Clothes produced by Georgian designers belong to the high-price segment, so the main share of the sales accounts for exports. As Georgian fashion houses declare Georgians make up only a small part of the total consumption.
According to the international sales manager of the Georgian fashion house Materiel, Georgians make up only 2-3% of the brand's customers. Along with the high cost of products, it is also caused by the fact that Georgians avoid trading with e-commerce.
"Our clothes are represented on all continents and demand is very high. Unfortunately, compared to the international scale, the percentage share of Georgian users is very low, only 2-3%. This led to the fact that our store on Leselidze Street was closed, and the Georgian consumers often avoid ordering online and prefer to fit the clothes on their bodies. Now the COLLECT store has been opened at 23 Atoneli street, where Materiel is also presented, and hopefully, the number of local buyers will increase", says Ana Vepkhvadze.
Designer Nina Zarkua also talks about the lack of Georgian customers. According to her, despite the desire, Georgian consumer is unable to purchase the products due to the high price. So, the founder of the "ZARQUA" brand plans to add a new affordable line of shoes in the near future.
“None of the Georgian Designers who sell their products abroad will sell the same product at a cheaper price in Georgia. So, purchasing our products is a luxury. We always had a desire to have Georgian customers. However, unfortunately, it happened that due to the price, we do not have many local customers. As you know, if we want high quality, the price will be appropriate. There is a great demand for our shoes from Georgian consumers, although they do not have the resources to purchase them, so we are already working on the second line of shoes, which will be available to everyone," said Nina Zarkua.
