LE NEW BLACK CEO, Romain Blanco explains the company's plans for New York expansion

Seeking to fulfill the growing demand from US and European brands looking for alternative, premium solutions for their B2B channels, French digital wholesale experts LE NEW BLACK have opened a new office in New York. Located in the heart of Manhattan, the bold move comes as part of the company’s broader plans for global expansion. Following the recent shift in attention to the US market, LE NEW BLACK’S expansion comes at a key moment. The company seeks to meet brands in their local country, providing them with a specialised support network on call and available in their timezone. At the same time, LE NEW BLACK also offers expert support to international brands looking to expand overseas.

Dedicated to providing clients with the premium experience and personalised support their digital wholesale strategies deserve and need to thrive, we speak with CEO Romain Blanco to learn more about this exciting development and how brands and retailers will benefit from the expansion.

LE NEW BLACK seems to have a lot of exciting projects currently underway following the launch of its platform redesign. Can you tell us about the next steps in LE NEW BLACK’s expansion?

"We have a two-angled approach when it comes to our global expansion. The first is the opening of our physical office in New York. Even though our main competitors are American, we have more and more clients from the United States. It is because we bring something different to the market. We have close relationships with several leading French organisations, like the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), who have an international presence and are firmly rooted in the French market, which sets us apart."

"We wanted to open our New York office to support our European clients. Many of them open physical showrooms in the city during New York Fashion Week, as the US remains a big market for them. Kenzo, one of our main clients, opens its own showrooms during every NYFW to showcase its latest collections. Up until this point, we were unable to support them locally when needed as we were in Paris. To provide them with the best support possible, we felt it was time we had a physical presence there. In addition, we also want to support more of our US brands, as we work with many based in Los Angeles and New York while strengthening our presence in the country."

What made New York a clear next step in LE NEW BLACK’s expansion?

"Well, first of all, it is easy to access. New York is a very connected and accessible city, especially when travelling from Paris in terms of flights. The majority of the brands we work with are based in New York, so connecting with clients there made more sense. The time zone difference is also key for us, which made it an obvious choice, our teams still need to operate together as a whole and feel connected, which also helped make our choice."

"Our clients are very excited about the expansion because they know they will be able to ask for local support whenever they need it. They also see that we are growing, which is great. We aim to continue expanding by building our networks around the world. When I first joined LE NEW BLACK three years ago,the focus was very much on building a solid network in France to provide the best value to our clients that we could, and we will be doing the same in New York. It will be a long-term project, but we have already begun initiating partnerships with key local organisations."

In your opinion, what differentiates the European market from the American market?

"What we see is that the European market is much more fragmented than the US market in terms of style and product trends but also in terms of buyers' expectations as well. It can be much harder to break into the European market as a new brand coming from overseas, so we wanted to ensure we have a physical presence in both markets to support all our clients fully."

What advice would you give American brands looking to expand into the European market?

"Keep in mind each country is a different market. It is better to focus on breaking into one country at a time, fully familiarise yourself with that specific market, and then grow from there. It is also best to get familiar with and really understand what the European customer is looking for in terms of style and be intentional about every product you introduce in each category. It is wise to test your brand with a few retailers who really understand the brand and product and have an existing understanding of the market and then take the learnings they gain from the experience and apply it to their B2C business."

"Having the right partner also always helps. Platforms like LE NEW BLACK can help brands maintain their relationships with retailers from a distance, whether they are international retailers or online retailers. For a smaller brand, it could help to be a part of an initiative like the SPHERE initiative from our partner FHCM that helps launch young brands, even international ones. Collaborations can also be a good way to build brand awareness in a new market. That's something we've seen with one of our clients, Maitrepierre, who is part of the SPHERE initiative. They recently collaborated with the Spanish brand Desigual which was sold in department stores as far away as Japan. As a French brand being shown in Japan, so far away, it is great exposure. Having the right support system, collaborations and building a network using a well thoughtout wholesale strategy are all key ways to get your name out there and build brand awareness overseas."

Continuing to enhance the relationship between the buyer and the brand, LE NEW BLACK endeavours to bring these two parties together, facilitating their collaboration throughout the year with its premium digital wholesale platform.

Brands in the area wanting to schedule a demo can do so directly via this link: lenewblack.com