Tamara Mellon returns with direct-to-consumer business model
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London - Tamara Mellon is said to have already had her mind set on launching a direct to consumer business model back in 2013. Now, three years and one Chapter 11 bankruptcy later, the footwear designer is back with a her new vision and brand - one which isn't that far off from the 'See Now, Buy Now,' model currently being taken on by designers such as Burberry and Tom Ford.
Mellon officially launched her new brand via ecommerce on Monday and made it crystal clear that her new footwear eponymous brand will be vastly different from her former company. For example, the new brand solely offers footwear, no apparel for a fraction of the price of her former design. This is in part linked to her decision to shift her business model to direct-to-consumer, which sees prices for her debut collection starting at 350 dollars and going up to 1,495 dollars for leather trousers/boots.
However the design maintains that lower prices do not equal lower quality. "I’m in the same bucket as my competitors, Jimmy Choo and Louboutin, on the design and quality [level], but because I don’t have a wholesale margin, my shoes are going to be half the price," said Mellon to the Observer. "I was actually able to improve my quality even more because I don’t have to squeeze myself into certain margins." The new footwear line has been divided into three categories; The Frontline, Collection and Lab.
The first collection includes a key style to be carried over from the designer's former brand, the Frontline - a strappy sandal which has worn by celebrities across the globe on the red carpet. The second range, the Collection, consists of more classical styles, such as block-heeled pumps, over the thigh boots, pointed loafers and ankle boots as well as her signature legging-boots, now retailing for 500 dollars less than before.
In other words, the Collection aims to offer shoes which women "needs to live and needs for the next five years", according to Mellon. Lastly, the Lab, consists of more trend-driven styles, which will be available in limited edition capsule collections. The designer aims to release betweeen three to five Lab styles each month, including chreey-red honeycomb boots.
In addition, Tamara Mellon also offers additional services for its customers, such as free shipping and returns and a complimentary Cobbler Concierge, which will fix or refresh any pair of Tamara Mellon shoes for free. The co-founder and former CEO of Jimmy Choo also aims on listening closely to the needs of her customers, to ensure she is delivering what they want.
"Designers used to sit in their ivory towers and dictate trends," she said. "God forbid the customer ever had an opinion and voice about anything. Now we have direct communication with our customers; I talk to them on a daily basis and actually ask for their feedback.”