Brand Innovation Proposal for Oscar De La Renta

by Ashlina Rachel Davidson

The Man Who Redefined Luxury Dressmaking, Oscar De La Renta

To design for women, one must understand their needs and aspirations. To design for women

who also love luxury, one must create the extraordinary. An iconic identity synonymous with

femininity, sophistication, elegance and enabling women to feel like they are in their own

fairytale, is none other than Oscar De La Renta (ODLR). His nonconformist canvas is fluid

and knows no discrimination as one who designs as easily for former First Ladies of the USA

such as Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush as he does with Oprah Winfrey. Sarah Jessica Parker

and Penelope Cruz as reported in Glamour (Clinton, 2014). His elegance isn’t in the

traditional form we are accustomed to, but rather his own interpretation of intricacy and detail

that befits both an Oscars afterparty or a high society luncheon. Based on a CNN (2014)

article, the OLDR Manhattan store was touted as the most expensive store in the U.S in 2013,

whereby the average shopper spent double the amount they would typically spend at the

Prada store in New York.

Figure 1 ODLR Brand Prism

De La Renta was able to cross borders within the parameters of luxury fashion. One could

even make the argument that his designs are “wabisabiesque” whereby the innate fulfilment

of wearing the dress, perhaps only once in a self-indulgent, transient moment is worth the

monetary value one is willing to part with as much as on the contrary, it inspires hundreds of

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lookalike brands targeting novices who aspire to dress like their favorite celebrity (Berthon,

P., Pitt, L., Parent, M., & Berthon, J.-P. (2009). Over decades, the De La Renta brand has

witnessed ethereal layers that have beautifully unfolded piece by piece. Today, the brand

offers ready-to-wear pieces, bridal collections, bags, accessories, perfume and jewelry. It has

also recently penetrated into the resale business proving that the business is open to

innovation and change to ensure that the brand remains dynamic and future-proof, provided

that the brand DNA remains solid and unchanged. (Lockwood, 2021).

Foray into the Middle East

In the past few years, in partnership with e-commerce retailers such as Net-A-Porter and

FarFetch, the ODLR brand has created special collections for the month of Ramadan

celebrated by Muslims, targeting the Middle East based on a report by Forbes. The collection

included kaftans and footwear and the brand’s iconic markers in the form of intricate

embroidery in a range of luxurious shades of the finest fabrics were displayed magnificently.

Mod by Oscar De La Renta - Brand Extension into Modest Fashion in the Middle East

The Middle East is no stranger to luxury fashion, given their relatively high disposable

income, largely attributed to its petroleum-based wealth. Based on a Reuters article published

in 2011, some of the biggest buyers of haute couture today in Europe center around the

Middle Eastern customers who are known to spend up to 50,000 Euros on luxury apparel they

have their eyes on. In recent times, the Middle East has demonstrated that it is rapidly

changing and modernizing. Historically led by the UAE, conservative countries like Saudi

Arabia too are experiencing a renaissance-like movement for women, fueling freedom of

expression unveiling a modestly-modern young affluent Arab woman. This phenomenon has

seen the rise of brands capitalizing on the Modest Fashion industry that is estimated to reach

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$311 billion by 2024. Yet, women in the GCC still find it a challenge to purchase their

favorite pieces in their home countries, and often resort to purchasing it online or whilst they

are on holiday in Europe or the US. Middle Eastern women also find it a challenge looking

for outfits that are reasonably modest yet fashionable from their beloved designers especially

as the region moves towards lesser male-female segregation during social events and more

joint events. It is reported that women in the Middle East attend between 15 to 20 weddings

per year, and at least one private party on a monthly basis proving that luxury fashion has

fallen into the “necessity” realm in the region. (Reuters, 2020)

The brand innovation proposal for ODLR is to embark on a brand extension exercise,

creating a sub-brand specifically catered to Middle Eastern customers called “Mod by Oscar

De La Renta” as a nod to modern modest clothing. The modest version of the designs could

still be heavily inspired by the original seasonal designs, but feature modest elements that

incorporate longer length of sleeves and higher necklines, lesser sheer in terms of material as

well as other aspects such as looser cuts. This would mean that the new sub-brand would not

be as time and manpower exhaustive as there will minimal need in creating a completely new

collection from scratch. Based on ODLR’s Ramadan experimentation over the past few

years, they would also be able to capitalize on data and customer insights to include

alterations and design amendments that would be appreciated and sought after.

In addition, a category that ODLR has still not fully embraced is the scarf segment which

could be the highlight category within Mod by ODLR. Scarves could be the entry-level

product that the sub-brand launches with, to immerse the customer into the brand before

enticing them with the full collection. ODLR is already retailing their stunning fabrics on

fashion fabric sites such as Mood, thus creating scarves or “hijabs” commonly known in the

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Middle East, which is essentially 100cm square or rectangular shaped fabric pieces appears to

have the potential to become an organic extension of the brand.

Mod by ODLR could utilize the same distribution strategy as they are currently accustomed

to, through their own stores, credible luxury brick-and-mortar retail partners in the region

such as Bloomingdales and e-commerce sites such as Ounass and Al Othman. Ideally, the

pilot markets would be Saudi Arabia, as the largest market in the Middle East and UAE, the

most fashion-forward and progressive market with limited pieces. Upon success of the

collection and brand as a whole in these two markets, it can easily be expanded to Kuwait,

Qatar, Bahrain and Egypt for full immersion into the region with the final step being global

modest fashion domination by penetrating into bigger markets in such as Indonesia and

Malaysia (Suen.Z, 2021).

The proposed price point of Mod by ODLR would remain on par with the mother brand

pricing structure, to ensure distinctiveness and avoid any brand dilution as the product

attributes will still be of excellent quality and craftsmanship.

In conclusion, Mod by Oscar De La Renta will remain true to the brand identity of the mother

brand, but will be a graceful extension that is able to target a new segment in a lucrative

market without having to embark on outlandish investments or risk brand dilution in the

process. It will simply be a distinct sub-brand that will be known for modest ODLR pieces,

showcasing its inclusivity to a region that has always had great admiration and appreciation

towards the man and the brand, Oscar De La Renta.

END

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References

Clinton, L. M. (n.d.). The Oscar de la Renta Dresses We’ll Remember Forever.

Glamour. https://www.glamour.com/gallery/famous-oscar-de-la-renta-dresses

Nichol, L (2018), Oscar De La Renta’s New Creative Directors Are Redefining the Brand
While Staying True To Maison’s Values. Harpers Bazaar Arabia
https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/fashion/featured-news/oscar-de-la-rentas-new-creative-
directors-are-redefining-the-brand-while-staying-true-to-maisons-values

Isidore, C. (2014, October 21). Oscar de la Renta: The man who could sell a
$12,000 dress. CNNMoney. https://money.cnn.com/2014/10/21/luxury/oscar-de
la-renta/

Berthon, P., Pitt, L., Parent, M., & Berthon, J.-P. (2009). Aesthetics and ephemerality:
observing and preserving the luxury brand. California Management Review, 52(1), 45–45.

Lockwood, L., & Lockwood, L. (2021, November 22). Oscar de la Renta Enters the
Resale Business. WWD. https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/oscar
de-la-renta-enters-the-resale-business-1234999989/
‌
Portee, A. (n.d.). Farfetch Collaborates With Thirty Designers For Ramadan.
Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/allysonportee/2021/04/13/farfetch-collaborates
with-thirty-designers-for-ramadan/?sh=2fcf82517c2c
‌
Net-A-Porter Launches its Most Expansive Ramadan Edit to Date. (2022, March 8).
Vogue Arabia. https://en.vogue.me/fashion/net-a-porter-ramadan-edit/

Out of public eye, Arab women power haute couture. (2011, October 5). Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fashion-middleeast
idUSTRE7942YG20111005
‌
Suen, Z. (2021, November 10). Modest Fashion’s Big Asia Opportunity. The
Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/global
markets/the-modest-fashion-industrys-big-asia-opportunity/