Dudley Stephens, the DTC responsible fashion brand, announced it has adopted Centric Software®’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, Centric PLM, to support its rapid growth. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home décor, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.
Dudley Stephens, headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, designs stylish wardrobe essentials and performance clothing for women, children, and men, made from recycled fleece and beyond. The brand was founded in 2015 by sisters, Lauren Stephens and Kaki McGrath, with a mission to make everyday wear both fashionable and eco-conscious.
Lauren Stephens, CEO and co-founder, describes the situation that led them to search for PLM. “As with any startup, we’ve been super scrappy from the get-go, making things work in Excel.” Kaki McGrath, COO and co-founder, expands, “Our process was very manual. Everything was in spreadsheets or PowerPoint, and there were multiple locations where information lived, so it was hard to keep track. As we’ve grown over the past six years, it has become even more complicated because we have more styles and greater quantities, which demand more efficient planning.”
Director of Production, Jessica O’Shea, joined Dudley Stephens in 2021. She agreed that PLM was the way to go, but did not recommend the platforms she had previously worked with. Following demos from other vendors, they found Centric to be most up-to-date and aligned with the company’s needs. Stephens says, “We don’t require the same service as a company that’s been around for 30 years. Our setup is more streamlined. We’re trying to do things differently and better by asking: How can we set ourselves up for the best growth possible? And what are those modern technologies out there that can really adapt to that?”
Practically speaking, O’Shea says, “We can tailor Centric PLM to fit our business, which is appealing.” She describes the support she got from the implementation team. “The team was super helpful and very patient. They went through everything with us—it went very smoothly. They were also there for questions afterward.”
Regarding responsible fashion, Stephens says, “When we were creating the whole concept of the brand, we knew we would use recycled fabrics. And since then, it’s become part of our DNA as a company that any fabrics we use and source, and any styles that we design, are carefully considered from top to bottom. We’re even starting to source recycled and natural buttons made from non-manmade material. We continue to take specific steps toward doing our part in eco-friendly manufacturing.”
O’Shea remarks, “With Centric you can specify attributes of a fabric—that’s already pre-built into the system, so it’s just a click of a button to say which of my fabrics are recycled, and what are their eco-friendly features.”
Of the benefits of Centric PLM, McGrath says, “As we continue to grow, expand our line and add categories—we’re up to eight now—we want to make sure that we’re set up for that growth and that nothing gets lost in translation by having all of our data in one location.”
“Having everything in one place was the biggest goal for us—getting out of Excel, having costing connected to the styles. We also have a need to issue POs and that will also be automated in Centric,” says O’Shea, explaining the main expectations.
Stephens concurs. “We are a small, lean team and time is our most important asset. Just knowing information is easily accessible, reliable and user-friendly is key. This solution will help us be more efficient with our time as we grow.”
Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software says, “We are gratified that Dudley Stephens has entrusted their business to Centric PLM, our powerful and functional solution that grows as a company’s needs do. We look forward to accompanying Dudley Stephens as they continue their successful journey.”
