According to WWD.com, “now, as streetwear appears to be making a bit of a comeback from its previous somnambulant state, companies are adopting new strategies, ranging from a tight grip on wholesale distribution to, increasingly, not wholesaling at all but selling direct to consumers via the Internet and myriad blogs for promotion”. Indeed, each streetwear company has its own recipe for success: conceptual stores, wide range of products, omnichannel distribution model, promotion of unique lifestyle related to the product etc. We will see how Snipes, a German streetwear retailer, is adapting to new market challenges.
Brief history of streetwear
When we are talking about streetwear, we mean a distinctive category of street fashion with constant evolution of styles, encompassing elements of casual, comfortable streetwear and hip hop fashion, surf and skate culture and modern haute couture fashion.
Born in the late 1970s – early 1980s of the Los Angeles surf culture, the streetwear fashion “took inspiration from the DIY aesthetic punk, new wave, heavy metal and later hip hop cultures” and successfully expanded to all continents with the brands such as Adidas, Kangoul and Nikes.
Snipes
German streetwear fashion, relying on individuality, expression and character, won the hearts and minds of European customers. For example, Snipes, an internationally successful streetwear chain store and brand operating in a number of European countries, has been around for almost 15 years and attracts customers with the quality and uniqueness of their wide range of products.
The story of Snipes begins in 1998 with the opening of the 1st Snipes store in Essen (Germany). Since its launch, the retailer has been playing an important role in the German urban fashion with its increasing variety of stores throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They sell a wide range of hip-hop, skate, dance and street basketball shoes, clothing and accessories, accompanied by an attractive shop atmosphere and dynamic staff.
Snipes is constantly opening new stores – for instance, in 2015, they launched a new Snipes store in Hannover (Germany).
Mixed use retail and leisure: What happens next? – White Paper
Concept
According to deutschland.de, in Germany “rather than suits, sportswear and streetwear are worn over 90% of the time – even to important work meetings. Great care is taken in presenting this seemingly casual attire”. At a Snipes store, there is a lot of choice of streetwear for all tastes and occasions. Not only you find sneakers from brands like Adidas, Nike, Reebok and Asics Retro Runner, but also boots and basketball shoes, together with the freshest streetwear collections and accessories (jackets, caps, T-shirts, jeans, jogging pants and more) by other brands “in vogue” such as Jordan, Black Caviar, Criminal Damage or Urban Classics. Exclusive and limited collections of sneakers are also available, along with special releases from Air Jordan or Asics or Nike Retro Runner.
Online store
“In the boom-bust-percolating world of streetwear, brands have a new tool to better control their futures: e-commerce” (WWD.com). In their distribution model, Snipes uses the double approach: hundreds of conceptual stores in European cities and online shops with at-door delivery. Check out their online store at www.snipes.com (in German) for more details. They are also active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Youtube.
Snipes at MAPIC
Snipes is heading to MAPIC this November to share their expansion plans, find new partnerships and win the hearts of world customers. This year, MAPIC gathers 8,400+ international participants, including over 2,400 retailers and 2,300 property developers for 3 days of exhibition, conferences and networking events targeting all types of retail property: city and shopping centres, factory outlets, leisure areas and transit zones.
★ Click here to join Snipes at MAPIC 2015!
Top image credit: Masson
