We have been hearing positive buzz about recent changes in the RVCA Women’s product lines and strategy, and about the brand’s growth.
We have noticed that core retailers are giving the brand more buildouts, and RVCA Women’s is being carried at retailers like Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters as well.
In addition, the brand appears to have a big hit with its Sunday Collection.
We spoke with the executive team leading RVCA Women’s about these changes, their current focus for the brand, performance at retail, and thoughts on the current state of the women’s market.
Bill Bettencourt, Global General Manager; Anya Violet, Women’s Design Director; Kelly Poore, Director of Women’s Merchandising; Eric Thomas, VP of Sales, and Brian Cassaro, VP of Global Marketing, answer our questions below.
What have been the biggest changes in the product lines and/or strategy in the past few years?
Anya Violet, Women’s Design Director: Over the past few seasons we have worked to re-focus the product offering to align with the foundation of the brand. A stronger focus on quality and an aesthetic that is classic and free from passing trends has taken the line back to the original days when RVCA women’s first launched. It is important to align the brand direction across men’s and women’s so that the brand identity is consistent.
The women’s collection hits on a few key looks that remain consistent season after season, allowing the brand to have a clearly defined place in the market that stands out in a sea of boho beachy brands. This brand is so diverse and has so much dimension to it. Our strategy is simply to highlight that through our product in an authentic way.
We’ve also been putting more emphasis on merchandising and analysis of the business. Through right-sizing the line and implementing a pricing and product assortment strategy, we’ve seen improvements in overall style and SKU productivity.
Now, after seeing many seasons of consistent growth, we have a strong foundation to build the line from and it’s about creating a balanced product line that is both commercial, progressive and on-brand.
Which categories are strongest for RVCA Women’s as of late?
Kelly Poore, Director of Women’s Merchandising: The categories we are seeing the biggest growth in are dresses, rompers, woven tops, swim and printables. Spring ‘16 bookings showed huge growth in these categories, and we feel we will keep this momentum going by offering product lines that get better and better each season.
Our Sunday Collection that launched in Fall ‘15 was an immediate success and is now a significant part of our business. The Sunday Collection features soft and cozy lounge pieces as well as bralettes and bodysuits that layer perfectly underneath your dresses and tops. This collection was inspired by the casual easy-going lifestyle of the RVCA woman. With a focus on flattering fits, super soft fabrications and fresh prints and colors, the collection has had such a positive response!
Is the brand getting more space in stores? If so, which stores?
Eric Thomas, VP of Sales: RVCA women’s is gaining real estate across the country based on our performance and focus. We ended last fiscal year (ended June 30) with sales up well into the double digits in North America, and we are on pace to surpass that this year.
With the deployment of our new fixture package, we are getting more and more real estate including prominent wall sections in key retailers, including Sun Diego, San Clemente; Aqua East, Neptune Beach; The Room, Puerto Rico, and Arenas in multiple stores in Costa Rica.
Starting with our Fall ‘15 line, RVCA women’s is now being sold at Nordstrom and we are seeing great retail performance in store and online. We have an all door Sunday Collection buy that will be featured in Urban Outfitters in November. We are also expanding our business with many online retailers, like Revolve and Lulu’s.
How would you describe the brand’s target customer?
Anya Violet, Women’s Design Director: A cool, confident and open-minded woman between the ages of 18-26. She is tapped into the coastal street lifestyle. Inspired by art, music, and travel; she expresses herself through fashion. We like to describe her as a no-frills tomboy meets kick-back beach babe.
What can we expect from RVCA Women’s on the marketing front in 2016?
Brian Cassaro, VP of Global Marketing: We’ve hired an outside marketing group, brand kafe, to handle all marketing and creative for the brand, under our guidance. We’re hoping that this agency can approach marketing more strategically and take the look and feel to a more authentic and elevated level. This group is comprised of the team that launched Quiksilver Women’s in 2011 (Kenna Florie, Tevis Houston and Anna Sherwood).
In planning for 2016, we started by updating our overall brand plan to adjust to the changing women’s landscape and bring the women’s marketing back in line with RVCA’s rich history. We honed in on the strengths of the brand and put a clear vision for the women’s division in place. It’s amazing to all be on the same page and working towards the same goals.
You’ll soon see our new “Inspired by” campaign begin to roll out across both men’s and women’s that will highlight and celebrate creative greatness and give insight into the personalities of our artists and advocates. You’ll also see an increased emphasis on digital as a marketing medium, with a continued focus on creating authentic content around our talented artists and advocates.
And as far as product categories go, we will continue to highlight our Sunday Collection. It is such a great point of differentiation for us from the overall marketplace, and we are getting an amazing reaction to it. Printables will also remain a focus, of course showcasing our amazing team of artists and advocates.
What are your thoughts on the state of women’s market currently?
Bill Bettencourt, Global General Manager: We feel that the women’s market is getting back on its feet after recovering from the harsh influx of fast fashion. We think that the customer has grown up and is way more educated about what quality brands offer versus fast fashion labels. We’re excited to see a return to brand loyalty, and we’re especially seeing this with the women’s business.
Where are the challenges and opportunities?
Bill Bettencourt, Global General Manager: Our real challenge is one that all brands in our industry face – we don’t have a crystal ball. We do our best to stay ahead of the trends, but it will always be a challenge to create product that our consumer wants with trends coming and going as fast as they are, especially with so much information at their fingertips.
As far as opportunities go, they are endless. The women’s business is picking up steam for three main reasons: our product is on trend and looks great, the consumer is coming back into the stores and looking for brands that she connects with, and we’ve stayed true to the RVCA brand. RVCA is a versatile brand that has legs in both action sports as well as the young contemporary market. There is so much opportunity in the marketplace with innovative product and impactful marketing campaigns and we are just getting started.
