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CASE STUDY

Revitalizing a Womenswear Brand to Drive Growth for a Leading Fashion Retailer

Through the process of Brand and Marketing Revitalization, the brand not only refreshed its market presence but also set a new standard for growth and innovation in Central and Eastern European women’s fashion.

The Situation

The brand faced stagnation and sales decline due to a narrow focus on the Polish market, misaligned innovations, and unclear positioning, leading to vague customer profiles and confusing product offerings.

A well-known Central and Eastern European womenswear brand faced a period of stagnation, with sales flattening over several seasons. The brand's team was focused on catering to the local Polish market, which led to a narrow focus that hindered broader innovation and trend adoption. Despite several attempts to introduce new trends and product innovations, these efforts fell short, as they did not align with the brand’s history, core identity, or the evolving expectations of its target customers.

As a result, the brand lost direction, with unclear positioning and product offerings. The target customer profile had become vague, and the collections lacked focus, suffering from duplication and overlapping products that confused rather than inspired shoppers.

The Challenge

How could the brand refresh its products, collections, marketing, and overall brand experience to grow while retaining its loyal customer base and attracting new ones?

Approach

Our approach involved a deep dive into the brand’s essence and the needs of its customers. The methodology included:

Brand and Market Analysis: We conducted an in-depth analysis of the brand’s history, current product lines, and collections through collection mapping. This process was supplemented by store visits and extensive consultations with the internal team. Research focused on understanding the psychology and needs of women in Central and Eastern Europe, highlighting the differences between these consumers and those in other global markets.
Strengths Reinforcement: The strategy centred on reinforcing the brand’s core strengths—its local identity, rich history, and the focus on women’s fashion. We crafted a new brand narrative that packaged these strengths for a global audience, creating a womenswear-led brand experience that resonated both locally and internationally.
Targeted Product Strategy: A new product and collection strategy was developed, targeting four core customer types. This approach minimised product duplication, allowing the brand to better serve its existing customers while strategically diversifying to attract new ones.
Change Management and Team Alignment: We facilitated a change management process to unify the team around the new strategy. The team had been divided between two visions—one focused on sustainability and less gendered styles, and the other on luxury and status signalling. We integrated these perspectives into a cohesive brand strategy that balanced modern trends with the brand’s traditional appeal.
Omnichannel Brand Experience: An omnichannel brand experience strategy was implemented, establishing common goals and a shared vision across all departments. This system of interdepartmental cooperation ensured a consistent and compelling brand experience across all customer touchpoints.

“... had an expert knowledge and understanding of CEE markets. Together, we`ve defined brand targets and through the years his team has supported our marketing strategy of keeping the brand`s DNA while expanding into other CEE markets. His knowledge and experience in fashion industry is indisputable and invaluable.”

Visual Communication Director

Results

The brand achieved significant growth in store and e-commerce sales, improved margins, expanded into key markets, and increased full-price sales, outperforming other brands in its group.

The revitalization strategy delivered remarkable results within two years:

Store Sales Surge: The brand saw a large increase in store sales, outperforming other brands in the group, which averaged less growth in store sales.
E-commerce Growth: E-commerce sales skyrocketed ,again outpacing other brands in the group, which averaged less growth.
Margin Improvement: The brand experienced growth in store and e-commerce margins, while other brands in the group saw decline during the same period.
Market Expansion: The brand successfully grew its presence in key markets outside of Poland.
Increased Full-Price Sales: The brand achieved an increase in full-price sales, reducing the need for prolonged discount periods and allowing the team to focus more on new trends and inspirational product offerings.