100% digital and to order: how asphalt wants to reinvent the ready-to-wear

Based in Bordeaux, asphalt is a men's ready-to-wear DNVB with a very special concept: clothing created on the basis of a questionnaire filled out by customers and produced only after the pre-order campaign has been completed. Thanks to its business model, which virtually eliminates stocks (reduced to a minimum, just to anticipate possible trade), the brand wants to make good quality clothing more accessible and at the same time encourage its customers to consume less clothes. For example, compared to brands like Sandro or A.P.C., William Hauvette, the founder of asphalt, estimates that his clothes are 30% to 50% cheaper.

And since 2016, the young brand continues its journey and in 2020 achieved a turnover of nearly 13 million euros. The company, which took off well from the beginning, still enjoyed a growth plateau in its third year when it decided to test different models. It then returned between 2019 and 2020, where it grew by 130%. In order to continue its development, asphalt will soon embark on the women's ready-to-wear trade.

Today, 75% of its customers buy a product within 24 months. And they turn to the brand on average 3 times in the year. William Hauvette's ambition being to fight fast fashion, he explains that his will is not for them to buy more, but to expand his customer base.

How does the brand effectively manage questionnaire data? How did she find, and cultivate, the particular tone with which she addresses her audience? How to effectively manage your marketing budget? Find the full interview with William Hauvette on the show.