Madonna Mania

Yesterday morning I received an e-mail from my friend Noreen, who happens to be huge Madonna fan. Noreen has even been featured on the glossy pages of New York Magazine, proudly explaining why the material girl is still so influential.

As soon as I saw the title of Noreen’s e-mail, “Leotards, H&M and Madonna! Oh, My!” I knew it could mean only one thing: The much-anticipated “M by Madonna” limited-edition clothing line had hit H&M stores.

“Hello! Just bought my brand-new off-white leotard from Madonna's new clothing line at H&M!,” my friend wrote. “The line has lots of stylish outfits … buy them soon before it's all sold out!”

And she didn’t send this to only a few people.

This e-mail arrived just days after another celebrity—Sarah Jessica Parker—announced that she would be launching her very own clothing line, this one at Steve and Barry’s University Sportswear.

Now, the truth is I’ve become quite skeptical of celebrity clothing lines. Is the pull of a celebrity’s name an outdated notion? Does anyone out there still care?

While walking past a long line of people trying to get into the H&M on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue before doors even opened yesterday, my question was answered. Yes. People still care. In fact, they cared enough to line up in the early hours of a very chilly morning.

I waited until the initial crowds dispersed and stopped by H&M late yesterday afternoon. Noreen was right. Items were flying off the shelves and some pieces from the collection sold out within hours. Even the $100+ price tags on some of the items didn’t keep shoppers away. Since the style and quality of the line pretty much resembles what H&M usually features, I would have been shocked to see such expensive offerings. Shocked, that is, if I hadn’t known of the Madonna link.

I didn’t buy anything yesterday. I even passed on the off-white Madonna leotard (sorry, Noreen). But I was definitely in the minority when it came to walking out empty-handed.

—By Samantha Murphy

Real Women, Real Sizes

Kudos to the Spanish! Back in the fall, Madrid’s regional government passed a weight requirement that effectively banned overly thin models from strutting the catwalks during its annual fashion week. In so doing, the government said the fashion industry had a responsibility to portray healthy body images, particularly to teenagers. Now, in an even more unusual move, the government is turning its attention to anorexic-looking store mannequins and the sizing confusion that frustrates female shoppers around the globe.

In an unusual agreement, Spain’s Health Ministry has entered into an accord with Zara, Mango and two other major retailers whereby they will start using window display mannequins no smaller than size 38 (size 6 here). Also, designers for chains pledged to standardize women’s apparel so that a given size will fit the same way no matter who sells it. (It helps that Zara and the other major apparel chains in Spain are nearly all vertically oriented and design and manufacturer their own goods.)

To get a better idea of the shapes of Spanish women’s bodies, the government is using some advanced technology: laser-equipped booths that take 130 different measurements of a body in 30 seconds. The Health Ministry is taking the booths across the country. It plans to study some 8,500 women, ages 12 to 70, and then pass on the data to clothing designers. The hope, of course, is that the garments will reflect the shapes of real women. The standardization is to be phased in after the study is completed next year. Anyone who has tried on a size eight in one store, only to find she is a size 12 in another, is sure to appreciate the move.

Some may feel that Spain’s left-leaning Socialist Government is overreaching. But I’m not one of them. In ways intended and not, retailers and the fashion industry for too long have been making women feel fat and ashamed of their bodies. If it takes a government to right things, so be it.

—By Marianne Wilson

Hard to Get a Foothold

Gap Inc.’s decision to shutter its fledgling Forth & Towne division caught many by surprise, particularly in light of its recent national advertising campaign and direct mailings. But the consensus of industry experts is that it was just the first of many steps the company needs to take to reenergize its $16 billion retail empire.

The 19-store Forth & Towne division, launched amid great fanfare in summer 2005, was Gap’s attempt to target an older (women age 35 and up) demographic. But while the store design was widely heralded (the center-store fitting-room area was a standout), the concept itself met with a lukewarm reception from analysts. Gap never broke out financial results for Forth & Towne. But in announcing the closing, the company said that while it was encouraged by its initial performance, “The concept was not demonstrating enough potential to deliver an acceptable long-term return on investment.”

There is no doubt that Gap needs to focus 100% on its core brands contributed to the demise of Forth & Towne. But on a more macro level, the decision to shutter the chain illustrates just how hard it is to get new specialty apparel formats established in the competitive U.S. market. The same point was driven home by Liz Claiborne’s announcement that it is closing its Mexx stores here (rumor has it that American Eagle Outfitter’s Martin + Osa will be next to go).

The fact is neither the industry or Wall Street is inclined to give new ideas much time to grow, at least not in the current environment. Those that don’t show traction within a relatively short amount of time are destined for the chopping block.

— Marianne Wilson

Live from SPECS: Retail Store of the Year Dinner

A fun give-away added to the excitement at the 25th Retail Store of the Year Design Competition Awards dinner at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Retailers and designers came together at the gala to celebrate their achievements.

All of the winning stores can be viewed on the Chain Store Age home page.

Access 360 Media, a sponsor of the dinner, contributed to the fun—and also demonstrated how new media communications are transforming marketing—by running a text-messaging giveway for a state-of-the art plasma HDTV. Everyone at the dinner was invited to take out their cell phones and send a text message to a special number provided by Access 360 Media.

After the final award was given out (to Barneys New York’s Dallas flagship, which took home the big award, Store of the Year), Lon Otremba, president of Access 360 Media, called one of the participating cell-phone holders. The number was chosen at random and whoever got the call, took home the plasma.

The lucky winner was Shan DiNapoli of Bloomingdale’s!

Left to right, Rick Migliorelli, Ann Taylor Stores; George Holz, Foot Locker; Tom McGee, Toys “R;” Nicholas Tricarico, Tricarico Architecture & Design PC and Yvette Ludwig, marketing, Tricarico, enjoyed themselves at the dinner.


Left to right: Dave Handera, Charming Shoppes; Denny Gerdeman, Chute Gerdeman; and Cathy Fleck, M&M’s World, were all award winners.




Bloomingdale’s Shan DiNapoli with Access 360 Media’s Lon Otremba. DiNapoli won a HDTV plasma in a text-marketing giveaway sponsored by Access 360 Media.

—By Marianne Wilson

The Retail Technology Adjunct

An invitation to speak at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a school in New York City, reminded me just how much I enjoy covering retail technology.

My long-time friend and industry comrade, Frank Riso, senior director, retail operations, for Motorola’s retail industry solutions group, based in Holtsville, N.Y., is finishing his second semester as an adjunct at FIT. When I joined Chain Store Age a year ago, Frank asked if I would be a guest speaker for his “Current Technology in the Fashion Industry” class. Flattered, I accepted.

The graduate class is comprised of 18 students—both male and female. Some are aspiring designers, others want to be buyers or merchandisers. Still others are furthering already-thriving careers in fashion. All students attend to learn how captured product data can further their role in the fashion industry.

Eager to engage last night’s class, I tried to keep my presentation fun. I decided to focus on different solutions that are shaping the customer experience and the retailers that “get it.”

Based on the many questions and statements I received throughout my presentation however (which ranged from “What chains are the top IT users?” “Why don’t retailers do it differently?” to “I don’t agree that technology is the ideal way to run a retail business”), it quickly became clear that I needed to teach my audience the golden rule of retail technology—technology is merely an enabler to improve business operations. Without senior management buy-in, or an educated store-level sales force, technology solutions (especially customer-facing solutions) are nothing more than an expensive investment.

Many thanks to Frank for providing me with my first “adjunct” opportunity, as well as to the class for engaging me in a lively conversation that kept me on my toes. I look forward to chatting with them (and hopefully writing about their companies) in the future.

—By Deena M. Amato-McCoy