Rajan Gill, CEO, and Aman Gill, Creative Director, Annabelle, on how the brand is keeping up with the changing needs of consumers:
When was Annabelle founded and what is the ethos behind the brand?
Annabelle was born in 2011 with a clear mission to provide quality and fashionable nightwear and loungewear for ladies and children at affordable prices. Fashion design has always been at the heart and core of Annabelle’s business. Every season, our collections are an evolution of the previous season. Essentially, our goal is to build a brand with longevity in mind, constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of our consumers.
Could you share some information on the direct-to-retail (DTR) license agreement that Annabelle signed with the Walt Disney Company. How does this translate for Annabelle’s customers in the UAE?
Annabelle has a DTR license with the Walt Disney Company since its first store opening in 2011. The relationship has grown significantly over the years and Annabelle ranks amongst the top licenses for fashion and home for Disney in the MENA region. Working closely with Disney’s creative teams, we design our collections for both women and children based on upcoming movie releases to ensure collections are in store before movies are released at the box office.
As a testament to our creativity and quality of Disney clothing, Annabelle was awarded the best retailer in 2013 at the Walt Disney Licensing meeting, out of hundreds of other licensees and retailers.
How is Annabelle as a brand disrupting the lifestyle retail experience in the UAE?
We strive to build the entire retail experience to ensure that the customer is at the centre of our business philosophy, operations and product development. Everything we do within the organisation across all functions, needs to align to meet our customers’ needs. This process is moving at the speed of light through digital and big data is playing a pivotal role in allowing us to analyse shopper behaviour in meticulous detail and customise the entire consumer experience around their needs. Digital marketing, social media and e-commerce are a science in themselves and we ensure to have the talent in-house to implement the right strategy to move our digital footprint forward.