Is it possible to turn a small company into a transnational corporation in 10 years? Fashion Atlas Group’s experience proves that it is quite possible even in the volatile fashion industry, as long as you take the right course and navigate the pitfalls smartly.
Founder and CEO of Fashion Atlas Group, Kirill Kostiuchenko, talked about how the Ukrainian online clothing store became not only a reliable business partner of international key shopping clubs but also the founder of several global brands.
- Kirill, is the success of Fashion Atlas Group a lucky coincidence or your ability to ‘ride the wave’?
- I think it is more appropriate to talk about the professionalism of the team, where everyone is in their place and working towards success. Plus, the ability to take calculated risks.”
- But isn’t risk-taking about taking actions randomly?
- A calculated risk is a well-weighed decision with pros and cons, the ability to look not just three steps ahead but thirty-three steps ahead. Not being afraid to break patterns while staying within the bounds of decency.
- Judging by how successful Fashion Atlas Group is, it seems to be working for them. Plus, they offer 5,000 fashion novelties from around the world in their catalog every month, thousands of corporate clients, and hundreds of thousands of regular buyers. And they are not stopping there.
- Fashion Atlas Group has no plans to stop. Our company is a living organism, and like all living things, we must constantly develop, keep our finger on the pulse, keep up with the times, in other words, be on-trend.
Every year, we offer to our existing and potential partners more advantageous collaboration terms, even more interesting assortment, enter new markets and expand our own boundaries. We have no time to stop, and frankly, we have no desire to do so.”
- I found one of your proposals for corporate clients very interesting.
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- One contract for all woes?
- Yes. Can you tell me more about that?
- We want to provide our business partners with sales with a high margin and a long LTV. In other words, we offer significant time savings and substantial earnings.
Every entrepreneur knows what it’s like to deal with suppliers. You have to constantly look for them, negotiate repeatedly, worry about whether the goods will be delivered on time and in what condition. And this is just the tip of the iceberg; there are actually many more pains. With one contract, we eliminate all of this.
- Let’s assume that I own a fashion store and I want to always have new arrivals at a profitable price, but I don’t want to spend my energy, nerves, and time on organizational processes. Are you my unique solution?
- Well, you could say that (laughs). Let’s say you sell streetwear clothing. Your task is to provide final customers with everything they need from A to Z so that they can put together a stylish outfit from your store, rather than running around to different stores. The task of Fashion Atlas Group is to help you with this. Since we are clothing manufacturers with our production facilities in different countries, as well as distributors of other brands from our partners, we will create a personalized trendy offer based on the season and demand, and deliver the selected goods directly to your door with all the necessary documents within the timeframe you specify.
- What about quality?
- We guarantee quality because we check the goods at our warehouses. All deliveries to our partners are made in proper condition and with exactly what was ordered. You can always order free samples to see the quality before placing the order.
- In that case, it’s an excellent solution for retailers.
- Yes, and the saved time and energy can be directed to other useful areas for business development.
- You are remarkably productive and precise in your actions and statements. That’s a sincere compliment.
- Thank you. I am essentially a results-driven person, so I believe that every action and goal should bring results – dynamic, positive, and profitable.
- Are you a workaholic?
- In a good way (smiling). Yes, I’m one of those who take work with me to home and on vacation. But that’s because I love what I do. I can’t even call it work in the strict sense. It’s my life.
- Life in the style of Fashion Atlas Group?
- Yes. Always be on-trend. That’s our main task.
