eCommerce success: the story of Antonio Miró (1)
Laia Ordoñez
22/02/2021
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Today, we are going to explore an eCommerce success story we know firsthand at Oleoshop. Discover the story of Antonio Miró and how he has adapted to digital world.
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Today we are going to talk to you about one of the most recognized figures of national fashion, with a career that spans several decades; a true pioneer and revolutionary in almost every aspect that can be imagined. He has been more than a witness of his time; he has actually earned for himself the fact of being protagonist.We are talking about a brand with a name and surname: Antonio Miró.
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Antonio Miró: the man behind the brand
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It would be impossible to understand anything we are going to talk about without first analyzing the career and entity of Antonio Miró.Born in 1947 in Sabadell, he had the entrepreneurial gene with an even stronger prevalence than the passion for fashion, which came later. Although he wanted to be a musician, he entered the world of tailoring through his father.
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At the time, his father was a textile salesman and introduced his son to the job market by working in a local factory.
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INSIGHT: As in many other success stories based on the figure of an entrepreneur, it is important to understand his origin to see how he projects himself in the brand. Antonio Miró started with the basis of the business: the product. This already marks a difference with respect to other entrepreneurs with a more academic and less practical background.
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Groc is born
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Being under 20 years old, he had his first real entrepreneurial opportunity. And he did it together with another member of his family: his brother Esteban. This was about the late 1960s, so it goes without saying that the Internet was not even an option.Both brothers landed into retail and did it successfully. Their store and their brand -both under the name Groc- appeared as if by magic in Platja D'Aro. At that time, there was nothing more fashionable in Girona or in all of Catalonia than this effervescent town on the Costa Brava, located in a privileged enclave and full of activity.And so the brand grew, surrounded by exclusive boutiques and premium brands and carving out a niche for itself. Far from the divinity of such establishments and with a closer treatment, it became an icon until its closure in 2015.
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INSIGHT: Choosing the right channel is essential to increase the chances of success of any business. In this sense, betting on the coolest place was a statement of intent. At the same time, the coolest place does not differentiate you if you only go by the appearance. For this reason, Groc opted to be a bit different: in an environment of appearances, it opted for authenticity and direct manner.
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It was the right time in the right place, but even so, we cannot underestimate the value of something that was offered as "standard" with Antonio: the product and the design. The garments sold at Groc were not more the same old story.In a somewhat gray period, Miró brothers generated an enormous impact with their proposal of much more colorful and risky menswear even within the sobriety. In a Spain that was far away from Europe, this fresh but elegant style was a breath of fresh air. Polo shirts, casual jackets... all with a handcrafted look.
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INSIGHT: Even in a high segment, we can find a different brand positioning if we know how to play our trump cards. Antonio Miró knew how to stand out with a different approach: modern design, quality, far from dogmas and at a medium-high price. He invented the icon of the young, modern, different, well-educated and Mediterranean man, something that simply did not exist at that time.
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From Toni to Antonio Miró
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Groc was a hit among the locals, so the logical evolution was to bring the brand to Barcelona. Hence they opened a second store in the Catalan capital (second store owned by the brothers, never a franchise).
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But with the arrival in Barcelona, a second brand was also born. It was 1976 and that was when Antonio Miró brand as we know it began. His garments quickly won over a public that was already captivated by Toni Miró's style, so personal, with a great raw material and an impeccably elegant cut within simplicity.Antonio Miró's garments left Barcelona for the catwalks of Paris, Rome and Milan. The Mediterranean flair of his collections and a surprising commitment to timelessness in a market that is strictly governed by seasonality and temporary collections were his winning bets.The success of the brand was such that it even led the company to design the uniforms of the Spanish athletes who paraded during the Barcelona Olympic Games, one of the most important historical milestones of its time.
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INSIGHT: Exporting a fashion that is too local may not be feasible, even now that tastes and styles are globalized. For this reason, Miró did an exercise in which he redefined some of his parameters and even decided to promote his brand as a couturier rather than one that, in addition, had the circumstance of being a word in Catalan and could be more difficult to interpret in the context of other countries.
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The marketing of fashion
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Antonio Miró has always been characterized by his ability to surprise. He has never lost that nonconformist, rebellious and even provocative character.We can see how this brand was one of the pioneers in transforming fashion shows into something more real and closer to the audience. It did not hesitate to show normal people on the catwalk, with normal measurements and in a much higher age range than usual.
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It even carried out inclusive actions, although not without controversy, turning, for example, Senegalese immigrants who arrived in Spain in a cayuco boat into models.
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INSIGHT: It is not easy to redefine such conventional standards as, in the end, are those of fashion. Miró crossed all the red lines and turned controversy into a loudspeaker to show what he really wanted to show in the showcase: his creations.
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Diversifying
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Something that is very clear when approaching the universe of Antonio Miró is that it is a brand that does not sell clothes. Better said: it does not sell only clothes.Its philosophy is transversal to everything we can find in physical stores or on the Internet: it projects a Mediterranean lifestyle, elegant and without complexes.For this very reason, it has always gone beyond men's and women's clothing for a specific etiquette code, presenting options for any vital context. But clothing is not the only thing that defines a person's style; that is why we can find accessories, perfume or furniture with the designer's signature.
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INSIGHT: Designing your business idea based on lifestyle is a way to complete and enrich the customer experience. You are giving them a whole life context in which multiple product lines fit.
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This special and unique way of doing Antonio Miró has had to adapt to the arrival of the digital world. Do you want to know how Antonio Miró has brought his entire universe to eCommerce? Pay attention to the next post that we are already working on.
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Images | Unsplash.