It’s no easy feat turning lemons into lemonade but that is exactly what fashion designer Gaby Basora did when a fire destroyed her business.
In 2006, Basora launched her women’s lifestyle brand, Tucker, to great acclaim with distribution on Net-a-Porter and at Barneys. Known for effortless silhouettes in ever-changing bold yet classic silk prints and colors, the line quickly became a favorite with celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Katie Couric, and Cameron Diaz. In 2011, however, the company experienced a fire in their factory that destroyed all of its inventory and soon afterwards, as a result of the loss, the business closed its doors.
In 2015, the iconic brand finally re-launched with its new partner, Resonance Companies, based on an increased focus on sustainability and a direct-to-consumer model.
“Tucker shut down shortly after the fire. Like all small brands, its capital was tied up in inventory, all of which was lost in the fire,” shares Lawrence Lenihan, Co-CEO, and co-founder of Resonance Companies. “The brand shuttered while the founder, Gaby, reassessed her next steps with the brand and how she could re-launch Tucker in different way. It had been predominantly offered as a wholesale collection and she was in the early stages of introducing a retail offering to her customers with a store opening that year. This was time spent surveying the changing retail market and resetting the brand direction and growth strategy”.
Basora had reached out to Resonance after reading an article Lenihan had written entitled, “The End of the Billion-Dollar Brand” where Lenihan discusses the changing business landscape of fashion and why he feels with the right capital structure in place any company can build a fashion brand that resonates with its customers and be an economic win for all parties involved.
Lenihan continues, “Resonance is the business partner for Tucker, providing capital, technology, and operating expertise, which enables the brand to run as efficiently as Zara but with an elevated product. In a little more than two years with Resonance, Tucker has gone from not existing as a business to becoming profitable again with almost $5 million in sales this year. We should double again next year. More importantly, Tucker has been transformed from a wholesale-only brand to nearly an entirely online, direct-to-consumer model. Gaby remains the soul of and inspiration for the business and remains on the board of directors as the largest shareholder.”
In addition to helping Tucker become profitable again, Resonance has helped the brand become more sustainable with regard to its manufacturing practices at their factory in the Dominican Republic. “Sustainability is a vital and inherent part of the Tucker business. The Resonance platform enables Tucker to produce our clothing with a fraction of the material waste and the elimination of waste from toxic dying processes. The factory utilizes digital printing technology that uses only a small percentage of the water compared to conventional industry processes. One of the largest wastes in the retail industry is the over-production of inventory especially with minimums on production before ordering. We manufacture our products based on the demand we see in realtime from our online store that minimizes this inventory waste”, states Lenihan.
With a streamlined and efficient process set in place the brand aims to deliver new products on a monthly basis giving online shoppers a consistent reason to come back to the site for more. Jennifer Krouse, CEO of Tucker tells me, “September’s offerings were inspired by "soft modernism," with color blocking, darker plaids and checks, and graphic leaf prints. The brand transitioned from some of the softer and brighter carefree floral prints of the summer and brought in some dark reds, navies, and blacks and whites. Moving into October, the main inspiration was the "world of interiors". The beginning months of fall can make one really nostalgic for some of the dusky romantic notions of a cooler season and spending some time inside—maybe inside a fancy sitting room? The color palette was focused on dark, rich burgundies offset with soft greys and pinks in addition to bringing back some large florals. This will be a little more reminiscent of poetic dressing, with very romantic undertones.”
When it comes to deciding which silhouettes to add to the collection. Krouse tells me, “Tucker always try to design with the customer in mind. The ethos behind the brand is that it evokes joy, not just because of how the item looks but how it also makes you feel. Our new Lola dress, for example, is a fun flirty dress with a ruffled hem and sleeve. It's super simple but fun and pretty. It’s hopefully something that you can reach for every day all year long whether it's worn with tights or with sandals.”
Since there are so many versatile styles to choose from I wanted to know if Krouse had any suggestions for fall. Krouse responds, “There are definitely a few must-haves that we can’t get enough of this season. The Safari Trench Dress is a new oversized body that is a perfect shirtdress for the fall. It can be worn belted or open, and is easy to layer once the weather changes. We have this style coming in more prints soon since we loved it so much so stay tuned! Another style we love that we've been wearing like crazy because the weather has still been so warm but also looks great layered with a turtleneck is our V-neck Jumpsuit. It’s so easy and wearable”. I would also have to include The Trench Dress, The Classic Blouse, and The Asymmetrical Ruffle Tank.
No matter what you choose, Tucker offers styles designed for every woman that easily go from day to night and from season to season. The garments fit true to size, are very well constructed, and will easily become your staple favorites in your closet. You simply can’t go wrong.
