For Abbey Doneger, the chairman and chief executive officer of Doneger/Tobe, the key to longevity in business is relatively uncomplicated.
“My father used to say — and I always believed it — if we have a good team and we provide a good service, we’re going to have a good business. There will be ups and downs, between COVID-19, industry issues and economic factors. But the fundamentals of team, talent and service, and being able to communicate in a way that resonates with clients — that’s the key to staying relevant.”
It’s a pivotal moment for Doneger/Tobe, the New York-based research, trend forecasting, color direction and merchandising agency founded by Abbey’s father, the late Henry Doneger. The firm celebrates its 80th birthday this year, and has been bolstered with new talent bringing additional expertise and services to the business.
Michele Richardson, formerly vice president of design, development and production at the Creare Group, was recently appointed president, a position formerly held by Abbey Doneger. Before Creare, Richardson held senior roles at Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole and Saks Fifth Avenue.
“There wasn’t a void in the business as much as a need for new energy, creativity and perspective,” Doneger said during an interview at his Seventh Avenue office, explaining why he brought Richardson into his business.
“I’m the owner and CEO of a company without a natural succession plan,” Doneger said, noting that his children have chosen professions other than Doneger/Tobe. “I can talk about age [he’s 75] but Michele represents a new generation of thinking with new perspectives. I don’t have an exit plan for myself, but I have a growth plan for Michele. She is a very involved, hands-on business leader and executive, and very passionate working with clients.”
She also brings a skill set that can help grow Doneger/Tobe, formerly known as The Doneger Group.
At Creare, the North American office of the Ciel Textile vertically integrated manufacturing group, Richardson dealt with everything from the initial concept to color, design, sourcing, landing goods, launching labels, cost negotiations and all the production aspects in between.
“We not only did the garment manufacturing, but I also oversaw the fabric side of the business,” Richardson said. “Fabric is key when it comes to trend and any design curation because that’s really what starts the process with everybody. Fabric teams know what’s going on in the world, as far as development, innovation, what’s new, what’s next.”
A big part of her job entailed relationship building. “I worked with many brands and retailers in multiple areas.” That gave her a “lens” on what they liked and how they worked. “We helped de-risk their decision-making. And that’s a big component with what we do here at Doneger,” Richardson said. “We can optimize the assortments of brands and retailers through design, fabrication, color, pattern work, as well as just inventory planning.”
Doneger said: “Michele worked on behalf of 100-plus premium contemporary men’s and womenswear brands and retailers in the U.S. market. She brings a level of experience and knowledge that’s complementary to our core activities. We have not been involved in the direct sourcing piece of the business. We have not been intimately involved in factories and production. We have not been as intimately involved in fabric.”
Richardson’s expertise, he said, “rounds out our business, as the company brings expanded expertise and [evolves] into a ‘360-degree’ agency. We’ve adapted not only in terms of our offering, but we’re adapting in terms of new technologies. We’re adapting in terms of presentation. We’ve adapted how we stay close to our clients when they’re traveling less. That’s why Michele is here.”
Also recently added to the roster is a new creative director, Miguel Angel Huidor, who is responsible for all creative concepts, including articulating seasonal themes, important colors and fabrics, as well as trend forecasting. Huidor is a former vice president of men’s design for Calvin Klein, and a fashion tech entrepreneur.
Doneger/Tobe has a staff of 30, including a merchandising team covering women’s, men’s, children’s apparel, accessories and footwear; a creative team led by Huidor; a division serving international clients, and a West Coast presence in Los Angeles. The agency works with more than 100 retailers and brands, domestic and international, large and small.
Its long-standing color service, DCS Color, was transformed into a fully digital platform housing 15 years of color archives. It’s largely a tool for emerging brands, designers and academia, as well as retailers and large brand groups looking for inspiration and wanting to research fabrics, colors, key items and trends. DCS Color is available to Doneger clients and outside subscribers.
“It’s a smart platform that enables research, cross-functional team working, mood board building, and has an AI component,” said Emma Postal, founder of Postal Studio, which led the digitalization of DCS Color.
“If someone wanted to create a modern heritage fall collection, they could utilize those keywords and get recommended palettes. There are over 1,000 palettes available,” said Postal.
Doneger/Tobe has a “strategic business relationship” with Postal Studio to provide digital services, and build out social media and e-commerce initiatives. Previously, DCS Color provided physical seasonal color books.
Consumer insights is another growth area for Tobe, the well-known consulting organization that publishes the Tobe Report on fashion trends and was purchased by Doneger in 2005. “Every client wants to know about retail analysis and consumer behavior — who their customer is now and who they will be in the future. And so we’re bringing that back to the stage, building up the Tobe Report,” Doneger said.
Doneger reports on what’s expected 18 to 24 months in the future, which is needed for brands, retailers and manufacturers because they work with long lead times and want to know the pulse of the consumer, trends, and are looking to glimpse the future.
Doneger is unlike other consultancies, such as McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and AlixPartners, which are heavily involved in restructurings, financial and operational matters. Instead, the company focuses on fashion, design, color, trends and merchandising.
Hypothetically, Doneger said: “We might be saying to a department store, ‘We think red is going to be important for January through March. For you other guys, it might just be later, maybe April or May. There absolutely is instinct involved here, but our instincts are grounded in experience.”
That experience is continually sharpened through personnel shopping trips, attending fashion shows, visiting showrooms, and extensive research on what interests shoppers across a spectrum of categories from apparel to footwear, home, beauty, wellness and food.
Aside from Postal Studio, Doneger/Tobe is bolstered by other strategic relationships with Jennifer Powell Inc., a talent management and brand development agency; Lambert + Associates/The Style Pulse, a Paris-based luxury retail and fashion consulting firm and business-to-business digital sourcing platform, and Brand Assembly, which stages trade shows for contemporary brands.
“We have connectivity beyond our core,” said Doneger.
What’s also kept Doneger/Tobe relevant is its ability to change and innovate. It was originally a buying office arranging group buys for retail clients at advantageous prices, though it discontinued that practice years ago. Through the ’80s and ’90s, Doneger expanded its client base and services by purchasing a string of competitive buying offices/consultancies. And it’s also navigated through periods of consolidations, reducing the size of the staff as the industry endured consolidations.
Doneger owns 100 percent of his company. For a while, the company had an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, but he bought the company back in the beginning of 2024. “That was good for the people here because in buying it back, everybody who had shares got a payout,” he said.
Once again, he’s pointing to the future.
“Hopefully, the business moves forward. Hopefully, Michele grows with the company,” Doneger said. “With Michele joining as president, we are building on our foundation with a broader, more integrated, high-touch, customized service model. We’re elevating our presence. We’re elevating our knowledge. We’re trying to move the business forward in a very meaningful way.”
