1568 Shifting Trends

A lot is in a name. I read an article in a business column the other day that showed me how much. The article was about a company called Dress Barn, who the writer called a discount fashion chain. Dress Barn recently beat Amazon and Apple to top the National Retail Federation's Hot 100 Retailers List. The Hot 100 measures domestic sales growth. Dress Barn reported a 59% growth in sales between 2009 and 2010.
Congratulations to them.
The company recently changed its name to Ascena Retail Group. You may think I think that had something to do with it. Ascena does seem to be a word that means ascent.
But actually, and I do mean but, it's the first syllable of Ascena that I thought Dress Barn was all about. And it was no surprise they'd had such huge growth, parallel to the explosion of obesity in our country.
Because really, doesn't Dress Barn sound like it specializes in larger sizes? Doesn't Dress Barn sound like a really huge dress? Like a giant circus tent perhaps. Or a pavilion at the fair. And doesn't anything that says "barn" in it remind you of vividly smelly livestock?
Bottom line, it doesn't sound like a very pleasant shopping experience. To overcome that challenge and be the tip of the Top 100, the big top as it were, is an amazing accomplishment. Because in today's world of modern branding, words like "barn" are not strong fashion draws.
Maybe a place like the "Tool Barn." Or the "Tractor Barn." But Dress Barn? Not your basic Ralph Lauren or DKNY sensibility. Less ballet slippers and more mules.
You'd be expecting about the same thing as if the place was called the Shift Shack. Or maybe the Moo Moo Hut.
America, ya gotta love it.