In short
- At once: a mid-six-figure amount in excess stock and a 23 percent stockout rate.
- 90+ days: ahead is how far fashion brands often order, often for products without sales history.
- Months ahead: YFM planned Black Week with VOIDS.
Few segments make purchasing as complex as fashion. The founders of YFM, both in their mid-twenties, started their brand in a barn on their parents' farm and kept running into exactly this problem.
Today YFM plans purchasing with VOIDS. Black Week was planned months in advance.
Who is YFM?
| Brand | YFM, fashion, founded by Yusuf and Max |
|---|---|
| Order lead time | often 90 days and more |
| Starting point | mid-six-figure overstock, and a 23% stockout rate at the same time |
| Financing | external, at 20 percent interest a year |
| Status | planning in progress, results still pending |
There are hardly any public figures about YFM yet. According to Jannik Semmelhaack (LinkedIn, 2026), founders Yusuf and Max are in their mid-twenties and started in a barn on their parents' farm. A video testimonial with Yusuf, Max and Pia is set to appear on YouTube.
What problem did YFM have?
In fashion you often order 90 days or more in advance. Last year's bestseller often doesn't sell today. The hoodie flies in September and is dead in the off-season in May. And then Black Week comes on top.
The classic: lots of safety stock on the old bestseller, then the trend turns and suddenly you're sitting on two years of inventory cover. At YFM, a mid-six-figure amount sat in excess stock while the stockout rate was 23 percent. The cash for growth was missing and came from external lenders at 20 percent interest a year.
Why is fashion purchasing so risky?
In fashion, a long lead time meets a short selling window. Orders go out 90 days or more in advance, and sales happen within a few weeks. If you get it wrong, you either have leftover stock that only sells at a discount or sold-out bestsellers in the middle of the season.
According to IHL Group (2023), out-of-stocks and overstocks cost retail around $1.77 trillion a year worldwide. For a young brand, that isn't abstract: at YFM, a mid-six-figure amount sat in stock, financed at 20 percent interest, while 23 percent of items were missing.
What did VOIDS change at YFM?
Together with Yusuf and Max, VOIDS planned Black Week months in advance: which products, which quantities, when to order.
Instead of putting blanket safety stock on old bestsellers, quantities come from the SKU-level forecast.
How does VOIDS plan purchasing for YFM?
According to Jannik Semmelhaack (Commerce Roundtable, October 2026), VOIDS forecasts more than 200,000 SKUs for merchants worldwide. Five things set the forecast apart from an Excel plan: historic stockouts are corrected so demand isn't underestimated. Seasonality and campaigns like Black Week are modelled separately. Every sales channel gets its own forecast. New products with little history are planned with their own launch curve. And cannibalisation between products is taken into account.
According to Semmelhaack, many brands update their plan only every four to twelve weeks. VOIDS recalculates the forecast every week and shows stock, inbound and sell-through per channel for every SKU. Each SKU has a safety period and an order cycle, and the order suggestion follows from them. At HYROX, forecast accuracy was 32 percent higher in a direct comparison with the team's own manual plan.
At the start, VOIDS analyses the last 12 to 24 months for every new customer: how much revenue was lost because stock was missing, and how efficiently is the existing inventory working? That produces the business case the collaboration can later be measured against.
At YFM, Black Week is the focus. Together with the founders, VOIDS set which items and quantities have to be ordered by when, so the stock arrives in time with 90 days of lead time. Old bestsellers no longer get blanket safety stock but a quantity from the current forecast.
What does YFM expect from VOIDS?
| Metric | Before | With VOIDS |
|---|---|---|
| Overstock | mid-six-figure amount | quantities from the SKU-level forecast |
| Stockout rate | 23% | measurement in progress |
| Black Week planning | last-minute | done months ahead |
| Growth | held back by missing stock | up to 15-20% (VOIDS projection) |
According to VOIDS founder Jannik Semmelhaack (LinkedIn, 2026):
- Black Week planned with VOIDS months in advance
- Potential according to VOIDS: up to 15 to 20 percent more growth, because the stock is there when people want to buy
- For a brand with eight-figure revenue, VOIDS puts that at a seven-figure contribution margin and a mid-six-figure amount of extra free cash flow
- These figures are a projection, not measured results. The video testimonial with Yusuf, Max and Pia is coming to YouTube
Brands are not prepared after Black Week, which is the most volatile week of the year.
The classic: you put plenty of safety stock on your old bestseller. Then the trend turns. And suddenly you're sitting on two years of inventory cover.
What can you learn from this?
- In fashion, overstock and stockouts often happen at once: too much of the old bestseller, too little of the new one. Reduce inventory carrying costs
- Expensive debt for inventory is a sign that purchasing ties up too much cash.
- Black Week is decided in summer. If you plan then, you have the stock in November. Demand planning with VOIDS
Sources:
- Jannik Semmelhaack on LinkedIn about YFM
- IHL Group: Inventory Distortion Study 2023 (RetailTouchPoints)
- Jannik Semmelhaack and Jochen Möller at Commerce Roundtable (YouTube, October 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What purchasing problem did YFM have?
YFM had a mid-six-figure amount in excess stock and a 23 percent stockout rate at the same time. The missing cash for growth had to be financed externally, at 20 percent interest a year. For a young fashion brand, VOIDS founder Jannik Semmelhaack calls that brutal.
Why is fashion purchasing so hard?
Orders often go out 90 days or more in advance. Last year's bestseller often doesn't sell today, and seasonal products like hoodies fly in September but barely sell in May. Black Week adds a peak on top. If you simply order based on last year, you are often wrong.
What does YFM expect from VOIDS?
According to VOIDS' projection, up to 15 to 20 percent more growth, because the stock is there when people want to buy. For a brand with eight-figure revenue, that would mean a seven-figure contribution margin and a mid-six-figure amount of extra free cash flow. Measured results are still pending.
How did YFM plan Black Week?
Together with founders Yusuf and Max, VOIDS planned Black Week months in advance: which products, which quantities and when to order. In fashion this is necessary, because stock often needs 90 days or more of lead time and would otherwise not arrive in time for November.
How do overstock and stockouts happen at once?
The classic in fashion: lots of safety stock goes on the old bestseller. Then the trend turns, and suddenly you are sitting on two years of inventory cover. At the same time, the items now in demand are missing. At YFM, this led to mid-six-figure overstock and 23 percent stockouts.
Who is behind YFM?
YFM was founded by Yusuf and Max, both in their mid-twenties. According to VOIDS founder Jannik Semmelhaack, they started their fashion brand in a barn on their parents' farm. A video testimonial with Yusuf, Max and Pia is set to appear on YouTube. There are hardly any other public figures about YFM yet.
What has to happen after Black Week?
According to Jannik Semmelhaack, many brands are not prepared after Black Week, although it is the most volatile week of the year. Right after it, brands have to decide whether stock for January and February is missing, whether air freight makes sense and how much to reorder for Q1.
Why is 20 percent interest on inventory a problem?
If you finance stock at 20 percent interest a year, every euro of overstock costs 20 cents a year before it is even sold. At YFM, a mid-six-figure amount sat in excess stock. Inventory that doesn't turn keeps costing money and is missing for growth at the same time.
Increase availability. Reduce capital tied up in stock.
Find your biggest procurement lever in an inventory audit.
Jannik Semmelhaack · CEO & Founder, VOIDS
Jannik is founder and CEO of VOIDS. He writes about AI-powered demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and supply-chain strategy for DTC brands.
Reviewed by Jannik Semmelhaack, founder and CEO of VOIDS.
Jannik checks every article for factual accuracy and practical relevance before it is published.