A newly announced partnership wants to alter the retail space, tailoring the shopping experience directly to the consumer.
Faherty Brand revealed Thursday it will launch a pilot with technology-enabled tailoring platform Alternew next week.
Alternew helps brands connect their consumers with local tailors to ensure the garments they purchase fit them properly. Nancy Rhodes, CEO and co-founder of the startup, said the pilot will begin Feb. 4 and is set to run for three months at Faherty’s store on Madison Avenue in New York City.
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Though Alternew has more than 150 tailors on its platform, the Faherty pilot will work with four of those, all within a short distance of the Madison Avenue store.
While the tailors Alternew and Faherty are using for testing are equipped to handle a variety of standard alterations, the newly minted B Corp will begin by incentivizing its customers to have their items hemmed.
Much of the success of the partnership rests on store associates’ ability to connect with consumers.
“The sales associate has a tool where they’re scanning a barcode, they’re taking the customer’s information and they’re connecting them one for one with a local tailor that meets the needs of the item they’re getting tailored,” Rhodes told Sourcing Journal.
The two companies have been working to identify hotspots in the store that could give associates the opportunity to offer up a connection to a tailor. So far, Rhodes said, the program has been well received by the employees who will soon need to use it.
“We’ve been working with store associates who are very excited about this pilot because it adds a way for them to authentically connect with the customer that they may not have had before,” she explained, noting that she believes the interaction could be especially effective for in-store associates servicing dressing rooms and interfacing with consumers.
Once a customer inputs their information, they receive a text with an estimate of what it could cost to have the item altered, as well as directions to the tailor the system has matched them with. Users don’t need to download an app to make that happen; Alternew operates via web, which Rhodes said decreases barriers to the service.
During the test period, Alternew and Faherty will collect data on consumer sentiment by tracking retention of those who used the service, return rates for in-store purchases, the average purchase value among customers electing to use a tailor from Alternew and more. Consumers can also leave direct feedback on their tailoring experience through Alternew.
Faherty has a number of stores in the greater New York City area, and around the country, and Rhodes noted that once the brand gleans insights and data from its initial trial, it may strategically expand the program to other nearby stores.
Lisa Diegel, global sustainability director at Faherty, said working with Alternew will bring a new dimension to consumers’ experience with the brand.
“As brands navigate the evolving retail landscape, customer experience, personalization and sustainability are no longer optional—they’re imperative,” Diegel said in a statement. “This partnership with Alternew brings innovation into the after-sales journey, aligning with our mission to create high-quality, long-lasting clothing while reducing waste.
Today, Faherty’s partnership with Alternew is focused on alterations for newly purchased goods to give their lifespan a boost, helping consumers to think and buy more sustainably.
“We’re the last mile to perfect fit. Clothes are mass produced; bodies are not. We want to support this being one for one, just for you, [then] all of a sudden the customer feels like they have a piece they’ll wear longer, because if you think about it, if something fits you perfectly, you will wear it longer,” Rhodes said.
But in the future, Rhodes wants Alternew to support the repair of existing products in consumers’ closets for a more circular economy in the fashion and apparel industries. She also said the company’s roadmap includes bringing the system to clients’ e-commerce presences, which would use geofencing to help consumers find qualified Alternew tailors near their homes.
“A brand should have their customer’s back, should be able to support them, not just [through] to the register, but beyond it,” she said.
