from the night before to the dinner, the wedding itself, the brunch afterwards to the actual honeymoon She is consulting us for different aspects and we have the ability to offer her a brand new collection tailored to her specific needs.
So throughout our network, we can provide her with the right pieces, and the right dresses. Our stylist team plays an interval role in the bridal service. What starts as a simple search for a wedding gown unravels into a whole new experience, which our network is vastly apt for. We are now expanding the bridal business into many different categories.
What would you say sets apart the GCC clientele from any other niche market?
D.N: Generally speaking, our client is a very sophisticated woman and she is very feminine. Since she has multiple homes, she often buys the same dress and has it shipped to two different homes. In my opinion, our GCC clients are very knowledgeable of trends and brands and they tend to have a bit more disposable income. They purchase an embellished-type of dressing and love occasion wear- considering their perennial list of events. Frankly so, occasion wear and fine jewelry are a big proportion of the business here.We’ve also noticed upon opening a showroom in London back in 2014- which is an invitation-only showroom- that Middle-Eastern clients rely more on customizing and commissioning their purchases. It’s indeed a very intimate and personalized relationship that can only be achieved through a showroom setting. In light of this, we are going to expand our footprint of showrooms into the Middle East. We are still searching for the most suitable residential location, but we will be opening a showroom in this region as soon as we find the perfect spot. We are also hiring stylists, some of which will be Arabic-speaking to work out of this location!
How would you advise our readers to get in touch with you, for future collaborations?
M.C: As I’ve mentioned before, we get a lot of calls and emails, but in order to get noticed, designers should widen their network, through Fashion Forward for instance. We also work very closely with showrooms across the world and take the time within our market circuit to visit them all so it would be good for aspiring designers to show in these showrooms Engaging with the likes of Fashion Forward is an excellent opportunity for designers to showcase their collections. We also reach out to our network of fashion editors and since we have a really strong relationship with Vogue in the US, we have the opportunity to discover new talents through those specific channels.
At the end of the day, it’s all about having a unique point of view!
Cindy Menassa
