DJ Set Makes Good Partner, Says Fashion Chief
Funk and punk music might provide a good soundtrack for a Saturday night. Yet when Jade Howe deejayed at the LASC boutique in West Hollywood, Calif., Dec. 6, the sounds also served as a catalyst toward shaping better relations with his retail partners.
“You can go to all of the trade shows that you want,” Howe said of his marketing efforts for his label, Hause of Howe. “But it’s the people on the sales floor who need to know what’s going on.” He serves as the creative director for the Gardena, Calif.–based premium men’s label.
The music at LASC’s “Howe for the Holidays” party was the festive conclusion to several meetings between Howe’s sales managers and LASC buyers and sales staff. The meetings concentrated on what Howe items sold well at the store as well as how to make the brand sell better.
The designer said the powwows were an important way to highlight a brand that vies for attention with dozens of high-profile labels sold at premium boutiques. These retail meetings typically result in a spike in sales, according to Howe.
Howe plans to make the LASC event a model for a brand blitz and music show, which also might feature bands, in 2008. He plans to hold at least one event each month with his retail partners.
Meanwhile LASC debuted a mini-shop to show its loyal customers a new side of the venerable boutique, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2008.
In September, it opened The Luxe Shop at LASC, a 200-square-foot section of the 4,000-square-foot shop, which not only offers the best of the store’s premium brands but also the most expensive items. “We’re trying to develop the customer beyond what he knows us for,” said co-owner Don Zuidema.
Fashion underwear and premium denim have been the consistent top-selling items at LASC. Zuidema also hopes the Luxe section will interest the LASC man in bigger-ticket items such as $700 Diesel jackets and $589 blazers by French label Bill Tornade. —Andrew Asch
