Dropbox for Business helps BCBGMAXAZRIA, LLC make couture style accessible every day
BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC is a leading global retailer of high-end fashion for women. Its Runway collection debuted during New York Fashion Week in the Spring of 1996, embodying a combination of creativity, sophistication, and wearability. By offering women the opportunity to incorporate runway designs into their wardrobes, the company makes couture style accessible every day.
Finding a better fit
Fashion design is a highly iterative process. From concept to clothing rack, most designs go through a number of reviews and revisions before arriving at perfection. At BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC, the longtime protocol for this process required reams of paper and countless sprints to the printer. Site Editor Christiaan Gunther remembers, "Before Dropbox, we actually physically printed out every single select from every single shoot, and we would end the day with stacks and stacks of paper." Although email cut costs and seemed like a good substitute, many employees found it slow and cumbersome. A number of employees began exploring alternatives for sharing designs, and Dropbox quickly became the tool of choice. In an effort to address growing employee demands while also ensuring that company data would be kept safe, the BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC security team decided to evaluate Dropbox and other potential solutions.
"We decided to move to Dropbox for Business because it was very easy to use, it was widely accepted by our users, and it gave me the security features that I needed."
Looking sharp
Dropbox for Business was rolled out to hundreds of BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC employees worldwide. Given the vast familiarity with personal Dropbox accounts, the transition to a business account was simple. "In my three and a half years at BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC, the Dropbox for Business launch was probably the easiest project I've done," Ma adds. Since then, the old process of printing and reprinting designs has given way to a faster, more efficient way of working. Rather than dealing with paper, the company's design team shares work from their iPads through Dropbox. "Everything is a digital PDF that gets uploaded to Dropbox," explains Gunther. "Using their iPad or their iPhone, any of the stakeholders can access the images at any time, as they're created in real time." BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC's retail merchandising team also eagerly adopted Dropbox for Business after a long period of FTP site usage. Merchandisers used to share files with Saks, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and other clients via FTP — requiring both parties to download special software and adhere to storage limitations. But Dropbox offers them easier sharing for all their large files. Gunther admits, "My first reaction when IT implemented Dropbox was relief because I knew that it would revolutionize how we work, make our job easier, and make us all better at what we do."
Perfectly tailored
Ample storage has been one of the biggest assets Dropbox for Business has provided BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC. With new designs, photography, and other files continually moving through the company, space is always in high demand. "Dropbox for Business has made me look good because it solved our storage issues," explains Ma. By eliminating the need for FTP sites, Dropbox for Business has also helped free up IT resources at BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC. "With FTP, we had to download software for users, help them configure it, train them, and have an IT administrator manage that solution," Ma says. "With Dropbox for Business, everything is done automatically. We're no longer seen as a roadblock, but rather as a place where we enable the business to keep going." Another vital benefit Dropbox for Business offers BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC is security around its original creative property. Ma explains, "We decided to move to Dropbox for Business because it was very easy to use, it was widely accepted by our users, and it gave me the security features that I needed. We put a lot of our proprietary design data, texture data, and other sensitive information on Dropbox, so it is paramount that we protect it in a way that only the right people can have access to it." Whether it's being used to expand the clothing collection, streamline IT processes, or keep new ideas safe, Dropbox for Business is just the right fit for BCBG MAX AZRIA GROUP, LLC. As Gunther attests, "I cannot imagine doing what we do on a daily basis — effectively — without an amazing program like Dropbox."