This week, we take a closer look at the strategy behind Tanya Taylor’s new luxury dress brand, Delphine.
Tanya Taylor isn’t looking for a second act. Her eponymous 10-year-old fashion brand is an “outlier” in a challenging retail environment. The company’s e-commerce sales are up 68% year-over-year, and its first store on Madison Avenue in New York has proven profitable in one year. So, she said.
With Delphine, the dress-focused brand she launched on Wednesday, she’s simply daydreaming — and, based on the behavior of her own customers, the time is ripe.
Delphine was born based on the success of the unconventional Tanya Taylor dresses that the brand displayed in its store windows. It was made to commemorate the 10th anniversary in 2023, and was a polka dot dress with a large ribbon on the back. Taylor said customers are willing to wait four weeks and spend $2,000 to have a limited edition dress made.
“We’ve learned that there’s a crossover (of customers) in different categories, like higher-end fashion and evening wear,” she said. Tanya Taylor’s prices go up to $995, while Delphine’s prices range from $995 to $2,495.
But that doesn’t mean Delphine was a new idea.
“She’s an alter ego,” Taylor said. “Many times in my life, I have developed this character, and she has always defined a sense of freedom, spontaneity, and confidence.”
Delphine was first imagined when Taylor was a college student about to enroll at Parsons School of Art. The process included creating a mood board about the girl of her dreams, and confident New Yorker Delphine Pratt was born. She had the face of Tory Burch and the body of Bianca Jagger, Taylor recalled. (Pratt is the last name of Taylor’s current husband, then ex-boyfriend.) Years later, she was asked to plan her first fashion show and create the guest list even though she knew few New Yorkers. Taylor added Delphine Platt to the invite list along with himself. own address. Delphine was invited to appear on Taylor’s show for several seasons.
“Her personality is really clear to me,” Taylor said. “She’s a bit mischievous, bold, has a cheeky sense of humor, charming, loves spontaneity, and is never serious. … That’s who I used to be when I was younger, and sometimes I’m trying to be that person, but that’s not who I am.”
This somewhat explains the need for its own brand, even though other brands like Tory Burch have launched high-end occasion wear within their core brand. It’s also an opportunity to rethink every element of your business. Taylor announced last month that he had hired Kate Spade and Coach alum Adrian Kerzner as CEO, in part to help manage the complexities of running two companies.
“I want to launch something based on what I wish I knew,” Taylor said. “After years and years and a lot of failures, I feel like it’s now very clear how you do this. …[Internally]without having a new brand problem. We say we’re launching a new brand. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the truth.”
Differences between Taylor’s brands include sales teams and retail partners. For Delphine, Taylor hired CD Network, a New York showroom that carries brands such as Alexandre Vauthier and Lemaire. And while Tanya Taylor sells at Saks and Neiman Marcus, as well as Shopbop, Rent the Runway, and various specialty stores, Delphine’s distribution will exclude department stores. It will be sold exclusively at Moda Operandi for the first two weeks, then at specialty stores such as Charleston’s Hampden. New Orleans sauces. and Cabana Canary in Dallas.
“This is a store where you can find that special dress and have fun with fashion,” Taylor says. “It’s great to create a brand that can live in that kind of world.”
Additionally, Delphine’s marketing becomes even more lucrative. In December, for example, the brand will host a 60-person seated runway show in Taylor’s hometown of Toronto, where her old friends will be treated to music from a DJ and Jello shots.
Delphine’s product page says that instead of “a boring dress and a girl wearing it and then coming out and changing,” it shows a model doing “strange things” wearing the dress. Mr. Taylor said. Inspired by the movements of Taylor’s children, for example, she is shown sliding down the stairs on her butt and blowing bubbles in bed.
Additionally, Delphine customers who shop above a certain threshold will be rewarded with “fun and silly surprises” to fuel their youthfulness and set the brand apart.
“I like that high-low (marketing approach),” she said. “In the case of Delphine, it dispels the seriousness and conveys that this is not meant to be a fiery brand. …It’s more superfluous and exaggerated.”
Delphine only rolls out two deliveries per year. The first collection will contain 15 items, the second collection will contain more than 20 items. The brand will develop and evolve based on new customer feedback, which is expected to be “much more playful and experimental” than Tanya Taylor. Said.
Still, Delphine is temporarily being promoted to existing Tanya Taylor customers through social media channels and customer emails. They were given first access to purchase the brand ahead of Wednesday’s launch.
The brand has been introduced not only to buyers but also to selected fashion insiders in recent months. It was unveiled in front of editors at a launch party at Taylor’s West Village home in early October, which was fitting given the personal story behind the brand. And late last month, Taylor showed it off to LA-based fashion stylists through an appointment in a suite at Sunset Tower.
“When someone says, ‘Elle Fanning would love this,’ and you designed it with Elle Fanning in mind, that’s great validation,” Taylor said. “I would like to see this brand increase its presence on the red carpet and focus on celebrities.”
Delphine may seem out of the box for Taylor, who is known for creating approachable knitwear, shirts, and denim, but those who know her well know that Delphine is the right next step. “I would think so,” she says. Some of the silhouettes were directly inspired by some of her favorite vintage dresses in her wardrobe.
“It’s like a playground,” Taylor said of Delphine. It’s worth noting that Taylor is known as a multifaceted artist who not only designs collections for her namesake brand, but also hand-paints the collection’s signature prints. “I spend 90% of my time focused on how to grow[Tanya Taylor]. Then I put all my weird ideas into a box called Delphine.”
Taylor said he’s not worried about keeping his expensive brand on track in a volatile luxury market.
“Sales have slowed down significantly in the higher price range, and (customers) have to seriously consider purchasing a $4,000 dress,” she said. “But this is reaching a price point that doesn’t exist. There’s room for dresses that are both sophisticated and fun. And our (dress) shapes are so classic and repeatable that someone can wear them for a long time. It’s an investment in something you want to wear.”
Delphine’s “lighthearted” and “playful” approach to branding was specifically intended to contrast with the “heavy” feel of luxury brands, Taylor said. And creating an emotional connection isn’t bad for sales.
According to Taylor, Delphine’s first-year goals include “launching, having fun, listening to our customers, learning, and iterating over and over again.”
“We don’t put too much pressure on ourselves,” she said.
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