ask L – specialization what we can learn from marilyn

Specialization… you rule the barnyard if, if you specialize. This little clip (pardon the russian subtitles) is one of my favorite numbers from one of my all-time favorite Marilyn Monroe movies.

And you might be wondering, what it is we are learning today, well my dears the girl’s got a point! Have you ever noticed “that the people in the news, the people that the magazines refer too… they’ve each a trait that seems to  state first-raters” which the song goes on to explain is SPECIALIZATION. Indeed you think this would be common sense. It is an well known fact in the performing arts, in the arts and most specifically in fashion that having a specialization gives you a edge and allows you to carve out your niche. Think about how it applies to businesses even as they expand, take one of my favorite haunts Starbucks for example: specialization-coffee yes, yes coffee is an obvious answer, but then why do they carry food?! Oh, because food goes with coffee you say! But not just any food, bite size snacks, breakfast pastries, tiny sweets to be had with coffee and tea seem to do well at this ever growing establishment.

It’s not just the storefront that requires this specialization, it is the supplier and supply chain, the distribution that does not just want but NEEDS this. If they were to attempt to move into say, food made on the spot they’d be expanding their capabilites beyond what their specialization is hot/cold coffee and tea beverages made to order and accompanying pre-made snacks/pastries. It is a very specific and focused deal they offer.

In fashion you might wonder how this applies, well there are categories and many trade schools and fashion oriented colleges such as my alma mater The Fashion Institute of Technology neatly divide up their classes in order to focus students early on in their careers and to give them the specialized skills and knowledge needed to excel in their market. The art of patterning, draping, fitting and selecting fabric to make a skirt is one that is extremely different in the tailoring (suiting/workwear) vs the eveningwear specializations, and again the materials and construction methods of making a knitwear skirt are a specialization with challenges and needs in and of itself! The reason for this breakdown is years of knowledge have been passed down and the tricks and best practices vary greatly within each of these classes. I could write enough to fill a book… so I’ll leave it at this and move on.

In addition to the categories above plus some, which you can see reflected neatly in the way department stores divide up floors and merchandising, you will find there is a pricepoint division. This pricepoint division also inherently divides up the target market, for instance the difference in price between contemporary and designer labels also happens to change the age focus of their markets because the woman who can afford designer merchandise is often times more established financially and seeking a more mature look, whereas the contemporary market can cater to a more fashion forward and youthful clientele with a lower pricepoint. Take a closer look at some of the larger stores and you will see this line is drawn pretty obviously and that it is part of the reason mother and daughter split up when walking the floor together. This all goes back to the fact that fashion companies “specialize”.

Yes there are the crossovers, yes there are the major companies who have many labels and many accessories, but you know what the secret to it all is?! Licensing! I worked for the designer licenses of two major fashion labels, and it was my job to take their RTW trends and translate them into intimates. A tall order when you think about specialization because a print that works in size, scale, and theme for ready to wear does not always translate to the smaller (physically speaking) and more traditional real estate of intimates.

Even in the intimate department there are specializations: sleepwear, daywear, and foundations. Each with a different buyer, who also you guessed it, SPECIALIZES.

So you want to be a designer? To start your own brand? Keep all of this in mind, eye the market carefully and you will see where the lines are drawn and can place yourself in an arena where you can compete and excel. It worked for spanx founder sara blakely who took a look at the “shaping” garments in the foundation department and saw and urgent need for a makeover.

The lesson here is a commonly used adage: If You Try To Be Everything To Everyone, You’ll Be Nothing To No One

So listen to that Marilyn tune again, because that girl is just as smart as she is a bombshell!

Stay tuned for more posts from me about the intimate apparel specialization… and of course for some exciting new collections from Between the Sheets in the upcoming months!