Company to Watch: Saks Potts

Fur, glitz, and glam.

And we’re back for another episode of Company to Watch! Last year, I reviewed the inspiring accessory retailer Ubuntu Life and this year I am bringing back the blog series more regularly, taking a deep dive into companies that are shaking up the retail industry, Saks Potts being one of them.

This Danish clothing company was started by Copenhagen natives Catherine Saks and Barbara Potts in 2014, who felt motivated to create beautiful and fun statement coats for Copenhagen’s cold winters. Despite having no fashion training, Saks and Potts have built an incredibly successful brand off of the notion that a coat is a statement piece that deserves statement treatment, adding pops color to Copenhagen’s muted palette with their splashy and candy colored coats- most notably in orange, blue, and green. “A coat is the first thing you see when you meet someone. It’s such an important statement of your personality,” Saks mentions in an interview with Harvey Nichols. But fun coats are where Saks Potts begin, not where they end.

Although, Saks Pots had humble beginnings, handing out their coats to women they admired outside Hôtel Costes during Paris Fashion Week, the fashion house continued to stay relevant by incorporating everything from glittery twin sets to swimsuits among their signature colorful fur trimmed coats. The collections are inspired by empowered and fierce women, like Princess Diana and Dolly Parton, who balance fun and feminine nature with serious boldness and power- a message that has clearly resonated with women. The company has won three Elle Style Awards, being Unavoidable of the Year in 2015, Brand of the Year award in 2018, and Show of the Year in 2019. It’s no wonder that Catherine and Barbara named the company after themselves, they are on to something quite special here. 

Much of the company’s success, however, is a testament to the entrepreneurial nature of the two founders, who have displayed their business chops by having learned the ins and outs of the Copenhagen fur trade and attaining an 80-100% sell through rate in all of their collections, as cited by Business of Fashion. Saks Potts has also done a recent collaboration with vintage car dealer L’Art de l’Automobile, which has allowed the company to gain a greater exposure to different markets. A slew of celebrities who love and wear the brand, such as Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Selena Gomez, and Rihanna, have also helped to skyrocket the retailer to stardom. 

I can’t help but think that the innate splashiness of some of the pieces Saks Potts creates has something to do with their virality. The pieces are catchy, focused, and instantly recognizable as being from Saks Potts, a testament to true brand unity. The founders have recognized that their clothes have this “see it, want it, have to have it” effect on consumers, which may be changing their business model in the future. Over the course of the pandemic, the company spoke about deciding between dropping clothes every three to four times a year or doing more consistent drops that they feel confident in during the year instead. “When we see something on a catwalk or at a presentation or on some girl on Instagram, we just really want to buy it in the moment. So I think right now is an especially good time to adopt the see-now-buy-now model,” Saks mentions in an interview with Vogue back in August.

As Danish fashion continues to infiltrate the American fashion scene, I anticipate seeing furry cuffs and candy colored coats walking the streets of New York and LA in the future. Who knows, maybe I’ll invest in some Saks Potts candy too down the road. Who am I kidding, I’m obsessed! #bossbabe CEOs for the win.