Buyers at Barneys New York took note last fall when some slouchy black cargo pants sold quickly at full price. When a pale-blue version for spring also sold briskly, the buyers pounced. They asked the label to put the $288 pants, from designer Ulla Johnson, on a “replenishment” program to keep them in stock year round.
Replenishment is a fashion-industry term that shoppers would do well to learn. It means an item is so well designed and constructed that it reliably sells out. Replenishment pieces are the industry’s quiet blockbusters, and stores make it worth a designer’s while to keep churning them out, season after season.
If only there were a best-seller list for fashion. Many women might use it to pursue the Holy Grail for a closet—a replenishable wardrobe. What would you give to be able to replace your worn-but-favorite suit jacket, the one that emerges from a suitcase unwrinkled, fits like it was custom-made and turns even a ragged T-shirt into a power look?
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ON STYLE
Fashion’s Secret Blockbusters
Savvy shoppers build their wardrobes around classic-but-current core pieces that stores keep on ‘replenishment’
ENLARGE
F. MARTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; STYLING BY ANNE CARDENAS (5)
By CHRISTINA BINKLEY
May 27, 2015 1:34 p.m. ET
1 COMMENTS
Buyers at Barneys New York took note last fall when some slouchy black cargo pants sold quickly at full price. When a pale-blue version for spring also sold briskly, the buyers pounced. They asked the label to put the $288 pants, from designer Ulla Johnson, on a “replenishment” program to keep them in stock year round.
Replenishment is a fashion-industry term that shoppers would do well to learn. It means an item is so well designed and constructed that it reliably sells out. Replenishment pieces are the industry’s quiet blockbusters, and stores make it worth a designer’s while to keep churning them out, season after season.
If only there were a best-seller list for fashion. Many women might use it to pursue the Holy Grail for a closet—a replenishable wardrobe. What would you give to be able to replace your worn-but-favorite suit jacket, the one that emerges from a suitcase unwrinkled, fits like it was custom-made and turns even a ragged T-shirt into a power look?
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Net-a-Porter and other stores maintain a steady supply of favorites that return season after season by popular demand. WSJ's Christina Binkley reports. Photo: F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal
If it were Alexander McQueen’s black crepe blazer, you could nearly always find it at Net-a-Porter, which regularly stocks that jacket and matching flared pants.
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Sarah Rutson, Net-a-Porter’s vice president of global buying, can tick off an entire wardrobe of replenishment items from the luxury online retailer. There is a Rick Owens leather biker jacket, Gianvito Rossi leopard-print pumps and a ribbed cashmere sweater from The Row. Toss Proenza Schouler’s black-and-white striped slubbed-cotton top over the Balmain stretch leather skinny pants, add Saint Laurent’s Jane sandals, and you’ve assembled an entire outfit that can be replaced in the event of a dry-cleaner accident.
Retailers don’t promote replenishment because they always try hard to make their assortments look fresh and new. Stores are obsessed with convincing shoppers that the merchandise must be purchased immediately before it sells out. But replenishment is the gasoline that keeps the engine running.
A Rick Owens washed-leather biker jacket that is on replenishment at Net-a-Porter ENLARGE
A Rick Owens washed-leather biker jacket that is on replenishment at Net-a-Porter PHOTO: F. MARTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; STYLING BY ANNE CARDENAS
Most labels couldn’t survive without these core best-sellers, which they keep on hand with minor updates season after season. They are wardrobe workhorses—the perfectly cut pants, the wear-it-anywhere suit, the not-too-memorable cocktail dress that is perfect for any occasion. Brands can manufacture them in large quantities, making them the most profitable apparel they produce.
Black Halo’s “Jackie O” dress helps pay for much of the rest of the label’s business, says Sean Pattison, co-owner of the company. Saks keeps it on replenishment in three colors, ordering several hundred at a time and distributing them among stores, he says. An off-kilter neckline and a defined waist with draping at the bust give the dress a nearly universal fit. “We’ve been shipping Jackie consistently since 2006,” says Mr. Pattison.
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Replenishment deals vary by store and brand, but in general, stores ask a brand to maintain inventory of the item ready to ship quickly when it runs low. Sometimes stores asks for special colors that will be exclusive to them. Ideally, the stores never run out of stock, but predicting sales is ticklish. Net-a-Porter is currently low or out of a number of its replenishment items. Ms. Rutson says that is because fast growth is making it hard to gauge quantities accurately.
Replenishment stock—also known as “core” stock—is usually a relative bargain; attractive prices are part of these pieces’ success. The styles tend to be classic and simple, without a lot of embellishment. Colors tend to be universally appealing. Black is a favorite.
It isn’t easy to predict a best-seller before it flies out the doors. Just as consumers rarely know which clothing items will be their favorite until they’ve been worn a while, these items often surprise stores and labels.
But sometimes, they turn out to be personal favorites of the designers. Ms. Johnson designed the slouch cargo pants for her fall 2014 collection because, she says, “I have an eternal love of drop-crotch trousers. Our inspiration here was to do a hybrid of an Indian harem pant and a more utilitarian cargo or army style.”
The black cargo pants are no longer part of the label’s current collection, or even available on its website (though a denim version is available). But they can be purchased at Barneys in black, thanks to the replenishment deal.
Store buyers’ own closets are often full of replenishment items. Jennifer Sunwoo, executive vice president and general merchandise manager of Barneys New York, has Manolo Blahnik’s “BB” pumps in three of the four heel heights that Barneys has on replenishment.
Other Barneys replenishment items include leather leggings from The Row and Balenciaga’s leather jacket. “Customers come in every single season asking for it,” Ms. Sunwoo says.
These unassuming Etro pants are strong sellers. ENLARGE
These unassuming Etro pants are strong sellers. PHOTO: F. MARTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; STYLING BY ANNE CARDENAS
After joining Net-a-Porter last year, Ms. Rutson questioned why the retailer was stocking a pair of bland cropped black pants from Etro, an Italian fashion label known for vivid color and patterns. She asked a buyer on her team to stop carrying the $570 pants. The buyer blanched.
“She showed me the (sales) numbers,” says Ms. Rutson. “We sell multiple, multiple, multiple hundreds of them in every district around the world.”
The pants are favorites of the designer, Veronica Etro, as well. “Those black pants are a great wearer on every fit and silhouette,” Ms. Etro said. Since introducing them more than three years ago, she hasn’t changed that killer fit, but she updates little details such as belt loops, pockets or cuffs.
Ms. Rutson isn’t planning on canceling the pants. In fact, she’s impatient for the next shipment to arrive, as she says women appear to recommend them to each other, spreading the word one by one.
“It’s a shared secret,” says Ms. Rutson. Those pants “are a reliable friend.”
Write to Christina Binkley at christina.binkley@wsj.com
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