Today, I would like to dedicate the latest edition of Retail Therapy to all the retail entrepreneurs out there.
Restoration Hardware CEO Gary Friedman, businesswoman Roni Di Lullo, even Kanye West: All three of you are just trying to make a living, supplying consumers with things they didn't even think they needed. See below for unconditional "DELIGHT," doogie eyeware, and Yeezy's bright idea for the retail industry.
This one's for you.
Call the fire department
In an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg, Restoration Hardware CEO Gary Friedman laid into employees about poor customer service and late orders in late January. The company saw slowing sales growth and profit in the last quarter.
Describing a meeting he attended with executives and vendors, Friedman went in deep, in ALL CAPS:
“NO ONE WAS FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING WHO WERE ON FIRE. THEIR CLOTHES BURNING, AND MANY OF THEM DYING. WE HAVE LET CUSTOMERS DIE.”
His solution?
"We need a MASSIVE CHANGE IN OUR CULTURE AND ATTITUDE RIGHT NOW. THE GOAL IS DELIGHT.”
Doggie fashion
There’s a business for everything, and that includes sunglasses for dogs. CNBC profiles Roni Di Lullo, the founder of Doggles (get it?), who made $3 million in sales last year selling her signature dog eyewear, toys, and accessories for dogs.
Holy high rollers
In need of a glow-in-the-dark Jesus figurine? How about a glass block featuring the 3D likeness of Saint Pio? Both (and more!) can be found at Italy’s International Exhibition of Church Furnishings, Liturgical Items and Religious Building Components, now in its 17th year. The Washington Post reviews a new book from photographer Louis De Belle, “Besides Faith,” which includes multiple vignettes of the expo.
Name + name = fashion
Following the trend sweeping restaurants across the country, BuzzFeed’s Sapna Maheshwari points out that Amazon’s new fashion labels also use the “something-and-something” naming formula so popular with retailers. Four of its seven fashion labels fall into this trend, behind other brands like:
Alex + Ani
Lou & Grey
Kit and Ace
Lord & Taylor
Kelsey & Lindsey (Trademark pending*)
The price of gold
It’s awards season, and the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars, are airing this Sunday. In a timely analysis, Racked looked at the impact that red carpet dresses have on designers’ sales, asking: do they help, or nah?
I mean, who can forget the leg?
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Or the fall?
Yeezey's latest words of wisdom
Finally, we finish today's edition of Retail Therapy with an update on our favorite retail muse, Kanye West. In another one of his signature tweetstorms this week, Mr. West dropped some wisdom on the retail industry:
I just thought of the craziest idea of all ... I'm going to sell winter coats in the winter!!!
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 24, 2016
It may seem silly, but as Business Insider explains, the tweet throws shade at designers who reject the retail-to-runway approach of showing their designs, making consumers wait months before they can buy clothes featured on the runway.
