Brief description of the organisation/initiative
The company is an online clothing boutique. Business is socially responsible and ecological. The clothes sold come from second hand. These are mainly clothes from famous people, the so-called Influencers. The company’s mission is to educate people and make them aware that consumerism is destroying our environment, people buy too much clothes. The proposed clothes come from influencers, followed by young people. These are fashionable clothes in good condition that can be used by new users for a long time. Moreover, Au Revwear is involved in various educational and research initiatives aimed at developing the circulation of clothes, e.g. as part of the Fashion Revolution.
Challenge overview
On the one hand, the pandemic delayed the start of business – actions were delayed by several months, on the other hand, it allowed for better preparation for running a business. An obstacle resulting from the pandemic was also a smaller need of customers to buy formal clothes – everyone stayed at home and bought tracksuits.
The pandemic caused a significant development of the fashion industry on the internet, popularisation of new business models. People have also convinced themselves to buy online, they are more open to this sales channel.
Establishment of the organisation/initiative/enterprise
Fashion has always interested her. Already in high school, she opened the first fashion store, where she sold remanufactured clothes from second-hand shops. It is now a fashionable upcycling trend. She was inspired to open the company by a foreign business model – selling out wardrobes of influencers who have too many clothes but do not have time to sell them.
Management structure and governance
Kornelia Warecka is the main manager of the company. She deals with finance, operational and administrative matters. Supervises the work of other people, acquires partners for cooperation.
Kornelia works with one person, the so-called creative, dealing with fashion, photo sessions and a second person from marketing, copywriting and PR. Accounting is outsourced. Logistics is handled by a rented courier company.
As it is a small business, Kornelia also happens to do simple tasks such as packing packages for clients or organising the warehouse, the flow of information between the team is fast and flexible.
Principles of work, objectives and activities
Kornelia’s goal and mission is to spread environmental awareness among buyers. The main daily tasks are: building relationships with partners, influencers, creating offers, planning sessions and marketing activities on Instagram and TikTok. In addition, there are issues with selling clothes and packing them for customers, acquiring new clothes.
Kornelia sets short and long-term goals (number of sales, number of followers, etc.). Currently, due to the reflection on new areas of activity and a new strategy, long-term goals are not being created.
Target groups
The target groups are mainly women from the Z generation, born after 1995.
There are 2 groups: people who follow specific influencers, who want their clothes and style, and people who are environmentally conscious and look for good quality second-hand clothes.
Innovation
The company is innovative due to its business model – cooperation with influencers. Additionally, it uses innovative sales channels: TikTok, Live Sale, and social media. Currently, Kornelia is also interested in new technologies in fashion – the use of blockchain.
Key partners
They are mainly influencers and media partners.
Impact and Evaluation
The main positive effects on the environment are the reduction of the carbon footprint, water consumption and responsible use of resources. Secondly, this trend supports the reduction of consumerism and the constant buying of new things.
Recommendations
The model can be easily adapted all over the world. Its strength lies in finding local influencers and encouraging them to cooperate. Responsible fashion, second hand, is now a popular topic, which is interested in large fashion brands and more and more young consumers.
Lessons Learned
The main lesson is greater self-awareness, a sense of power and agency. Learning that professional success and failure do not determine what kind of person you are. Increasing the distance, understanding that being an entrepreneur is interesting but also demanding. Gaining satisfaction from the development of the team, support of other people, work life balance.
References
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.