Shop This Way: Intermix’s Khajak Keledjian

THE START

[highlight_text] He continuously referred to the INTERMIX shopper as “she,” breathing life into the pronoun and speaking to the obvious connection he has with everything INTERMIX-related. [/highlight_text]

Perhaps it was a childhood affinity for individuality that sparked the desire to create his empire. Or maybe it was just a matter of fate meeting opportunity, but Khajak Keledjian clearly remembers being the only member of his private school with a strong enough aversion to uniforms that he was given special permission to dress differently. “I used to say that the uniforms were itchy so I could have a reason to dress how I wanted, said Keledjian as he perused the inventory in the Soho outpost of his INTERMIX boutiques. “And I think that’s when it really started in the sense of standing out; maybe my allergic reaction was in my subconscious, but I never liked wearing the same thing [as everyone else].” The anecdote was amusing, but actually quite closely mirrors the driving force behind the widely lauded chain of INTERMIX stores that he’s created. By he, of course, I mean along with the help of his brother-cum-business partner, Haro Keledjian, who’s been his right hand man since the inception of the brand some 17 years ago. Together the twosome has taken what started as a single, free-standing, multi-label boutique in New York’s Flatiron district and multiplied it exponentially to reach the levels of retail stardom they have today. An extremely hands-on entrepreneur, Khajak’s involvement includes such crucial aspects of the business as marketing, merchandising, and business development; Haute Living caught up with the INTERMIX ring leader, otherwise referred to as Mr. Mix by passer-by street style photogs, at his Soho-located, Prince Street boutique, to chat the start, the store, then and now, and what it means to live an INTERMIX lifestyle.

THE STORE

“People thought we’d only work in the New York market,” recalls Keledjian. “Even I thought I’d have maybe one store uptown and one downtown; but when we went to Miami and realized [the concept] would work in other markets, they started to open one after the other.” The reason for the widespread success of the INTERMIX boutiques has very much to do with the Keledjian’s tailor-made approach to buying for the boutique—it turns out it’s all about intermixing. Not only in terms of the merchandise available in the stores, which does in fact reflect a nice balance of pieces by super relevant, top-notch designers, as well as on-the-rise stars, but also individually at each boutique, in every market. This feat achieved by localizing the buy to appeal to the lifestyle of the clientele who frequents each location—“it’s not a cookie cutter chain concept; say you’re traveling and lost your luggage, our customer needs to know she can come to us for the outfits she needs while on holiday, but know she’ll wear it all going forward when she’s back at home.” Not too shabby a concept—it’s refreshing for a retailer to take their shopper’s lifestyle into such consideration; a reality that’s evident even in the way the store is merchandised. “The stores are edited.” Keledjian’s analogy is quite fitting as the boutique really is broken down: “Daytime, ready-to-wear, eveningwear, sportswear, casual-weekend looks; the lifestyle is clear so she knows which way she’s navigating.” He continuously referred to the INTERMIX shopper as “she,” breathing life into the pronoun and speaking to the obvious connection he has with everything INTERMIX-related.

REBRANDING THE BRAND

Of course what INTERMIX represents has evolved over its seventeen years in business and as such this year marks a major rebranding that restates the Keledjian’s original motives but clearly defines the INTERMIX of today. It’s been about working to make it better; and the focus has included everything from the campaign, to the details of the collateral materials associated with the INTERMIX brand: Signage, hangers and shopping bags all revamped to reflect the maturation. “We kept some of the references,” explains Keledjian; “but we changed things like the pink logo which we felt was no longer sophisticated enough.” Now clients will find the familiar pink shade lining the edge of business cards in an effort to approach it in a more discrete way. Some things; however, will never change. “Still intermixing-goes back to styling; that’s our expertise.” Fashion Director, Sari Sloane, and their team of buyers work tirelessly to stock their shelves with pieces that will speak to customers who have been with them since the beginning while also attracting new customers from a broader age range. Of late Keledjian has noticed an overwhelming amount of mothers and daughters shopping together. This hasn’t meant buying more; however. The retail impresario knows the old adage that “less is sometimes more,” and in turn has focused on buying smarter. “We narrowed down our variety by 25 percent and there’s more space—we have the picks of the season, but the store doesn’t feel overwhelmingly full.” This, of course, goes hand in hand with his love affair with the brand—“we buy but we love.” And don’t be alarmed, no brands were cut in this process, only the variety was edited to slender perfection. “Our buyers do a fantastic job,” smiles Keledjian in a nod to his talented team. “We have one vision and mission for our customer; we’re like a SWAT team—smaller and more to the point than an army.” And while trimming the fat has been a key part of this rebranding, they are always open to picking up new lines in an effort to keep their ladies current. “We are open to anything we like. All the time.” The matter of fact response stems from Keledjian’s belief that the creativity of his business lies in trying something new. “Our customer is daring,” he explains. Adding that while some businesses know their customer is comfortable with what they have, the INTERMIX shopper believes that, when it comes to fashion, “the newer the name brand the better.” An experience that he likens to a treasure hunt: “they feel as they were the ones discovering it.” Of course the INTERMIX team provides the map. “We narrow it down for them.” And some of the treasures to be found are exclusive to INTERMIX. “We do a lot of collaborations,” he says. So respected is he amongst the designer set, that labels have created unique pieces exclusively for the INTERMIX boutiques. And aside from taste, talent and grace, Keledjian exudes a humbleness that won’t allow him to boast or gloat, mentioning that he “doesn’t have all the answers,” but lives confident in the knowledge that “as long as there is fashion, and what INTERMIX is selling is fashionable, [we] will always be ahead.”