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The Thin Line: The company that wants to turn Lanzarote into a luxury travel destination
The Thin Line, the company specialising in multi-brand fashion boutiques and offering luxury travel experiences, was founded in 2015 in Lanzarote as the entrepreneurial venture of Italian Valentina Consonni and Argentinian Fernando López. The married couple, with extensive experience in the world of fashion and luxury, settled down on the Canary Islands and identified its potential as a luxury tourist destination in which to build their business: a 360° project that, today, ranges from providing tourists with a lavish way of exploring the volcanic island to offering clothing and accessories from luxury brands through an established network of physical shops throughout Lanzarote. While at the opening of its eighth boutique in Puerto del Carmen, an impressive minimalist 600 square metre, two-storey, six metre high space, FashionNetwork.com found out more about the project directly from its founders.
"Our goal is to make customers feel cared for and special. We quickly understood that whoever comes to buy a handbag from a big luxury brand in our shops is a customer who wants to feel important and has a high budget to do so, but at the same time wants to have fun, eat, sleep, go on excursions, etc," explained the CEO of The Thin Line, López, during the inauguration of its flagship store in September. The company specialising in luxury fashion and services, which currently employs more than 50 workers on the Canary Islands, was founded with the objective of "satisfying the entire experience of tourists who visit us with personalised services."
The unique character of Lanzarote and the recent emergence of five-star hotels and premium restaurants on the island go hand-in-hand with the definition of a luxury travel destination that attracts tourists with high purchasing power, a far cry from the low-cost tourism that has flooded many Spanish holiday destinations in recent years. According to the entrepreneur, this is a breeding ground for business, where paradisiacal black sand beaches, exclusive vineyards, visits to Timanfaya, local gastronomy and encounters with the unique architecture of César Manrique all coexist.
"Offering services with the same level and quality as in the shop is a way of building customer loyalty," López explained. "It is a strategy that allows us to create a strong bond with our clients and build a large community of customers who continue to buy online or return to visit the island," added his partner, Consonni.
A network of eight physical shops and a turnover of 20 million euros
In fact, of the company's €20 million in turnover last year, around 60% came from its online business, particularly driven by its partnership with luxury e-commerce giant Farfetch. In addition, the "export facilities" of the archipelago have allowed The Thin Line to establish its online retail business in countries such as Australia and Japan, as well as having explored possibilities in less traditional regions such as Africa.
"It's a continent that has very little to offer its people in terms of supply and is located only 90 kilometres away from us. We have directed some of our advertising investments to countries with a lot of potential for us, such as Sierra Leone and Morocco," said the CEO, expressing his delight at the positive feedback his company has received from the continent, thanks to the geographic proximity that makes shipping orders to Africa quicker and easier.
Physically, The Thin Line specialises in multi-brand shops, tailored to the type of tourism in each city as well as to the type of customer who visits the island at any time of the year. Its latest project, located in the touristic and shopping area of Puerto del Carmen, has a carefully selected range of several luxury brands. Fashion, footwear and accessories for both men and women are presented in a minimalist black and white industrial-style space, in which mirrors intermingle with the interior design that pays homage to the island with a volcanic rock sculpture in the centre of the room. The new store has been designed to match the style of the rest of the shops the company operates on the island, five of which are located in Puerto Calero, offering men's, women's, children's, jewellery and household goods; another in Playa Blanca and yet another in Arrecife, a city that frequently welcomes the arrival of international cruises.
"Lanzarote is one of the favourite destinations of English, German, Dutch and Nordic tourists, although an increasing number of customers are coming from the United States, Canada and Asia. Our goal is to adapt to their tastes and continue to satisfy their needs. The business has a lot of potential," the founders of the company concluded.
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