Patagonia Sparks Climate Change Conversation
Read about Patagonia’s “Vote the assholes out” apparel tag: https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a34078539/patagonia-vote-the-assholes-out-shorts-tag-meaning/
Los Angeles' Fashion Industry is Returning
We are seeing signs of a revival in the fashion industry in LA lately. Its timing couldn’t be more welcome to those businesses, employees, and job seekers who have all been on a Covid-induced hiatus.
“Life is coming back to Downtown Los Angeles,” said Andrew Asch, retail editor for the California Apparel News trade newspaper, who lives and works in Downtown Los Angeles. Paul Smith’s long-awaited boutique opened in Downtown Los Angeles in July, and the outdoor cafes such as Urth and Zinque have been packed through Summer 2020. Throughout the pandemic, work on the fashion district’s sprawling construction projects hasn’t stopped.
However, downtown Los Angeles is still recovering from the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders. The once-bustling streets of Downtown Los Angeles have not yet been restored to their same pace of action. Some downtown storefronts are still boarded up months after rioting took place in downtown May 30. Los Angeles showed signs of solidarity immediately after the riots, Asch said. “Storeowners told me about how many of their neighbors helped them protect their shops and how many people helped them clean-up.”
A busy Los Angeles fitting model, Jody Carlson-Astrom, is back at fittings in Downtown Los Angeles. The support from her husband, family, and friends, keeping up her routines with exercise, and going to work kept her feeling normal during the pandemic. Carlson-Astrom said, “It’s never been if you will get through a situation in life together because you will, but it is how you will get through it together." Many of her regular accounts are opening up fitting schedules for both delayed and forward-deliveries, as she continues to create the needed schedules.
While many companies are back intermittently working in-house, a designer for a major retailer who we spoke with is back at work, choosing to be in the office. Staffing is leaner due to budget cuts and layoffs, and the employees that do WFH/remote now and are very happy about it. They find it to be more productive at home (less meetings and fewer interruptions). The pace and calendar are amping back up to the normal pre-Covid— very busy with the usual deadlines.
Rebecca Marion, senior designer at Planet Blue, continued working through the pandemic, with a real compulsion toward a traditional standard of daily productivity, she recognized the newly open schedule as a unique opportunity to pursue other avenues of growth. Since the industry has been erratic, she took some courses on Coursera and then Logocore in graphic design and branding. “It amounted to many hours of homework, a lot of which was welcome as it was much more hands-on art and in many different mediums than are part of my current creative career,” Marion said.
All in all, we are seeing an uptick in the LA fashion industry. Not only are people looking to get back to work, but companies are making strides to open their businesses and storefronts. Some are beginning to hire additional staff as they move forward. All progress is welcome for an industry that has weathered the storm and is ready to keep the positive momentum rolling.
Redefining the Home Goods Industry
Click here to read how home goods and furniture companies are adopting AR and VR technology to enhance the customer experience.
Pop-Up Shops - A New Retail Reality
Emerging Blue, Pop-Up Shop Staffing
Opening a pop-up shop right now is a great idea and here’s why.
As we emerge from lockdown, people have been missing the ability to touch and feel product and to interact with brands in-person. This is where pop-up shops come in. They provide an opportunity to craft a shop that allows for safe shopping and social distancing. Let’s face it, these are our two realities right now.
Given months of shutdown, we find that stores have excess inventory, and many have locations that have limited in-store shopping ability. Opening a Pop-Up shop would bring products to the consumer in a way that fits the new retail reality.
With the pandemic creating an economic whirlwind, and with many retail storefront vacancies to choose from, it is an opportune time to have a brick-and-mortar, short-term presence. Whether an outdoor shopping center, a kiosk, or a free-standing boutique, companies are likely to find a perfect fit for a pop-up location. We recommend checking out Storefront for a list of incredible retail locations.
Planning a safe and successful pop-up includes hiring and training a staff that is sensitive to both. Our team has been working with independently owned retailers and national brands to launch pop-ups this summer. We are actively supporting our clients with in-depth staff training on safe customer interactions for each pop-up.
Sure, this new retail reality has been tricky, but having a plan, training the team, and doing it right is the key to pop-up shop success. Now is the time to start planning.
*Emerging Blue, supports retail clients across the US by sourcing, hiring, and training staff who are a match for each brand while handling all payroll and human resource processes. To engage our team to staff your pop-up reach out here or at info@emergingblue.com.
Suggestions before Reopening the Workplace from our EB Crew
Conversations regarding reopening the workplace are occurring daily, so here are some action items we suggest for the next coming weeks.
Take time to review all organizational charts and update all job descriptions
With the changes that occurred in staffing, org charts will need to be updated and communicated out. Additionally, update all job descriptions including new departmental responsibilities. Document any new processes and update vendors as needed, using the opportunity to receive their updates as well.
Consider benefits additions to help the transition
Many companies are offering transit vouchers and child-care reimbursements during the return phase to the norm. Any equipment needed to #wfh and cell phone reimbursement is also a great way to ensure employees of your commitment. Reexamine Sick Days policies and any PTO perks that can help the team.
Define and communicate updated expectations and goals
Post updated expectations and goals reflecting the changes in the economic climate, org chart shifts, and updated job descriptions. Bring corporate calendars up to date while considering the competitive landscape. And, embrace #inthistogether approach to welcoming the routine -)
Need help? Knock on our door info@emergingblue.com to hear more about our services.
When Should you Start Planning for your Holiday Pop-up Shop? Today.
Yes, we know its summer and most people aren’t even thinking about the holidays yet…but you should be if you want to have a successful pop-up shop. There’s lot to think about and plan for so we put together a list of 5 things you can do now to ensure your pop-up is a smashing success this winter.
1. Budget. This should be first on your list, as it will help you to put together all of the below items!
2. Location. Pop-up shops have become increasingly popular and the holidays are an especially fashionable time to have one. Given this, desirable spaces can become limited. Our friends at Storefront (www.thestorefront.com) are a great resource to find the perfect location for what you need.
3. Merchandise. Curate the collection of items that you will showcase in the pop-up, keeping in mind climate appropriate items, i.e. warm weather products in the south.
4. Marketing. Decide how to best broadcast your pop-up to your customer base. Consider a combination of in store marketing, social media, signage and influencer outreach. You could also run a promotion to help convert online traffic to in store traffic.
5. Staffing. Pop-ups require candidates who are aligned with your brand philosophy, reliable, retail focused and customer service oriented. Think about your goal and vision for the pop-up and be sure to choose candidates that can bring that to life. We recommend over hiring & training the staff to be ready for whatever the pop-up throws at you.
We hope this helps to jump start your preparation for your holiday pop-up shop and as always, we are here to help with any staffing needs. We’ve already started working with some of our brand partners to get ready for their holiday pop-up and we’d love to do the same for your company!
Macy's & Story
We're proud to have staffed the new Macy's retail concept, STORY, at locations across the country. Congratulations Macy’s for a successful launch!
Top Five Staffing Tips for Pop-up Shops
As the retail landscape changes and evolves, pop-up shops are quickly becoming a great way for a brand to get consumers to touch, feel, and try on their products… without having to make the commitment to a permanent retail space. Many landlords, commercial real estate firms and companies, like Storefront (storefront.com), can help find the perfect location.
Whether you are looking to showcase a new line, engage with your customers or generate brand awareness, hiring the right people to work your pop-up shop can be as important as your product and your location. Maximizing the customer interaction with your brand and hiring the right temporary employees is often the key to success.
At Emerging Blue, our pop-up clients have benefited from our “Top Five” list of things to keep in mind when staffing the perfect pop-up shop.
Hire like your Brand depends on it – Your employees and staff are your brand. As pop-up shops are becoming more and more popular, it’s important to hire employees that can take customers through the full brand experience. From greeting them to establishing a connection to the product, it is key to hire Brand Ambassadors that are friendly, eager, enthusiastic and approachable.
Over hire – Life happens, and employees sometimes do not show up. For a successful pop-up, make sure you are covered for the unexpected. We always recommend that our clients hire and train at least 20% more people than they think they will need.
Train, Train, Train – We suggest providing your Managers, Sales Associates and Brand Ambassadors with training materials and an in-person training session that covers your brand story, products and store technology. A staff that understands these, will make sure everything runs smoothly once the shop opens.
Plan Ahead – We cannot stress this enough. Allow enough time to source, hire and train great employees. Plan for your projected volume, hours, product training and internal systems. Devising a plan to have the proper sized staff to maximize sales will set you and your team up for success.
Agency Partners – Find a staffing agency partner that can help you with the points above. It is beneficial to use an agency to manage your hiring needs, if you do not have enough bandwidth to do so. Agencies will source, hire and take care of new hire and payroll needs for your pop-up shop employees. This allows you to focus on the execution of your event and not focus on details like payroll, workers compensation, taxes, and other additional HR expenses for your pop-up shop staff.
In summary, with the growth of pop-up shops, it is key to understand what makes a pop-up shop effective, as well as how to attract the right talent to work the event. A few takeaways to remember, make sure you hire staff that represents your brand well. Additionally, staff must be friendly, energetic, approachable, and a fit for the brand; this will also help to drive traffic and overall sales. For the staff to be successful, make sure they are well trained and fully understand their job duties. Most importantly, hiring enough staff will make a positive impact on the event, so make sure to over hire and have a plan for when people call out and for any unexpected emergencies that may occur. Lastly, finding reliable and top talent can be a challenge, so to save time and money, reach out to a staffing agency, like Emerging Blue, to support your hiring efforts so that you can focus all your attention to bringing your vision to reality.
* To engage Emerging Blue to help with pop-up staffing, contact us at 415-543-6636 or www.emergingblue.com