Galina Utesheva | 01/23/2015

The Pavlovo Posad shawl as a fashionable Russian brand has received recognition not only in our country, but also in the West. And although the share of exports of Moscow Region shawls and scarves is insignificant (about 1.5 percent), nevertheless, buying a Pavlovo Posad accessory, like a nested doll, becomes a dream of any foreigner. In a long FashionUnited interview with Vyacheslav Dolgov, Deputy General Director of Pavlovo Posad Shawl Manufactory, we discussed both historical and economic issues of the company.

How do you evaluate 2014 for your company in terms of business? Has there been a drop in sales of accessories due to the financial crisis?

The indicators of 2014 practically do not differ from those of 2013, that is, there is no fall, but there is no growth either.

What are the company's plans for 2015? How many stores do you intend to open, how will you expand production?

For 2015, we have planned production in volumes no less than in 2014. But at the same time, we will closely monitor all changes in the market and sales volumes so that we can respond flexibly to what is happening. We plan to open several new stores, but the number will be small, and only in the most visited shopping centers, subject to the rental rate available to us.

How does Pavlovo Posad Manufactory fight counterfeit scarves? How acutely does this problem affect your company?

Our efforts have led to the fact that the brand "Pavlovsky Posad Shawl" is recognizable in Russia, and our scarves, with their beautiful patterns and environmental friendliness (100% natural raw materials), are in good demand. The presence of counterfeit is becoming a significant problem for us.

It is well known that fakes occur only in well-known and promoted brands.

Due to the peculiarities of the technology, it is impossible to make a fake for our scarves “on the knee”, such products can only be made at an organized textile production equipped with printing equipment. Those fakes that we are fixing now are made, according to our assessment, in Turkey and China.

Moreover, there is a direct deception of consumers - all fakes are made of synthetics, and counterfeit dealers inform buyers that the fabric contains natural wool fibers. To mislead customers, the pattern of our scarves is used or slightly modified, but in the style of our artistic tradition; on the attached label they indicate "Manufacturer - Shawl Manufactory, Russia", and in words they say that this is "Pavlovsky Posad". And of course, the price of fakes is significantly lower than the cost of our scarves. For example, for a fake scarf measuring 1 meter by 1 meter, they ask about 300 rubles, although even the cost of such a piece of woolen fabric, without a pattern and fringe, is at least twice as much.

In the fight against counterfeiting, we will use the full power of state support - both the law and the security forces.

Tell us more about the company - what is the annual production volume? How many artists work at the manufactory? How do they share responsibilities?

Our manufactory produces more than 1.2 million handkerchiefs a year. Our company employs 10 artists who today create drawings at the manufactory. All of them are independent authors. These are talented people who differ in their experience, skill and individual style. Some of them have received State Prizes of Russia and honorary titles of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation for their creative achievements. But each of them began by necessarily mastering the basics of the artistic tradition of creating handkerchief drawings. And today, scientists and art historians note that the School of Pavlovsky Posad handkerchief drawing has been developing at the shawl manufactory for more than 150 years (since the middle of the 19th century).

And the main problem for existing artists is the "competition" with the rich creative heritage of the authors of previous generations - now you need to create a drawing that will be printed only if it is no worse than the work of its predecessors. So, in our assortment there are scarves with drawings that have been printed for more than 100 years (for example, the "Horseshoe" by the artist N. Postigov), many drawings created by the authors several decades ago, etc.

The Pavlovo Posad shawl is a recognizable brand not only in Russia. How are overseas sales going?

The main sales market for our shawls is the territory of Russia (over 95%) and other post-Soviet republics. Our direct export to other territories is insignificant (no more than 1-1.5%). At the same time, it is well known that our scarves are sold (but the number of such sales is small compared to Russia) in many European countries (including Western Europe), in the USA, Canada, Australia, Israel, etc. We receive a lot of positive feedback about our products from buyers from these countries.

What place does your brand occupy on the accessories market in Russia? How does she manage to maintain her position?

There is a simple historical explanation for this. If before the revolution of 1917 in the Russian Empire there were several large-scale productions of woolen scarves with a printed pattern that really competed with each other (at the same time, the brand of the Labzin-Gryaznov Manufactory Partnership from Pavlovsky Posad was already widely known), then by the decision of the new, Soviet government, within the economic the policy of the unified State Planning Committee, it was stated that for the female population of all of Russia (as it turned out later, of the entire USSR), one production would be quite enough, which survived in the difficult years of wars, perestroika and various crises, which has been developing and since 1995 has been called Pavlovo Posadskaya Shawl Manufactory ".

The production of scarves requires both talented artists and specialists in complex piece specialties with unique work experience - colorists, technologists, printers, fringe makers, etc., as well as very complex technological and expensive equipment. Therefore, it is very difficult to create such a production. And it is no less difficult to become a famous brand.

In addition to scarves, what else does the Pavlovo Posad manufactory produce?

In addition to scarves made from natural fibers of wool, silk (satin, crepe de chine, jacquard), cotton of a large range of sizes from 65x65cm to 148x148cm, with and without fringe, we produce woolen and silk scarves for women, for men - woolen and silk scarves with wool, as well as for family use - table covers or tablecloths made of natural cotton and linen with dirt and water-repellent impregnations. In total, we offer customers more than 700 items of various products, and almost all of them with a beautiful printed pattern.

The perfect scarf is one in which a woman feels happy - from joyful excitement or from peace. For different women, such a scarf can differ, as well as the types of female natures - in material, in pattern, in color, in combination of ornamental elements and colors. But, of course, such a scarf is always beautiful and harmonious. And we try to ensure that every woman can find such a scarf for herself in our collection.

With what patterns do you produce the most scarves? Are flowers always in fashion?

From the middle of the 19th century, certain trends prevailed in the designs of the scarves produced by our manufactory in different periods - either an ornament or flowers. But flowers are always in fashion. And at present there is no dominance of ornament or colors. We produce scarves with different patterns, but always with beautiful ones.

Do you follow fashion trends? Are they reflected in the products of your brand?

Our creative experts follow the trends in the fashion world, and we apply innovations, but very tactfully.

How do you develop online brand sales?

On our site www.platki.ru, which is already more than 10 years old, an online store has been organized, in the very near future a service for paying for orders with electronic money and credit cards will be opened, courier delivery in Moscow is working. For more than 10 years we have been sending orders by mail to any corner of Russia, now it has become possible for residents of Belarus and Kazakhstan.

How many own stores operate throughout Russia? What regions are you interested in from a business point of view?

Retail trade of our branded products is represented by mono-brand stores with the trade name "Pavlovo Posad Shawls" with a single design style for signboards and trading floors. Such stores are open in all regional cities of Russia from east to west - from Vladivostok to the Baltic Kaliningrad, and from north to south - from Murmansk to Sochi, with a total number of more than 120; and in Moscow and St. Petersburg - more than 20 in each of the capitals.

Interview: Galina Utesheva, FashionUnited

Accessories play an important role in our appearance; they, like exotic spices, give our appearance completeness and a certain charm. With the help of accessories, you can transform any, even the most modest outfit. Of the many accessories on the market, scarves occupy a special place. What could be more pleasant when a delicate silk fabric envelops the skin, warms in the cold and pleasantly cools in the heat? The properties of silk can be admired endlessly.

But what if there is not enough money for natural silk scarves and scarves - they are quite expensive in stores?

This article is about how you can multiply not only your wardrobe by a certain (!) Number of chic accessories, but also do it with financial gain for yourself. Especially, the idea should appeal to women sitting at home with small children: there is free time, and so you want to do something useful for your soul and wallet! Lovely, beautiful, smart women - an article for you!

Everything is quite simple. A meter of natural white silk is inexpensive. You can either cut out scarves and scarves of the sizes you need and process their edges yourself, or ask the fabric store for this service.

Let's go further. Now a lot of stores specialize in selling all kinds of paints for fabrics, as a rule, these are “everything for a hobby” stores. You go to one of these stores (an alternative is an online store), and buy high-quality acrylic paints for painting on silk. Choose the most, in your opinion, interesting / fashionable / beautiful shades and ... run home - create luxury with your own hands!

The fun begins! Moisten a blank of a silk scarf, scarf or scarf with water, wring it out so that it is damp, and lay it out on a table or a flat surface. The future masterpiece should not be smoothed out (!), You need to make symmetrical, or not very, knots with your fingers. Now let's start coloring. We dip the brush into the paint of the color you need, and first paint the knots.

Acrylic paint spreads over wet silk, and these colored spots take on the most bizarre outlines. After you have dyed the knots, you can work on the undyed areas of the scarf. A little secret: if you sprinkle the future scarf with ordinary coarse salt after dyeing, the color will be “spotted”.

Leave the dyed wet scarf to dry completely, and then, when the fabric is already completely dry (if you used salt, you need to shake it off), iron it and wash it. For washing, use powder for wool and silk, it makes the fabric even softer.

If you doubt your abilities, need a more detailed guide, you can buy in the educational toy store :) a set for children's art "Painting on silk". At least in order to make a trial little thing and help your imagination turn on. Plus, you will see that such work does not take much time and requires minimal costs from you.

Thus, you can dye a single piece of silk, and then the scope for imagination is unlimited: an exclusive blouse, dress, pareo - a good dressmaker can help you to realize your masterpieces!

Are you already the prettiest? Do all your friends dream of getting exclusive handmade? Let's start doing business.

Required investments:

• Silk fabric 140*100 cm - ~650 rubles,
• Edge processing in the studio - ~ 30 rubles. for a unit,
• Acrylic paints for painting 1 set - ~ 2500 rubles,
• Brushes, salt, desktop - I hope you don't need to invest in this, because every home has all this :)

From a piece of fabric measuring 140 * 100 cm, you will get 4 neckerchiefs, two long scarves or one tippet (pareo). Approximate prices: neckerchief - 200 rubles, scarf - 700 rubles, tippet - 1000 rubles.

For all the work you will need, in total, 5 tubes of paint worth 625 rubles. It is easy to calculate that at one time you can earn from 150 to 450 rubles. And this is for two hours of work and from just one piece of silk! And now for an example: a finished silk scarf costs from 500 to 5000 rubles. There are certainly more expensive ones! Later you will be able to learn how to make more complex painting, master various types of drawings, and carry out personal orders. Multiply the number of customers, create, make gifts to friends and acquaintances, be successful and independent!

If you want to make money on Etsy but don't want to do anything with your own hands, you have a few options. One of them is to sell vintage items.

But not all vintage items sell well on Etsy. But you can calculate those that sell well for sure.

Some of these things are vintage scarves of famous fashion houses (Chanel, Trussardi, Hermes, Christian Dior and others):

They are fashionable (despite their age, and vintage on Etsy is considered to be over 20 years old), beautiful, and some of them are quite expensive ($100 and up). Therefore, they are well bought.

Two Malaysian girls are already successfully selling such scarves on Etsy. One came to Etsy in 2017 and has already sold over 950 of these scarves (her store is etsy.com/shop/PureScarfVintage):

Another arrived in January 2018 and sold 150 scarves in two months (her store is etsy.com/shop/ALLVINTAGEMY):

I don't know where they get them (although there are stores of French fashion houses in Malaysia), but their supply does not dry out.

Perhaps, such scarves can be found at flea markets or in second-hand shops. But be careful - there are a lot of fakes around. Before you start selling these scarves, learn how to distinguish the originals from fakes (you can find articles on the Internet explaining how to do this).

But if you are not very familiar with the scarves of French fashion houses, do not be discouraged. There is also a niche for you on Etsy - to sell Russian and Ukrainian shawls:

(Sold at etsy.com/shop/bestLuba)

Although they cost less than $ 100, the Chinese do not copy them (I think):

(Sold at etsy.com/shop/russianicon)

In any case, it is easier for our man to get such a thing.

If you want to know what other vintage items you can profitably sell on Etsy, join our course.

Scarves are a very beautiful accessory that most women like. This accessory is distinguished by its versatility and attractiveness. Most often, the production of scarves begins as handicraft. Because more often it is a hobby that develops into a business.

Products such as scarves can be sold in many ways. Through general stores, accessories stores, trading houses and hypermarkets, as well as through specialty designer stores.

Scarves are distinguished by their diversity. This applies not only to style, but also to the size and type of fabric from which the scarf is made. So shawls of standard sizes are more common. 100x100, 120x120, 140x140. Such scarves are tied around the head or like a shawl around the neck. There are also narrow scarves that are used as a scarf or belt. The fabric from which scarves are made can be very different from down to silk.

Scarves with a clearly Russian flavor are in great demand. Orenburg downy shawls are famous and in demand not only in Russia, but in other countries. Silk scarves with Russian ornaments are also in demand. But their production is very different. If silk scarves are distinguished by the complexity of choosing a material and applying a pattern, then downy scarves are in most cases handmade goods. They are distinguished by their laboriousness, the extreme subtlety of creation and, of course, their amazingness. Openwork scarves are in the greatest demand among Orenburg products. They, despite the fact that they are large, can pass through the wedding ring.

The first production of downy shawls in our country began in the Orenburg province, but over time, no one managed to reproduce the quality and beauty of the famous shawls. The reason for this was not only the skill of local knitters, but also a special type of goat down, which can only be produced in this area.

The production process itself can be divided into several parts.

At the first stage, the material is being prepared, from which the scarf will be knitted in the future. Preparation means cleaning the fluff from foreign matter and dust. Then the fluff is combed to the form of thin cotton wool and from this raw material you will have to thread using a spinning wheel, spindle and winder.

The second stage is considered the most difficult and responsible. During this period, the product itself is knitted. Each knitter knits a pattern that she personally came up with. By this pattern, you can find out who is the author of this work.

At the third stage, the finished product needs to be processed, or rather soaked. An untreated handkerchief looks rather ugly and is sticky due to goat fat. In order to give the product a look, it is rinsed in a special washing solution, then the scarf is dried in a stretched form. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the degree of tension, as you can ruin the scarf.

At the fourth stage, the scarf is given fluffiness and airiness by combing with special combs. An experienced knitter takes about a month to create one scarf. This process is considered to be completely creative and therefore the price of the product is high.

It is also possible to engage in the production of only downy shawls. In this regard, everything depends only on your imagination and desire.

The initial capital for the production of scarves depends on many criteria. So some start with a small production with little investment in 100-150 thousand rubles. Most often, such manufacturers produce a product in limited quantities and sell it either through people they know or through social networks. But others immediately make large investments and start developing an entire collection. But this happens extremely rarely, since this area, due to not very high profitability, is not popular with investors.

The above handkerchief manufacturing business idea can be the ground for creating a handkerchief manufacturing business plan and starting a personal business.

September

Key decisions:

• Launched email-marketing and sms-mailing;
• Implemented a CRM system;
• Opened your online store;
• Connected advertising in Google.

Result:

• Sale of at least 150 scarves per day;
• "Net" income per month - $ 2,000.

Do you think it is possible to make good money wholesale scarves, using, for example, email marketing?

Many people, especially businessmen of the old school, would say: “No, I have a wholesaler, I just personally go to the points, offer and sell.” In fact, the B2B segment of the Internet is doing just as well as B2C. Just the B2B segment is a little smaller. But the client is more valuable here. Due to the greater turnover, you will earn more profit.

Now we go to the showroom to our students, where we learn:

• How do they wholesale scarves;
• How can this be done through email marketing;
• How can you quickly earn $ 2,000 “clean” on this, just by sending letters.

Are you eager to know about all this? Then start this short video right now:

How to turn your favorite hobby into a profitable business

Oles: We are in the showroom of Vadim and Anna. Great guys who have trained with us. Today we will figure out how they sell their scarves for serious amounts and what allows them to do this. What exactly do you sell: scarves, shawls, right?

Vitaly: Yes, scarves, shawls, stoles, snoods.

Oles: Tell us how it all happens for you? How did you even get the idea to do this?

Vitaly: This idea came to Anna. This was her passion.

Anna: Yes, it was a hobby, but at some point I just realized that the Ukrainian market is almost not occupied by this product. And we began to think about how to deal with scarves more seriously. To stand out in the market, we decided to bring exclusive goods to our country. These are scarves, shawls, stoles - all women's accessories around the neck come from Turkey.

Oles: Did you go there yourself?

Anna: Yes, and already there they searched for a long time and found it. It took us probably a year to discover the country of Turkey and find suitable suppliers. We wanted to figure out what the market needs: what colors, fabrics, models.

Oles: Now you have a complete set: there is a showroom, a warehouse. What did you start with? How many goods did you bring the first time?

Anna: When I flew for the first time, I didn't know anything. I had $1200 with me. I flew with my mom. She supported my idea. We had 2 large empty suitcases. The first batch of goods just fit in them. Then I started selling it all online. Connected shopping clubs: Fame, HILT and others. They were the ones who sold the product to the end consumers.

Oles: Super! Really, all the goods immediately sold out through shopping clubs?

Anna: Yes, Vadim saw it. Because at first there was just a wall of goods at home, and even the kitchen was covered with handkerchiefs. And then it just didn't exist.

And the next time we flew to Turkey, we found new suppliers. These were not intermediaries, but representatives of the plant. And they began to buy goods from them - directly and more. This year we plan to place large orders directly to the production itself. We sometimes have orders for promotional products - in one color, in large quantities, with some kind of logo.

Oles: That is, some company buys for itself?

Vadim: Quite right! Such an order can be placed in production because they have periods when they produce a certain color. In this case, you need to immediately order a lot of goods. But we cannot bring only 1 color, because we will have it lying. That is, we place only large orders at factories, which we can immediately implement.

Main feature: exclusive product at a low price

Oles: Let's talk about shopping clubs. Tell us who you work with and what are the usual conditions there? What is their main advantage, how do they sell it, how do they form their audience - share in 2 words. What categories of goods can be sold there?

Anna: In shopping clubs, you can sell everything from children's goods to furniture. They work like this: they are looking for an exclusive product at the best price. After all, this is what interests the audience. That is, it is not a product that can be bought anywhere else. The main thing is to offer the buyer favorable conditions for the purchase, which he will not receive anywhere else. For example, there are sneakers that are sold for 1000 UAH. But in the shopping club they are offered at a price of 800 UAH. This is already a savings of 200 UAH.

Oles: What percentage does the shopping club take? After all, in fact, he sells your product as a partner.

Vadim: For example, Modna Kasta has a fixed markup. The condition of working with them: to provide an exclusive price on the Internet in Ukraine. If this point is not met, you have to pay a fine.

Oles: But they do sell in bulk.

Anna: Yes, but we must also take into account that there are returns. Approximately 10-15% of the scope of delivery. And the reasons for this are very different. We offer women's products. And women buy on emotions. Let's say, now she wanted to - she took it. But when she gets it in the mail, she's not in that mood anymore and she returns it.

Vadim: Or the color looked at the wrong angle. She opened it and she didn't like it. Or this situation: I wanted to buy a coat and under it this scarf. I didn’t buy a coat, I bought a scarf - that’s all, it doesn’t fit. There is no coat, there is a scarf. Why does she need him?

Oles: That is, you sell only in bulk to shopping clubs, and they already sell to end consumers. If it's not a secret, how many pieces per month do they help you sell? 100, 200, 3000?

Anna: Today we have one shopping club placed an order for 50 scarves. And we have at least 3 such orders per day.

Vadim: Modna Kasta orders the most. They have a minimum order of 400 pieces.

Oles: And how do they buy: do they pay immediately or take it for sale?

Vadim: First, they launch an action and actively promote it on the Internet. Then they receive orders from customers and transfer them to us. We keep this product on reservation for a week. Let's say the promotion ends in 3 days. We are given another 4 days to ship the goods.

Wholesale

Oles: Tell us how you find wholesale customers? You say there is sms-mailing. What else?

Vadim: At the beginning of 2 years in a row we participated in exhibitions. People from all regions came there. With those who were interested in our product, we exchanged coordinates: city, last name, phone number. All this was entered into the CRM database. Very handy and useful program.

Then we tried to send email and sms to the received addresses. The latter, as practice has shown, gave more output. Plus there is a showroom. After all, for many people it is important to just come and see. They even come from the regions and immediately make a purchase. That's why we sometimes go out on weekends.

Oles: It is easier for them to come to you than to fly to Turkey.

Vadim: Well, of course! Plus, the Internet helps, because we quickly post photos of a new product on the site. For example, the party arrived today. And today, maximum tomorrow, a new assortment appears on the site. And already on these positions there is an order.

Oles: How many employees do you have now?

Anna: Completely turns out 5.

Vadim: There is one more position we are considering now. This is the operator for entering invoices in 1-C. And by the autumn we plan to launch sales representatives.

Oles: Who does the photo shoots for you? Shopping club?

Anna: Yes, although we used to take pictures ourselves. But we realized that it is very difficult. Need a good photographer + photo studio + time. And when the shopping club does everything, we get rid of this problem and still save a lot.

Oles: What is the benefit of this shopping club? Does he get the exclusive right to post photos? Does he put his own watermarks or what?

Anna: Yes, he can put his own watermark, it's not a problem. This is even a priority, because now a lot of photos are stolen. There are many similar products from China. It is of lesser quality, but looks the same. These sellers take our good photo and sell a cheaper product for their price.

How to wholesale a scarf

Oles: Do you have a Web site. How does he work? What are you doing with it?

Anna: We have a website at Prom.ua. That is, we completely bought the domain and directly on the portal itself there is still a separate advertisement. This is enough for us.

Oles: Do orders come from there?

Anna: Yes, we launched ads on Google and immediately saw results. They started calling and writing to us, and this tool turned out to be effective for us. But then again, we show an ad not just for the request “how to sell a scarf”, but specifically “to sell a scarf in bulk”. This is the most important thing for us.

Vadim: Basically, the site performs the functions of a catalog, because not all potential customers can come to us and see the goods live.

Oles: You have a seasonal item, right?

Vadim: If it is autumn and winter, then 1-2 types of products are mainly in demand. But there are 80-160 colors. If it's summer, then here the assortment is much larger and more diverse. Now it is all presented in our showroom. Therefore, it is more difficult to work in summer.

Oles: How do you see the further development of your business?

Vadim: Suppliers and exclusivity play an important role in our business. Now the priority for us is the development of the direction of India. Next - increasing turnover in Turkey. Direct access to factories. That is, such an option is possible that with an increase in volumes, we will simply place orders at the production site, and not work with intermediaries.

In terms of covering the Ukrainian market, the task now is to become No. 1 in Kyiv and gradually become leaders in the country. Because in Ukraine there are several serious players who have been on the market for a long time. We haven't reached their level yet.

Oles: How much bigger are they?

Vadim: Approximately 10 times.

Oles: What advice can you give to aspiring entrepreneurs, and to those who are just thinking of becoming one. I'm not sure that everyone will start selling scarves. After all, you can sell anything: a service, yourself, some idea, products. What can you advise based on your experience?

Vadim: The first recommendation is to gain knowledge. Our thinking has changed a lot since we passed. Thanks to him, the understanding of how everything works is closed in some kind of chain. Now, in any situation, a marketer wakes up in us: here we need a landing page, there is a website, there we need advertising.

Oles: 100%! In this sense, you become abnormal;)

Vadim: In any case, you first need a theory: how to organize a business and how to sell correctly with new technologies. This will help to be in the subject on the market and stay on it for at least 2-3 years. Next is a matter of technology.

Another point that we faced is the selection of personnel. It is very important to find the right people and keep them motivated. Here, too, you need to choose an approach in order for everything to work out.

Do you want to be the first to know about the launch of the training that helped Anna and Vadim take their business to the next level and reach a net income of $2,000? Click !