Benjamin Geourjon has been CFO at Dawn Denim since 2019. In a company of creative people, it is his job to stay ahead of finance and controlling and to make sure great ideas are profitable, implemented smartly, and funded correctly. Here, he tells us what makes DAWN so unique and how software helps the company grow.
What was the inspiration to create DAWN?
DAWN was co-founded by Marian von Rappard, who spent quite some time in Vietnam. Working in the garment industry for a while and seeing the unfairness the workers were facing, he thought: “If I want to have an impact, I need to have my own brand.” That was the starting point of DAWN in 2014. It took some time to figure out what to do, what the market needed and how to do it. It was a lot of trial and error. In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, we switched from collections to a NOS-program, which is what the market is looking for. There is a lot less risk for retailers and they can reorder a piece as soon as they sell it.
What does the brand DAWN stand for?
We stand for a better, fairer tomorrow. We want to really question the status quo. Fairness is in our core structure. We know that the fashion industry is broken, the whole industry is not as sustainable as it should be. What sets DAWN apart is that the company owns the factory where our pants are produced. So, there is no social dumping in any way. We stand for working on a better process and fairness throughout the supply chain.
Which obstacles did you have to overcome to establish sustainable processes?
We need to find the right balance between the status quo and the way we want things to be. The industry works one way, and we want to do things completely different, but we still have to play the game. The solution we have to find is producing the right pants at the right time in the right quantity.
In which ways does software play a role in your growth?
It plays a key role. We live in a digital world and running a business without a strong infrastructure is now impossible. For me, there are two pillars, infrastructure and logistics. We tend to forget that if one of these pillars is missing, you cannot exist as a brand. Software is this to us. We need to have flexible software that helps us to not lose time on something that does not require time. That is the challenge. One of these solutions is Itsperfect.
What made you decide in favor of Itsperfect in comparison to other ERP software?
What attracted us to Itsperfect at first was its smart, quick, and flexible implementation. All the competitors would have taken a lot longer. Choosing Itsperfect was the right solution at the time, and now, five years later, we would do the same, considering both the pros and the cons. They always listen to us, and they are always there for us. That is what I look for in a partner.
Would you recommend Itsperfect to other brands?
Yes, and I have done so. It’s always difficult to recommend a solution that works for you to a different brand as they might have different infrastructure and different needs. But if you’re a brand with a strong B2B-focus and you want an easy tool to sell to your B2B-partners, there is no better ERP software. Because the main asset of Itsperfect, in our opinion, is the integrated B2B-shop. Our customers like logging in and placing their orders by themselves.
Can you give me an example of what makes Itsperfect so user-friendly?
You can adjust many things easily. Also, it takes only about an hour to learn the basic functions.
How does Itsperfect support your company with all your processes?
For us its order management is key, and the B2B-shop is irreplaceable. Itsperfect really supports us with these. We also use Itsperfect’s invoice management. Which means we can issue an invoice and if we do not receive the payment on time, we can send reminders through the system. You don’t need to write e-mails, and you can send a full statement of invoices not paid, that is a huge support.
I saw that you recently launched a men’s collection, what are your ambitions for the coming years?
Our approach for the men’s collection will follow the same strategy as our women’s collection. We want to be seen as a reliable partner for the retailers. When ordering from us, we want them to know which quality they will get and that the model will be available all year long. We want the customers to know that they can expect high quality long-lasting jeans, and we want to be recognizable as a sustainable and social brand.
About Itsperfect
Itsperfect is the smartest and most user-friendly software solution for fashion brands. All the key processes needed to run a fashion business are integrated into one single cloud solution. With a fully integrated B2B shop, a retail module with Point of Sale (POS), and dedicated modules for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Warehouse Management (WMS), sustainability management, traceability, a vendor portal and many more. Available 24/7 via any device. The Itsperfect App Store enables users to add modules, additional users, and out-of-the-box connections to the most widely used accounting systems, e-commerce solutions, and logistic service providers. The platform develops new features and modules every quarter and is trusted by more than 450 international brands.
This article was originally published in TextilWirtschaft Nr. 47, November 21, 2024