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Yeah, but Bonobos isn't Gucci. And I wouldn't put them near the same category as other high end brands. The people that buy Bonobos are more likely to be peop

Yeah, but Bonobos isn't Gucci. And I wouldn't put them near the same category as other high end brands. The people that buy Bonobos are more likely to be people that, if driving somewhere to try something on, want to bring something home that day. Can't buy direct at Bonobos? J-Crew or Banana Republic are next door. Literally, in many cases.

saosebastiao 11y ago
> The people that buy Bonobos are more likely to be people that, if driving somewhere to try something on, want to bring something home that day. Can't buy direct at Bonobos? J-Crew or Banana Republic are next door. Literally, in many cases. I think that is extremely debatable. I'm squarely in Bonobos' target market and it is common for me to buy something that I like and have it sit in my closet for a day or two before I wear it the first time. I don't know anybody that treats their new clothes like they do a new computer or phone...where they absolutely have to start using it right away. If I'm ever in a situation where I can't wait a day or two but need an article of clothing right now? H&M it is. No way I would pay Bonobos prices with my back against a wall like that. And more importantly, the lack of having something in stock to buy at that very moment is what enables them to have a wider array of potential fits, colors, and other options while also being in stock with a high degree of probability of being at your door within a day or two. Those fits and options are part of the loyalty that Bonobos has. Banana Republic might have some pants in stock...but do they have exactly my size, the color I want, the fabric I want, and the fit that I want? Far less likely IMO. I've spent way too much time rifling through stacks of pants trying to find my size only to destroy a cleanly presented stack of pants and discover that they have it but not in the right color. I would much rather invest 30 minutes of my time in a Bonobos retail fitting room, and then never spend another minute in a retail store again.
- deckard1 11y ago
  How does Bonobos get around the fact that you're just getting a similar style, and not tailored pants? The biggest issue with buying mass produced clothing online, is that two pairs of the identical style have wildly different fits and shrinkage behavior. For example, Levis. I have to try on about 10 pairs of 501s before I find one that fits. After the first wash, all bets are off. I think Bonobos is going to have the issue. Except, now you have a customer that is angry because they spent an afternoon finding pants that fit, only to have those "same" pants shipped and not fit. Unless Bonobos steps up tailoring on demand (think Black Lapel), I think they are going to have enormous trouble satisfying the customer.
  - saosebastiao 11y ago
    That is a quality control issue, not an issue of tailored vs RTW. Levi's has it especially bad because they have hundreds of manufacturing facilities and they range from in-house to third party, rich countries (more automated) to poor countries (more manual), and have hundreds of potential denim suppliers even within the same cut style. But most smaller clothing companies don't have those problems (or they have them, but not as bad), and this problem is one that Bonobos in particular has actively tried to eliminate. It is pretty easy to maintain consistent quality when you are small though, and it will be more difficult to do as Bonobos grows.
    - ucaetano 11y ago
      Again, this just proves that they can't scale. You can't be a mass manufacturer with low-volume quality controls. They are a product line, not a company.
      - saosebastiao 11y ago
        What I said gives you no basis for that assertion. It's like claiming that a company can't scale because it hasn't scaled yet. Scaling amazon has gotten harder as it has gotten bigger, but that didn't stop them from scaling.

saosebastiao 11y ago

> The people that buy Bonobos are more likely to be people that, if driving somewhere to try something on, want to bring something home that day. Can't buy direct at Bonobos? J-Crew or Banana Republic are next door. Literally, in many cases. I think that is extremely debatable. I'm squarely in Bonobos' target market and it is common for me to buy something that I like and have it sit in my closet for a day or two before I wear it the first time. I don't know anybody that treats their new clothes like they do a new computer or phone...where they absolutely have to start using it right away. If I'm ever in a situation where I can't wait a day or two but need an article of clothing right now? H&M it is. No way I would pay Bonobos prices with my back against a wall like that. And more importantly, the lack of having something in stock to buy at that very moment is what enables them to have a wider array of potential fits, colors, and other options while also being in stock with a high degree of probability of being at your door within a day or two. Those fits and options are part of the loyalty that Bonobos has. Banana Republic might have some pants in stock...but do they have exactly my size, the color I want, the fabric I want, and the fit that I want? Far less likely IMO. I've spent way too much time rifling through stacks of pants trying to find my size only to destroy a cleanly presented stack of pants and discover that they have it but not in the right color. I would much rather invest 30 minutes of my time in a Bonobos retail fitting room, and then never spend another minute in a retail store again.

deckard1 11y ago
How does Bonobos get around the fact that you're just getting a similar style, and not tailored pants? The biggest issue with buying mass produced clothing online, is that two pairs of the identical style have wildly different fits and shrinkage behavior. For example, Levis. I have to try on about 10 pairs of 501s before I find one that fits. After the first wash, all bets are off. I think Bonobos is going to have the issue. Except, now you have a customer that is angry because they spent an afternoon finding pants that fit, only to have those "same" pants shipped and not fit. Unless Bonobos steps up tailoring on demand (think Black Lapel), I think they are going to have enormous trouble satisfying the customer.
- saosebastiao 11y ago
  That is a quality control issue, not an issue of tailored vs RTW. Levi's has it especially bad because they have hundreds of manufacturing facilities and they range from in-house to third party, rich countries (more automated) to poor countries (more manual), and have hundreds of potential denim suppliers even within the same cut style. But most smaller clothing companies don't have those problems (or they have them, but not as bad), and this problem is one that Bonobos in particular has actively tried to eliminate. It is pretty easy to maintain consistent quality when you are small though, and it will be more difficult to do as Bonobos grows.
  - ucaetano 11y ago
    Again, this just proves that they can't scale. You can't be a mass manufacturer with low-volume quality controls. They are a product line, not a company.
    - saosebastiao 11y ago
      What I said gives you no basis for that assertion. It's like claiming that a company can't scale because it hasn't scaled yet. Scaling amazon has gotten harder as it has gotten bigger, but that didn't stop them from scaling.