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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Nobody Does it Better - How an Australian Denim Brand Wins Globally through Supply Chain Transparency by Kanika Meshram * [31]

Denims are a fundamental part of modern fashion. Everyone seems to own a pair. The massive popularity of denim product has a lot to do with its symbolic value the notion of cowboys, American Wild West, rock ‘n’ roll, punk rebellion (think Mick Jagger, Blondie, and John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten); the hippie movement in the ‘70s; grunge of the ‘90s; and the supermodel brigade. Titans of denim industry sustained competition using linear business models that massively reduced their production costs. But, at the cost of opaque supply chains with questionable working condition of factory workers and environmental damage (Ethical Fashion Report., 2019).

What if we tell consumers who made their clothes?

This is the question Nobody Denim’s CEOs John and Nick Condilis asked each other when they decided to create supply chain transparency as their competency. Born in 1992, Nobody Denim is a Melbourne, Australian based denim company. This legacy brand was initially a denim laundry which gives a denim its ‘distress look’ and ultimately its price value. In mid 90s the Condilis brothers decided to expand their denim laundry into denim manufacturing. In this blog I unpack the business model of Nobody using the dynamic capabilities perspective to demonstrate how this brand competes in the premium denim market (see Figure). A business model is the architecture of an organization that is enabled by its dynamic capabilities (Wirtz, Pistoia, Ullrich, & Göttel, 2016). According to Teece (2018), a dynamically capable organization will rapidly capture, create, and deliver customer value through sensing, seizing and transforming capabilities.

Sensing a value opportunity: Sensing is inherently involved with scanning the business ecosystem to identify and propose new customer values (Teece, 2011). For Nobody, the sensing activity was about educating customers on the value of ethical manufacturing in the fashion industry. To achieve this Nobody, opened their factories for customers to experience denim making from cut to finish and importantly interact with their garment workers. To assure customers about their brand integrity in fair work practices they also obtained Ethical Supply Chain accreditation. The rationale for this approach according to John was, ‘we are nobody, we don’t make a lot of noise, but those who wear us, do’.

Seizing the value opportunity: The seizing activity involves designing a value chain to satisfy customers and capture value (Teece, 2011). This activity also includes securing access to capital and the necessary human resources. Similarly, for Nobody, the seizing activity involved building competency in eco-centric denim production in Australia. For this, Nobody invested in ‘cut and sew operations’, ‘trained workers’ and ‘innovative techniques’ that consume less water during denim washing. To minimize their carbon footprint, Nobody also emphasized a shorter supply chain — their head office, factory, laundry, and retail store are all within a 6-km radius in Melbourne.

Transforming the value opportunity: Transforming capabilities involves shifting firm emphases to radical new opportunities. This activity is also needed periodically to soften rigidities developed over time from standard operating procedures (Teece, 2011). For Nobody Denim, the transformation process took place during the COVID-19 pandemic when the global fashion industry faced a massive drop in sales (Walk Free Foundation, 2020). However, Nobody survived the pandemic by capitalizing on their worker capabilities in stitching, sewing, and designing to make medical protective clothing for health care workers. This transition is not a short-term fix but a long-term strategy for Nobody. According to John, the pandemic has exposed the fragility of Australian supply chains and our heavy reliance on other countries for medical supplies. As part of the solution, Nobody invested in infrastructure that will enable it to make up to four million masks, 300,000 gowns, and 170,000 scrubs per year.

  • Thus, the key takeaways from Nobody’s business model is how this brand kept customers and their workers central to all their value creation activities. Second, how Nobody built consumer trust by caring for their workers, paying fair wages and being transparent about their production process. Nobody also entices customers with lifetime free repair on their denim. 
  • Value added: For readers of this blog, John shares some great advice on the perfect way to wash your jeans, “All jeans should be washed as little as possible, turned inside out and washed on a cold cycle and line dried for the longest life. No dryers please!

                                      Figure - The Business Model of Nobody Denim

VP: What is offered to customers? Sensing opportunities in ethical supply chains that are of value to customers.

VC: How is the value proposition created? Building eco-centric capabilities to seize new customers, business clients and resources

RM: How is revenue created? Using worker capabilities to transform the revenue to a changing environment.


* Dr. Kanika Meshram is a Lecturer in Management and Marketing at the University of Melbourne. She may be reached at kanika.meshram@unimelb.edu.au. This blog is based on the author’s forthcoming paper and interview with John Condillis from Nobody Denim for their research project on modern slavery in fashion industry.

Key Reference:  Meshram, K., Bhakoo, V. & Bove, L. (forthcoming) Building and Sustaining an Anti-Slavery Business Model: A Tale of Two Fashion Brands. Journal of Strategic Marketing.

Additional References

Ethical Fashion Report. (2019). The Truth Behind the Barcode. Retrieved from https://baptistworldaid.org.au/resources/2019-ethical-fashion-report/

Teece, D. J. (2011). Dynamic capabilities: A guide for managers. Ivey Business Journal, 75(2), 29-32.

Teece, D. J. (2018). Business models and dynamic capabilities. Long Range Planning, 51(1), 40-49.

Walk Free Foundation. (2020). Protecting People in a Pandemic: Urgent collaboration is needed to protect vulnerable workers and prevent exploitation. Retrieved from https://cdn.minderoo.org/content/uploads/2020/04/30211819/Walk-Free-Foundation-COVID-19-Report.pdf

Wirtz, B. W., Pistoia, A., Ullrich, S., & Göttel, V. (2016). Business models: Origin, development and future research perspectives. Long Range Planning, 49(1), 36-54.

 

 

16 comments:

  1. I think the transparency this brand holds with it's customers is awesome. Being honest and transparent with customers is a great way to earn consumers trust and meet their expectations. I also believe it is highly important that the workers behind the product are being cared for and paid fairly so I think it is great that this company values that.

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  2. Nobody Denim's supply chain model is a unique idea! This is a great way to create new value to customers.

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  3. I think this brand is an amazing idea, jeans will always be in style and even new designs and bringing back old ones. Vintage will always be in style and more people today are buying jeans from back then. This is a great marketing strategy to ensure the buyers who are purchasing these jeans, get great quality but great customer satisfaction. This brand definitely shows that!

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  4. Nobody Denim's made a smart move going with supply chain transparency. Especially in todays world where a lot of people value sustainability and fair market practices.

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  5. Nobody's denim has taken a very interesting and unique approach to their marketing strategy. Many companies try to hide many things which creates distrust among consumers, being transparent with customers builds trust and loyalty.

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  6. This brand's ability to see and seize a unique value opportunity is very impressive. Many companies try to hide things from consumers and when the truth comes out it breaks trust with consumers and consumers lose loyalty, with Nobody's approach it builds loyalty and trust with consumers.

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  7. It is cool to see how a fashion company works on sustainability and minimizing their carbon footprint. I liked how Nobody centralized their supply chain and made all of the separate parts in close proximity to each other. This definitely helps their public recognition among their customers by showing that they care about the environment.

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  8. Nobody's business plan shows other competitors in the industry how to take care of their employees as well as customers offering an experiential option as the customers can see their product being manufactured. This is a very noble aspect of the company as they want their customers to be in on their process as well as show the consumer that they are not just exporting their labor to underdeveloped under regulated countries to sustain larger profits.

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  9. Nobody's business model is pleasantly surprising as they offer an experiential option for their customers as the customer can see their product actually being manufactured. This is a serious step in the right direction as many of their customers manufacture the same type of products in under regulated under developed countries to make more profit. I think this is a step in the right direction.

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  10. Thank you everyone for your comments to my blog and appreciating the brand.

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  11. Nobody Denim is such a great example of being able to pivot between revenue models as well as create lasting impressions between themselves and consumers by creating that value from their commitment to eco-centric production and fair treatment practices.

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  12. I feel like transparency is important to a lot of people these days whether we are talking about food, clothes, or plenty of other things. Jeans are a timeless item of clothing and Nobody's denim is really taking advantage of something that really may catch a consumers eye. This will help increase customer satisfaction and ensure customer loyalty because of the honesty that this brand provides.

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  13. This article greatly illustrates how Nobody Denim uses the power of differentiation is such a highly-saturated industry such as fashion. Opening its factories to the public and inviting customers to interact with the facilities and workers is a fantastic way to educate them on the value of ethical apparel manufacturing.

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  14. This article provides an insightful analysis of Nobody Denim's business model and how it competes in the premium denim market. The emphasis on supply chain transparency, worker capabilities, and building consumer trust through ethical practices highlights the importance of sustainable practices in the fashion industry

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  15. I think Nobody Denim’s business model is great as the brand is able to differentiate itself from competitors, adding value to their brand. Entering an industry like the denim market can be tough, since there’s a lot of well known and established brands that can pose barriers to entry for new firms. For Nobody Denim, their emphasis on building customer loyalty through ethical practices and supply chain transparency definitely seems to pay off, as customers value it a lot.

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