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Bonjour Millionaire,
This is scrappy and I've decided I love it. |
Nothing like a hard transition. Next, we're talking about fashion brand Phoebe Philo so that's enough Costco / Baby Formula brand for now. ACT COOL. |
Was this email forwarded to you? |
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ON THIS EPISODE OF GO-TO-MILLIONS |
Phoebe Philo has been called “the Chanel of her generation” in terms of influence, but the way she runs her eponymous luxury fashion brand isn’t like Chanel at all.
There are no runway shows, physical retail stores, or fashion seasons. And there are sometimes backless skirts. |
Phoebe Philo—a lot of fans call her Phoebe, but it’s Phoebe Philo for me, because RESPECT—sees her work as 1 continuous collection.
Instead of seasons, Phoebe Philo, the brand, organizes clothing in “Edits,” which are then made available to attempt to buy during “Deliveries,” which are essentially drops. (Yes, this nomenclature is confusing but also impossibly chic.) |
Every item is limited…but like actually, truly limited. Sold out items are not restocked. I don't get that shirt above AT ALL but again, I'm only ACTING COOL. The girls that get it, get it. The girls that don’t, turn to the luxury resale market. |
Phoebe Philo clothing, shoes, and accessories are unconventional, stunning (if not always practical), expensive, and elusive. But are they worth the limitations and occasional frustrations of the brand’s iconoclastic business model?
Depends on who you ask.
When Phoebe Philo launched in October 2023 with the 150-piece A1 Edit, it was kind of a haute mess.
Fans had been waiting 6 years to buy clothes designed by Phoebe Philo, the visionary designer responsible for “the Céline effect” (more on that later).
There was so much demand and so little supply that phoebephilo.com (the only place to buy the inaugural collection) sold out faster than you can say “Black Card.”
If you were able to buy, but your $450-$25,000 online purchase didn’t fit, there were no exchanges. SHRUG.
Despite, or maybe even BECAUSE of, all the friction, Phoebe Philo is 1 of the most coveted stealth wealth brands today.
Here’s how Phoebe Philo’s winning the quiet luxury game. Not that she really cares, though.
Before Phoebe Philo, the label, there was Phoebe Philo, the visionary. She grew up in London and studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. |
Unlike some people who drop out of law school (ahem, me) before finding their true purpose (ahem, shopping disguised as marketing) Philo was deadset on fashion from the jump.
After graduating in 1996, Philo moved to Paris (!) to work at Chloé (!) as a design assistant to her college friend Stella McCartney (!!!). THIS WAS HER 1ST JOB AFTER GRADUATING. At the time, Chloé was known for really feminine haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing that was pretty, safe, and sometimes a little dull.
Under Stella McCartney’s creative direction, with Phoebe Philo 2nd in command, Chloé started releasing irreverent, playful designs. Think: raunchy t-shirts, low-rise pants, and horse-printed dresses. |
When McCartney left to start her own label in 2001, Philo took over Chloé and transformed the brand with a more refined modern bohemian aesthetic and what became seriously coveted handbags. Including the iconic Paddington. |
During her tenure at Chloé, Philo was the 1st high-profile fashion creative director EVER to take maternity leave. (EVER!!! NEW ICON BADGE UNLOCKED.) In 2006, she left Chloé, moved back to London to be close to family, and had her 2nd baby.
2 years later, Philo was back in business with a new creative director/board member role at Céline, after negotiating with LVMH to work from London, instead of Paris. |
From 2008-2017, Philo made Céline the luxury brand “for women who don’t want to dress for anyone but themselves.” Talk about aspirational brand positioning. |
Clothes were chic and minimalist, with clean lines and mostly neutral colors. You might argue this was the 1st whisper of “quiet luxury.” With the exception of the occasional furry shoe. As imitators copied this understated approach to fashion, the Céline effect went mainstream.
Just a few trends that have been attributed to the Phoebe Philo-era of Céline: - Designer sneakers and the resurgence of Stan Smiths
- Mixing black and navy (intentionally, lol) - Luxe track pants - Long hair tucked in a turtleneck (intentionally, lol) - The return of Birkenstocks |
But, all good things come to an end. (Not this email yet, though.)
Philo left Céline in 2017 and was off the radar FOR 4 YEARS until summer 2021, when she announced that she was launching an eponymous brand. Philophiles were ecstatic and couldn’t wait to shop, except wait they did. FOR 2 MORE YEARS.
In February 2023, Phoebe Philo’s official Instagram confirmed a September 2023 launch date. In July, another bare bones Instagram post announced that phoebephilo.com was open for registration. |
Philophiles entered their names and emails and waited for September. NOTHING.
And finally on October 30, 2023, Phoebe Philo’s A1 Edit was out in the world. Within 24 hours, nearly 70% of the drop was sold out. This necklace—which yes, you may buy me—was snapped up in 8 minutes: |
After all the suspense, this was objectively NOT the best customer experience. From a marketing psychology perspective, though, Phoebe Philo’s launch was messy in the most desirable way. Every item was coveted. Scoring anything felt like a win. And shoppers were hungry for more. But, all of this was only possible, because the clothes and accessories were killer, and Phoebe Philo, the designer, was a proven entity. If your brand is an unknown, and I’m betting it is, it must play by different rules.
Today, it’s a little easier to buy Phoebe Philo—more on that later—but it’s still the stealthiest of stealth wealth brands.
So, what can we all learn from the *fashionably late* success of Phoebe Philo, whether we can afford the clothes or not? |
LESSON #1️⃣: EMAIL IS LUXURY. SOCIAL IS MASS-MARKET. |
It took years for Phoebe Philo to launch. Now, it’s had 2 A2 Edits (in March and September 2024), B launched in January 2025, and we’re still waiting for more details on C. (This collection naming is driving me nuts, too, btw.)
Through all the waiting, this slow drip of email has kept hope anticipation rabid fashion lust alive in a way that social just…doesn’t. Email is more exclusive and direct AND measurable. And, it was the only way to shop the first edit. Of course Philophiles signed up!
Just getting that email from Phoebe Philo on October 30, 2023 became a meme-able rite of passage.
Those who weren’t on the list, missed out. And those who got the news late via social realized they should join the email list to be one of the cool kids. |
This isn’t to say that brands shouldn’t invest in social, but DON’T SLEEP ON EMAIL.
Social is a useful way to direct your serious fans and customers to email, where your brand has a lot more control and attention.
And when you get that attention, you’ve got to share something of value. It’s so easy to Unsubscribe. Don’t send an email unless you’ve got something good to share.
Like 50% off all Phoebe Philo accessories. Never mind, I’m hallucinating. |
LESSON #2️⃣: EMBRACE THE BEST OF BOTH HIGH & LOW COMMERCE |
Do people say hi-lo fashion anymore? It feels obvious at this point. Of course, savvy people wear $15 socks from Amazon Essentials with their $890 LOEWE sneakers!
But Phoebe Philo’s launch is the most notable example of hi-lo commerce, with the brand adopting and remixing the most proven tactics of DTC AND luxury.
The first two edits sold only on phoebephilo.com, but they were limited and expensive. Investments, not impulse buys nudged along by the growth tactics that are bread & butter for folks like you & me. If you wanted to shop Phoebe
Philo, being on the exclusive email list was imperative.
Phoebe Philo launched its A2 Edit online in March 2024 and finally took pity on us and expanded into brick-and-mortar wholesale at NYC’s Bergdorf Goodman in April 2024 with a limited selection of items from the A1 and A2 Edits. |
Now, you can shop Phoebe Philo IRL at other very select retailers, like Maxfield and Neiman Marcus in LA, The Webster in South Beach, and Dover Street Market in London and Paris.
But, phoebephilo.com remains the exclusive online retailer. |
LESSON #3️⃣: DON’T BE AFRAID TO REINVENT THE REINVENTION |
Phoebe Philo, the visionary, already had an amazing resume when she set off on her own. But launching your own brand is not the same as taking the reins at a luxury French fashion house.
The friction of the Phoebe Philo launch ultimately became part of the brand’s lore. It was a filter, weeding out unserious shoppers.
In March 2024, Phoebe Philo introduced Edit 2 with a digital ad campaign starring German actress Sandra Hüller that was reminiscent of the MEMORABLE 2015 Céline campaign with writer Joan Didion. |
And then, as I mentioned earlier, Phoebe Philo made its way into select physical retailers.
As the brand evolves, it may pivot away from some of the choices that made it so disruptive when it launched in 2023. Some choices may have intended to be efficiencies and differentiators, but ultimately cost the brand time, money, or reputation in a way it hadn’t anticipated.
It’s amazing to be in high-demand, low-supply. But a brand has to deliver to stay in business, and there are too many quiet luxury competitors—and quiet luxury DUPERS—that are a lot easier and less expensive to buy.
Maybe someday there will be a Phoebe Philo runway show, but don’t worry, none of us are invited anyway.
And if things get really weird and there’s a TikTok shop someday, you know I’ll be there, trying to figure out what happened and what size I need. For research! |
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Back to the subject of Costco. When I used to be brand-side, I accidentally sent a Holiday gift to 2 of my Costco buyers. It was a succulent with a nice handwritten card. 1 for each of them. They emailed me right when they got the gifts. Letting me know that they had DESTROYED THEM AND THAT IT WAS AGAINST POLICY TO GIFT YOUR BUYERS. I believe the b word was used - bribery. Was scary for all involved. Yours,
Ari |
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