Although a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, Annie Morgan is responsible for leading Concepts’ private label push. Here, the brand manager explains how its private brand strategy has evolved over her five years and what the ultimate goals are for the collections.
TAREK HASSAN AND DEON POINT HAVE CALLED TOU THE GLUE THAT HOLDS CONCEPTS TOGETHER. HOW DOES THAT FEEL?
“I’m only as strong as Tarek and Deon. I have a big responsibility to the team, so I constantly feel a pressure that is good for me — and I think it’s good for the brand. I’m grateful that they’ve given me free rein to talk to them, get to know what they’re thinking, wrap it up into something and deliver.”
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CONCEPTS PRIVATE LABEL EVOLUTION?
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“We’ve always dabbled in it. There have been some great sprints, but now we have our vision solidifi ed of who we are, what we want to stand for and the risks we want to take. Storytelling is the Concepts DNA, but stories change, the focus of our consumers change, so we’re telling those stories and making it exciting. Our consumer expects the unexpected from us, so it’s constantly finding out what’s the next unexpected thing.”
WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO BUILDING THESE COLLECTIONS?
“We have ties to luxury, as well as extreme sports and Boston heritage. And we have brick-and-mortar and digital to think about, and how to touch as many people as possible through product. I look at those things and then wrap it all into one thing.”
WHAT ARE THE PRIVATE LABEL GOALS?
“Short-term is to keep expanding the products and make sure they stay inclusive, but special at the same time. We want to create products that people seek out and can’t fi nd anywhere else. Long-term, it’s to have a variety of touchpoints, whether it be women’s, men’s, kids’, accessories. To become a lifestyle brand, that’s the ultimate goal.”
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM CONCEPTS LEADERSHIP IN THE FIVE YEARS YOU’VE BEEN WITH THE COMPANY?
“I’ve learned so much in these past five years. I started on the sales floor, I was in a corporate career before but what I really learned from Tarek and Deon was the importance of the community, our customer relationships, talking to people, getting their trust and realizing that it’s not just about selling product, it’s about the people that we serve and building on those relationships, whether it be with brands, whether be with customers, and then finding out ultimately who we are and kind of speaking to that.”
