CASE STUDY

Empowering a Fashion Brand to Navigate Global Trends through Learning and Development

By equipping the team with the knowledge and tools to understand and implement global fashion trends, the brand was able to successfully expand into new markets, establishing itself as a competitive player on the international stage

The Situation

A Polish fashion brand faced the challenge of limited international fashion experience as it prepared to expand into Western Europe, including a flagship store in London.

As a Polish fashion brand headquartered in Gdańsk prepared to expand into Western Europe, including the launch of a flagship store in London, the team encountered a significant challenge: they needed more international fashion experience. The team, composed primarily of local talent, had limited exposure to the global fashion landscape, making it more difficult to fully integrate and adapt international trends into their collections. This gap in global market insight posed a challenge for the brand’s successful expansion into new markets.

The Challenge

How can the brand’s team be equipped to read, understand, and implement global fashion trends, creating collections that resonate in international markets?

Approach

To bridge the knowledge gap and ensure the brand's successful expansion, we developed a comprehensive strategy centred around Learning and Development and cultural adaptation:

Seasonal Trend and Direction Presentations: We introduced a series of trend and direction presentations, held four times a year, to educate and align the teams within the company. These presentations were designed to translate global fashion trends and market directions, making them accessible to the team in Gdansk.
In-Depth Trend Research: Our team conducted extensive trend research, including purchasing, reading, and analysing trend books, attending major fashion trade shows across Europe, and organising cultural research trips. This research was the foundation of the presentations, ensuring that the information provided was both current and relevant.
Culturalization Process: To support the team in gaining a deeper understanding of international fashion trends, we introduced a 'culturalization' process. This approach was designed to present global trends in a way that aligned with the team’s existing expertise, making them more accessible and actionable. By fostering this connection, we helped bridge the gap between global fashion insights and the local team's strengths, facilitating their growth and adaptation to new markets.
Highlighting Key Trends: We focused on identifying the most critical global trends that were compatible with the brand’s main markets. By narrowing down the vast array of global trends to those most relevant, we helped the team prioritise and implement the trends that would have the greatest impact on their collections.

"...brought immense value to the company, teaching us to approach and understand fashion in new ways. Everyone who worked with him and his team were impressed by their insight and knowledge."

Chief Financial Officer

Results

The brand increased team engagement and motivation, unified its understanding of global trends, and successfully implemented them into collections, leading to higher sales and a stronger market presence in Western Europe.

The strategy led to a transformation in how the brand approached trend integration and market understanding:

Increased Team Engagement and Motivation: The seasonal presentations and educational initiatives boosted team morale, making them more engaged and motivated to embrace global trends.
Unified Understanding of Fashion Trends: We established a common understanding of fashion trends and market directions across the company, aligning the team’s efforts and ensuring consistency in their approach.
Successful Trend Implementation and Sales: The team successfully implemented global trends into their collections, leading to increased sales and a stronger market presence in Western Europe.
Empowered Creative Resources: The strategy enabled the proper functioning of creative roles within the company, including designers and trend researchers, who now had a clear direction and framework to guide their work.
Effective Seasonal Brand Strategy: The brand’s seasonal strategies were executed with greater confidence and clarity, leading to successful collection launches and a stronger brand identity in new markets.