Image: Mansur Gavriel's cult icon bucket bag (Source: Mansur Gavriel)
It’s only been a mere four years since Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel created their eponymous accessories label, however their bags have gained ‘cult’ status with a following that includes A-list celebrities, bloggers, and fashion editors around the world. In 2014, a year after their launch, they debuted their fall collection, selling out of 95% of the collection within an hour. From there, they built scarcity by letting waiting lists grow, creating buzz and demand that fashion brands can only dream of. Four years down the road and they’re set to launch their first apparel collection at New York Fashion Week in September 2017. The secret behind their meteoric success? Breaking all the rules.
In the wake of the recent financial crisis, price is everything. Luxury consumers shifted their spending priorities towards experiences, thus leaving room in the goods industry for a major disruption. Mansur Gavriel’s ‘It’ Bag, a simple bucket style bag in a range of neutral and bold leathers (often with a bold interior pop of color), retails between $400-$1000 and goes against the ‘more is more’ philosophy of many luxury brands by being timeless and simple. “It’s the perfect combination of fashion and function,” says Jen Mankins, owner of Brooklyn boutique Bird. “It’s aspirational and accessible”(Bloomberg).
Image: Artistically designed feature from their Fall 2015 Lookbook debuting their second 'it' bag, the Lady Bag (Source: Mansur Gavriel)
“Why haven’t I heard of them” you may be wondering? They keep a low profile, opting against traditional print advertising, using street posters and Instagram posts that don’t feature seasonal collections, rather an on-going feed of artfully designed inspiration. Their models aren’t ‘it’ girls either, rather ‘unique’ models with simple makeup and styling that speaks to their counter-culture vibe. They keep their retail partners extremely limited (especially their online partners), mitigating the risk of over-distribution.
Image: Bold hues and simple silhouettes at their New York Pop Up Flagship in Soho (Source:Mansur Gavriel)
Building off their immediate success, it would have been expected that Mansur Gavrieljump quickly into other categories, building on the momentum from handbag sales. However, they've taken their time, slowly launching a small, yet robust footwear line in 2016, and are set to show their first apparel line in 2017. Fighting against apparel collection timings, they've opted to go the “see-now-buy-now” route, launching their collection online and in-store the same time as their show. This trend has been adopted by other major luxury brands (Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Tom Ford) to address the seasonality problem, while attempting to redefine the role of the runway show in today’s economy.
With such overnight success, can this cult brand sustain their growth by expanding into apparel, or are they doomed to be a ‘one hit wonder’?
References:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-31/how-mansur-gavriel-beat-the-it-bag-hangover
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/fashion/see-now-buy-now-business-fashion-week.html