A lot is happening in the S.Oliver Group portfolio. After the recent takeover of the womenswear brand Lala Berlin, the Rottendorf-based clothing provider is also realigning the accessories area of the main brand of the same name.
FashionUnited spoke to Chief Product Officer Sonja Balodis about the current order round in Düsseldorf. In an interview, the group’s product manager reveals how the current order went, what she took with her from last autumn for FW24 and what the group is focusing on when expanding the portfolio.
What was the current order round for S.Oliver?
We feel a spirit of optimism. This was also evident when we celebrated 50 years of Comma with a fashion show here in the showroom. At that point, it became clear to retailers that we were developing in the right direction.
And what is the mood among the retailers?
You are looking forward to the dialogue with us. At this time it is even more important to seek this exchange, including with different providers. Especially with the loss of the Berlin trade fairs, it is great to have the Düsseldorf trade fair platform.
What topics come up?
It’s about product control and dealing with the current consumer mood. Everyone had a good first half of 2023. However, the second half was challenging due to the warm September. So there are many topics that we can talk about and learn from each other.
What is correct in which month and how much do we contribute? Where do we as an industry take risks to stock our partners with strong items that can perform well over three or four months? What are reliable, strong items that are simply relevant for that particular season? Which top sellers can we enable you to follow?
What learnings did you take with you from last fall?
That we really have to adapt to weather scenarios and evaluate exactly what we offer and when. We have to think more in terms of monthly capsules, which allow us to react more flexibly to different weather scenarios.
That’s why we looked intensively into the strength of materials and increasingly designed them for transition phases. Layering is also a central topic: How do you complete the look with and without a jacket? How variably can I combine individual pieces to create different looks? We also aligned our color concepts accordingly.
Does this hybrid topic also play a role?
Even though back-to-back puffer jackets are still important, we have strengthened hybrid themes in the outdoor area. We approached the topic very technically and with a lot of innovation, for example through bonding and heat-tech equipment.
Is there still a sense of reluctance when it comes to outerwear?
Especially with outerwear, the right timing of delivery is important in order to be able to sell at full price. In the future, we will be more flexible in order to adapt the control of certain items or product groups to the weather forecast – also by region. While coats worked great in northern Germany and Austria, it was simply too warm in the middle of Germany.
We can hardly rely on the previous year’s experience when it comes to outerwear. Both when it comes to weather conditions, which are never constant. But also on unplannable supply chain influences. This was very stable last year, but is currently affected by the conditions at the Suez Canal. Here we have to find a good balance between planning in procurement and delivery flexibility in terms of space.
How do the conditions in the Suez Canal affect your supply chain?
Of course, we are currently behind schedule due to developments in the Suez Canal. It takes two weeks for the February collections to be delivered, and the sale phase is extended accordingly. Nevertheless, we are still within the delivery window for almost all items. We have also taken the necessary measures for the March collections and are again increasingly delivering at the beginning of the delivery window.
What’s going well in FW24 womenswear?
For us it’s blouses and finer knits. The retailers were happy that we played a lot of knitting options that are less bulky. This is going really very well.
And in menswear?
In menswear we offer beautiful new colors for polos and T-shirts. The shirt is also becoming increasingly important in the casual sector, for example in very beautiful lilac and mint tones. We are also playing with new color looks for the trousers, such as grey-beige – greige – and sand. We also combine chocolate brown with gray. So combinations that have not been seen in recent years.
Did you have to adjust the price ranges further?
We were able to essentially maintain our price levels for 2024 because we already made adjustments in 2023. This means that partners can continue to count on initial and strong mid-price ranges. It’s now more about our collection orientation, which focuses more on high quality.
That means we raise the price gap a little bit and start, but always with a corresponding price-performance ratio and therefore added value. We’ve invested in great blends – for example a wool blend for a turtleneck at a slightly higher price point.
Lala Berlin has recently also become part of the S.Oliver Group portfolio. Should this be expanded further?
With our brands QS, S.Oliver, Comma, Copenhagen Studios, Liebeskind Berlin and now also Lala Berlin, we have a strong portfolio with which we operate in different price ranges, fashion levels and target groups. As a group, we offer these and potentially other brands or start-ups an ideal platform to develop and grow – be it in terms of supplier portfolio, logistics processing, but also in terms of technology. We can and will continue to develop further, for example in the area of accessories and licenses or in the curvy segment, to which we are returning. But I can’t reveal any more here today.