(Filed Under wholesale Lingerie News). A domestic producer of plus size intimates, Ann Nahari has been winning many new specialty store customers in recent years. BODY associate publisher Ted Vayos interviewed the company’s Sumiyyah Rasheed.

VAYOS: What can you tell us about the Ann Nahari brand?

RASHEED: Ann Nahari is an American brand manufactured in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to producing our own brand, we provide private label manufacturing for the fashion industry. We are the technical back end for emerging designers and stores that wish to augment their product mix with special items with their label in it. The company’s products include teddies, baby dolls, gowns, panties and robes. Ann Nahari has a unique niche in the lingerie and intimate apparel industry because it is one of a very few U.S. based apparel manufacturers. All work from design inception to finished sewn product is performed in Atlanta. With our technical apparel design expertise, the company can respond faster to consumer fashion shifts without the dependence on off-shore production.

VAYOS: What is your top selling product?

RASHEED: Currently our best-selling product category is our short night gown collection. Overall the category has four styles, with the white lace and mesh bridal gown being the most popular. The number one reason for its popularity is the fit and style of the product. We designed this particular garment with a curvy bride in mind. All to often curvy women have limited choices for that special time in their lives. Our team selects the softest lace and mesh to design a product that is pleasing to the eye and comfortable. But the over-arching reason for the garment’s popularity is due to our ability to listen and translate customer desires into tangible product that fit the curvy body, accentuating the positive and boosting the confidence level.

VAYOS: How many different styles and colors are available in this product category?

RASHEED: For this particular product category we have three styles. The top seller in the category is the “Classy” night gown which is a delicate mix of tender soft lace, fluid mesh and ultra feminine chiffon, highlighted by narrow satin trim around the top bodice and spaghetti straps. For the bridal night and honeymoon this is the ultimate pick. The next best-selling short gown is the “French Maid” which is made of light weight black fabric trimmed with white lace and has a matching bikini panty. In addition to the top sellers we have a stretch lace gown with a shelf bra insert, a seasonal red lace short gown with satin spaghetti straps and bottom edge lace trim. To round out the category we have an elegant mesh/lace combination short gown. All gowns go up to size 5X, includes bra support and is available in colors white, black, red, aqua blue.

VAYOS: What are the wholesale price points?

RASHEED: The wholesale price point for short gowns range between $17.00 - $37.00 across all sizes from large to 5X. The price is the same, as we specifically don’t mark up the pricing for curvy sizes. Some companies do have MAP, but Ann Nahari does not dictate pricing to the retailer. The retailer is free to mark the product up to whatever the market will bear in their particular area.

VAYOS: Do you sell the Ann Nahari brand direct to consumers?

RASHEED: We do not sell direct to consumers as the company is a manufacturer and wholesaler of classy sexy lingerie

VAYOS: Do you sell to online retailers?

RASHEED: To maintain a high level of customer loyalty and integrity on our part, the Ann Nahari brand is not sold on Amazon, Ebay, Etsy or other off-priced internet based companies. In order to protect the specialty stores’ and boutiques’ profits, we do not sell on-line. By not competing with on-line sources, the retailer is safe in maintaining product exclusivity and profit margins. Ann Nahari does have items listed on their brand’s website but it is an informational wholesale portal for retailers versus being a competitive retail site. In the near future the Ann Nahari wholesale portal will be configured to accept orders 24 x 7 for those retailer’s who shop after our business hours and wish to place an order.

VAYOS: What sizes are available?

RASHEED: Ann Nahari manufactures sizes Large– 6X with an emphasis on the curvy size range.

VAYOS: What can you tell us about your product fit?

RASHEED: In order to ensure a good fit especially for the curvy woman, we developed a rigorous in-house testing and fit process. After a style finishes the sample making process, fit models of various shapes and sizes, which include the pear shape, the triangle shape, box shape, mediums, and smalls are brought into the studio for fitting. A staff member from the technical team is on hand to document the fit model’s feedback about the fit and comfort of the garments including the feel of the fabric against their skin. To gain further insight into the consumer’s psyche, focus groups are conducted to ascertain product preferences including color and style. If there are modifications suggested, they are carefully recorded and given to the technical team for corrections.

Quality assurance in the Ann Nahari organization is quite strict. For example, there is a check list to be adhered to in the examination process. If a garment doesn’t meet the QA criteria, then it is pulled from the production run for further analysis to determine if the garment can be adjusted. For example, if the seam’s threads are too loose the garment is given back to the identified sewing operator for correction. After the correction is made the garment is again compared against the QA check sheet. If it passes, it is sent on for pressing, folding and packaging. If the garment still doesn’t make the mark then it is placed in the defect section. However, it is rare that a garment is placed in the defect section because the quality of stitching and joining are closely watched while the garments are being sewn, thus minimizing defects and wasted fabric.

VAYOS: How is the product shipped to the stores?

RASHEED: Let’s first talk about the outer packaging. For larger shipments the order is packaged in corrugated boxes. At the item level, the garments are packaged in individual easy-to-close polyethylene bags with fold-over cuff which quickly locks in merchandise.

VAYOS: Do you have a minimum order?

RASHEED: There is a minimum order for retailers and it is $300.00. This dollar amount allows the customer to choose garments across product categories so they aren’t stuck with one style and color. The goal is to give the customer an opportunity to sample items in various product categories to determine what works well in their particular store.

VAYOS: What is the normal turn-a-round time for orders?

RASHEED: Orders are processed and shipped within 24 – 48 hours of ordering.

VAYOS: Who should retailers contact to place orders at Ann Nahari? What is their email and contact phone number?

RASHEED: Retailers who are interested in the Ann Nahari brand and want to discuss making purchases can email, info@ann-nahari.com or call 678 200-5809 and ask for either Sumiyyah or Brenda.

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Published 09-29-2019 by Ted Vayos