Interviewed: Elena Olkhovskaya
ZILLI brand was created in 1970 and initially specialized in the sale of leather and fur products of the highest quality. Not very popular in its homeland in France, the brand from Lyon today is wildly popular among the elite and wealthy people around the world, including in Russia and the former Soviet republics.ZILLI products are sold in 150 retail outlets around the world, including 15 sections in duty-free shops at leading airports and 20 own boutiques. In June of this year, the ZILLI brand opened its flagship boutique in the largest Middle East shopping center, The Dubai Mall. Alan Schimel, the chief executive officer of ZILLI, came to its opening. With him we talked about furs, Russian customers and immediate plans.
Good evening, Alan. Let me congratulate you on the opening of the new Zilli boutique in Dubai ...
This is not my boutique, this is franchising owned by the Bin Hendi group of companies.
Well, since you arrived in Dubai, it cannot be denied that this is your brainchild ....
True, you can’t. Although the interior decor of the local boutique is adapted to the local market, but nothing, I like it.
What are your expectations from the work of the flagship ZILLI boutique in the Dubai market?
I would like the number of Russian-speaking customers in it to grow all the time (laughs). This is our main customer segment. No, of course, we have many fans among the locals, and it makes me very happy. I have been working with the UAE for a long time and I know the local market very well. He is very gracious. Opening the flagship boutique, we consider the potential of the entire region. Abu Dhabi is developing rapidly today; we have stores in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. The boutique in Beirut, by the way, shows very good sales results, as does Dubai.
Since you are talking about Russian buyers, which of the serious politicians or businessmen dresses in ZILLI?
We are chosen by many influential people in Russia and other CIS countries, both politicians and businessmen. I cannot list everyone by name, bearing in mind such an aspect as confidentiality, but I can say that, for example, your prime minister, Mr. Vladimir Putin, wears clothes from ZILLI. Among our clients there are a lot of creative people - cinema stars, artists, singers. No matter what a person does, it is important that both our quality and our prices suit him.
Are custom-made clothes made at ZILLI?
Not. The ZILLI brand is already exclusive, so do not turn it into an inaccessible one at all. Of course, we can produce something by special request, but we are not engaged in mass sewing of clothes to order. We want buyers to have a choice.
Do you think that customers in different countries have different requirements for the assortment presented in ZILLI boutiques?
No, all my collections are sold with equal success all over the world.
Then tell me, how did you manage to find the “right collection” formula?
I found her in my soul (laughs). ZILLI is a company with its own spirit and special sensuality. Talented designers and stylists work in our company, but emotional unity is important for us. And it can be seen in the results of our work - in our collections. The spirit of unity is more visible with ZILLI than, for example, with Jean-Paul Gaultier or other designers. Forty years of our presence in the market and the incredible popularity of the brand among buyers proves that we have found the right formula.
But, say, earlier in the same Dubai it was impossible to buy winter or autumn branded items, and now - please: both leather jackets and warm boots .... Everything is simple. Millions of tourists from all over the world come to Dubai, so the collections offer leather, cashmere, and furs. Even locals need warm clothes in order to go on a winter vacation to Europe. And today we present in our boutique a large selection of knitwear, off-season shoes, autumn-winter accessories - scarves, gloves and so on.
When it comes to elegance, do people always choose ZILLI?
I would say, not always, but often. We work in an open and free market. The last twenty years have shown that our products are very popular in Russia. Sales in the Russian market account for the largest volume of the company's turnover. We recently opened two new stores in Sochi and one in Krasnodar.
Are you getting ready for the 2014 Olympics?
Little by little ... (laughs). No, we are simply responding to growing demand and trying to expand our reach to the markets with the most significant potential.
What would you call best sellers in today's ZILLI collections?
First of all, these are knitwear, jeans and leather jackets. Business suits are not selling well now. People are a little tired of formal white shirts, ties and suits; they want more freedom and sportiness in clothes. This trend is developing everywhere, especially in connection with the financial crisis, because a strict suit is strongly associated with many banking and financial sectors, which are not in the most enviable position. We sell a lot less formal business suits than before.
What should we expect in the fall-winter season?
We have created quite a few models of jackets, jackets and jackets with sleeve lengths. Also in the collection will be presented new lines of leather products made of very thin and high-quality leather. People today want to buy something warm, but at the same time, thin and not heavy.
Does this mean that you need to start searching for new materials?
New materials are hard to find. We must maintain the highest quality standards. For winter, we offer the finest wool, cashmere, chinchilla fur, modern sophisticated fabrics, and expensive exclusive types of leather, such as, for example, the skin of a Brazilian snake. She is very thin, durable and beautiful. By the way, we use in production and sell only legally obtained and legally protected types of furs and leathers.
As a rule, for the production of our goods, we use rare types of leather and the thinnest skins. We work with crocodile skin, python skin and even lizards. In general, we take up raw materials to which other companies are afraid to even touch. Hence the price of the finished thing, which can reach very large amounts. For example, a sable-lined coat, chinchilla or a crocodile leather jacket can cost 30, 50, and 60 thousand euros.
As far as I know, ZILLI is not a very large company from Lyon. In connection with the increase in the number of stores and access to new markets, have production volumes increased?
Last year, we increased production by 28%, this year the growth is more moderate - only 12%, which is quite good, given the current situation. Our production facilities are located in France and Italy, and so far we do not plan to expand them.
What are your immediate plans?
This year we expect an increase in volumes by another 10%. In addition, I am heading back to America, where I will open a large boutique in New York in early September.
Any other new ZILLI stores will appear in Russia and the CIS countries?
We have only 25 of them in Russia, in almost every major Russian city. I don’t even know all the names of cities (laughs). Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Tomsk, Samara, and so on ... In some cities, I was not only not, I had never even heard of them before. Add to this Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, other CIS countries ... This is my leading market. In second place after Russia and the CIS is Europe - Paris, London, Geneva. We have very good sales in Italy ...
Are Russian buyers very demanding?
I do not know, they are the best in the world for me. They are not capricious, it is easy to work with them. They want everything at once and now, which is very beneficial for me. For 40 years of my work, the last 20 have been the most successful, and all thanks to Russian customers. In general, I have a sin to complain about them.
Is it difficult to compete with other fashion brands represented in the men's fashion segment?
You probably forgot that I'm French. A true Frenchman cannot have competitors.
The question is cleared. Then please tell me, as a true Frenchman, what can you offer the beautiful half of humanity?
For beautiful ladies, we sew fur coats and fur coats from the most elite and expensive furs - sable, marten, ermine, rare varieties of mink. Plus, for each fur coat we offer luxurious crocodile leather bags. Women's fur collections and accessories make up 3-4% of my total annual turnover.
Where can I see and buy fur coats and bags from ZILLI?
Of course, not in Dubai, but certainly in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris, Cannes .... These boutiques are designed for those women who go there accompanied by wealthy men.
I would like to see a woman who goes on her own to buy a fur coat from an ermine or sable ...
That is why we create real masterpieces for women that only a man can appreciate.
Which of your creations in the ZILLI collections are you particularly proud of?
Probably, I would call my best work - a men's jacket from the thin skin of a white pig. I can sew them only three or four pieces a year. This kind of leather is so rare that today I can say with confidence that I am the only one who sews clothes from it. This jacket is a bestseller in Moscow and Paris, but you are unlikely to see it here in Dubai, because of the material used to sew it.
Are you optimistic about overcoming the current financial crisis?
Nothing is clear yet, but the ZILLI brand is doing well around the world. No one can say what will happen. But it seems to me that the whole business in the world will become more understandable, honest and transparent. Of course, people are going through difficult times, but all this does not seem to me fatal. So, we will continue to work.
Thanks so much for the conversation, Alan. Hope to see you again.
