DO WE BELIEVE THAT 'FUNG BRANDS' UNDER THE
EXPRIENCED GUIDANCE OF JEAN-MARC LOUBIER
CAN MAKE WHAT WAS A TIRED BRAND IN
HARDY AMIES
SUCCEED?
SUCCEED?
Of late forever on a tilt!!!!
What's the true value of a brand name that has been forgotten and gone through a number of reincarnations and resurrections from the heady days of the founder/designer?
I've been approach a number of times recently as to whether 'down the grape vine' I'd heard of any recognisable and merit worthy brands that might be up for sale for alleged clients in both India and particularly in China.This whole scenario took me back 20 years ago when I sold my advisory/deal making/matchmaking business to the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund (MNOPF) in the City of London who had formed an Investment Trust in partnership with Edmond de Rothschild Banque in Rue du Fauborg Saint - Honere - Paris.
The raison d'etre for the formation of this Anglo/French association was to unearth old and tired brands which might have the added cachet of Royal Warrants and build them back up in profile and then take the benefit of the now accessible global markets by forming flagship stores in London, Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo from which a series of partnership/licensing deals could be struck.
Hardy Amies [Sir] (born 1902, knighted 1989 having gained a Royal Warrant in 1955 and died at the age of 92) designer of very fine couture dresses to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11. He set up in business on his own in 1945.
Hardy Amies was sold to Debenhams in 1973 and then after they sold the company on it
went through a number of semi resuscitation's with Luxury Brands Group(Anthony Lim - Aussino - Singaporean?)/Timothy Maltin (I believe 'x' generations of very successful funeral directors in the Midlands). then more difficult times and the group by now also owning another Royal dress designer Norman Hartnell[Sir].
Somewhere along the way Ian Duncan Smith's (current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) brother was running the operation!
The business was saved(?) by an ex Baugur man from the Icelandic banking debacle with a group named Arev and then in 2008 was finally purchased by Li & Fung.
I've chosen Hardy Amies the brand to make some observations as to the merits, in my opinion, of a non understanding and non marketing organisation, Li & Fung who I suspect don't truly grasp the heritage of this 'tired old brand' and are expecting it to work as a marketing tool to riches.
Li & Fung a massive[$15million?] HK/Chinese multiple sourcing company predominently from China and the Far East of virtually every product sold at retail has 'run the course' of proliferating their supply chain globally and from what I can see have now embarked on buying brands for I suspect their ever growing target market of Mainland China
My question is - does an organisation such as Li& fung truly know how to redevelop a heritage brand such as Hardy Amies??
Let's face it any true brands of marketing merit are either in the hands of the global brand marketing experts or have been revived by careful selection of very large groups that know their market and I'm thinking here particularly of Japan where the groups such as Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi et al have established a methodology of having gained a master licence for a territory as to how to create the chain of joint manufacturing, design and distribution with all the appropriate 'corners' in all the leading stores all very ably supported by magnificent advertising and marketing expertise.
All very understandable rhetoric but - oh boy do such brands need exceptionally deep pockets. So to not commit large marketing budgets 'some less patient' soles decided that the quicker route to funding these budgets was to go out and basically 'SELL LICENSES' for the brand usage where the criteria was that of demanding the highest possible initial payments and onerous minimum annual guarantees.
You get the picture ? yes it attracts the wrong partners/licensees who like the 'then owner of the brands' don't understand the culture and philosophies and with these elements the attitudes, nuances and the feel and mood factors.
If you look at the masters in recreating brands with taste, quality, design and style such as Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy(LVMH), Richemont, Pinault Printemps Redoute(PPR) and others you will find that they have employed experts in the varying fields and allocated sufficient funds to re establish the profile of the brand before going out to seek partners who have the best manufacturing facilities and superb distribution.
It is essential to have 'all the appropriate ducks in a row' before 'pressing these very lucrative buttons' of extra revenue streams.
I've been approach a number of times recently as to whether 'down the grape vine' I'd heard of any recognisable and merit worthy brands that might be up for sale for alleged clients in both India and particularly in China.This whole scenario took me back 20 years ago when I sold my advisory/deal making/matchmaking business to the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund (MNOPF) in the City of London who had formed an Investment Trust in partnership with Edmond de Rothschild Banque in Rue du Fauborg Saint - Honere - Paris.
The raison d'etre for the formation of this Anglo/French association was to unearth old and tired brands which might have the added cachet of Royal Warrants and build them back up in profile and then take the benefit of the now accessible global markets by forming flagship stores in London, Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo from which a series of partnership/licensing deals could be struck.
Hardy Amies [Sir] (born 1902, knighted 1989 having gained a Royal Warrant in 1955 and died at the age of 92) designer of very fine couture dresses to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11. He set up in business on his own in 1945.
Hardy Amies was sold to Debenhams in 1973 and then after they sold the company on it
went through a number of semi resuscitation's with Luxury Brands Group(Anthony Lim - Aussino - Singaporean?)/Timothy Maltin (I believe 'x' generations of very successful funeral directors in the Midlands). then more difficult times and the group by now also owning another Royal dress designer Norman Hartnell[Sir].
Somewhere along the way Ian Duncan Smith's (current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) brother was running the operation!
The business was saved(?) by an ex Baugur man from the Icelandic banking debacle with a group named Arev and then in 2008 was finally purchased by Li & Fung.
I've chosen Hardy Amies the brand to make some observations as to the merits, in my opinion, of a non understanding and non marketing organisation, Li & Fung who I suspect don't truly grasp the heritage of this 'tired old brand' and are expecting it to work as a marketing tool to riches.
Li & Fung a massive[$15million?] HK/Chinese multiple sourcing company predominently from China and the Far East of virtually every product sold at retail has 'run the course' of proliferating their supply chain globally and from what I can see have now embarked on buying brands for I suspect their ever growing target market of Mainland China
Let's face it any true brands of marketing merit are either in the hands of the global brand marketing experts or have been revived by careful selection of very large groups that know their market and I'm thinking here particularly of Japan where the groups such as Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi et al have established a methodology of having gained a master licence for a territory as to how to create the chain of joint manufacturing, design and distribution with all the appropriate 'corners' in all the leading stores all very ably supported by magnificent advertising and marketing expertise.
All very understandable rhetoric but - oh boy do such brands need exceptionally deep pockets. So to not commit large marketing budgets 'some less patient' soles decided that the quicker route to funding these budgets was to go out and basically 'SELL LICENSES' for the brand usage where the criteria was that of demanding the highest possible initial payments and onerous minimum annual guarantees.
You get the picture ? yes it attracts the wrong partners/licensees who like the 'then owner of the brands' don't understand the culture and philosophies and with these elements the attitudes, nuances and the feel and mood factors.
If you look at the masters in recreating brands with taste, quality, design and style such as Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy(LVMH), Richemont, Pinault Printemps Redoute(PPR) and others you will find that they have employed experts in the varying fields and allocated sufficient funds to re establish the profile of the brand before going out to seek partners who have the best manufacturing facilities and superb distribution.
It is essential to have 'all the appropriate ducks in a row' before 'pressing these very lucrative buttons' of extra revenue streams.
All images used on the Leslie Creasey Blog are from my hand
clipped archive documenting 35 years of Style and Design media. For all enquiries please contact leslie@charismatic-brands.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment