“EXTREME REGIME” x HOTOVELI x PRIESTESS NYC

PRIESTESS NYC Creative Director Cody Ross and Michael Adjiashvili, founder of luxury retailerHotoveli New York, present a jaw-dropping sartorial exhibit that spans the entirety of Hotoveli New York’s plush minimalist interior.  “Extreme Regime” explores paradox, pop-culture, surrealism, eroticism and fashion and is enveloped in trans-media madness, sexual fetishism and a serious wallop of artisanship.

Priestess NYC: Satisfying the Appetite of the Growing Dragon

Cody Ross, the creator of Priestess NYC, is indeed a talented man. Not only is he the main driving force behind Priestess NYC, he is also a hedge fund manager. Priestess NYC is a New York City based label that has been featured in numerous magazines both domestic and abroad, with 60% of revenues from the US and 40% from China. What the label aims to represent is a liberated, raw and fresh style and that shines through the usual mediocrity in boutique fashion.

With an amalgam of economics, math, textile and fashion as his background, Ross has quite the keen eyes for opportunities abroad. What makes Ross stand out from other small labels is his mission to establish a strong foothold in China from an early stage. Realizing the mammoth potential scorching the innards of the giant waiting to escape to its complete freedom, Ross has chosen the right place and the right method – localization. His cunning strategy of living the local way and breathing the local air paid off fantastically well. Just within a few seasons, he has secured a line of customers carrying his labels in Shanghai and Beijing. But Ross is not satisfied; he delves further into the mouth of the Dragon towards second and third-tier cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Tianjin, and Wuhan, whose investment values (a robust 25% growth rate as oppose to China’s overall of 19%) have escalated recently as foreign investors start to divert further inland for more real estate opportunities.

In a typical Porterian view (see bibliography), Ross is on the right track in terms of adhering to the fundamentals of strategic positioning. According to Harvard professor Michael E. Porter, a strategic position incorporates three principles: 1) creating a unique position featuring a tailored set of products and services, 2) making and accepting trade-offs, and 3) creating a fit amongst a corporation’s activities.

Ross has begun targeting a specific demographic group, the wealthy and sophisticated consumers whose typical shopping destinations include i.t. (the sister store of I.T. that sells Comme Des Garçons). He also provides a personalized business to the Chinese consumers that no other smaller foreign labels have (his bestselling piece is a Qipao-inspired dress). His tailored style of business activities consists of him going door-to-door to “translate” his clothes to potential customers (boutiques and other clothing stores), editors and magazine columnists; and utilizing his whole supply chain infrastructure to really understand contemporary Chinese consumerism.

However, that’s not enough for his label to gain a strong foothold in China. The majority of his pieces are more on the haute couture side, than the ready-to-wear side. Some wares also feature very suggestive features (e.g. swimming sperms). It appears that the bloggers who have mentioned Priestess NYC on their sites are more fixated on his eye-catching playful approach on his pieces, than anything else. To these newly rising elites with or without substantial amount of Western exposure, owning a label that is a cross between high fashion and 80’s glam rock street style is optically stimulating. Would this fascination die away after the visual stimulus effect subdues?

Going back to Porter’s view, a complete strategic position consists of more than just projecting a unique position. A good strategic position also requires making trade-offs. Ross needs to bear in mind the questions of whether he should be focusing on major cities or advancing further inland? Which demographics he wants to target within the second and third-tier cities in China? The socioeconomic status between the rich and the poor is starkly large, especially in smaller cities. Even if there is a big market of nouveau riche waiting for Ross to excavate, for the same designer price range, they most likely would opt for more household names like Armani, Lacoste, and MaxMara. Without a big metropolitan setting like Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen, it’s very hard to image Priestess NYC gaining ready acceptance as a household name in those second and third-tier cities.

Another problem that faces Priestess NYC is the availability of substitutes. With high fashion couture houses like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Balenciaga and smaller labels like Acne, Comme Des Garçons and Marc Jacobs at his neck, Ross needs to be more than just high fashion meets glam rock to stay alive. China’s proximity to Japan is also a threat as a lot of new emerging brands can have easy access to the growing Chinese market. In comparison, Ross’s fresh style pales with the avant-garde approach that many Japanese designers take on their lines.

Credit: pH7 THE 3rd