3 questions for . . . Thomas Camille, Eleven Paris president
He likes to take on challenges. At the beginning of the year when he joined Eleven Paris, the relatively new brand so appreciated by younger consumers was under a safeguard procedure. Under his leadership, the company set up a very strict economic plan: rationalised logistics and collections, restructured management, and streamlined retail. With support from banks and its two shareholders, the brand was released from the safeguard procedure beginning July. Before this latest adventure, Thomas Camille had been with the Celio Group for around 10 years. He left Celio at the end of 2015 after serving as deputy ceo and then ceo for Celio Club. Prior to that he worked for Armand Thiery, Koors & Son, and Burberry.
What were the factors that let Eleven Paris quickly make a name in the market?
The brand knew how to present creative, innovate products like the moustache T-shirt and to communicate on social media with up-and-coming stars wearing the T-shirts. Attention was also paid to the brand’s muses, recognized “it girls.” And so the product went from being ordinary to iconic. The brand got a lot of attention from bloggers and influencers who quickly became fans of the T-shirt. During the first seasons those original T-shirts represented the brand’s image. Then licensing, especially with Disney, also made the brand well known. The DNA is a mix of influences from pop culture and rock ‘n’ roll. The Eleven Paris team knows exactly how to reinterpret these inspirations for the current era.
What are the biggest opportunities and obstacles today in France and internationally?
It’s true, we went through some difficult times. Our success was immediate, but it was based on one product, the T-shirt. After that, the brand became international and there were some mistakes. Today we’re no longer under the safeguard plan. We’ve got support from banks and shareholders. So we’re firmly focusing on business. And that happens through strengthening relationships with our wholesale partners, and, since the market is complicated, giving them advantageous business conditions. Even though we closed stores in New York, London, Berlin, and three in France, we still have 25 own-name boutiques that are doing very well. We’re going to introduce a new concept at Les Halles shopping mall in Paris. We’re also developing our e-commerce site and our marketplace presence through partner sites. Wholesale activity remains important since we are, above all, a vendors. Wholesale represents 60% of our turnover. We have to, at the same time, meet the needs of both our biggest and smallest clients. And finally, it’s important for us to maintain close relationships with department stores in France and internationally.
The brand was born at the same time as the digital generation. How does it integrate digital technology and social media in its development?
Our DNA is absolutely digital. When we create a collection we think about how we’ll present and publicize it. Around 70 percent of our marketing budget goes towards digital communications. For a capsule collection for example, we can create total content to publish via social media and blogs. We are constantly developing content for social networks, Instagram, and Snapchat to create ties with our clients. Facebook is also a very important network for getting media attention and mobilizing a community. In fact, we’re going to launch a Facebook campaign in fall 2017. Today we have 300,000 Facebook fans and 100,000 Instagram followers. In September we recruited new profiles to boost the digital communications team to five members. We’re going to introduce a new version of our internet site in early 2017. It will allow more efficient navigation to improve the customer experience and we’ll be able to publish more content. We’re also developing a CRM tool to identify our best clients, solicit those who’ve lost contact with us, and encourage our regular clients.