F a s h i o n I n s ti t u t e o f T e c h n o l o g y

FM225 Final ProjectMatthew MaracleThis is the written part of the final project, including all pertinent information to the business including, but not limited to, locations, competitors, customer demographics, assortments, purchasing orders, merchandising techniques and advertising strategies.

Spring 1408Fall

Company Background

Matthew Alan is a private mid-level fashion house that specializes in trend right fashions and exquisite quality. Making sure to follow the newest trends both in the streets and on the runway, Matthew Alan has earned a name for itself as one of the fastest growing private retailers. Established for the purpose of this assignment, Matthew Alan hopes to grab the attention of potential customers through its bold use of color and patterns. Making sure to research trends through such forecasting services as Style Sight and WGSN is what keeps Matthew Alan ahead of the curve.

Customer Demographic

The typical Matthew Alan shopper is between the ages of 18 and 37, and usually a young professional. The array of merchandise that is carried in the stores will appeal to all walks of life. For this assignments purpose, we focus on the Men’s Sportswear section. The target customer for this section is a young hip millennial that is just as interested in having a good time on the weekends as he is in his job during the week. Many of the trends being displayed for the Spring/Summer 2015 season are bold and bright and need a complimentary person to wear them. The ideal shopper makes anywhere from $30-70,000 a year, and is either single or does not have a family. Because of this fact, this customer has more discretionary income and is able to spend more money on higher quality items. Particularly a city dweller, this shopper most likely lives in an urban setting, but the suburban outliers that are still making the transition may find this merchandise desirable. Similar shopping experiences may take place at such competitors as Banana Republic, Express, Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, or Tommy Hilfiger, however the merchandise at Matthew Alan has a unique flair.

Locations

Being a small, up and coming company, Matthew Alan only has a few stores across the country; 10 to be exact. The company started on the east coast, in a boutique shop in Manhattan. Since that time 5 other locations have opened up across the Northeast region, and due to the bold fashion forward sense of the company, 4 smaller stores have opened up along the west coast of California. The number of people in these areas that fall into the target market for this company is unbeatable, and is the main reason we have chosen to expand into these regions. We are currently researching trends in an attempt to branch out into other

metropolitan areas. The locations in the east are usually plagued with cooler weather, so when there is an assortment of sweaters, jackets, or long pants, they tend to make their way to the east coast first rather than the west. That having been said, we do take advantage of the warm climate and carefree atmosphere of our west coast stores, and push some of our boldest patterns and brightest colors for that side of the country.

Assortment

Due to the increasing popularity of casualwear in the workplace, and the unending need to slip out of that shirt and tie and into something just the opposite, we have decided to focus our efforts for this assignment into men’s sportswear. The men’s sportswear department is broken down into five classifications, those being: Sweaters, Knits, Sport Shirts, Casual Trousers, and Casual Outerwear. Making up almost 30% of our total business, we put a focus into each one of these categories, offering key merchandise in just about every class. Casual Trousers, Sport Shirts, and Knits are our highest volume sellers, making up over 75% of men’s sportswear sales, so therefore most of our merchandise comes from those respective sections. Looking at fellow competitors, such as those named earlier, and watching increasing trends, we have noticed that the bold colors inspired by historic Miami, and the bold prints of floral, watercolor, and different dying techniques are not only here to stay for 2015, but they are getting stronger. The colors featured in the Spring/Summer 15 sportswear collection for Matthew Alan are plucked straight from the runway to ensure that you are up to date and ahead of the curve when you shop with us. The S/S 15 Assortment is as follows:

This assortment was chosen based on the latest in trend research from well known forecasting sites and works impeccably with the merchandising strategy that has been created for this department.

Merchandising

The merchandise that has been chosen for this department for S/S 2015 works perfectly with the setup that we have in place in the men’s sportswear department in all of our 10 locations. This layout is as follows:

In all of the Matthew Alan locations, we employ the use of a merchandising technique called life styling. Instead of grouping items by classification, we mix the items together to show how they can be put together to form a complete outfit, or to make the greatest impact on the customer. The first table and T stands that can be seen upon approach of the Men’s Sportswear section are laid out in this manner:

We have chosen to display the merchandise together with coordinating and contrasting patterns, and incorporated items that can be put together to form a full outfit. (i.e. rolled chinos, sport shirt, garment dyed tee, and denim jacket). The satin patterned jackets on the T-Stands paired with the solid chinos with matching print may be too much for some, but create an excellent visual impact that invites the shopper inside. A similar method was used when merchandising the second table:

Choosing a little calmer color way here, this table has a consistent color story and matches the patterned shorts with contrasting color tees as well as the matching shirts for bold visual effect. Subdued by the solid oxfords so as not to create a cacophonous effect, these fixtures show a more refined side to this S/S 2015 concept.

Once you have entered into the department, you are standing in front of a large round table filled with more muted colors of basic crewneck and Henley sweaters that can be paired with the bright floral shirts that they are displayed with for a modern trendy look that doesn’t have too much edge:

Encapsulating the department are 5 wall bays that use a mixture of “face-out”

displays, shelving, and hang bars to create a visual color impact that hopefully shows gradient and subdues the rather loud call of entrance into the department. Flanked by two ends of multiple face-out displays, one side with muted solid satin jackets, the other with rather bright anoraks and matching Henley sweatshirts, as you work your way in, the color stories seem to blend together, On your left you see basic denim along with color blocked baseball knits and unfastened cardigans to create a fun yet casual evening look, one that could easily be paired with the satin jackets to the left. On the right you see the fun playful Anorak colors slide down the spectrum into the bright solid short program. The matching colors in the watercolor striped crewnecks create a consistent look that can be paired with the different denim shirts, or the denim shirts can be worn alone with the shorts, perhaps open, with one of the jersey polos from the next bay. Right in the center, we have the key

jersey polos. Utilizing full space of the corner, this bay boldly uses face outs to announce the merging of the two color stories from either end of the department. This is how it looks together:

Purchase Orders

Making the orders for this product was not an easy task. Although many of the items come from the same vendor, many do not, and therefore four purchase orders were made to vendors for this seasons buy. They are shown as follows: