"Oh, it's just a dress shirt fabric - how hard can it be to add womenswear?"

I have heard this several times over my career, and it's one of the most costly assumptions brands make.

Look at Margaret Howell - she's mastered this expansion because she understood the complexity from day one. Starting in the early 70's designing and hand-stitching men's shirts from her South London flat, (what I wouldn't give for one of the originals!) she focused on structure, fabric quality, and functional detail inspired by traditional British tailoring with a relaxed, lived-in sensibility.

When demand from women grew for her menswear shirts, she made a crucial decision. Rather than simply resizing or creating "womenswear-versions," she maintained the relaxed and functional qualities that defined her menswear while carefully adapting the designs to work for women. This wasn't about adding feminine details - it was about preserving the essence while rebuilding the technical foundation.

The result? SUCCESS! Over decades, Howell has perfected the subtle updating of classic shirt styles for both men and women, emphasizing understated quality and timelessness that works across genders.

Most brands miss this nuanced concept. They think adding womenswear means surface changes when it actually requires deep understanding of how to maintain brand DNA while mastering completely different technical requirements.

This applies beyond fashion: successful market expansions require rebuilding from the foundation up, then mastering entirely new ecosystems. It takes time, consideration, and expertise most people don't realize they need.

The brands that get this right don't just survive the transition - they thrive because of it.

Are you navigating a market expansion? What core values are you preserving while rebuilding your approach?