Aptean Apparel ERP RLM Edition
Johnny Was Supports growth amid amazing onmichannel expansion
Industry
Boho-chic, vintage inspired lifestyle apparel and accessories for women
Challenges
» Quarterly counts were done manually, and it was hard to get a clear view on inventory
» They needed to automate to continue
meeting demand without dramatically expanding its workforce
» Products that required finishing were being
performed by local contractors and keeping up with the comings and goings of the garments was difficult
Benefits
» The system has dramatically improved
visibility, efficiency and control around the company’s outsourced garment dyeing and finishing processes
» The company’s Shanghai office can asses
the system, create production and inbound shipments and even PO’s to distribute to the factories
» Operations are streamlined, especially
with invoicing and shipping products to specialty retailers
Johnny Was, known for its modern Bohemian fashions, has a look as laidback and vintage as it comes. It’s California dreaming and global meditation all wrapped into one. The company’s very existence was inspired by the steady strains of a melancholy mid-seventies reggae hit with the eponymous line, “Johnny Was a Good Man,” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. But behind the scenes, the pace at this L.A.-based lifestyle brand is anything but languid. Over 30 years, the business has nurtured its wholesale roots, expanding to reach approximately 1,500 specialty retailers and better department stores.
The Situation Within the past decade, Johnny Was accelerated yet further, opening its own retail stores, launching an e-commerce website and creating a catalog. Its company-own store count has practically doubled in five years from 15 to almost 30, and e-commerce now represents about 20 percent of sales. Along the way, Johnny Was has steadily expanded the breadth and depth of its product offerings, building on a strong heritage of selling intricately embroidered tunicstyle tops and dresses. Today the company offers vibrant silk scarves, a variety of tops and bottoms (including jeans), footwear, handbags, jewelry, accessories and home fashions. Before implementing Aptean Apparel ERP RLM Edition, the comings and goings of these garments was a bit of a blind spot.