Monochrome is a streetwear brand built around an oversized aesthetic. The goal: enter the European market through two channels at once — D2C (its own site) and the Farfetch marketplace.
Another Fashion Agency was brought in to develop the strategy, choose the market, and build the logistics and operational infrastructure for the brand to run independently in Europe.
[02] Market selection
Analysing and choosing the market
We analysed three regions: Europe, the US and the Middle East. The key factors were existing audience volumes, logistics options and import duties.
Europe won on the overall balance: duty-free trade and the best ratio of audience quality to acquisition cost.
Market analysis
Europe
Chosen
Duty-free trade, a well-balanced audience
USA
Backup
Duty-free from the US to Europe, but a more expensive audience
Middle East
No
Import duties, logistics complexity
Audience analysis by market — data from ad accounts
[03] Strategy
The market-entry model
A parallel model: D2C site + Farfetch. It lets the brand build a direct audience while tapping the marketplace traffic at the same time.
The Instagram account is isolated from the home one, with a European geo. This is critical: the algorithms promote an account within its own region. The feed speaks a single language only.
Customers rarely think about where a brand comes from — the About us page gets just 3–4% of traffic. Enter as a European brand: without hiding your roots, and without spotlighting them.
The chosen market-entry model
01
Independent D2C site
A dedicated European version of the site built for the local audience
02
Instagram account
An isolated account with a European geo, separate from the home one
03
Farfetch
Launching on the international marketplace in parallel with D2C
[04] Operations
Logistics and operations
Fulfillment sits in Portugal. Delivery across the whole of Europe takes 2–4 days with no customs barriers.
The product fully complies with European regulatory requirements — verified in advance, before the first drop.
[05] Implementation
Step-by-step implementation
The project went through three phases: preparation, infrastructure, launch. Each phase closed with a readiness check.
Implementation phases
01 — Preparation
—Building the financial model
—Choosing the logistics chain
—Defining the contents of the first drop
—Preparing the brand for Farfetch approval
02 — Infrastructure
—Choosing a fulfillment service (Portugal)
—Setting up last-mile delivery options
—Launching the European version of the site
—Setting up the Instagram account
03 — Launch
—Shipping the first drop to fulfillment
—Receiving the stock
—Testing the order → return chain
—Kicking off Instagram + website promotion
—Starting sales
[06] Results
Results and takeaways
The result is a fully independent European business unit. The brand sells in Europe regardless of what happens on its home market.
For other brands, the key success factors are careful planning, the right response to Meta account blocks, and a willingness to compromise with the marketplace early on.
Results
✓A fully independent sales operation built on the European market
✓The brand sells on Farfetch and its D2C site simultaneously
✓The logistics chain through Portuguese fulfillment is fully operational
✓The system runs independently of the home market
The European version of the Monochrome site — the D2C store
Challenges and how we solved them
Working with Meta
—Young accounts go through 2–3 blocks before building an audience
—Blocks can be scheduled (verification) or reactive (trigger actions)
—Responding correctly to a block prevents a permanent ban
Photography for Farfetch
—The marketplace shoots the products itself — the results may clash with the brand aesthetic
—Shooting to your own guidelines is only unlocked after proven sales
—Be ready for an initial compromise on the visuals
Operational risks
—Many counterparties — any one of them can shift the timeline
—An international chain is more complex than a local one: customs, fulfillment, couriers
—Testing the return chain is mandatory before sales start
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