Collections with rich back stories, accessories that serve multiple purposes and a focus on novelty and innovation are some of the ways accessories vendors are gaining an edge in an increasingly saturated market.
As demand for high-fashion bags, belts and jewelry soars, and a growing number of designers and companies set up shop, those already in the business say the industry is all about reinvention. And those new to the fray say they have to bring something innovative to the table to stand a shot at succeeding.
“Handbags and cell phones are both huge business, so we decided to combine them,” said Mary Bennett, co-owner with partner Mary Maron of TechTether in Seattle. The 18-month-old line comprises long chains — many with beads and crystals — that keep a cell phone attached to a handbag so that the phone can be fished out at first ring. The line is already in about 100 boutiques nationwide, including some Nordstrom doors.
“It’s very competitive, and there are already some copiers out there,” said Bennett. “But the fact that there are so many companies in business is encouraging for me. Hopefully, we’re not really competing with anybody, and I think this is going to be our year.”
TechTether is just one of many accessory companies to take this more individualized approach to what is essentially a mass business. Neshama, a line of handcrafted handbags, has found favor among retailers simply because it is so different, said chief operating officer Asher Yaron, whose wife, Avara,
designs the collection.
“They are sculptural handbags that people can take home and put on a shelf,” he said. The company, which is based in Jacksonville, Ore., started two years ago with the intention of putting out something that nobody else has. “You have to focus on a small niche,” said Yaron. “There are still a lot of stores out there looking for things that nobody else has, and that they haven’t seen anywhere else, and that’s how they stay in business. The chain stores are all showing the same things, so it’s the mom-and-pop stores, the small and unique ones, that we supply to.”
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By virtue of the product category — Neshama bags have carved wooden bases and handles and use pleated and ruched silk fabrics — the quantities are smaller. Yaron said more than 90 stores carry the line so far, and he doesn’t need huge minimum orders to make a deal.
“We don’t need to sell hundreds of pieces per style,” he said. Given the logistics involved — handcarved wood from Indonesia, fabric from China and Thailand, artisans all over Asia — that wouldn’t suit his business anyway. “It’s difficult to pull it together, but that’s the only way to get something really unique that nobody else has,” he said. “Not a lot of people want to go through all the steps and expense of putting together a collection like this, and we’re seeing the interest in it as a result.”
That unique, homegrown feel has also helped place Zulugrass from The Leakey Collection in some 1,200 points of sale around the country, including high-end boutiques, jewelry and gift stores and even museum stores. The company is based in Carlsbad, Calif., but the pieces are all handmade by members of the Masai tribe in Kenya, who were given the opportunity to sustain themselves through jewelry-making by company founders Philip and Katy Leakey. The grass, which is strong and durable, is dyed and then woven with Czech glass beads and strung into 27-inch chains that can be worn as long necklaces or wrapped into chokers and anklets.
Terri Edwards, company manager, said the eco-friendly and altruistic story behind the collection has helped endear it to retailers. “You always have people who buy accessories for how they look. But people are more socially conscious now and trying to help others in the world. People are responding because they like the story behind the product, that it’s not just a great product but it employs 1,200 Masai and in times of drought they’ve been able to earn,” she said.
The origins of the line have another unexpected benefit. “You can’t knock off the story,” said Edwards.
Exotic backgrounds seem to be a compelling point for many retailers, agreed Maya Azaria, the Los Angeles-based founder of Maya’Z Jewelry. Azaria represents five different Israeli designers and says that retailers are often intrigued by that.
“I am investing all my time and money bringing in unusual things that nobody has ever seen before,” she said. “Each designer has a story. Also, it helps that people believe jewelry from Israel is creative and unusual.” Azaria sells to high-end specialty boutiques that are looking for contemporary, affordable jewelry. The pieces sell at retail for between $20 and $300, with most items at around $50 to $70.
Customization seems to be another buzzword in the accessories business, especially in the junior market. Companies like The Bead Shop/Fashion Angels Enterprise in Milwaukee are catering to the rapidly changing teen and tween market by giving them the ability to alter their jewelry on a whim. Kat Rewolinski, marketing coordinator, said the line of magnetic jewelry pieces allows customers to switch out components so they can change messages — which include Believe, Friendship and Miracles — made from colored rhinestones.
“The market is definitely growing toward customizing and personalizing jewelry, especially with gift-giving,” Rewolinski said. “This collection offers customers that advantage and opportunity. It’s a matter of being on top of the market and ahead of the time, looking for something new and creative and innovative. The market is changing so much that if you produce a good-quality product and customers see that, you can move forward from there,” she said.
Richard Frounjian, owner of Los Angeles-based jewelry maker Silvex, said accessory brands have to take chances with new collections. “You have to know what the trends are, and you have to have your own style within that trend,” he said. “You have to design items in today’s market that don’t necessarily have to be what everybody else is doing.”
He said that building a brand and acquiring the trust of retailers were some of the bigger challenges facing the accessories business today. “It’s more difficult these days to make sales and get the confidence of customers, because branding is such a big thing, and everybody only wants brands.”
Frounjian has had to find ways to connect to a more trend-conscious customer by coming up with innovations like stingray leather jewelry and urban-inspired cuff bracelets, as well as pieces adorned with Murano glass. “And it has to be affordable,” he said. “Anything that is between $50 and $300 at retail is good, but above $300 it’s difficult to move.”
He agreed that the current market is somewhat soft — with supply
outweighing demand in certain categories — so innovation has to be
consistent and ongoing. “You have to expand your market constantly by
advertising and making new items. If you don’t introduce new items, there’s no point,” said Frounjian.
Catering to a very specific customer can also give you an edge, as Huong Caitlin Nguyen, owner and founder of New York-based Perfume River, discovered. The two-year-old line was created specifically for women who travel for leisure and business and lack just the right accessories.
“Instead of the boring black and brown, I wanted to feminize the whole business and leisure-travel accessories category,” she said. So Perfume River’s passport and business card holders, jewelry pouches and lingerie bags come in different colors of napa leather and are hand-embroidered. “They’re feminine but not too girly,” Nguyen said. “There is a customer out there who is not into the cool, trendy, latest thing, who is a bit more well-traveled. So product development was a
challenge, because I was keen to make a very good product that was consistent.” The items are produced in India, Shanghai and Vietnam. The collection is starting to resonate; she’s in about 20 stores right now, and feedback has been very positive, she said.
Indeed, in a crowded marketplace, zeroing in on a niche is the way to go for many designers.
“People get it, because they get the market we’re trying to reach,” said Leylani Cardoso, owner and designer of Miami-based handbag line Bolazano. “It’s difficult to be all things to all people, especially in my category, and it’s important that the customer feels special. You have to try and meet the needs of a particular consumer group.”
Cardoso said that as accessories are trending downward in age, a chunk of consumer is overlooked. “There is a group of women that hasn’t been addressed enough, and they can’t be ignored, because they are professionals and they have a huge say over how money is dispersed in the household.”
The collection of stylish, structured bags is now in about 17 stores, although interest has been so strong that Cardoso anticipates being in 150 points of sale by the end of 2006.