NAMES, the agency that offers candles, sex toys and other lifestyle products to fashion boutiques.
“Lifestyle is the frontier product of fashion distribution. Everyone gets there” says Elena Filipponi, who launched into this sector in 2018.
After working in the commercial field for several luxury brands, the young entrepreneur (33) created with her business partner Robert Bradford (37), NAMES, a new type of agency, focused on original and unusual accessories that enriches the shelves of fashion brands.
Cosmetics, perfumes, candles, eyewear, sex toys, watches, bicycles, skateboards, vintage posters ... These are just some of the items in the NAMES catalogue, which retailers can also discover and order directly on the NAMES.LIFE platform, with prices that can go from “5 to 500,000 euros".
“We select timeless and seasonless products, eco-sustainable, for everyday use. These are often niche brands, with special elements, which we can easily integrate into a fashion distribution network. A bit in the style of what Colette did”, explains the founder.
But NAMES doesn't just find the best products and offer them to multi-brand stores. The company also acts as a strategic consultant.
“We are not a showroom, nor are we mere distributors. We have no stock. Basically we bring a creative element by working on the development and collaborations with the brands”, highlights Elena Filipponi.
NAMES, for example, was behind the limited edition collection of the legendary Contax G2 Camera reinvented by the watch company MAD Paris and the luggage brand Globe-Trotter for the streetwear brand Kith . “Sold out in a week! We were also the first to sell Lelo, the sex toy brand”, she continues.
The company acts directly by proposing the brands they work with, with turnkey projects, to its retail customers, including Les Galeries Lafayette, Browns, Selfridges, LuisaViaRoma, L'Eclaireur, le Bon Marché. Founded in London in 2018, the company has grown from 3 to 11 employees in the last two years, and works with 30 brands and more than 350 independent multi-brand stores around the world.
For the first time, NAMES presented their concept in June at the Pitti Uomo fair in Florence. While its platform shows a rather minimalist design, the agency chose to set up a supermarket theme stand with bright yellow walls, complete with a cash register, trolleys, shelves full of products in the middle of the fruits and vegetables, without forgetting the shelves of fresh products, with the items presented behind backlit display cases. A guaranteed astonishing experience!
During the four days of Pitti Uomo, participants consisted of over 10000 buyers and 1300 journalists from 70 different countries. Despite the current complications at an international level and the consequences of the pandemic, Pitti Uomo 2022 was an extraordinarily encouraging edition for NAMES and our brands.
Translated to English from Fashion Network Italy.