New Danish design and innovative QR codes

Vero Moda, a womenswear brand from the clothing group Bestseller, is at home on the east coast of the Danish peninsula of Jutland. The bestseller headquarters are located directly in the port of the city of Aarhus – one of three in Denmark.

In the distance you can see the glass tower that is at the front of the nested building, which is reminiscent of the game of Tetris with its high and low blocks. Even from the outside it is clear that Danish design is being created here. The Scandinavian-minimalist aesthetic not only determines the architecture and interior design, but also the collections in the 14 different showrooms.

We got exclusive insights into the world of Vero Moda on site. But Vero Moda is not just Vero Moda. The brand surprised with its modern hype line, which is not typically Scandinavian, and showed its original approach to the digital world. It’s not about the metaverse, but about a QR code that is intended to promote resale.

Restructuring at Vero Moda

Vero Moda’s Brand Director Henrik Matthiesen has worked for the Danish fashion group Bestseller for the second time in his more than 20 years. He has been in charge of business at Vero Moda for about two years. Since then, the brand has made some changes and also reshuffled the management team. Sales Director Susanne Buur Ildsvad has been part of the management team since April 2022. But there were also restructurings on the creative side. Mathilde Mathislund has been responsible for design for the sub-brand ‘Aware’ since June.

Vero Moda is represented with its sub-brands in 68 markets. These include Australia, where the brand is represented by the department store chain Myer, and the USA. The brand’s Scandinavian DNA is well known on the domestic market and in Europe.

In many markets, including Germany, Vero Moda builds on long-term partnerships with retailers. This also includes the Düsseldorf fashion retailer Peek & Cloppenburg, where the range was previously only available in e-commerce. From the AW23 season, however, the cooperation should be intensified again and the collections should then also be available in physical stores in Germany. At least those were the plans before the fashion retailer in March went into protective shield proceedings.

Wholesale plays a major role in the brand’s distribution strategy. However, Vero Moda is also represented with 640 stores worldwide. About half of these are operated independently and the other half is entrusted to franchise partners.

The creative playground

For some time now, Vero Moda has also been working with influencers. These are used as the faces of the main brand, but are particularly in focus in the new, more experimental line ‘0803 Something New’. The content creators are actively involved in the collections and, like Naomi Anwer and Madeleine Pedersen, are given their own capsule. The summery, casual and at the same time elegant collection with the Australian Pia Mance was recently launched.

Every month there is a new project that can be implemented with other brands and companies in addition to the influencers. Overall, the project does not follow the usual norms of the main brand. The set bestseller dimensions for the collections are thrown overboard and a skirt, for example, is just a good deal shorter. The responsible creative team gets its freedom and can really let off steam. Something New relies on ‘Big Data’ in order to recognize and fulfill the wishes of the customers.

Apparently, this is also well received in their own ranks, since the samples of the new collections are always “in great demand”. In terms of distribution, however, Something New only focuses on certain key accounts.

However, Vero Moda keeps creating new approaches for the main line that are not aimed at all markets. Last summer, for example, pieces by ‘Vero Moda Boutique’ were shown for the first time, which are specifically aimed at the French and southern European markets. However, they are now also finding favor in new markets such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Such collections, which are adapted to the respective markets and circumstances – such as weather conditions – with their cuts, patterns and styles, are not marketed as a separate sub-brand like Aware or Something New.

Vero Moda Girl

So that younger target groups are not neglected, there has also been a line for girls between the ages of six and 14 for some time. This is presented in a showroom that is reminiscent of a classroom with chalk paintings on a blackboard wall and its simple benches. However, the pieces are then presented – as in most of the showrooms in the building – in front of a plain background, with hangers on simple clothes rails.

The collections convey the looks of the Vero Moda world with skilful tailoring in the sizes of the young target group. A fresh twist with casual looks inspired by skateboard and college styles for the coming fall and cozy materials such as velvet and knitwear shows how kidswear can not only be practical but also fashionable.

Vero Moda Girl is currently available from retailers such as Zalando, About You and Baur. In the future, the line will be divided into two age groups – six to twelve and older girls.

Relaunch of Aware

Not completely new, but the Subline Aware presents itself with a new coat of paint. In addition to the new creative director Mathislund, there is also a new logo and branding.

For the relaunch, Mathislund relies on timeless designs with improved quality in order to strengthen the longevity of the pieces. In the more elegant collection – with looks for everyday life, but also for the night – natural fabrics such as wool and cotton play an important role.

Resale via QR tag

Alongside the collection, the theme of longevity provided another surprise in Something New’s rather ordinary showroom. An employee pulled out a QR code tag from one of the pieces, which is intended to support the resale of the products.

By scanning the code, customers get information, data and even images that could be useful for resale. So the pieces don’t go back to the seller, as is the case with other concepts, but can simply be offered on a resale platform like the Facebook marketplace. In addition to Something New, Vero Moda is also testing this service at Aware.

This also applies to the new store concept that Vero Moda launched in Denmark last year. It can now also be discovered in several German stores and will soon be used in other markets such as the Netherlands. However, the concept is also a continuous process that is adapted to the respective needs of the markets. A hybrid approach with in-store orders can also be part of this concept. However, here too, the focus is on the needs of the customers who come to the store to physically experience the goods.

Vero Moda has invited FashionUnited to visit their headquarters to launch the FW23 collection.