CHALLENGE & CHANGE PAVED THE WAY FOR SUSTAINABLE POP-UPS IN ITALY
By: Hillary LeBlanc
Businesses must continually evolve to stay relevant, innovative, and competitive. Choosing the right approach to adaptation and growth can be challenging; as a result, many companies find a model and stick with it, even where it might not be effective just to avoid change and challenge. Every business faces its own unique journey driven by the motivation and passion of its leader(s); there is no manual, curriculum or course that can guarantee a pathway to success. The journey and evolution of a business is arguably a combination of opportunity, decision making, risk and luck.
When sisters Cecilia and Martina Tornati decided to launch their clothing brand Almace Handmade during the pandemic, they did not expect the amount of success they would receive - not only in sales, but from many unexpected twists and turns providing opportunities to adapt and evolve their business plan.
Cecilia and Martina began hosting Pop-Ups for their clothing brand to generate awareness and sales. It was a clever way to engage with new clients who appreciated handmade goods but it also started to attract other small businesses who wanted to align with them to host collaborative events. This prompted them to launch ‘The Good Pop-Up’.
Tornati Sisters offer a physical space for other small businesses to rent, a spot on their mailing list, influencer marketing and complimentary photos at the space in addition to providing a happy hour and press release. They learned that most PR companies were not doing for their clients. Their main goal is to expose brands to new audiences and new clients. On the flip side, the Tornati sisters also wanted to focus on showcasing brands that are not fast fashion or high luxury but rather brands with unique stories to tell.
Although it wasn’t part of their original business plan, they soon realized from their Pop-Up events that their was also a demand for a communications agency supporting a network of small to medium sized businesses. This called again for adaptation, so they founded Caffè Centrale Agency, in January 2022 while still running their clothing brand.
Cecilia shares, “We wanted to give support to small and medium companies that cannot afford the big communication agencies currently available, who also need business support and human connection”.
The Tornati sisters agree that not only do they bring something unique to the Pop-Up model but they also understand that Pop Ups are a model that is becoming an increased interest because of the minimal costs and pivoting away from online shopping. Cecilia explains that “having a Pop-Up is a great solution for small businesses because there is less cost, entrepreneurs can explore new cities to generate brand awareness / growth. Also, the brands help each other. If someone comes visits the Pop-Up for one brand, they will for sure discover another one and so on, which does not happen in a normal single branded store. We do our events in different cities and at the moment we mainly focus on Rome and Milan, but we also hosted Pop-Ups in London and Bologna”. When the Tornati sisters host the Pop-Ups outside of Italy, instead of sourcing brands from the city they are hosting the pop-ups in, they showcase items made in Italy that are underestimated and tend to have more appreciation outside of the country .
The Tornati sisters are thrilled to be riding the wave of increased Pop-Up popularity. “Pop-Ups are better for sustainable brands because they're a great alternative to stores and they give the brands an opportunity to be present in different cities at a small price. Also, the fact that Pop-Ups include more than one brand, give them the opportunity to use other brands' popularity for themselves. For example, if I enter the pop up because I know one of the participant brands, I will for sure discover the other participants too, while if it would have been one brand store, this would not have happened. At the same time, nowadays it's really hard to find great items inside stores, because you can find super luxury brand stores or fast fashion, and we want to be the great alternative where you can find a cool item, created for you, with specific attention to sustainability.”
Pop-Ups no doubt have grown in popularity throughout Italy because patrons see them as an opportunity to buy many different items at different price points. While Pop-Ups have been popular in other major European cities like London as markets, The Good Pop-Up is trying to add an element of luxe and sustainability. There is a range in price point and a variety of items so they attract any and all potential consumers and customers. The Good Pop-Up gets an average of 200 customers a day, adding to their data in support of pop-ups for sustainable brands. The concept of a Pop-Up creates curiosity from consumers to discover new brands and unique products that will only be available for a short period of time. The event is something special, whereas retail stores have a sense of permanency - they will always be there so there is no rush to go in.
Business is no doubt an eventful journey. It is encouraging to see how opportunity can affect change and evolution. Some of the sustainable brands that they have featured in their Pop-Up include: @souldazecollection @bon.vi.gioielli @beastudio_ and Pepitos Eyewear.