Fashion is ever changing, and apparel retailers have to keep up with the latest trends. Other industries can get away with being behind the times if their brand identity is strong enough, yet in apparel even the most popular and widespread brand could burn out quickly if it doesn’t move with the current fashions. Princess Polly is ready to set those trends as it prepares to gain a large foothold in the U.S. The apparel chain hails from Australia where it has exploded in popularity and become one of the country’s largest clothing retailers. The American market creates unique challenges and aggressive expansion here will be a true test of just how tuned into its consumers Princess Polly is.

Princess Polly began as a startup in 2010 that was run out of an apartment building on the Gold Coast of Australia. What began as a small operation has turned into one of Australia’s preeminent clothing retailers that has reached worldwide status. The company is focused on providing the latest Gen Z fashions and never falling behind the latest trends. Cutting edge fashion does not come cheap and Princess Polly is not a discount clothing retailer. They offset this by offering premium customer service and fast shipping times. They are primarily an online apparel retailer, a choice that has let them keep down costs and spared them the pitfalls of others who expanded too aggressively with a physical footprint. The company has also gained fans through their commitment to sustainable sourced fashion. They are committed to ethically sourcing materials and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company’s express international shipping on all orders has allowed them to gain a worldwide following long before they opened on American shores.

Princess Polly first entered the U.S. late last year with a flagship store in Los Angeles. The test case has been a success, and the company is pushing forward with their expansion plans. The company will be opening five new stores by the end of the year with three more in California and one in Scottsdale and an East Coast store in Boston. Their physical locations feature at least 200 on-trend styles at any time and will host events like styling workshops and product launches. The company’s commitment to always offering in-style fashion means that in-store inventory changes regularly, giving customers reasons to repeatedly visit physical locations. The company’s expansion plans also extend to a wholesale partnership with PacSun that will make Princess Polly’s best-selling products available in PacSun stores and online.

They are taking on a considerable challenge as they shift to both a new market and the physical retail space. The successful test of their first U.S. location and the appeal of their online store indicates that they know what their consumers want. Physical retail will present the biggest challenge as rising prices have driven down consumer traffic. The company will be relying on a constant stream of new products and their ability to turn stores into destinations in order to convince consumers to walk through the door. Princess Polly chose to enter the physical retail space after demand from consumers and they believe it will garner them new customers who are reluctant to purchase apparel online. If these new stores are successful, Princess Polly plans to make their products more accessible and they could be expanding into other countries.