Posted by INICIO (rosariodearmenteras.com.pe)
Rosario De Armenteras is a friend of mine in Peru, whom I have known for several decades. I work with her husband who is a Resident Entrepreneur of 20/20DC in Peru. He is a professional in the food industry with global sales and company development experience.
Rosario De Armenteras is a Peruvian, designer of fashions whose studies include three years in the School of High Studies of the Fashion, “EUROMODA”, in Florence, Italy. I met her several years ago at her atelier in a high fashion district of Lima Peru and visited her in her home in Lima Peru. Over the years we have also had the pleasure to spend time together on a social and professional basis.
Understanding her expertise and fashion was interesting to me, but as a guy and one whose wife doesn’t own any $500 jeans or $4000 dresses for non-special occasions, the world of high-end fashion was outside of my expertise and interest.
However, in 2002 through 2011 I provided her assistance in the USA market by applying the principles of CHARM DANCE that I use in the food industry to the high-end fashion industry, and they worked. This success proves that these skills are universal and do not relate to a specific industry. Most of the examples in this book are food industry examples because that is my industry, however, as proven by the success of Rosario, the skills apply to other industries and personal life as well.
Rosario is a unique designer as her cultural experiences in Peru and Europe provide her with a vision to blend cultures and styles to create one-of-a-kind exceptional fashions for her Customers.
Rosario has the ability to design a dress that makes the women wearing it feel like her most beautiful day ever. She tailors’ garments for her clients designed to enhance their figure while adding her own unmistakable style.
Rosario designs and crafts party dresses that are made with Peruvian cotton and natural silks of various colors, with applications of the same cloths, pleats, embroideries, fittings, twists, and tulles, until arriving at the wanted texture, culminating the garment as if it was a sculpture.
Rosario’s knitted garments have the same concept as her formal dresses, by combining several textures to provide a sculptured look fashioned for the individual. Rosario’s style is very artistic, and it denotes a great influence of the Spanish and French fashion.
In 2003 I introduced Rosario to buyers at the Couture department at Nordstrom, where one will find $400 jeans and several thousand dollar tops and gowns. It was a tough sell, even though I started my dialogue with Nordstrom through a neighbor who was a Vice President of the Seattle based retailer. It took months to get to the right buyer at Nordstrom. This required knowing the Market and knowing where she should be selling, targeting the buyers, and not giving up until trying to Communicate with the buyer until we had our chance to meet them, show them the quality of her work and to address their concerns.
When I was able to get the “right” buyer on the phone and she had a chance to review our designs she told me all the reasons why Nordstrom could not buy from her. First, she said that “Nordstrom does not make designers famous but buys from famous designers.” The second reason that they could not buy from Rosario was that “her prices were too low”, well that was taken care of immediately. What she meant is that Nordstrom Couture department only handles high-end fashions and that if we wanted to sell at a price which was in line with what she sold in Peru then we needed to talk to others in a lower priced department. However, given the quality of Rosario’s work that would be like selling a Porsche in the VW show room at a VW price. The final reason that they could not buy from us was because Rosario did not have an agent that was already working with Nordstrom. I let her know we could find that person once we defined the opportunity.
During my brief discussion with the Couture buyer at Nordstrom I used CHARM DANCE skills to convince her to meet with us. At the time, the buyer had not planned to come to Seattle but if I could get a Nordstrom meeting, she would find a way to come to Seattle. The buyer said that she was extremely busy but could spare 15 minutes to explain why she could not buy Rosario’s work. We agreed and set up a time for a meeting in 3 weeks. I got Rosario and her husband (Augusto) to visit Seattle and meet with the buyer.
The day of the meeting we spent some time walking around the flagship Nordstrom store in downtown Seattle. During our 30-minute walk-around the store four people came up to Rosario and told her that they “I love” her coat and several asked where did you get it” and “wow those are great pants, where can I find them?” Rosario was very proud to say that she was the designer.
When our time came for the 15 minutes to talk with the Couture buyer, we were prepared for a quick meet and greet where they explained to her their position of not being able to work with her. Well, an hour into the meeting the buyer was sitting on the edge of the chair saying “this is going to be fun” as she agreed to do two trunk shows – one in Miami prior to the Latino Grammy’s and the other in Houston prior to wedding seasons.
The shows proved to be a great success as both stores purchased all the remaining inventory from the trunk sale. The salespeople, store management and most importantly customers were thrilled with the success and their newly acquired fashions from a leading Latin American designer!
This case study is not just about the success at Nordstrom’s but to provide details on how Rosario applied the CHARM DANCE characteristics to her business on a daily basis.
Rosario describes her design process as a magical story, which evolves from the first encounter with the client to the final event where enhance a special event. During her first meeting with the customer, she analyzes everything, from the occasion for the design, its functionality and fit for the event, the persons personal aura, complexion, physical appearance, the time, and place of the event.
With these facts in mind, she interprets how the person wants their appearance to say about them and to speak to their audience. This is where the art comes in with the personal approach of working with the clients is how a design becomes personal and a statement is made by the fashion. The artistic skill that comes naturally to Rosario due to her vision and bubbly personality and entrepreneurial eye with a dedication to perfection, and custom tailoring a design to fit the person and all elements of the event. Her personality helps her win customers just as it did on the day when we first met with the Couture buyer at Nordstrom.
Usually, the fashion Rosario is designing is for a very special event where her customer wants to shine like a Hollywood star, no matter their age or daily attire. Her designs are usually for one of the most important days of their life whether it is the bride, the godmother, the bride’s sister, a red carpet event or at a special family or friends’ event.
She gets 100% involved with the client to learn their needs and desires. She truly loves making people feel special and is flattered to be chosen. This dedication to the customer is a responsibility and challenge all the time because not only does her reputation depend upon their happiness, but she likes, or rather expects, to exceed their expectations.
As soon as a client arrives at her atelier, she immediately has them in front of a mirror and the journey begins with the tone of the discussion and design according to the event, their complexion, and the texture of the fabric according to the customer.
She wraps the client in various fabrics to show them options to identify what works best for their neckline and the snugness of the fabric in the body wrapping. This is like a living sculpture with the help of pins to hold fabric in place.
After identifying the fabric and basic design on the living sculpture she draws the model and her ideas to ensure that the customer is excited about the style. She will not stop until she sees the clients face light up with excitement.
The next step: Rosario takes measurements and starts with the pattern and cutting it into a special fabric to see if the measurements are correct, if the cut of the neckline are correct, and once the client approves, she proceeds with cutting the high-end fabric.
With the chosen fabric and the process of sewing hand embroidery and/or applications in smooth fabrics as if it were a canvas, she proceeds until she gets the approval of the client with the final finish. She is never happy until the customer has a feeling of happiness and gratitude. Only at that moment can she feel satisfied with the work. Without 100% approval by the client, she is anxious and focused on exceeding the Customers’ expectations. She is obsessed with this point.
After the big day, her clients send her photos of the occasion and fills her with happiness. When the customer is happy, she is happy, and they virtually share the moment with photos and a long-term friendship. Her happy customers are her best marketing!
An example of Rosario’s efforts is told in the story below. This story, and the details above show how Rosario applies the Customer Relationship, Network, Details and Execution to her business.
Rosario had the pleasure of preparing the gowns for an “event of the year” wedding in Peru. For bride, Giulia could buy her gown from anywhere including the finest fashion houses in NY and Paris, however she chose to work with Rosario. Giulia and her mom met her at the atelier to tell Rosario of the details of her wedding. The wedding was going to be at night in a country estate. When Giulia arrived are Rosario’s atelier, she was excited but had not refined her vision of her dress design. She knew that she wants to shine like a Hollywood star but was not sure how to do that with a dress. Her mom was also going to get a mother-of-the-bride dress which she had been dreaming about for years. On top of these two most important gowns, Giulia had Rosario design the bridesmaid’s dresses for her four nieces between 4 and 6 years old. Everything that she designed had to compliment but not outshine the bride or mother-of-the-bride dress.
The ceremony was to take place at the historic and picturesque Maria Reina Church in the early evening. The reception for 1,000 guests was to be at Huachipa – (a zoo and recreation of the Peruvian jungle.) At the reception there was to be an unforgettable photo shoot by a renowned photographer.
As Rosario showed Giulia the possible high-end textiles, Giulia got excited and chose her fabric.
With the textile chosen they moved to in front of the mirror where Rosario wrapped Giulia with the chosen fabric while showing her what Rosario does best: providing options for the neckline and the snugness of the fabric on the body wrapping. This process is like a living sculpture with the help of pins (her most precious tool), so the client can visualize the finished dress.
Understanding the details of the event helped Rosario understand that the party was in a field and that a design without much embroidery or rhinestones would be most appropriate. She recommended that they embroider fabric applications to compliment the texture and environment of the occasion. Giulia and her mom loved the idea.
With 100% buy-in from the bride-to-be and her mom they moved to the next step which is to visualize what style works best with Giulia body and personality type. They determined that a strapless, V neckline would look best and coupled this with a corset with beads to draw the eye to the waist to achieve the perfect silhouette. To provide a romantic appeal they chose a princess skirt to compliment her height and when out of the gown they worked with the skirt so that she could be comfortable before the dance with the groom the first dance of the night. This provided a romantic classic gown.
With an ongoing dialogue with the bride and her mother they continually modified the embroidering of the skirt, to achieve something totally unique which matched her personality, the event, and the venue.
They continued to design the dresses for the bride’s maids with the same type of embroidery on their skirt, so the little ladies would be in tune with the bride.
This was no easy task and Rosario and her crew worked with care, compassion and understanding of the customers’ needs and desires. Despite the required attention and Details, they completed the gowns on time, having paid attention to Details the delivered a flawlessly designed and crafted set of gowns to the bride and her attendants.
After the event, Giulia’s mother called Rosario to tell her of the compliments they both received and how perfect everyone thought that the design captured Giulia on the special day.
By paying attention to the needs of the Customer, the Market, and the challenges of making a bride to be and her mother happy, Rosario exceeded their expectations and expanded her Network and happy customers. Every one of the 1,000 guests could not fail to know that the “amazing” gowns were designed by Rosario De Armenteras one of South America’s leading designers, who understands and practices the CHARM DANCE principles as part of her character and desire to succeed.
