This week I sat down with Ed des Roches (who owns Plum with his wife Kate O'Brien) to ask him a few questions about our new training program. Here's what he had to say:
Why did you see a need for this training program?
ED: The competition in fashion today seems to be led by getting more clothes for cheaper. I have read books and articles about how this ‘fast fashion’ trend is a race to the bottom. It is hard on our environment and unsustainable, so I thought if customers knew how to dress properly, with knowledge and with intent, they could buy fewer clothes but wear better quality garments. They could spend less money and be gentler on our environment if they knew how. That is when I thought Plum could play a role in teaching our customers how to dress with intent. It starts by training my staff in the fundamentals of dressing.
How do you think this will impact the customer experience in Plum stores?
ED: Plum has always been a retailer focused on individual customers. We want all customers to leave the store feeling sensational about how they look. It is part of our DNA and our culture. The training that we are giving our employees will give them insights and skills to be able to help individual customers even more than they do. It is a natural investment for me--to invest in our corporate knowledge.
Why was Katherine Lazaruk of ICU Image Consulting the right fit Plum’s program?
ED: It is one thing to have a dream and quite another to make the dream a reality and I needed help. I do not know of any other fashion retailer that has taken an interest in training staff with a program of how to actually dress customers properly so I needed someone that could help me create a program. When I got in touch with Katherine, we talked for a long time about the plan and I was very pleased with her depth of knowledge and how enthusiastic she was about helping Plum. In the end, there was one dream that we both had--we wanted to change the way all women thought about fashion, how to dress and how to purchase their clothing! It is a big idea, no doubt, but one we both believe in.
If you haven't heard about Plum's new training program, read about it here. Have any thoughts? Let us know!
