Lolita Charm: Race West: Lolita Fashion Houses

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Race West: Lolita Fashion Houses

Today I worked backstage at the InnoSera Baby the Stars Shine Bright fashion show (and bought from their boutique!) and it started a discussion: who's on top of the American/western fashion scene, Angelic Pretty or Baby the Stars Shine Bright?

Usually I'd go with Angelic Pretty. They've incited the rise of sweet, from sugar to high fructose corn syrup of deco and now fairyloli; they've inspired girls to stay up late into the night to be able to reserve the coveted It Print first. The aftermarket prices keep soaring to double and sometimes triple the original value, and sometimes as many as five girls as once 'twin' (quintuplet?!) in the same dress. And after their recent catering to western audiences in the way of Yumemiru Musical Paradise, it seemed like a sure thing. Despite having risen to the top recently, they're one of the closest contenders for top brand.

But Baby has decided to fight them for the crown. Now they're opening their first American location in San Francisco, beating out Angelic Pretty to the first lolita boutique to be brick-and-mortar in the United States. It's also been discussed that if this boutique and subsequent opening turns out well, that they'll branch out to New York City. They've also been making the rounds to east and west coasts for fashion shows, with New York Anime Festival '08 and now InnoSera '09. A lot of girls have fond memories of Baby - they're practically legends. They starred, as a brand and a lolita Camelot - in Kamikaze Girls, one of the first inspirations for many starter lolitas. They've already launched a successful store in Paris, France - where I got my first brand dress. They've catered to many styles and possess an elegance that can only come with long seasoning and an elder-sister mentality. So, why are they so far, it seems, ranking number two?

It's about marketing. (Yes, my minor is coming through in a strong way!) I think of the strongest points Angelic Pretty has going for them is their ability to market through publications. Many overseas customers don't get to see the clothes in person before purchases; they're swayed by photos, both online and in increasingly available magazines. To take from my own experience: I don't usually fall in love with an Angelic Pretty piece until they reveal their full-page, shimmer-covered magazine ads, complete with roses and giant strawberries. In contrast, I prefer to buy Baby when I can see it in real life. My purchase today was a print I had seen and wasn't too excited about - but in person you can see the brightness of the colors, the tiny detail in the buttons and images, and the soft vintage-style crepe fabric that I love in their other pieces. In photos, these details are lost.

To get ahead in the western lolita's pocketbook, they need to understand the shopping experience of the western lolita. When you sell a product, you're also selling an experience, which the consumer connects to emotionally. Was it a happy experience that worked out with minimum hassles, or was it a nightmare to complete? The brands do understand the power of customer loyalty - it's a big deal in Japan, to remain loyal to your brand house while they shower you with incentives like tea party admissions and points cards. If they brought that to the west, they'd see a steep incline in shoppers. Currently, brand loyalty is a mere novelty - rarely do girls buy only from one. But if they received the same incentives, brand loyalty would become much more common. Both Angelic Pretty and Baby have made a few steps in these directions, but so far Baby has made more of a connection. They're eager to attend events, even small ones; and they're taking the big leap of the San Francisco boutique.

This is only half of the equation, however. By not focusing on their main marketing tool, publications, they're losing a valuable attention span of their audience. Baby only puts out a few coordinate photos, and these aren't usually that spectacular. I'm a collector of their postcards, which are absolutely beautiful - I'd love to see those images floating around more, in both magazines and the internet.

So far, Angelic Pretty has the publications; Baby is making the in-store connection necessary to sell their products to the discerning buyer with a set budget. Most lolitas only have the bank account for an either-or choice when it comes to buying a new dress; both of the brands need to connect with their buyers in both arenas. The real question is, who is going to catch on first? Is it a matter of taste, or a matter of marketing? Who's really going to win the superiority of top brand outside of Japan?

If the lion and the unicorn are fighting for the crown, who is going to get drummed out of town?

Labels: discussion

7 Comments:

At August 9, 2009 at 6:38 AM , Muriel said...: I think Baby,tssb will gain its popularity again.
A lot of people like AP because is popular, and trends change quickly.
To me, Baby means quality, elegance, cuteness, in a sweet Princess way.The "new" AP (prints..etc) means over the top, flashy, sissy-alike clothes.I wish AP will remember how beautiful was their collections years ago.
And, unless AP returns to more simple designs, they won't win this battle.
In my opinion only, of course!

(sorry for my baaad english T_T)
At August 9, 2009 at 6:04 PM , Georgia said...: Personally I think it's also because the new trend of super sweet lolita was initiated by Angelic Pretty and its followers. Baby have merely followed in its footsteps by releasing more prints and sweeter peices after seeing the success of AP. Therefore, people think of AP as the original and best go-to place for the current, popular style of 'hyper sweet'.
That said, I think some of baby's recent prints have been gorgeous and yet they just aren't causing that much of a stir. If, say, merry sweet castle had been released by AP I thik it would have created a lot more hype than it received, while less original and (imo) less pretty lines like sweet jam sell out instantly simply because they are AP.
Trends change and ultimately I think the AP worshipping will die down, but not anytime soon. Baby is actually better quality when you see it in person and their designs are the quintessential embodiment of lolita, so they will, eventually, reclaim their crown.
And I say that as a fully fledged member of AP Addicts Anonymous xD
At August 9, 2009 at 8:11 PM , Trish said...: I think AP will continue to be the favored brand in the West. Most of the "elite" pieces and prints are by AP, and honestly it's been a long while since Baby has released something widely considered amazing. I mean, Baby offered overseas shipping before AP did, but AP still remained more popular in the West.
At August 10, 2009 at 9:27 AM , Anonymous said...: I'm loyal to meta! they will win! XD
At August 12, 2009 at 11:43 AM , Frillypinkdreams said...: :D! So cool that you used the same photograph that I used in my first blogg add x3 hehe...
I got my first dress from Baby,the stars shine bright in paris ! :D:D:D hehe x3

I don't know who to be loyal to! Since I'm so new to this I haven't much experience with any of them .... so mostly I know about baby, I guess x3
At August 13, 2009 at 2:54 PM , VintagE said...: I think that in order to discuss something like this, one should have at least some kind of background in--or at least understand common sense about--business. There is a lot more that goes into marketing than "publications" and consumer "experience", and from these brands' popularity in Japan (and being exposed to lolita fashion for nearly 10 years), it's obvious that the businesses know what they are doing and are only just beginning to care about their foreign market.

If you are going to make judgments about a business or two, please know what you're talking about first, or at least sort it out in your head before you start babbling on about it. It's fairly obvious that you did not do either.
At December 1, 2010 at 1:47 AM , Kizzy said...: (>.>) I used to buy from Babyssb(I've placed an order almost every year since the online shop went international), until I got a rather strange accusation from staff recently. I was told that I had not put my full address on my email orderform. I clearly stated Scotland as country, yet was told that I had not stated my country. I found it rude, ignorant, and quite off putting. I completed the order, yet I'm too paranoid to order anything(and I really hoped for torsion lace wristcuffs someday)from Baby in the future, in case it happens again. Oddly I've had no trouble with the past orders(they were always nice & polite), just this last time I slipped up putting Scotland instead of "UK". I haven't ordered from AP at all, I've heard the shopping system is a nightmare to complete. I much prefer Innocent World since they went international, good products(especially the socks, best quality, bonnets are fab too), easy ordering system, rather polite(the thankyou on fancy letter paper from staff are a cute touch), I can see myself becoming a loyal customer(I've ordered about three times from them now). I also think I put Scotland instead of "UK" on the previous IW order, and it was accepted as a valid location country wise (^_^) no troubles from either Meta or IW, so I'd rather stay away from the AP vs Babyssb issue altogether by leaving them be XD never did care much for popularity contests.

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Sunday, August 9, 2009

Race West: Lolita Fashion Houses

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