Question 2B

The article mentions that currently Kerbside & Co. only uses the online channel to distribute its products. Employ the channel design strategies framework and discuss how Kerbside & Co. has applied the strategies and why it has chosen the online channel.

You are expected to discuss all four (4) aspects of the channel design decisions, including analysing consumer needs and wants, establishing objectives and constraints, identify major channel alternatives and evaluate major channel alternatives.

(20marks)

Kerbside & Co.: The Under-The-Radar Denim Label You Need To Know About

As a brand that started in 2015, it doesn't have much of a heritage to speak of, and all its wares are new. But what founder Fahmy Ismail, 43, lacks in the vintage department, he makes up for it with his knowledge of the old guards - Levi's and Lee - and vintage American workwear from the mid-20th century.

"In the mid-'90s, I started collecting jackets, shirts, canvas pants and denim jeans from the '40s and '50s, though I eventually sold most of them when my collection grew too massive," says Fahmy.

After two decades in the media industry, he left his job in 2014 and returned to his first love, raw denim.

He e-mailed hundreds of suppliers in Japan and the US, found a handful who were willing to work with the quantity he could produce, and with his savings, he purchased expensive bolts of raw denim, had them made into jeans in Japan, and started Kerbside & Co.

He does everything the old-fashioned way, at his own pace. He has an Instagram account, but no Facebook. He also hasn't quite figured out how to make his website SEO-friendly.

Even without any real marketing push, Kerbside & Co. has been featured at least five times in Dutch, Italian and American magazines and denim-related websites, and has loyal customers in the West.

"So far, 70 per cent of my customers are from America, while 25 per cent are from

Europe. Only about 5 per cent are from Asia, including Singapore."

While customers here favour skinnier fits with stretch, Fahmy sticks to his own brand - Americana style with zero stretch. To complement his jeans, Fahmy also designed accessories like a heavy-duty tote made with sturdy Japanese canvas from Okayama. The design is based on old-style newspaper carriers from the '40s, and comes in M and L.

For now, the Kerbside & Co. products can only be purchased online at www.kerbsideco.com. Price range for a pair of denim jeans starts from US$158 to US$228.

Adapted for academic purposes from heworld.com.