Fast Fashion has been around for several decades. Fashion Nova didn’t invent making affordable clothes from the runway and editorial designs. Other brands have been doing it for many years.
So, how was Fashion Nova able to launch its online brand in 2013 and become more popular than other fashion brands?
How did it become the most searched fashion brand on Google in 2018?
This is the question many have asked.
We can all agree that behind every successful company is a CEO with a strategy. Richard Saghian is the man behind Fashion Nova. He is the one who has been able to keep Fashion Nova on top of the scoreboard in the fast fashion game. Let’s take a look at some of the experiences that made this possible for him.
How Richard Saghian’s Experience Helped Fashion Nova Stay on Top
1. Retail Experience
Richard Saghian was able to get some experience in the retail business and fashion industry by working for his father. His father owned women’s clothing stores. So, he stayed with him to help out during the summer holidays. This first-hand experience helped him know what being the CEO of a fashion brand entails.
2. He Ran a Physical Store First
Most people don’t know that Fashion Nova wasn’t established recently. Before it became an online brand, Richard Saghian ran Fashion Nova as a retail store at the Panorama Mall in Panorama City, LA.
Running a physical store at a mall kept him closer to the customers. It made him communicate directly with them and understand their pain points. So, he was able to find out what ladies needed. The information he got helped him create the Fashion Nova that everyone shops from today.
He didn’t think about creating an online store until he saw that websites that sold the same products as he did were charging more and making more sales. Then he realized that establishing an online business was easier and would take less time than building 100 brick-and-mortar stores around the United States.
Things Richard Saghian Put In Place When Fashion Nova Became an Online Brand
Saghian knew he had to improve his game, as he was stepping into an industry that was already dominated by other brands. He wanted Fashion Nova to become something more than just a brand that sold affordable clubwear to ladies.
Here are the things he did to place Fashion Nova above existing fast fashion brands and keep it there:
1. Setting a Trend
Before Fashion Nova, fast fashion brands like Zara and H&M focused on making clothes for individuals with a model body figure. Their clothes were for slim people like those we see on runways and in magazines.
However, Saghian understood that many women in the US and other countries around the world don’t have that type of body. Women have curves too, and some women are larger than others. Leaving them out of the game would mean cutting out a big section of the audience.
So, Saghian created clothes for this category of people too. Fashion Nova became an inclusive brand and people got more interested in seeing what they had to offer.
In an interview with Paper Mag, Saghian said, “All our other competitors were always using the same models over and over.” He wanted to celebrate body positivity and make a difference in the industry – and he did.
Some of Fashion Nova styles reach up to size 4X, and women love putting them on because it makes them feel good.
2. Getting the Instagram Game Early
Saghian always said he didn’t start posting pictures on Instagram early because he didn’t think it was going to be successful. So, he waited until his Instagram account had 60,000 followers before he started posting.
The first weekend after he started using Instagram for Fashion Nova, the entire inventory sold out.
Since then, Fashion Nova has maintained the same Instagram strategy. Unlike other fashion brands, Saghian posts 30 pictures of Fashion Nova styles in a day. At least one of them will show on every follower’s feed.
By posting so many pictures daily, Fashion Nova has been able to get more engagement on the Instagram page and directed more people to shop on the site.
Fashion Nova engages with customers. They upload pictures of their customers (#NovaBabes) wearing Fashion Nova outfits and tagging them. So, these people can also get more views and followers on their profiles.
3. Influencer Marketing
No brand utilizes influencers as much as Fashion Nova. Even those that use influencers go for the top ones, leaving out the micro-influencers.
But Richard Saghian doesn’t think this way. He works with both micro- and macro-influencers. He invests in micro-influencers, sending them free Fashion Nova outfits or buying sponsored posts.
For instance, Cardi B has been a Fashion Nova influencer since long before she became a celebrity. By maintaining a good relationship with her, Richard Saghian is now able to reach millions of her followers as she still wears the brand today. They have released two major collections that sold out in less than 24 hours.
4. Competitive Price Points
By setting the prices of about 95% of the items on Fashion Nova at less than $50, Richard Saghian has been able to convince more people to purchase from the brand. Fashion Nova sells its fashion items even cheaper than other fast fashion brands. You can buy clothes for as low as $20.
Everybody wants something good, and will most likely buy it when it comes at an affordable price.
By changing the existing standards in the fast fashion industry, Richard Saghian has been able to take Fashion Nova ahead of the game and place it on top of other brands.
