There’s a wonderful women’s clothing shop in Mayfair Mall in Victoria called Femme de Carriere.  Not only is the staff great (and believe me, I need all the help I can get to pull a “look” together), the clothing is very different from what’s available elsewhere.  It’s my first stop on any shopping excursion.  Somehow, I always seem to find something that’s just me.

Femme de Carriere carries a line by designer Sandra Angelozzi, a name I have not seen elsewhere.  So when I stumbled across an article about Sandra titled “Designer Research” in Vue, the magazine published by the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (June, 2010), I was intrigued.  I loved the idea that a fashion designer actually does consumer research.  I read the article with a great deal of interest.  I really wanted to understand whether Sandra’s research is the basis for the uniqueness of her designs, and her obvious success. 

While research professionals might consider most of the research that Sandra does informal and anecdotal, (described as “pounding the pavement” in the article), there is no question she is close to her customers.  She listens to the women who wear her designs – clearly connects with them deeply – and obviously understands them on a level that allows her to mesh their needs and desires with the direction the market is heading.  She is both disciplined and relentless about staying close to the customer, tracking trends, and monitoring sales results.

Sandra “gets” me.  I’m always impressed with what I see in store.  Now I’m impressed by how it all comes together.  Kind of confirms my faith that good things follow when one stays close to the customer.