especially when he became a star, the work for the merchandisers was more difficult. We had to make sure that nothing was missing from the collection and add items at the last moment.These grids always remained fairly general in the description of the needs and allowed some flexibility so as not to “lose the dream.” They played a similar role at Balenciaga, which, like Gucci, used the triangle to govern the creation of collections. Ghesquière explained the process from the designer’s perspective:Of course it hurts me to hear, “people did not like your dress,” but this will not prevent me from re-proposing it two years later if I think that the idea is good but perhaps I did not express myself well. This is how I evolve. The beauty of this job is that people appreciate you and your work. The advice of the product manager, the salespeople, and merchandising is important: they are experts and know what customers like. This process also helps me to better define my projects and fight for my ideas. I have a maximum of information organized by size and brand, I have feedback, and I know the stores’ sales figures. When I want to feel free I let myself start with a blank piece of paper and try something new. Other days, I prefer to work on old or classical items and in this case I have enough information to reinvent them.Once the designer had built the collection, the sketches and the grid were sent to product development, which gave feedback on the sketches’ feasibility. Bellettini explained, “Production has to know that we need this product that retails at this price, and costs this much. This helps them to understand the sketch and assess whether the handbag can be produced within the given production, cost, quality and profit margin parameters. For example, the kind of details that you can afford in a€2,000 handbag cannot be the same as those of €300 handbag.” The grids were used only to develop the collections; for the catwalk, merchandising just reviewed Giannini’s choices. Noting Giannini’s merchandising savvy, the Wall Street Journal Europe reported:30She's a master merchandiser. Not every designer puts such an array of products on the catwalk, even though they will appear in stores. […] Balenciaga sends just clothes down its catwalk to keep the focus on its core product — no bags, even though these sell well. […] although Gucci strikes a chord with fashion buyers, who see in Gucci lots of looks that they can sell, it often falls flat with trend-setters. Many of the suits in the show […] could easily hit the shelves of Zara and H&M […].Although the “triangle” was key to Gucci’s success, it could be subject to improvement. Viglezio suggested that they added a “fourth leg”. She argued, “What is missing is communication. A communication campaign has to be consistent with the collection. Which model should represent the line? What should the ads look like—should they be gritty, or glamorous? What events should we promote? These choices have an immense effect on the way the collection is perceived and whether the designer’s vision is accurately conveyed.”Customer Experience ManagementThe concept of customer service in luxury had evolved over the last few decades. Ventura explained, “In the 1980s it was about rolling out the red carpet for the customers; in the 1990s luxury was snobbish with the customers; in the 2000s it is one-to-one service, with personal shoppers.”Cheryl Mead, in charge of developing the CRM system for Gucci U.S., explained, “The shopping experience has reached saturation in luxury. There are too many new stores and brands. If people don’t like the experience that they have in your store they can go somewhere else or buy on-line. Those who come into a store are looking for that tactile, more sensual and intimate experience.” For Gucci, she continued, “Our top clients come back because they establish a relationship with the sales
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