Website Closers® presents a flourishing Brand in the Outerwear & Apparel Vertical, with a niche focus on Vegan and Cruelty-Free Clothing. This ethical fashion brand was founded on the belief that what we wear should look and feel great and champion positive contributions to a better tomorrow. Founded in 2010, this Brand entered the North American market as a wholesale business with a simple vision: to make comfortable, stylish, vegan and cruelty-free outerwear and apparel widely accessible.
The Brand offers apparel for Women, Men, Kids and Dogs. The company has a heavy focus on Outerwear, Clothing, Shoes and Accessories. The brand has a wide range of offerings that make it a complete clothing company, capable of fulfilling any need a retailer, wholesaler or consumer might need. This is especially important since they are focused on those discerning shoppers that care about animals and want to ensure the products they offer are free from the cruel means sometimes used to test products on animals. From Vegan Sherpas to Vegan Fur, Vests and Puffers, the products look and feel great – no decrease in quality is present even though the products are cruelty-free.
Best-selling items include, but are not limited to, outerwear, knits, wovens, tops, bottoms, footwear, and accessories. The company went digital in 2016 and launched its own Direct to Consumer eCommerce platform. Soon after, they rolled out their first pop-up store at a premier fashion destination in Canada. In 2021, the arrival of six more locations in another city was announced, including a handful in a third city. More pop-ups and permanent stores are soon to come. The company boasts an excellent $250 average order value and tremendous social media presence. The brand has harnessed the power of social media by utilizing influencer marketing to its 90,000 Instagram and 32,000 Facebook followers. Additionally, an email database of 100,000+ customers exists. The brand enjoys sales through DTC (29%), wholesale (46%), retail (17%), and dropshipping (8%). It comes packed with popular styles, with no concentration on any SKUs, and is an ideal acquisition for an ambitious buyer with expertise in retail.
The company is made up of a team of animal lovers driven by the belief that building a better world starts by making smarter decisions today. The brand has said farewell to animal by-products because vegan and cruelty-free is core to this idea, and they source innovative textiles and sustainable goods. What they say, they mean, and whenever possible will do what it takes. This is another example of an <ESG Brand= that has built a solid reputation and customer base that shows no signs of ebbing.
Most raw materials used by this Brand are ethically sourced from China and India, with products made exclusively for this brand only. Several suppliers are used for different styles. The company’s sales work into the 80/20 model; 80% of sales come from 20% of its products. They methodically and continuously source to add new core long-term products.
The nature of the clothing and industry results in dominant Q3 and Q4 sales, as it does for most any other apparel company. They can add products, sell internationally and focus their social media on specific lines to balance seasonality and drive sales in slower months. The company has spent significant time trademarking the brand and products, which has increased its social media presence and, subsequently, profitability.
The fashion business is more than big; it’s gigantic. With a global market value of $1,5 trillion in 2021 and a vast online presence – apparel, accessories, and footwear are the number one eCommerce sector in the world. Over the next five years, online fashion’s 7% compounded annual growth rate will put the industry at $1 trillion+. This brand has the best of all worlds, with a strong presence in DTC and wholesale as well as retail and dropshipping.
The DTC Website and wholesale channels drive the business and should continue to be focused on by a new owner. On average, 200 wholesale orders are fulfilled daily. 120 wholesale accounts bring in tremendous revenue. Most orders are processed from the company’s 80,000 sq. ft warehouse.
Stock is ordered twice annually and sits at around $4 million during high season and $2 million during low season. The brand has a system of aggressively selling down merchandise in the categories they have decided not to move forward with.
A key focus for this brand is to increase eCommerce sales in the U.S. And one of those immediate opportunities is Amazon.com, where the company currently does not operate. Amazon has created an excellent marketplace for buyers and sellers. As a result, the benefits available to entrepreneurs looking to expand online business are abundant. Amazon remains the most prominent eCommerce retail platform and has recorded astonishing growth in net revenue, from $11.5 Billion in 2019 to $33 Billion in 2020. That year, Amazon ranked as the top U.S. company in retail eCommerce sales, taking 38.7% of the market. In addition, studies show that 63% of consumers start their search for a new product on Amazon.
Given the brand’s domestic success, international expansion is an exciting and obvious opportunity as well. Launching the brand on Amazon can enable a new owner to sell locally and internationally on the world’s biggest eCommerce platform and see an enormous boost in revenue. Some outstanding agencies can successfully handle the Amazon store, from listing products, optimizing keywords, implementing PPC advertising, and everything in between.
An owner reluctant to take this responsibility on themselves could readily go this route with a high return on investment.
The owner is not the operator of this business and has a relatively passive role in such a powerhouse of a business. He primarily conducts high-level check-ins with the managing director and key employees.
Other key employees and departments handle a multitude of tasks and include the following roles: Clothing design, production, marketing, digital and graphic design, customer service, eCommerce, planning and allocation staff, and retail. Additionally, contractors are used for SEO, PPC advertising, and content.
