Inside Story from Dancing Queens - with co-founder Sophie Köster
Dance shoes that not only look good, but also perform perfectly - that's our promise from Dancing Queens. But how is this possible and what's behind it? We worked with Sophie Köster, co-founder of Dancing Queenstalked about logistics chaos, international supply chains and challenges. Spoiler: It will be honest, personal - and very exciting.
The best way to explain this is to use the example of the Fuegos dance sneakers. We ordered our dance shoes through a retailer who Production sites in Asia in Asia. You don't always get these spaces immediately. For example, you have to wait 30 days until you have a space and only then can you start production. Production then takes another 60 days. And then suddenly you get the message: Now all the goods can be picked up. But that's where the madness.
Conflicts like the one in the Middle East influence transportation routes enormously. Rail transport is currently not an option, ships take over 100 days - and that is not only slow, but also expensive. So often the only option is airplane, which is expensive and not as sustainable, as we would like it to be. Large volumes have to be split up, routes adjusted and customs documents submitted on time. And new problems can arise at any time. With the Fuegos, for example, we had to repack everything because the cardboard packaging was wet - we lost a whole day as a result. Then documents for the customs declaration in China were missing, which meant a further two days' delay, and that pushed everything back even further.
What sounds simple is in reality a new puzzle to be solved every day - with countless last-minute changes.
We order directly from the factory in China - in bulk quantities of over 3,000 pairs. So we can we can deliver regardless of availability in Europe and have a constant supply via container imports.
Our dance shoes and clothing come from very different countries: China, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Turkey. Whenever possible, we use road or rail - otherwise the only option is by air.
Finally, we store our dance shoes and clothes in our central warehouse in Germany. This was a deliberate choice. From within the EU, we are able to ship fasterthan from Switzerland. However, we allow returns to both Switzerland and Germany. The rest of the world can send the returns to Germany without any problems and the Swiss can return to Switzerlandwhich is much easier and cheaper for them, which is why it is important for us to provide two returns locations.
Our SMOVE Dance Sneaker in leather are made by hand in a manufactory in Portugal.
The flat dance shoes and heels from Dancing Queens are made by hand with great attention to detail - in Italy or Turkey, depending on the model.
Our customer favorites - the SMOVE Dance Sneaker - we produce in great cooperation with the German company Rumpf.
Our high quality dancewear comes directly from a great partner in Turkey.
We get the Fuego Dance sneakers directly from the factory in China.
Honestly? With a gut feeling. We are very deep in the dance community, recognize trends early on and take our customer feedback seriously. We work closely with producers in Europe, e.g. in Italy or Portugal, to develop new products. We often do a small test quantity and then extrapolate based on customer behavior.
A big win is definitely our new SMOVE Dance Sneakers in the new beige and gray colors. Also that all SMOVE Dance Sneaker our own brand new sole and that you can use the insole, which is a massage sole is now also individually can reorder from us.
Another highlight is our new flat dance shoewhich we can immediately combine with indoor and outdoor sole with both indoor and outdoor soles. They were very well received by our customers.
What always frustrates me a little are the made-to-order productsthat are not delivered on time. These are products that are ordered by our customers and we then have them freshly made by the manufacturer, and if we can't meet the delivery deadline because the manufacturer doesn't deliver the dance shoes, it's devastating.
It's also frustrating, when the quantity planning doesn't work out - as with the presale of our new flat dance shoe. It went through the roof so quickly - which was mega great - but we weren't able to produce more as quickly as we would have liked.
The conversion of our systems. We want to ordering process with Optimize suppliersso that we have the right Quantity at the right time. This is not yet working the way we want it to and presents me with major challenges. However, we are working hard on it and hope that we will soon be able to solve it the way we want to.
Sometimes better, sometimes worse. I try to reprioritize every day and work according to the 80/20 principle. Clear times for family and work helpbut as a managing director you are always available somehow. It remains a big challenge - but also an enjoyable one.
The conversation with Sophie shows impressively how much heart and soul, planning, Improvisation - and sometimes nerves - behind every pair of dance shoes from Dancing Queens is behind every pair of dance shoes. It's not just about fashion or function, but about a communitythat grows together to passion and about finding the best dance shoes for all dancers - no matter how turbulent the supply chain is.
Thank you, Sophie, for your honest insight!
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