” Russian-Empress ”   brand new Internet platform to sell luxury fur clothing , winter coats , bags  and  accesoress to the Russian market.

The site is very well advertised in Russia and target to the young  middle class market , age from 20 to 40.  This sector, are more familiar with online shopping.

We have dealers  in 11  cities with populations of more than  1  million across Russia and Ukraine . We are looking  for a number of companies , to participate with us , acting as suppliers of a diverse range of styles.

Russia is very good market for fur , bags  and  ” Made in Italy” products .  So , If you are interested we will need to understand you price list, volume discount and delivery time after order and payment.

We will also need  digital photos of the garments that you consider to sell as a luxury . Puctures have to be very professional , please  go  at  www.net-a-porter.com  and have a look , how  they  present their garments . Only in this case you will be able to incress your seiles ! In Internet base , pictures are the most important  and powerful thing  to attract  buyers  !!!

And please rimember we do not keep stock ! We do not buy any things from you ! We only keep your pictures on our website and looking for a buyers  accross Russia  . Our dealers attract costumers, boutiques , department stores  with your pictures.. This is why pictures have to be very proffessional and  diteiled . Fashion market is always very competitive .

After we find  costumers  , we will contact you by phone , skype, email .. to make sure you still have  product on stoke .

Then we make payment . You  take care  about delivery by   ”DHL”  ,  ” Fedex ”  . They pick up your  product . Client pay for  delivery .

So, if you are interested and ready to provade hight qoulity pictures of your best-selling products -you are welcome ! If  you are a  small company  and take photographs is costly for you , we can help you with it . You can visit us with  all your garments , or even ship it to us  to our photo studio .

Irina Sprada

International analysts from the major investment banks thought that the main western economies were uncoupled from the new emerging BRIC (Brazil Russia, India & China) economies. Emerging economies are still dependent on USA and Europe for their strong consumer markets. Demand fell rapidly for manufactured good, commodities and the oil price declined from over $100 per barrel to less than $40.

So what happened to the boom in Russia?

The first effect of the major problems in 2007 was the withdrawal of international capital and the sell-off and decline in the shares of Russian Stock Exchange listed companies. Some companies lost more than 505 of their former value. As shares had been pledged for bank loans this required a greater amount of share capital or other assets to be required by banks. The booming property market in Russia was probably over priced and too highly leveraged.

Property prices started falling as soon as development companies found out that it was now very difficult or impossible to raise capital for their new commercial or residential projects. The property development slow down and banking crisis caused major job losses. The Russian Rouble was allowed to decline in value, which made imports more expensive. So it was like a domino effect. There is less money in the system from international investors.

The major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg have been the hardest hit. Yes there may be more than 100,000 multi-millionaires in Russia but many of them may be feeling the pressure from the reduction in the value of their assets. The other cities across Russia that have more than one million of population are currently not yet as effected as Moscow. That is because there was not yet quite so much of a boom in property prices, wages and expectations.

According to the Russian Government there will be little or no economic growth in 2009. There is also the need to reduce the government’s budget, which was based on oil prices of more than $70 per barrel. It could take until 2011 for the situation to significantly improve. For Russia it will depend on oil and commodity prices.

When will The Russia economy recover?

Having painted a gloomy picture, we must also remember that Russia is still one of the world’s major suppliers of energy and minerals. There is still a demand for oil, even though at currently lower prices. Lower prices lead to less exploration and less investment, which leads to lower supply. Once the global economy improves, it is likely that oil prices will climb again to the $70 per barrel region. The power house of China will again need more commodities for its manufacturing. This will get the Russian economy back on track.

Russia has a population of 141 million and the average income is still relatively low in comparison with Western Europe and the USA. There is a lot of growth to come, especially in the retail sector, which is underdeveloped in comparison to other markets. Along with China, India and Brazil, Russia will pick up again and become a major market for retail fashion.

What Strategy Should We Take During The Recession?

For ” Russian Empress ” we understand that it is a good time to be building a brand that combines quality and value. In this period Russian women still need and want to look stylish but may have less money to invest in their appearance. So we must offer a combination of good style, quality and excellent value. So that when things turn around in the economy and income and productivity starts to grow once more we can be positioned to take off with the next growth surge.

We want to introduce wealthy and middle class Russian women consumers to the possibility of buying fashion from the Internet, by providing top service and support. Other than our own Russian designers,  Russians particularly like fashion from Italy. Our focus during this recession will also be to build our relationships with a strong group of Italian fashion suppliers. We can then benefit together with these Italian companies, when the market turns the corner to new growth!

 RUSSIAN FUR MARKET IS LARGEST IN THE WORLD !

The world’s largest fur market is undergoing big changes in the demand cycle. Booming demand for fur in Russia during the mid-1990s was stimulated by cheap imports from Greece - but that wave of low-quality sales petered out as the market gave way  to sophisticated domestic garments, commanding average retail prices of US$2,000 per coat.

Last winter, only 750,000 Russian women bought fur coats, half the number in 1998. But market size in value terms remained virtually unchanged at US$2.4 billion over each of the two years. Independent market watchers and furriers are confident that the Russian market has reached a level of maturity which is now sustainable into the future. The market is now more likely to focus on the consumer who is buying a fourth or fifth fur coat valued at between US$2,000 and US$5,000, rather than a customer who is buying a first coat.

Paradoxically, consumer preferences are now split between domestic furriers and the more up-market importers. One reason is because of the contrary nature of Russian shoppers. For example, short, dyed-mink coats are in ”Vogue”   among consumers in other European countries but Russian women prefer the long raccoon or fox coats with hoods.

Russian suppliers of fur clothing lose ground . The Russian fur clothing domestic trade is in the doldrums. Eight years ago, the country imported only 1% of fur clothing. Today, almost 85% of its fur garments and accessories are imported.

Russia still supplies a large volume of raw furs to Greece, the Netherlands, Turkey and the US. However, it runs short of mink, sable and fox skin mainly because of poor breeding conditions. In addition, trappers in the Polar Circle refuse to supply squirrel, weasel, muskrat and fox skins following the inability of government agencies to make on-the-spot payments.

Another blow to the domestic fur clothing trade is the government’s failure to run sheep-breeding farms. Instead, competitors from Greece, Turkey and South Africa are exporting large quantities of fleece to Russia.

In an unprecedented move, the St Petersburg Fur Auction now rejects Russian polar fox furs for auction “because their starting prices are not competitive.” Taking advantage of the situation are suppliers from Hong Kong and Mainland China, who are shipping these furs for processing in Russia or are selling fox garments to Russian retailers.

According to trade association Russian Fur Concern, Russia is now importing more than 35 million tons of furs as fur production in the country continues to drop. Domestic production of women’s fur coats and children’s fur garments also falls. Russian manufacturers can only cope with the demand for fur hats and collars.

Not surprisingly, big fashion names like Fendi, Gucci and Valentino no longer market Russian-made fur clothing. Nevertheless, it still targets the Russian market, where annual sales of fur garments and accessories are estimated at US$ 2.4 billion.

For some Russians, it enhances their social status when they put on winter clothes made of fleece. For the majority of the country’s population of 150 million, however, they need to keep warm for almost half of the year.

Another reason for Russia’s unique market can be traced to the revival of middle-class fortunes, as the country’s economy has taken on a more cheerful glow. Russian women seem to want to buy fur coats for everyday use. That is having a knock-on effect to the sales of quite expensive non-fur coats. The non-furs are selling well when fur coats are simply not available at more reasonable prices.

However, Russian furriers are experiencing a change of fortunes for the better, managing to put their unprofitable days behind them, as they compete favorably with less expensive Chinese and Greek imports.

The result has been that Greek furriers are fighting back. Russian tabloids are running commercials offering five-day package tours to Greece for as low as 150 Euros  - but with an obligation to spend at least 1000 Euros  on Greek furs. In the event that tourists on the deal fail to buy fur, they have to pay back  300 Euros  to the tour operator. The rather unsavory look to the arrangement is not as it seems. The cost of the package is borne by the entire customer base, together with Greek furriers and supported by fur sales. The scheme actually has popular support among Russians, who take advantage of the deal for beach holidays, with some fur shopping on the side.

Russian furriers are trying a different approach in appealing to the more cost-conscious. Russian furriers are offering fur hats and cheaper furs such as sheepskin, rabbit, nutria and astrakhan.

Why Russian Empress ?

The Russian Empress brand represents the Russian women’s centuries old love affair with luxury and quality workmanship. This love for glamour and luxury is deep in our history. There are obvious examples like Empress Catherine the Great in the 18th century. Just walk around the Hermitage and this palace communicates the essence of our brand. It is the detail and quality, as much as the design. I sense the same fanatical attachment to style and luxury inside the heart of the Italian culture. This would probably explain why Russia is the largest export market for Italian fashion. People got hungry for style and luxury after 70 years of the Socialist experiment.Now in our post Soviet period Daria Zhukova and Roman Abramovic personify this special Russian obsession for the best.CATHERINE THE GREAT In its own right the reign of Catherine the Great was impressive, but it was made all the more important because she was a women. She continued Peter the Great’s reforms of the Russian state, further increasing central control over the provinces. Her goal was to rationalize and reform the administration of the Russian Empire. One of the most prosperous periods for Russia, Catherine undertook a wide range of internal political reforms, and waged two successful wars against the Ottoman Empire and extend the borders of Russia.Her achievements played a key role in the development of Russia as a modern state not only in a political sense but also in a cultural sense. Under her rule many she directed the building of the Hermitage Museum. Commissioning building all over Russia, Catherine established the first university in Moscow, founded academies, journals, libraries, and corresponded with French intelectuals, including Voltaire, Diderot, and d’Alembert. Also, Catherine is notorious for her love affairs, which included Gregory Orlov and Gregor Potemkin. Upon her death in 1796 she was succeeded by her son Paul I.Her achievements would live on and help propel Russia to become a major world power after her death Catherine The Great tried to better the lives of Russian women. She gave them some positions of power and founded the Smol’ny Institute, Russia’s first girls’ school, in 1769.At Russian Empress we think that it is important to understand our heritage. We think that it’s important to understand our place in history, art and culture. Above all though we think that it is good remember how powerful and influential Russian women have been in the part and how important we are to Russia’s future! It’s about confidence. Confidence can help improve our lives, not just in fashion and how we look…..

Please contact us :

emails: russian-empress@mail.ru

Phone :+44 753 327 6563 London ( UK )

www.russian-empress.com  ( our image studio )

 

 

 

 

 

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