expert
Interview with Sergey Pishchulin
Sergey Pishchulin Founder of Showroom Moscow Russian Designers, a unique project that exclusively presents Russian brands to wholesale customers from all over Russia. We talked with Sergey about how Russian designers are perceived in the regions of our country, what is the most important thing when working with buyers and how a novice brand can properly prepare for a sales campaign.
– How was the idea born to work exclusively with Russian brands? How were the first brands selected for work, who was it?
The idea was born in 2010, when I was engaged in the business development of Anastasia Lyubimtseva's Clothing Factory No. 1. Our main client was Alyona Akhmadullina, for whom we were engaged in designing collections. We attended all the fitting sessions and knew the product from the inside, so it was not surprising that Alyona offered me to sell her collections.
After working two seasons with Alena's collections in Paris in the MC2 showroom, I was inspired by the existing demand for Russian designers and decided to assemble a group of brands and present it in Milan, in the Tutti Frutti showroom at Natalia Tokina. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Natalia: she is a business professional and a storehouse of knowledge and experience.
My group of designers grew and changed, and in 2014 we were joined by the brand Graviteight, whose sales I was engaged in in Milan. Natalia Tokina already didn't have enough space for us, so I opened my own Showroom Moscow Russian Designers in Moscow, on Novy Arbat, with a representative office in Milan.
– What do you pay attention to when starting work, are there any special requirements for brands, collections?
– Our requirements for new brands are quite simple. Firstly, the mandatory presence of a PR manager in the brand, who actively works with stars, the press and photographers. There are a lot of brands now, and it is impossible to convince buyers to purchase a new brand without PR support. Secondly, an experienced financier is needed, who constantly thinks about how to reduce costs, and keeps the designer within the budget. If this employee is not there, then the designer constantly goes beyond and begins to create beautiful, but unsold things. Finally, the original design. Every product has the brand's handwriting, DNA should be read in every blouse and skirt, things from all collections and all seasons should be combined. You are not born with this knowledge, you acquire it, and the most effective way is to work for a big well-known brand and gain experience before starting your own career. For example, designers who have worked with Alena Akhmadullina will be able to easily build their own brand or work for Western brands.
– Tell us how sales started in the regions? How were Russian designers received at first and has the perception changed over time?
– The construction of a regional network began with the collections of Alena Akhmadullina, and with each new brand that joined us, the number of regional outlets was constantly growing. For example, Alina German, one of the best-selling brands in Russia at the moment, is represented in 46 boutiques in Russia, 42 of them are our personal sale.
We value our regional partners very much, and they will trust our opinion. We always communicate with the regions and keep them up to date with the news and changes in Russian fashion, so they easily accept all the brands that we have been offering for the last 8 years.
– Which regions are most actively buying? And what categories?
– At the moment we have a database of 228 regional partners, we have worked out 16 sales campaigns and written more than 2,500 orders.
It is profitable to buy Russian brands for many reasons, including:
- Prices in rubles. Customers are insured against the euro exchange rate, and many have already appreciated this advantage.
- Shipment from Moscow without customs takes only 3–4 days.
- End customers themselves are increasingly giving preference to Made in Russia brands.
Our regional partners were the first to appreciate these advantages.
The cities with millions of people are the most actively buying. There are 15 of them in Russia. In these cities there is an active social life, there are reasons for going out, popular restaurants, artists come regularly, well, in general, people tend to buy more clothes and follow fashion. Kazan, Samara, St. Petersburg and Volgograd stand out noticeably in terms of procurement volumes.
Our main regular customers:TSUM (Moscow),VIP (Kazan),Q (Minsk),Sensum (Baku),Podium (Magnitogorsk),Golden Line (Surgut),Arc de Triomphe» (Tula), «Danata» (Nalchik), Very (St. Petersburg), «Wave» (Samara).
The best-selling article was, is and will be – this dress. Evening, cocktail, casual, basic, for special occasions – they all sell great.
Buyers primarily pay attention to the lookbook. It must be removed in accordance with international standards. Things should look presentable, no amateur activity and unnecessary creativity. Buyers are not ready to risk their budgets by looking at a lookbook taken by a novice photographer. Professionals such as Andrey Revko and Daniil Berg should work here.
– Are there any plans to work with foreign buyers? If so, which market are you considering first?
We have been working with foreign clients since 2017. The first customers were boutiques from the Emirates, China, Japan, Tunisia and Kuwait, and our network is constantly growing.
– Please give three expert tips to designers preparing their first season and sales campaign.
– Can you identify any general trends in procurement?
There is only one rule in procurement: increase the order amount in all ways. The first way is to make collections not of 20 items, but of 120. The second way is to sell not individual items, but composite images. The most difficult image that I have sold in my life is the Graviteight SS15 collection: a skirt, a transparent mesh T-shirt, a corset, a scarlet peplum under it, a wide obi belt on top, and a thin long quilted belt on top of it. The wholesale price of this image is 80,000 rubles. In two sizes - 160,000 rubles. The average order for this brand is 1.2 million rubles. The more you tell the buyer and show variations of combinations, the bigger your check.
Photos provided by an expert.