Zara to open denim customization pop-ups in three stores

Zara will launch a service to embroider names onto denim clothing in Europe this month, latching onto a customization trend which has seen shoppers able to create their own Levi’s jeans or design their Nike sneakers instore.

Sneakers and jeans makers like Adidas, Nike and Levi’s have been offering customiza- tion for several years, where customers can add their own modifications to clothes and shoes.

Although it’s considered a hot trend, it hasn’t brought much in the way of revenue so far.

Pop-up customization corners in three Zara stores in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Milan will embroider words on 13 different denim designs from a 19.95 euro ($22.50) pair of shorts to a 39.95 euro jacket from March 27, the company said on Wednesday.

Customers of Inditex-owned Zara in Italy, Britain, the Netherlands and Spain will be able to order personalized items from the ranges online for de- livery or pick-up instore in an initial roll-out to test demand, a company spokesman said.

Respondents to the BoFMcKinsey Global Fashion survey identified personalization as the number one trend in 2018.

Customization ranges from smaller adaptations such as embroidery instore to products designed almost totally by the customer like Adidas’s “Knit for You” pop-up stores that create bespoke sweaters in a matter of hours.