Princess Polly positions itself right in the center of the Gen Z zeitgeist, and its newest physical location also has surrounded itself with “young” brands. The SoHo neighborhood housing the retailer’s newest flagship includes a Garage, a MINISO and an Edikted — a perfect amalgamation of trendy retailers that embrace all things youth culture
The 7,809-square-foot space is Princess Polly’s largest to date, and it’s a perfect encapsulation of how the brand aims to provide fun yet affordable fashions to shoppers for all key life moments, whether it’s a senior prom or Coachella. Having a space as grand and on-brand as this is especially critical for a company like Princess Polly, which has aggressive growth goals of winning mindshare as other category players, like Forever 21, fall into obscurity.
During an exclusive tour of the location provided to Retail TouchPoints, Courtney Dres, Chief Merchandising Officer at Princess Polly, noted that it’s an especially exciting moment for the brand because “we’re really starting to get into our groove, understanding what our customers want and love. The most exciting part is our product mix, and the store is set out in these little zones where shoppers can discover.”
The store showcases more than 5,000 units of apparel, footwear and accessories, all adroitly curated by pattern, color palette and even occasion. For example, nestled in the center of the store’s main floor is a bold collection of lace-up tank tops, tube tops and animal-print bottoms, perfect for a weekend at a music festival featuring Chappell Roan. Walk down the stairs, and there’s an assortment of gingham skirts and dresses, ideal for a fun spring day at the park.
Bringing a Powerful Digital Identity to Life
Princess Polly’s vast and rapidly changing assortment is complemented by the store’s core design, which executives describe as the brand’s “signature aesthetic.” The store’s 12 fitting rooms are outfitted to loop more like VIP spaces — including a velvet rope of sorts to manage traffic.
On the lower floor, there is a permanent photo booth and seating area where shoppers can browse through artsy coffee table books. Large-scale LED screens showcasing the latest collections and campaigns are strategically placed throughout the store to inspire shoppers, while Instagrammable moments encourage them to snap and share their experiences.
Princess Polly celebrated the opening like it always does: with a party. A grand opening event featured exclusive product giveaways, major discounts and prize gift cards. The retailer also brought local creator partners to nearby colleges to spread the word — a tactic that is core to reaching Princess Polly’s Gen Z demographic.
“Every single store that we’ve opened to date has had massive lines down the block and amazing launch parties,” Dres said. “The ‘soft launches’ aren’t soft at all. But this store is coming at a great time because we’ve really learned what our potential is during an opening.”
Keeping Pace with the Speed of Trends
Being a trend-based retailer is a core business value proposition. When the retailer first launched in the U.S., it found that consumers were about a year or two behind the trend cycles in Australia, which gave Princess Polly the perfect edge to not just predict but lead in key fashion trends. Although the trend cycles in these markets have now aligned, the brand is positioned as a true trendsetter.
“We’ve established messaging that we’re setting the trends, and we’re setting the messaging around key products and vibes that we will work on for festival, homecoming, graduation or whatever it might be,” Dres said. “I think because we have that really strong brand identity and we can create that presence in all our stores, we see very similar sell through and best-sellers around all our key store areas.”
But keeping pace with, and setting, fashion trends is a tall order. As a result, stores have had to develop operational competencies that allow them to consistently add 30 to 50 new styles to the floor every single week, according to Dres.
“The logistics for us, on the East Coast and West Coast, [means] it takes time to get stock over to those locations. It has been a bit of a learning curve to be able to get those styles out and allow for that space to support them,” she explained.
Store employees also have been trained to support inventory visibility and sell-through. A major question for the retailer has been, “How do we train the teams on how to merchandise the floor and deliver the experience that our customer gets online? All that newness needs to flow through like what customers see on social media, and we want them to experience that fully in stores,” Dres noted.
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Despite Market Volatility, Growth is Still in the Cards
The broader retail industry is being rocked by volatility — from wavering customer sentiment to the economic threat of tariffs. But Princess Polly and its parent company, a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp., are unfazed.
It’s easy to understand why. The retailer has experienced significant growth over the past two years, starting with its first physical U.S. store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles in 2023. Recent new openings include Scottsdale’s Fashion Square, San Diego’s Fashion Valley, Boston’s Newbury Street, Santa Clara’s Valley Fair and Orange County’s Irvine Spectrum Center, and there are seven new locations planned through the end of 2025. Key markets include Miami; Glendale, Calif.; Columbus, Ohio; White Plains and Long Island, N.Y.; and King of Prussia, Pa.
Princess Polly’s leadership team will tap into the “incredible volume of data” it has from its online business to determine where the brand should land next. And because the brand initially opened its first U.S. distribution center back in 2018, it has a lot of data to work with. These insights allow the team to understand “where our customers are and where our customers are shopping,” Dres said. “That is basically what helps us drive [our efforts] and understand where demand for the brand is in the market.”
Princess Polly also taps into customer surveys and social media feedback to validate future decision-making, especially from its core student demographic. Remaining committed to its core customer base of 16- to 26-year-olds and having a strong brand identity is what has helped Princess Polly not just survive, but thrive, at a time when other fashion brands are panicking over the rise of Shein and Temu and the catastrophic fall of Forever 21, according to Dres.
“A lot of brands age out with their customer, but we remain committed to suiting our Gen Z market and maintaining their loyalty,” Dres said. “We maintain our relevancy by always being there on the new trends, and our team has a sixth sense of what our girls are going to like. We’re a test-and-repeat business, so we can go into things lightly, get a read and then expand. That’s what you’ll see online, especially through social media. But our omnichannel presence now gives us a lot of credibility. That’s where the Sheins and Temus are never going to be in our position — our credibility.”
