Serving The Customer
Forward’s shopper wants more eveningwear and the e-commerce site is getting into private label for the first time to give it to her.
The e-commerce site, part of the now public Los Angelesbased Revolve Group, this week is launching Reve Riche, its first in-house brand. The line is about two dozen pieces of evening and cocktail wear aimed at a younger female consumer, likely one that takes inspiration from the Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid style book. The fabrics are slinky and the slits are high.
“Our girl is going out to parties and invited to events and wants to be dressed up,” April Koza, Forward’s vice president, said. “She’s always on the hunt for that black tie or cocktail dress.”
For Forward, getting into eveningwear is an effort to fill what it sees as a hole in the market. The pieces are more sexy than trendy and the price point is generally under $1,000. Although the category and the styles were based more on input from buyers of Forward and Revolve and what they’ve seen and noticed is — or isn’t — available over the last couple of years, Koza said the price point was driven by company data.
“We made sure it was priced in place where [our shopper] wouldn’t think too hard about buying it,” Koza said. As the pieces were manufactured in a relatively limited run, compared to in-house lines over at Revolve (which are also at a lower price point), she’s expecting to essentially sellthrough. But the Forward line is using “a different approach” in manufacturing from Revolve’s other lines, Koza said, given Reve Riche is positioning itself more in the luxury category. There’s silk and mesh, crystal beading and some constructed bodices.
“We’re going to really get behind it from a marketing perspective, seeding it to influencers and models and stylists, so the plan is to sell out and take it from there,” Koza added of the initial run.
She’s hoping for some red carpet moments coming up, but declined to speak specifically about sales outlook. But Koza is hoping that the influencer-focused marketing Revolve has used to great effect (although its stock is now trading at less than half the price of its June IPO debut) will work for Reve Riche as well.
“I hope [Kendall] wants to wear some of it,” Koza said. “We want it on the ‘It’ girls.” — KALI HAYS