Reformation

SHOP REPORT
PORTFOLIO

Shannon Maier
FASH 265 Retailing Principles + Practices
Professor Jennifer Finn
December 3, 2023
 BRAND HISTORY
“Being naked is the #1 most sustainable option. Reformation is #2.”

In January 2009, Reformation (commonly referred to by the company as Ref) was founded by Yael
Afalo, a native Californian who began her career as a designer in 1999. During her 10 years as a
fashion designer, she witnessed firsthand just how much waste was created from producing
garments; she hated it. So, with the ethos of sustainability in mind, Afalo started the company by
refurbishing and retailoring vintage dresses in the back of the first Reformation Store in Los
Angeles. Inventory was quickly expanded to sell originally designed Reformation pieces, and a new
store in New York was opened to account for the growing popularity.

Flash forward to 2013, Afalo launched the Reformation website, which brought the company
worldwide, and essentially transformed the business to a primarily e-commerce store. Before long,
the brand would blow up, and by the year 2014 would account for $25 million in sales.

Since its e-commerce launch in 2013, Reformation has forged a path as a fashion leader in
sustainability and style for women around the world. Some notable events in the last 10 years
include:

April 2015: Reformation introduces the RefScale, which calculates the comparison between the
impact of making Ref Clothing and other clothing sold in the U.S.

April 2017: The first Reformation Sustainability Report was published, showcasing how the
company has progressed on the environmentally friendly front.

April 2017: Reformation expanded the company beyond everyday wear into bridal

July 2019: Ref expanded abroad, with stores in Toronto and London

March 2021: Reformation teams up with FibreTrace to make fully traceable denim sourced
from a climate-positive cotton farm in Australia.

Amidst these significant events, Reformation sold the Majority Stake to Permira in 2019, who would
continue to run the business alongside Afalo. The company boasted over $150 million in revenue
that year. Ref currently boasts 43 stores in major cities from Los Angeles, California to Seoul, South
Korea.

Today, Reformation is known as a brand for “It Girls,” and sells everything from activewear to flip
flops. They have developed a dedicated following that includes the likes of Taylor Swift, Karlie
Kloss, Zoe Kravitz, and many more. Ref continues to provide all the fashion for none of the guilt.
 SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Prioritizes sustainability and eco-friendly
products in a market that increasingly
expects exceptional practices in these fields
Clear brand values
Wide product range
Transparency about all practices
Sell high-quality, long-lasting products
Strong and unique Collaborations (New York
City Ballet, Canada Goose, Saie)
Reliably manufactured
Strong reputation among celebrities (Taylor
Swift, Selena Gomez, Florence Pugh, etc)
Also sold through large department retailers
such as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue,
Shopbop, and Net-A-Porter
OPPORTUNITIES
Expansion of brick-and-mortar locations
Creating a line for younger girls -
generation of a wider audience
The ability to go public with their brand
Leverage their prowess among
celebrities - possible collaborations
Find a way to create items at lower price
range that are equally as sustainable
Expanding charitable efforts by
promoting non-profit organization that
also champion the environement
WEAKNESSES
Very Expensive - sustainable
practices make it so
Only sells clothing for women
Produce a limited stock of items
when they are released, making
their products harder to obtain
Only 43 brick and mortar locations
Small target demographic
THREATS
Competition from other e-commerce
companies that also cater to women
Products are often replicated and
counterfeited by cheaper sellers
The increase in sustainable fashion
brands/lines - the market is becoming
more saturated
Company growth could make their
sustainable practices more expensive
to upkeep
 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
HIGH PRICE
LOW QUALITY

HIGH QUALITY
LOW PRICE
COMPETITOR
RANGE
PRICE

Clothing: $24-$1495 Clothing: $10-$748 Clothing: $95-$1995 Clothing: Clothing: $18-$498 Clothing: $25-$248
Shoes: $128-$598 Shoes: $40-$440 Shoes: $40-$595 Shoes: $25-$220 Shoes: $50-$205
$100-$335
Accessories: $248 -$698 Accessories: $248 -$698 Accessories: $250 -$995 Accessories: $18 -$158 Accessories: $13 -$132
LOCATIONS

43 Locations 155 Locations 4 Locations 1 Location 124 Locations 725 Locations

Worldwide USA Only USA only AUS Only Worldwide Worldwide
COLLABORATIONS

The New York City

Ballet, Canada
CrewCuts, Karen Wrangler, Asics, LoveShackFancy, The

Goose,Camille Rowe,
Walker, The New
Birkenstock, No Emma Brooklyn Circus,
Denim Project, Christy Yeezy,Mattel, Sean
and Laura Vassar,
Dawn, Lively, Dickies, New Balance, Collaborations Chamberlain, Wotherspoon, Dapper
Veja, Saie Beauty,
Hedley & Benne, PACK4GOOD Dan
Tencel™
Warm, Kule
Keds, NFL
SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram: 2.0m Instagram: 1.4m Instagram: 663k Instagram: 382K Instagram: 1.5m Instagram: 3.1m
FOLLOWERS

Facebook: 341k Facebook: 811k Facebook: 23k Facebook: 3.4k Facebook: 219k Facebook:
Twitter:: 13.6k Twitter: 60.5k Twitter: 207 Twitter: No account Twitter: 57.7k Inapplicable
Twitter: 592.2k
CATEGORIES
PRODUCT

Women’s, Women’s, Men’s, Women’s, Pet’s, Women’s, Women’s, Men’s,

Women’s,
Clothing, Shoes, Clothing, Shoes, Clothing, Bags, Clothing, Kid’s, Clothes,
Clothing
Bags Bags,Accessories Shoes Accessories, Shoes,
Bags, Shoes Accessories
 4A CONSUMER MODEL
ACTORS ACTIVITIES

INFLUENCED BY WELL ROUNDED

CELEBRITY/INFLUENCER WOMEN WHO
STYLE HAVE ROUTINES -
WAKE UP
OFTEN HAVE WORKOUT, GO TO
WELL PAYING TAKING WORK

JOBS - SPEND A VACATIONS

LOT OF TIME
WITH
COWORKERS

GEN Z/
MILLENIALS

CLOSE GROUP WOMEN WHO

OF GIRLFRIENDS LOVE A FUN
NIGHT OUT!

CONSCIOUS OF MOST OF
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THEIR FREE
TIME IS SPEND
WITH THEIR
BEST
GIRLFRIENDS

ATMOSPHERE ARTEFACTS

COOL ARTWORK FOR

ATTEND FORMAL THEIR
EVENTS HOME/APARTMENT

ADVOCATE FOR
PEOPLE AND GYM/WORKOUT
ENVIRONMENT
CLASS MEMBERSHIP
THROUGH MARCHES
AND CHARITY EVENTS

QUALITY, VERSATILE
CLOTHING -
PRIORITIZE STAPLE
PIECES THAT CAN BE
METROPOLITAN WORN WITH MANY
OUTFITS
 CUSTOMER PROFILE
While women of all ages can shop and find suitable pieces from Reformation, their main
target audience focuses on Gen Z and Millennials. More specifically, they target women
from ages 20-38 who are environmentally conscious and want clothing that will be in their
closet for years to come. The brand’s clothing can be described as elevated classic, and is
often referred to as clothing made for “It girls.”

The Reformation woman is a person who leads a busy life. She is very serious about her
work AND her personal life and therefore needs clothes that can lead her from one to the
other. This customer most often lives and/or works in a metropolitan area and spends a lot
of her time with her coworkers as she has a well-paying job. This woman is a self-
proclaimed “girls’ girl,” and prioritizes her female friendships heavily. Reformation creates
clothes for the woman who wants to take a more fashionable approach to work attire so
that it can be worn to both work and then straight to happy hour or a more formal event.
This woman is also heavily influenced by celebrity style and often takes inspiration from
famous women for her outfits.

This Ref girl is conscious of her impact on not only the environment but also the people
around her. She is an outspoken advocate for herself, others, and the earth, and participates
in movements that reflect this outspokenness. She is willing to spend more money on her
clothing in order to prioritize the environment the quality.

Their customer is busy but knows how to keep herself sane. Whenever she gets the chance,
she books a vacation to give herself a break (and allow her to buy more special occasions
clothes). She has her routines and is often seen at the gym and/or workout classes. Outside
of buying clothing, she enjoys elevating her home through cool artwork (as an “it girl”
would).

Reformation has created a loyal customer out of this woman, not only because of their
ability to provide sustainability with earth-conscious production, but also because of their
versatility and range of clothing. The Reformation girl just keeps going back because there
is something for every occasion - she doesn't have to think about where to find a cool outfit
because she knows Reformation will have one.
TOTAL RETAIL EXPERIENCE
HIGH TECH BRICK AND
MORTAR STORES
When opening brick and mortar locations for her
e-commerce business, Yaelo Afalo wanted to
completely reimagine the in-store retail
experience. Instead of looking at other fashion
retailers for inspiration, she turned to brands like
Apple and Tesla. Both of these companies keep
smaller amounts of physical inventory out for
display, and Tesla specifically has customers
build their cars on flat screens. So, she
implemented these tactics in her stores.

Reformation brick-and-mortar stores use the

front of each establishment to hold only a few
best-selling outfits. The space is open,
minimalistic, and completely uncluttered.
Scattered throughout the store are touchscreen
monitors where customers can scroll through
outfits and clothing pieces, pick their sizes, and
start curating a personal dressing room. The
customer can also consult the stores' associates
for more information about the clothing and its
sustainability, or for help creating their dressing
room.

When the customer moves to the dressing room,

they will be greeted by spacious rooms with
large mirrors, luxurious furniture, and the ability
to play music and request different sizes/pieces
from a tablet.

This completely automated system allows for

seamless inventory accuracy displayed to the
customer; AKA no customer false hope and
subsequent disappointment when they find out
their size is out of stock in store. Further, while
the customer is simply enjoying their shopping
experience, the brand is collecting various data
points to help improve the shopping experience.
 RECYLE FOR REWARDS
PROGRAM
Ref Recycling is Reformation’s program
that allows customers to send back their
old Ref clothes that they don’t wear or
are completely unwearable so that the
brand can make new Ref clothes out of
them. Reformation will give customers
$10 for every item they want to send
back to the company. Customers can
either print a shipping label or select
“drop off in-store” to return their clothes
and earn the credit. Right now the
company accepts shoes, bags,
activewear, sweaters, tees, outerwear,
and denim, and is working to allow more.
When the clothes are sent back, they are
broken down into raw materials to be
used in future Reformation products.

COMPLETE SUSTAINABILITY
TRANPARENCY
Four times a year, Reformation releases The
Sustainability Report for the quarter. This
comprehensive document details
Reformation’s tactics to create a more
sustainable space in fashion by quantifying
their efforts. It shows how the brand has
progressed and where they are aiming to
improve.

The brand also is completely transparent

about where its products are sourced and
produced. It has a section of its website
where customers can see each factory on a
map.
 ATMPOSPHERE + IMAGE

BRICK & MORTAR

Reformation aims to provide a minimalistic, clean

atmosphere when customers enter their stores. They
only keep best-selling pieces out in the front of their
store and rely on their technological dressing room
experience to keep the establishment less cluttered
and keep customers relaxed. Stores are built in
collaboration with upscale architecture firms; the
Soho store was built with Festen Architecture and the
San Francisco store with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
(who also partners with Apple). The brand stays true
to its vintage roots by giving vintage luxury furniture
a second life and placing it throughout the stores.
Each store is adorned with natural materials to
highlight their sustainability efforts. The brick-and-
mortar locations hope to create a less hectic
shopping experience.

ONLINE

Reformation’s online presence has the same mood

as the brick-and-mortar locations. Keeping true to
the minimalistic feel, the website highlights its
current campaigns, sales, and best sellers on its
homepage, but keeps it simple so as to not
overwhelm the customer. They use clever headings
and titles for their lines and campaigns to entice
the customer to click on the different sections of
their website. The website relies on a “good hook”
to encourage clicks that convert to purchases. The
online presence also showcases sustainability,
providing a whole section dedicated to their
efforts, and displaying the Sustainability Report on
the homepage. The inventory is displayed in rows
of 2 or 4 with often natural colored backgrounds,
but is scattered with vibrant backdrops to highlight
special campaigns such as holiday or vacation
clothing.
 MARKETING STRATEGY
SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Reformation boasts almost 3 million

followers across Instagram, Twitter (X),
Pinterest, and Facebook. The brand
utilizes their social media to highlight
celebrity sightings in their clothes,
showcase special collaborations and
campaigns, and even post memes and
relatable Tiktoks. Their strategy across
social media allows for traffic to their
brand through searches about other
people and things in pop culture.

AFFILATE MARKETING

Writers and bloggers can apply to the

Reformation affiliate program so that
any time they write about the brand,
and a reader buys something from
their affiliate links, they will earn a
commission.

IDENTIFIABLE EMAILS
Reformation’s email format is extremely
recognizable from their always
capitalized subject headings. The brand
sends out emails about 2-3 times per
week, and each one is curated with
clever phrases and carefully picked
clothing links to encourage more traffic
to their website. If a customer has an
account with the brand, they will send
emails about clothing which she has
shown interest in that is selling out.
 COLLABORATIONS
Reformation often collaborates with
other brands, designers, companies,
and famous/successful women to
create collections that would appeal
to a wider audience. Some of their
most notable collaborations are with
Canada Goose, Veja, The New York
City Ballet, Camille Rowe, and Laura
Vassar. These collaborations have all
had their part in enhancing
Reformation’s “it girl” aura.

STRONG PRESENCE IN PRESS

Reformation is indirectly
marketed to the masses through
articles written in high-profile,
trusted publications such as
Vogue, Harpar’s Bazaar, Marie
Claire, and Forbes. These
publications also often post about
these articles on their social
media accounts.
 TRADE AREA ANALYSIS

A Little Bit About the Locations....

Reformation stores are located in four countries
around the world, and almost exclusively in major
cities throughout these countries. Of the 34
stores in the USA, 11 are located in California
(where the brand originated), and 6 are in New
USA - 34 South Korea- 2
York (only one being outside the city in the
Hamptons). The rest of the 34 are scattered
throughout the country in major cities like Austin
and Miami. In the case of the stores in South
Korea, the UK, and Canada, they are located in
cities like Seoul, London, and Toronto.
These stores are strategically placed in major
UK - 5 Canada - 2
cities because of both the price of the clothing
and the target audience of the brand.
Reformation’s clothing appeals to metropolitan
women, and their price range is more suitable for
43 STORES WORLDWIDE
city-dwellers, as this population often has more
disposable income.

Of Reformation's 11 locations in California, 2 are located in Ref Valencia

San Francisco: one of those being their Valencia Street
location. This location is open Mon-Sat, 11-7pm and 11-
6pm on Sundays.

San Franciso is populated by approximately 816,200

people, but the metropolitan area’s population is over 7.5
million. The average resident age is 38 (millennial), and
they often work in industries like Tech and Healthcare. In
addition, San Francisco is a booming tourist location,
bringing in 21.9 million visitors in 2022.

The San Francisco Bay Area has become the mecca of the 914 Valencia St, San Francisco
Tech industry, and putting a high-tech store like Population: 816,201 (metropolitan area
Reformation in the area makes perfect sense - the store’s 7.55m)
format aligns with the booming industry in the city. Average Salary: $94,480
Average Age: 38 years old
Valencia Street is a hotspot in San Francisco for trendy Key Industries: Technology, Healthcare,
shops, making it saturated with competing stores such as Finance
Everlane and Valencia Street Vintage. This saturation also Weather: Mid Range temperatures (mild
rainy winters and warm, dry summers)
makes the street crowded with shoppers looking to spend
CA Locations: 10 other CA locations (1
money which is ideal for Reformation.
other in San Fran)
 VALUE + NICHE

Reformation aims to create a space where style

and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
With this goal in mind, they are constantly at
the forefront of environmental innovation and
collaboration, while simultaneously becoming
widely known as the “cool girl” brand. Ref’s
niche is creating uber-stylish products that
women don’t have to feel guilty about
purchasing because they are great quality and
sustainably made. Reformation doesn’t only sell
their sustainable clothes, but the idea their
clothes make a woman cool and
environmentally conscious.

THE FUTURE
As Reformation continues to innovate in terms of
sustainability and fashion, I could see the retailer
going back to its roots and expanding more into
vintage sourcing and upcycling. They currently
only sell limited vintage jewelry on their website
and have a campaign for vintage-inspired clothes,
but as consumers become increasingly aware of
their shopping habits, buying second-hand has
become extremely popular. This implementation of
a vintage sector of their brand would fit seamlessly
with their mission and would be easily marketed to
their current audience. Expanding into vintage
selling would also place more urgency on their
customers’ purchases, as each piece can often be
one of a kind or very hard to find in other places.
WORK CITED