Efficiency as a means of overcoming the crisis has meant store closures and personnel cuts for many fashion manufacturers. But for Gabriel Muraru, co-founder and shareholder of men’s clothing retailer Dinasty, it has meant starting a new and timely business: corporate tailoring.

The idea came during a friendly chat with the marketing manager of the Dinamo club, Mircea Copaci. The Dinamo official wanted the football team to have a uniform image, consistent with the demands of the big international clubs. The first order for such clothing came from Dinamo Sports Club in 2006 (around the same time Bigotti had a similar contract signed with rival football team Steaua). ”The first official appearance of the team wearing the shirts we created was at a game with England, with Everton, and Dinamo then won 5 to 1,” the Dinasty representative recalls.

Custom-made collections for company employees are a business with good prospects in fashion retail, which can bring money, but entails significantly lower costs than classic retail. However, this niche is as yet little explored in Romania - those who have tried this business model can be counted on the fingers of one hand. There has been demand for such clothing from companies in Romania for many years, but they had to resort to classic retail stores, in the absence of firms specialised in corporate clothing. ”A company’s image means much more than letterheads and business cards,” says Gabriel Muraru, who decided to launch a new division within the company he controls, dedicated exclusively to business wear for corporate employees (from suits to shoes and to cufflinks). Last year, before a clear strategy had been devised for this segment, orders for corporate clothing accounted for 5% of the company’s 6 million-euro turnover.

The amount was, however, enough to persuade Muraru that this project would work. The specialised division should, of course, have contributed much more to the 2009 turnover, and Dinasty representatives admit that the timing for launching the division onto the market was not the best. Gabriel Muraru is aware that providing clothing for employees is not a priority in companies’ spending budget at this time. However, ”image counts in a time of crisis, as well,” says the Dinasty shareholder, who has started the new business with tens of signed contracts. Its clients include Coca- Cola, European Drinks, Ursus, Perroni, Banca Transilvania, Automoldova, Mobexpert, Iptana, Transgaz, Terapia Cluj, Antibiotice Iasi, Neocity, Rifil and Baumit.

Traducere de Loredana Fratila-Cristescu si Daniela Stoican