快时尚品牌American Apparel重塑形象：少些性暗示，多拼好产品

    尽管American Apparel与创始人兼前任首席执行官多夫•查尼之间的纠葛仍在继续，但该公司已经制定了一张路线图，力图成为一个销售额达到10亿美元的品牌：大量减少性暗示元素，推出质量更高的产品。

    这家时装零售商在去年解雇了查尼，并指控他和多位员工关系暧昧，管理不善等，该公司营收在2014年下跌4%，至6.09亿美元。（除去开新店和关店的影响，营收其实下跌了6%。）

    作为这家零售商最大的股东，对冲基金Standard General为公司引入了新的高层领导团队，其成员包括今年1月履新的首席执行官宝拉•施耐德。新领导层大肆抨击查尼，指责他推出的产品种类过多，使用了臭名昭著的低俗广告，财务业绩极为糟糕。American Apparel设定了中期目标：销售额达到7亿至7.5亿美元，最终达到10亿美元。

    在上周一次面向投资者的介绍会中，该公司管理层声称American Apparel是“一个具有社会意识的标志性品牌”。为了达到上述销售目标，公司计划在广告中去除性暗示元素，转而推出更加精致的宣传活动，并减少产品类别，进军尚未开发的市场以降低对已饱和市场的依赖，比如纽约和洛杉矶等大城市。American Apparel还打算将用户群体扩展至60岁人群。

    在报告中，American Apparel表示公司计划“重铸这一品牌，宣扬其积极、包容、具有社会意识的一面”。这意味着该公司将摒弃American Apparel多年来“惹怒许多人”的标志性特征——“裸露和公然的性挑逗”。新品牌面向“16至60岁之间自信美丽的人士”，且适合“各个种族”。

    American Apparel还在规划其他微小却意义深远的变革。其中之一就是招募更多的设计人才，以提高产品的合身程度和外观。公司打算将产品种类减少30%，以获得更大的收益，避免在失败的产品上浪费资金。

    American Apparel明确表示，该公司有能力在运营方面做出大量改善：管理层希望在公司建立即时需求和预测团队（这是一切大型零售商的核心部门），并减少产品进入市场的时间（想要与动作迅速的时尚连锁店H&M等竞争，这一点至关重要）。

    店面也将有很大的变化。American Apparel在全球有242家店面，但相当大一部分都在纽约或洛杉矶，许多其他城市却只有一家店面，公司认为这是不够的。管理层准备在开发市场时进行周全的考虑：城市人口须在40万以上，新店销售额须在120万美元以上。管理层还希望店内变得更加整洁。

    在多年的狗血剧和糟糕的表现（自2009年起再未盈利过）之后，公司的新任务是“成为一个财力雄厚、具有社会意识的标志性品牌，向消费者提供优质美国产品，并推动股东利益最大化。”这可真是一个雄心勃勃的崇高计划。（财富中文网）

    译者：严匡正

    审校：任文科

    Even as it continues to wage battle with its founder and former CEO DovCharney, American Apparel has laid out a road map to grow to become a $1 billion brand: a lot less sexual innuendo, and far better merchandise.

    The fashion retailer fired Charney last year and has accused him of, among other things, misconduct with employees and mismanaging the company, which saw revenue fall 4% to $609 million in 2014. (When stripping out the effect of new stores or closed stores, the drop was 6%.)

    Hedge fund Standard General, which is the retailer’s largest shareholder, has brought in a new senior leadership team, including CEO Paula Schneider, who took the helm in January. The new executives have slammed Charney for offering too many different products, his infamously racy ads, and terrible financial performance. American Apparel’s medium term goal is to get sales to $700-$750 million, and eventually, up to $1 billion.

    To get there, American Apparel, which management called “a socially conscious, iconic brand” in a presentation sent this week to investors, is planning to de-sex its ads in favor of more sophisticated campaigns, pare the size of its assortments, and expand in untapped markets so it relies less on cities like New York or L.A. where it’s at saturation. It’s also going for a broader clientele, all the way up to age 60.

    In its filing, American Apparel said it plans to “recast the brand in a positive, inclusive, socially conscious light.” That means ditching the “nudity and blatant sexual innuendo” that was its hallmark for years but that was “offensive to many.” The new incarnation of the brand is targeted at the “confident and naturally beautiful from 16 — 60,” and aims to be “racially universal.”

    But American Apparel is planning other profound though subtle changes. For one thing, it plans to hire more and new design talent to improve the fit and look of the merchandise. It plans to reduce the variety of items it sells by 30% to get more bang for its buck, and not lose money on products that flop.

    The company made it clear how much improvement it thinks it can wring out of American Apparel’s operations: management wants to build the company’s first demand planning and forecasting team (a mainstay at any major retailer), and reduce the time it takes to get to market. (Very crucial when competing with fast fashion chains like H&M.)

    As for its stores, big changes are coming too. American Apparel has 242 stores globally. But too many of them are in either New York or Los Angeles, or in cities where there is only one American Apparel, something the company called inefficient. Management is looking to be more deliberate when targeting a market: there has to be 400,000 people or more, and sales of any new store have to be $1.2 million. It also wants a less cluttered look in its stores.

    After years of drama, and poor results (no profit since 2009), its new mission is “to be a financially sound, socially conscious, iconic brand that provides high quality American made products to consumers while maximizing stakeholder value.” A lofty, but ambitious plan.