Margins are under pressure and consumer behavior is changing faster than ever before. Brands are being forced to make more conscious, strategic and consistent decisions. While many players in the fashion industry are looking for support, NZA New Zealand Auckland has seen remarkably stable growth in retail and wholesale for years. Sales Director Wilberd van Doorn, who has played a crucial role for the label for more than ten years, is jointly responsible for this course. Its story is characterized by craftsmanship, inspiration and vision.
A career built on inspiration
Van Doorn came into the fashion industry through his neighbor Robert Theijssen. However, his professional development was mainly shaped by the people who accompanied him on his path. At fashion retailer Esprit, he learned the basics of business from former director Peter Kruip: structure, discipline and long-term thinking. From Jerry Abma at Danish fashion group Bestseller, he learned how to build sustainable franchise partnerships based on trust and shared entrepreneurship.
He also names Robert Thijssen and Ben Mandemakers as important role models due to their vision and entrepreneurial energy. And then there is Renzo Rosso of the Italian fashion brand Diesel, who has had a lasting influence on his thinking about branding. “A man I can’t forget when it comes to brand thinking and brand building,” says Van Doorn. All of these mentors form the basis of his leadership style: being available, listening well, making clear decisions and maintaining consistency. “Warm on the outside, but clear and steadfast in the decisions we make together.”
From retail to brand building: staying the course in a changing industry
According to Van Doorn, the fashion industry is in the midst of fundamental change. “We are moving from the way we worked in the 1980s to the reality of 2030. It used to be mostly about retail, now it’s about building brands.” NZA made this change early on. The brand discontinued women’s and children’s fashion and focused entirely on men’s casualwear. This was a conscious decision for brand value over volume and remains at the heart of the strategy today.
NZA now has around sixty mono-brand stores and works with carefully selected retail partners worldwide, with shop-in-shop concepts playing an important role. The philosophy is deliberately clear: controlled sales, collaboration with the best instead of the most entrepreneurs and a pricing policy that protects the brand value. As Van Doorn puts it: “We don’t want the most customers in a city, we want the best.” The example of Middelburg shows how this approach works in practice: your own business, coupled with a strategic partner who presents the brand at the highest level.
International expansion: Expansion with vision, partners and agility
NZA’s international strategy is a logical continuation of the successful approach in the Netherlands. Thanks to short lines between management, product development, sales and the brand team, the brand can react quickly to market changes. Although the basic collection remains the same everywhere, the accents are subtly adjusted depending on the country. Germany simply demands different qualities than Spain, while the brand DNA always remains recognizable.
Successful initiatives in recent years include the focus on monobrand stores, a defensive pricing policy and the decision to work with our own salespeople instead of agents. In the Netherlands, NZA consciously relies on family businesses. These are entrepreneurs who not only sell the brand, but also embody it. The expansion plans are ambitious. “Internationally, we see potential for fifty to sixty new stores,” says Van Doorn. The current focus is on Germany and Belgium, where several new stores are opening this year, including six in March and another six to seven in September. In Belgium, a new branch is being added in Hasselt.
Leadership as a growth engine
Van Doorn’s leadership style is sober, approachable and goal-oriented. He believes in clarity, but above all in trust. “When someone comes with a good idea, nine times out of ten I say: Do it,” he says. His motivation lies in building a strong A-brand in Europe and promoting young talent. A piece of advice for those starting out in their careers fits in perfectly: Start at the bottom, be curious, show initiative and use the first few years to absorb everything. “It’s only after four to five years that you can really specialize.”
This brings the story back to the core of his career: the value of people. Today he passes on the insights, support and inspiration he received to the next generation. This is what makes his leadership so relevant to the future of NZA.
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