How partnerships with locally relevant brands are changing designer customer experiences
How partnerships with locally relevant brands are changing designer customer experiences
In this insightful interview with Laura Toledano, General Manager France, and Lena-Sophie Roeper, Director of Designer & Luxury, we explore how these partnerships are strengthening Zalando’s brand value among the next generation of customers.
In this insightful interview with Laura Toledano, General Manager France, and Lena-Sophie Roeper, Director of Designer & Luxury, we explore how these partnerships are strengthening Zalando’s brand value among the next generation of customers.
Collaborating on exclusive collections with much-loved brands is a key element in building luxury fashion inspiration to our customers and connecting them with our brand partners. To build, maintain and enhance customer experiences, we have partnered with legacy brands like Paco Rabanne to reimagine classics for our younger demographic while giving them something unique and exclusive.
In our conversation with Laura and Lena, we explore the importance of creating curated experiences and leverage local culture and aspirations to connect better with our customers.
Laura Toledano, General Manager France, Zalando
“For me, fashion is not only about the clothes we wear, it defines and expresses our personality, just as it encourages creativity. It is a part of French culture, and it is everywhere.”
After fifteen years in the fashion industry, Laura joined Zalando in September 2021 as General Manager for France, where she and her team are responsible for the strategy and business development in the market. Laura’s ultimate ambition for the French market: “My goal is that when the French shopper thinks of fashion, they think of Zalando first. We want to offer them unlimited inspiration with both French and international brands.”.
Lena-Sophie Roeper, Director of Designer & Luxury, Zalando
“My team works with many others across Zalando to ensure that our Designer experience is truly inspirational for our customers and welcoming for luxury brands.”
When Lena-Sophie first came to Zalando 8 years ago, she saw a massive opportunity for the platform to become a credible player in premium fashion. She now sets the vision and strategy for Designer offerings on the platform, including how the platform builds up their assortment and key brand partnerships. Fast forward to now, Zalando serves more than 51 million customers across 25 European markets, and Lena-Sophie continues to bring the level of excitement of her beginnings with Zalando into the next opportunities that lie ahead for the Designer proposition.
Let’s dive into the Paco Rabanne capsule launch: How did it start?
Laura: Paco Rabanne has been our partner for a while but we wanted to take this relationship to the next level. The Capsule by Paco Rabanne represents a powerful step in our journey to becoming a platform that is perfect for Designer partners to showcase their exclusive collections.
We have noticed through our experience in the Designer proposition that our customers value unique and personalized experiences when it comes to high-value products. Paco Rabanne, with its progressive feminine designs and empowering creativity, is a brand that is primed for delivering this inspirational storytelling.
We channeled our shared values of inclusivity and desire to motivate the younger generation towards a more creative future to bring this collaboration to life. The Capsule is an embodiment of the brand’s new, innovative creative direction and our efforts to offer differentiated, inspirational Designer shopping experiences to the next generation of luxury shoppers. We are incredibly proud to partner with brands that are as esteemed and loved as Paco Rabanne.
We see an evolution in the demography of consumers and their buying decisions. How do you cater to the new generation of shoppers, especially Gen-Z and how does the Paco Rabanne Capsule contribute to it?
Lena: I think we are at the forefront of change with a new generation of luxury customers coming forward. Younger generations, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are a crucial part of our customer base and needless to say, they are the future of luxury. They want unique, bold and diverse products which also showcase their individuality in an inspiring and curated manner. They have the purchasing power, and the aspiration to create their own personal fashion statement that spans across styles, categories and price points.
I think in a few years, the best of fashion e-commerce, not just in luxury, will look very different from today – more curated, more convenient and more engaging. This new wave in e-commerce will be driven by the next generation of digital consumers wanting more inspiration, more immersive and more elevated experiences.
That means that now is the time to invest in the next generation of customer experience.
In that light, our collaboration with Paco Rabanne is a celebration of our new generation of luxury consumers.
Why are designer partnerships such as the Paco Rabanne collaboration important for Zalando and its Designer proposition?
Lena: I believe that partnerships with relevant and innovative brands are crucial to our success, and that includes Zalando Designer. By partnering with iconic brands like Paco Rabanne, we can tap into their expertise and appeal while creating something truly special that resonates with our shared values.
Collaborations like this allow us to bring a diverse and curated assortment of designer fashion to our platform which is essential for our mission to be the go-to destination for fashion and lifestyle offerings. By offering unique products like the ones we create with our partners, we can differentiate ourselves from our competitors and cater to a wider range of customers. It helps us strengthen our credibility in the designer and luxury industry and offer an assortment that our customers can't find anywhere else.
How do you see the Designer proposition evolving in the future? What role can Paco Rabanne and other brands play in it?
Lena: We want to be the destination of choice for customers who are trend and luxury aficionados, see style as an identity, and value quality over quantity. Hence, our focus is on truly inspirational fashion content, engaging brand stories, and aspirational product offerings.
Partnerships like Paco Rabanne play a significant role in establishing Zalando as a credible destination for designer fashion. Our exclusive Capsule, inspired by Paco Rabanne’s strong DNA, is an important step forward in this positioning.
This collaboration is a great example of how we, as a platform, can offer highly desirable brands to our customers with an added appeal. We look forward to forging valuable relationships with our partners to bring more of these stories and exclusive experiences to our customers.
Why is it important to stay locally relevant and partner with Heritage brands?
Laura: Our ambition is that the French audience thinks of Zalando when they think of luxury fashion and we want to achieve that by offering them the most locally-relevant assortment. Paco Rabanne is a legendary luxury brand, especially in France, where the house has a very special connection to the French customers.
French people love fashion and France has a very special bond with this industry. When you think about fashion here, you think about museums, historical designers, fashion houses and brands, Paris Fashion Week, iconic tv shows and movies with immaculate fashion. Fashion IS culture to us. Partnering with locally relevant Heritage brands is key in the fashion industry for staying relevant and deepening our relationship with our customers by exciting them with brands that they love to own.
The partnership with Paco Rabanne showed us how Designer brands can build a path to make Zalando relevant in France – exciting, inspiring, and even more French as a destination to the French customer. With this one partnership, we were able to generate more awareness from the designer customer. This resonates extremely well with existing partners but also with prospective partners who would bring even more assortments for our discerning shoppers.
