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Oscar De La Renta: Prioritizing Customer Desires Over Fashion Press Narratives Leads to Bold Independence

by Samara Morris

Earlier this year, we ran a story on The Row’s no social media policy at their Fall/Winter 2024 season show during Paris Fashion Week.

Now, Oscar De La Renta has taken it a step further. "I don’t see the point of engaging with the fashion press when they require a different show than what we need to bring to our customers,” said Alex Bolen, Chief Executive of Oscar De La Renta.


“We really don’t engage with magazines at this point. We don’t have editors in to try and convince them to pull clothes. It’s not our priority. We want to focus on our customers and inspire them to buy.” When asked about influencers, he added, “No influencers either, unless they are genuine friends and go directly to customers to inspire them.”


This shift marks a significant change in the industry. If you've ever seen the film "The Devil Wears Prada," you might recall the infamous scene where Andy is taken to the fashion room and Nigel begins selecting clothes and shoes for her to wear, helping her fit in with the culture at Runway Magazine. Such rooms do exist and aren't just a cinematic creation. In high fashion, these rooms can hold millions of dollars in unsold inventory. So, what are they supposed to do, write it all off?


No, it’s nothing but waste and completely unnecessary. First, people don’t buy what models in magazines wear anymore. Second, it costs money to get the samples, produce the shows, invite the press, and then ship items to the magazines for them to be photographed in campaigns. It’s all money spent with no real return on investment (ROI).


Twenty years ago, this was a different story. People were infatuated with editorial looks, ready to pull inspiration from their favorite celebrities’ editorial spreads or the pages of magazines. But two things occurred: social media and increasingly outlandish outfits, making it harder for the average consumer to recreate these looks for everyday wear.


PRESS DOESN’T PAY THE BILLS

Once upon a time, not long ago, fashion houses, celebrities, and brands alike would kill for press. It was the thing people strived for because it meant you had notoriety; it meant you were important and that people should look up to you, respect you, and trust your brand.


Thus, publicity would result in mass spending from consumers. Today, people are not spending frivolously anymore because disposable income has significantly lowered. Not only that, but customers want to see relatable content and looks that are down-to-earth and easily replicated—especially those from the lower class.


High-end luxury brands are not solely selling to celebrities. Sure, they know a celebrity can come in and spend millions of dollars in one shopping session, but is it regularly feasible? No. They want to appeal to the middle class, who will spend steadily but consistently. The middle class is slowly withdrawing their money from stocks, investments, and little trinkets they would typically enjoy.


This aligns with publications, whether online or in print, and the younger generations are struggling to afford groceries, so they’re definitely not shopping high-end or subscribing to a magazine for recommendations and input. So, what’s left? Retargeting. When you spend less money trying to impress journalists for them to pull clothes that’ll only end up rotting away in a "Devil Wears Prada" closet and reinvest in the people who are already supporting you, that results in an increase in sales.


This is smart on Bolen's part, and we completely understand and respect it. Not only that, magazines are making changes as well and are less inclined to support major brands unless there’s some type of exchange—we need clothes for our models and brands need exposure. But again, in today’s climate, press isn’t paying the bills.


GEN Z ARE TROUBLEMAKERS FOR LUXURY BRANDS

While Generation Z is filled with tech-savvy individuals, we can’t overlook the fact that they are causing big trouble for existing brands—whether these are restaurants, beauty brands, or clothing brands. Gen Z is outspoken and will immediately take to their platforms to call out any inconveniences or gripes they may have, quickly leading to a blackout. Take Ebin New York, for example, which recently had an ex-employee call them out for racism and lack of diversity in the workplace despite the company’s target demographic being Black Americans.


They have since lost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in revenue and have begun taking legal action against their former staff member. Another example is the Christian Dior debacle when their production costs made headlines for being as low as $53 per bag, despite retailing for upwards of $3,000.00. But is this the real problem? We don’t believe so because this is not uncommon in retail.

Related articles: How to Wear a Belt Bag?


The resale price is not solely based on the production cost; when you factor in shipping and marketing, the price is significantly higher, especially if the owner wants to turn a profit to increase the quality of their items as the years go on. People aren’t paying for the item; they are paying for the name and the exclusivity it once brought along with it. Unfortunately, Gen Z has cheapened many brands in addition to constantly calling them out and disrupting the retail market.


But is it that they are disgruntled or jealous? The economy is not nice to any of us right now, but taking to social media to structure a corporate takedown because the 1% is hoarding their wealth is just…excessive. The real problem is the lack of research done around prioritizing voting—presidents, senators, governors, and mayors. If this much energy were put into social policies versus race and personal feelings, then we would see things a bit differently.


Vice President Kamala Harris can be seen sporting a $62,000 Tiffany & Co. necklace, but that doesn’t matter, right, as long as she’s pandering to the Black community and resorting to her talking points about, “We need to lower the cost of groceries for the American people.” If you’re going to be judgmental towards a company selling a $2,500.00 handbag, why not judge the people supporting them who are in charge of how you, the American citizen, can make money?


EXCLUSIVITY

As a fashion editor, I love that brands are now taking a stand against influencers and editors who are not only entitled but have no real influence at all. They want to attend free events, look down on others, sip their mimosas, and turn out a 1200-word article that no one will read—all in the name of “journalism”—or post a video that will result in no sales. What does the brand stand to gain? Another example of this is the U.S. Military paying Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson $11 million for an Instagram post that resulted in zero recruits. They are now asking for their money back.

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The real problem here is that we believe influence lies in the number of people we can reach online—this is no longer the case, especially with the rise of AI. People now want to be in the company of others; they want to hear what people are loving in real-time, in real life. Word of mouth is making a major comeback, and exclusivity means we can rely on the people closest to us to share their recommendations without feeling like the product is being sold.


Let’s face it, if you are on any of these social media apps for whatever reason or following any celebrity, you are a product they are selling to others. It’s digital trafficking. Will I continue to share high-end luxury brand campaign photos with my editor-in-chief for features in our issues despite not attending their shows? Yes. We do this because all of the issues are then shared with them, and we can continue to build a relationship with our readers. Branding or brand awareness is still prevalent, and these companies will pay for that, that is what we offer. Its importance will never cease to exist.


Additionally, relationships are what’s most important in this business, and while smaller brands struggle with this, larger brands know its significance, and that’s what will always set them apart. If you want to be successful and grow your brand, you need to understand the real purpose of public relations. It was never about being a grifter with a "can we share a sample in exchange for coverage?" mentality—that's lazy and inappropriate.


Influencers and content creators have created a world where brands, especially smaller ones, think this is a suitable way to garner media coverage that will result in sales. Public relations are for filtering out press requests to brands that are already established and have paid their dues, so to speak. It's also for sharing newsworthy stories that people will care about. If you're a brand reading this, take note because things are changing.


If you don't have any news to share, at least have a budget so we can generate news for you that people will read and engage with. Shameless plugs are very popular here (ex. Latico). But we’re getting back to our roots, and hopefully, people will start to see the importance of quality recommendations once again and just how much we need to bring back gatekeeping and exclusivity.

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