How Peter Terani Built the Iconic Terani Couture: A Success Story

By Terani

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November 27, 2024

“We believe that every woman deserves to have luxury within an arm’s reach. Terani helps women dress for their body type and promotes a body-confident message,” that was the vision behind the success of Terani Couture, Peter Terani says.

Initially, we started as a fashion brand that crafted designer suits for plus-size women. But after seeing the interest of mid-sized women in these custom designs, the store added new categories to cater to the growing customer base, and that’s how our journey began.

“We decided to bring the best fashion trends to women of all body types and demographics,’ Peter adds, ‘This forward-thinking philosophy enhances the wearer’s natural beauty while enabling her to enter a room feeling beautiful and confident.” Source: Twitter

Our story starts in 1998 when we included the evening couture in its catalog and incorporated hand-beaded, real glass crystal into the list of designs. Peter says, “These dresses took around three months to be made just because of the inclusion of beaded crystals.”

However, because of the hard work of the store, it has seen massive growth throughout the 2000s, setting up a physical and virtual store in the United States. After that, there was no looking back.

Terani Couture is available in top stores like Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue in Dubai, Kleinfeld Bridal, Monique Lhuillier, and BG Haute Couture. Internationally, it can be found in high-end stores across Canada, the UK, Australia, the Middle East, and Asia, including China, Japan, and Korea. Find the complete list of our stores at our store locator.

Additionally, the secret portion of building a brand is immersing yourself in a like-minded community from the beginning. Further, Peter adds “Terani Couture drew strength from other brands and influencers in its community – a key to building a brand that many businesses overlook.

The brand grew by aligning with the Miss USA pageant and getting featured in top magazines like Teen Vogue and Seventeen. While featuring in the Cloudways Ecommerce Superstars series, he proudly adds.“Celebrities including Kylie Jenner, Vanna White, Kendall Jenner, Ashley Greene, Shawn Johnson, Vanna White, and Madeline Carroll have worn Terani Couture.”

Furthermore, simple things like reaching out to influencers made it renowned among other TV and film stars, most of these are ‘seen in films and on television in Twilight, Gossip Girl, and American Idol, among others.’

Major Challenge

One of Terani Couture’s biggest challenges was determining what to keep in-house and what to outsource. Small businesses often need help making decisions about how to maximise resources.

Peter says, “Do you hire critical, key players who keep the business running like a well-oiled machine, or do you hire a small staff of specialised skill sets to help take the business to the next level?” This question often needs fixing.

So, it’s essential to be strategic about the team, which led to the establishment of an advisory committee to help guide decisions and best use the available resources.

Marketing Strategy

For Teani Couture, planning everything was vital to staying ahead of the competition. “Starting each year with a ‘year in review’ day lets us review the company plan, refresh, and reload for the upcoming year,” he shares. This practice allows the brand to adapt to changing markets and trends.

Peter emphasises the importance of building an advisory board composed of mentors and investors. This helps gather feedback from employees, customers, and partners before taking significant steps. Additionally, he believes that digital marketing and content creation should be part of the brand’s strategy from the start.

He adds, “Make sure that you’re addressing all points of the brand trifecta to help build a powerful brand,” referring to brand identity, voice, and persona.

E-commerce Marketing Strategy

Terani Couture’s e-commerce store has become highly successful, with most orders placed online. We credit our brand success to “Guest Posting.” Providing helpful content for other brands and journalists drives engagement and encourages users to share helpful articles on their websites. “We craft high-quality ‘how-to’ and listicle content on our website to inspire users to share the content,” he says.

Business Saving Tip for Beginners

Business is a long game that you won’t win on your own,’ Peters tells beginners, stating that ‘they should invite trusted advisors and mentors into the fold who are comfortable with honesty and transparency from the very start.