The fashion brand Joop! Appointed an increase from the order business for autumn 2025. In the interview, Brand Director Thorsten Stiebing speaks about his expectations of the wholesale business, the mood in the industry and about which regions are going well.
The brand of the Swiss fashion group Holy Fashion Group has continuously expanded abroad in recent years – for example in the United Arab Emirates and with new stores in Poland. Joop is now generating! 40 percent of its sales internationally and 60 percent in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
How do you perceive the situation and mood in the industry?
After talks at the trade fair in Düsseldorf and with an industry player: Inside, it turns out that retailers are currently faced with several challenges. The focus is on inventory stocks and the further development of business models. In addition, some companies deal intensively with their commerciality. Despite these challenges, there are also optimistic votes in the industry.
What was it about?
How do the KPIs, margins, the distribution of yield, the sales rates and the inventory develop? These are the central questions.
They also mentioned that there is a certain optimism.
The export markets continue to develop stable, especially in Poland, where the market mood is optimistic. Overall, the export countries have a positive development. In Germany there are discussions with business owners: Interior and buyer: The focus on the inside. While economic key figures are initially discussed, the collection then focuses on, which is mostly rated positively. The focus on the product itself often leads to a relaxed atmosphere in conversations.
Five years ago we spoke to each other for the last time. At that time it was about duplication and expansion. How is it Joop! have been passed since then?
The sales development has exceeded expectations. The Wholesale turnover could be more than doubled, the online business recorded strong growth, and the license sales have also developed positively. The company has increased significantly since 2020, we got well from the Corona period and have successfully used the phase after the pandemic.
And how did it go for Joop! The past two years?
In 2023 we continued to record double-digit growth in the wholesale and strong growth in the online area. Our annual growth is an average of between 15 and 18 percent online. The final figures for 2024 are not yet available, but a high level of growth is expected.
How do you rate the current order season HW25?
The pre -order phase is currently running and a single -digit growth is expected.
And how can the follow -up business be seen?
Further growth is expected in the post-order business. The collection should be considered as a whole, I am optimistic about development.
What is the relationship between the preliminary order and the post -order with you?
The proportion of the post -order is regularly between 20 and 23 percent, depending on the article group. The subsequent order plays an important role in jeans, suits and certain jersey styles and records good results. An increase of 14 percent was achieved in the warehouse last year.
Trends seem to blur in the fashion world. The streetwear trend denies, the topic of silent luxury is now a number of seasons old. What is important for a brand like Joop, fashionable?
In the menswear, the proportion of casual wear continues to increase, while suits are in demand, especially in the wedding segment. High -quality materials and constant quality standards are crucial.
What’s going on at Joop?
Sportswear and jackets have a strong demand for us, as well as coats and rope, especially in the area of knitting goods there is significant growth. Shirts are currently more difficult, but they experience a positive development in the fashionable segment. The focus is currently mainly on Jersey and rope that run particularly well. A silhouette change can be seen in the pants, which the customer follows. Wide is particularly top sellers in women, the same trend is shown in men, which leads to very good sales growth.
Do you rely on colors or keep yourself covered?
The combination of light gray and beige is currently particularly sold, often supplemented by accent colors.
Many complained about the weather last year. How do you deal with inconsistent weather conditions?
The start of the season was positive because we already had cool temperatures in September, which benefited us. Unfortunately, it was no longer sufficiently cold afterwards to achieve another thrust. Nevertheless, the sales rates for jackets were good. Therefore, this is a problem for us neither in the current year nor in the previous order.
How can you imagine the exchange between Joop and trade?
We have our own teams who deal with the analysis and evaluate the data for us. The process has become more technical, but it remains important to bring creativity and fun into the collection. Otherwise, a purely analytical approach would lead to a very basic product range, such as T-shirts, polo hirts and circular collars. The radiance of the brand is still crucial.
To what extent is it possible to request if a certain part is going really well and is not part of the never-out-of-stock program?
Our bestsellers are planned so that they are not fully sold out. For example, a customer buys 80 percent of a jacket, while 20 percent remain in the warehouse. These remaining 20 percent are usually also sold. In addition, sales are often made via NOS products.
What does the order process now look like at Joop! out of? Where do you have to be digitally and physically as a fire today?
The Pitti remains a relevant industry meeting point to exchange ideas and observe developments. In addition, there are also many activities in the showrooms. We recently opened a large flagship showroom in Düsseldorf. A significant part of the orders are now digital, especially for export scor: inside, as this is cost -efficient. An estimated digital orders make up about 20 percent.
In the past, they have played with the thought of opening a few of their own flagship stores-also in Germany. Do you continue to pursue this idea?
We opened three shops in Poland last year and are planning a new store in Frankfurt in Fressgasse for next year. We intend to continue to open stores and shop-in-shops. Shops are important for a brand because they bundle the activities.
Do you have any other expansion plans – such as for new countries or regions?
We are now represented in the United Arab Emirates. We work with good distributors and are represented in the relevant shops. The United Arab Emirates will play an important role for us in the future because the market has developed strongly there.