Black Label [EN]: Chapter 232

Black Label 231

232. An Interesting Business

His head was spinning. It felt as if someone had suddenly struck him hard on the back of the head when he wasn’t paying attention.

Of course, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. It was just that he wasn’t quite prepared for the ‘glorious event’ that had suddenly come his way.

Squeak, squeak—.

Jaeseung returned to his office, closed the door, took a deep breath, and sat down in front of his iMac PC.

The fact that each association had sent official letters to his brand meant that his email account, which he hadn’t checked much lately, would contain more detailed information.

Jewelry brand partnerships, exclusive distribution rights….

Soon.

Click, click.

As soon as the desktop appeared, Jaeseung busily moved the mouse around.

Sure enough, when he opened his inbox, it was full of detailed notifications from each association.

“Huh….”

Before long, Jaeseung’s face began to pale.

According to the email from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, he seemed to be nominated for awards in two categories.

The first was the ‘International Awards,’ which selected one designer who had created the most outstanding design among designers not active in the American fashion scene.

The second was the ‘Contribution to Modern Fashion Development’ award, which selected the most influential designer in the entire fashion industry through voting.

Both were incredibly honorable awards.

Of course, this was just the beginning.

The Spanish Fashion Designers Association, the British Fashion Designers Association, and the Italian Fashion Designers Association also nominated him for the ‘International Awards’ in their respective ceremonies.

However, the most significant indication of the glory Wallflower had achieved this year was….

The notification regarding the French Fashion Designers Association awards ceremony, which was Jaeseung’s main stage.

“One, two, three, four….”

Jaeseung, who was counting aloud while looking at the monitor, trailed off.

He was nominated for awards in a whopping eight categories.

1. Nomination for Brand of the Year.

2. Nomination for Designer of the Year.

3. Nomination for Best *Prêt-à-Porter* [Ready-to-wear] of the Year.

4. Nomination for Director of the Year.

5. Nomination for Bestselling Brand of the Year.

6. Nomination for Contribution to French Fashion Development.

7. Nomination for Beautiful Performance.

8. Nomination for the ‘Gold Thimble’ Award.

Jaeseung unconsciously muttered, “Oh my god…,” and dropped his head, clutching his hair with both hands.

It seemed to be the result of combining the glory he had achieved as the sub-director of Janel last season and the great success Wallflower had at Paris Fashion Week.

Of course, being nominated for an award does not guarantee winning.

However, being nominated for so many awards is also extremely rare.

Every time he was given a great opportunity or honor, he thought that moment was his prime.

But.

From this moment on, if someone asked him when his prime was, he decided to answer like this:

I think it’s in the future.

The weather was getting cooler, but the temperature of the tears running down his cheeks was warm.

The main component of those tears was overwhelming joy. A moment of encountering immense glory that made his chest tighten.

Surprisingly, the first person he thought of was not his family, friends, loved ones, or fellow designers.

Karl Lagerfeld.

If he could, he wanted to call him right away. And he wanted to boast about this and that in a smug tone.

Then Karl would have responded with his trademark insults and sarcasm.

And then, at the end, he would have added words of praise and congratulations in an embarrassed tone.

Yes, he certainly would have.

* * *

That evening, Chairman Ardo called.

– Congratulations. You might sweep up all the trophies and plaques from the French Fashion Association.

“Thank you, but how did you…”

Wasn’t this something the French Fashion Association hadn’t officially announced yet?

It was supposed to be kept secret until they made their own announcement.

Thanks to that, his phone had been quiet until now.

Chairman Ardo chuckled over the phone and replied.

– You’d be surprised how much we donate to the French Fashion Association every year. I won’t go into detail, but it’s enough to be granted the right to know some very important secrets a little earlier than others.

“Hmm, that sounds pretty fair. If it were a domestic association, they would have given the right to know the secrets first, as well as the trophies and plaques, to your brand. Heh heh.”

– Anyway, I sincerely congratulate you on having a hectic end of the year.

Jaeseung replied, “Thank you,” and gave a wry smile.

Wasn’t he already busy with all the things he had started?

Attending award ceremonies in five countries would definitely require him to move even more breathlessly.

– But I tend to avoid mere words of congratulations. I was wondering if I could give you a pretty useful congratulatory gift.

“A gift?”

– I can’t give you a private jet, but I can support you with one.

“Ah, I really appreciate it, but…”

Jaeseung trailed off and then continued.

“Actually, I signed a contract with ‘Billy Ban Corporation’ because of this.”

– Oh, I see. Certainly, an agency of Billy Ban Corporation’s caliber is a great collaboration partner.

Thanks to signing a contract with Billy Ban Corporation, all future overseas schedules could be handled with a private jet provided by Billy Ban, the agency.

Although there was a risk of having to give up 5% of the profits, it was definitely not a bad deal considering that Billy Ban would directly handle many other cumbersome tasks.

– Anyway, I’ll have to think about a different gift. Tsk, Billy Ban Corporation has made things complicated.

“No, it’s okay. If you really want to give me a congratulatory gift, I don’t think it’s too late to give it to me after I win the awards.”

– Hahaha, okay. Actually, I was going to congratulate you and talk about some business matters.

After a moment of silence, Chairman Ardo continued.

– Before the launch and full-scale sales of the Wallflower watch line, I was wondering what you think about holding a pre-sale event for the ‘VVIP customers’ of the group’s department store brand?

It was an appealing story. Jaeseung hummed, “Hmm…,” and carefully asked.

“Could you tell me what kind of event it would be?”

Chairman Ardo’s detailed explanation can be summarized briefly as follows:

It was the same type of event that was always held before the release of special edition products from LVMH Group brands, and it was a way for the wealthy and celebrities to easily get their hands on limited-edition products that ordinary people could not obtain no matter what they did.

Most of the VIP customers of the group’s department store brands are wealthy people or celebrities such as sports stars, famous actors, models, singers, and artists.

Just one day a month, the department store closes completely.

The department store never stops [operations].

That day is when this type of event takes place.

First, the department store’s internal interface is completely changed for just a few hours, and employees similar to museum curators are assigned to the invited guests.

The employee in charge of the curator role will assist with product information as well as the movement of the guests.

They provide the best service to make them feel like they want to show off their wealth by spending money from their wallets.

– In short, it’s the same way some brands sell ‘Black Label Editions.’

Jaeseung nodded.

The sale of Black Label Edition products also proceeds in a similar format.

Customers who have contributed to sales are selected, invitations are sent, and the first sale is conducted secretly.

This is also the reason why most products are sold out in the first sale.

Loyal customers who buy up even ordinary seasonal products would never want to miss a special edition with the grand name of Black Label.

The only difference is that the stage is not a department store, but the main offline store or Brand House.

“It’s definitely a good idea, but the disadvantage of not being able to receive the product right away is bothering me. I don’t think customers with VVIP status would want to buy a normal trim product without any added options.”

– That’s a good point. It was an opinion that came up in the internal meeting as well. But it ended positively. Although there is a disadvantage that you cannot receive the product right away, we came to the conclusion that we can get a good response by emphasizing that you may have to wait months or years depending on the options after it is released.

Chairman Ardo, after finishing his words, continued in a much more serious tone than usual.

– Of course, the real purpose of the pre-sale event is to raise a lot of confirmed revenue before the launch. If we inflate the sales volume on the first day of launch by adding the quantity sold through the pre-sale event, the picture will be much more vivid.

“Wait a minute. Are you saying…?”

– We will select exactly 100 VVIP customers to hold the event. Of course, it’s just a word game. We will hold it in about 200 department stores we own. 20,000 wealthy people will have the right to purchase your watch first. No, it would be more accurate to say reservation.”

The calculator in his head started working several times faster and more accurately than usual.

Wasn’t Chairman Ardo one of the tycoons who had accumulated incredible capital with monstrous abilities?

He had almost forgotten that fact because he was always pretending to be a nice old man whenever he had the chance.

Anyway, the calculation was already finished. This is a chance he has to seize.

“I think we should definitely go ahead with it.”

If the promotion is confirmed, it is no exaggeration to say that the watch line will never be shaken, at least.

Good things and bad things both tend to happen suddenly like this.