Deciding what to buy for a small, independent fashion boutique probably seems like a dream job to many people - but, as four young retailers tell Rosemary Roche, the risks can be waist-cinching, too.
Buying for a fashion business is part instinct (for fashion), part knowledge (of your customers) and part economics (balancing budgets, desirability and affordability). For any retailer it's a serious business, but for small independents it's a make-or-break experience - one bad choice can ruin your credibility and your cash flow. Four small boutiques owners, not long back from the autumn shows, explain how they address the seasonal challenge.
JULIET LEDWIDGE FROM JUJU
La Touche Place, Greystones, Co Wicklow
Named after her childhood nickname, Juju in Greystones is the realisation of Juliet Ledwidge's lifelong passion for fashion. Open two years, brands stocked include Eilis Boyle, Hartford, Issa, John Rocha, Joseph, Preen, Schumacher, Velvet, Eileen Shields, J & M Davidson and Melissa Curry.
A marketing graduate, and a born seller who "always loved clothes and fashion", she approaches buying with various factors in mind. "When buying for a small boutique, current trends are important, particularly regarding colour and style predictions, but what is far more popular with my customers are unusual pieces and beautiful wearable items which may cross the divide with styles and trends.
"The seasons are getting shorter - when we have finished selling spring/summer we start buying for the following spring/summer. It can often help to keep in mind what was particularly popular among customers."
Ledwidge also buys with specific customers in mind: "I have several customers whom I consider when buying collections. Sometimes I will buy very small quantities of particularly special pieces which I know they will like."
With clients aged from 16 to 70, she doesn't have a typical customer and believes that "women will always invest in key pieces for their wardrobe". Although not daunted by the predicted economic downturn, she admits she is more cautious in buying for the spring/summer season, as women tend not to spend as much on their summer wardrobe.
Buying in Dublin and London, a precise budget isn't always adhered to: "I have a budget guideline for each label, which is largely defined in advance. However, if I see a particularly strong collection, I will juggle things around to ensure we have the key pieces." Ledwidge concedes: "I am influenced by trends but buy with my shop and customer in mind." More important to her are "special" pieces and "unusual labels" not available in larger department stores.
LINDA WEALE FROM NINE
CHICHESTER STREET Belfast
Linda Weale's shop, Nine Chichester Street, is, she says, a destination shop that sells an "eclectic mix". Spread over three floors of a renovated Georgian townhouse, it's a beautiful space that houses Nicole Farhi, John Rocha, Marithé + François Girbaud, Martin Grant, Anne Valérie Hash, Vivienne Westwood and accessories from Coccinelle, Anya Hindmarch, Kenzo and Philip Treacy.
A mother of four and former translator, Linda always had a "great interest" in fashion, and has been in the business for four years. "You really need to know your client base," she says, and describes hers as working women between the ages of 30 and 50. "They have money to spend on clothes but it's not the main focus in their lives." Her advice to them? "You want to look fashionable and stylish, more stylish than fashionable, and you have to avoid 'fashion victim' ."
Her buying is influenced by many factors, but she cites body shape as a "very strong influence", saying "I do think that some European labels are very unforgiving in terms of size".
"I do try to work to a budget but within that budget I would be very flexible, depending on how strong a collection is. My head has moved onto spring/summer already."
She is very conscious of operating in a small community, and she tailors her buys to reflect that. "In Belfast, it's really important to keep your brands exclusive." Although not a sample size, she tries on pieces to get an idea of fit and specifies minimum spends as "difficult", particularly with expensive labels. She acknowledges trends, but isn't dictated to by them. "If I felt it really wasn't commercial I would ignore it - for instance I didn't do smock tops. I feel there's a certain degree of creativity in fashion retail, as opposed to just business. It's certainly not just business - it's a very personal thing."
NICOLA FOX FROM BLUE
Main Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin (left)
Nicola Fox of Blue in Blackrock has fashion in her genes - her mother owns long-established boutique The French Connection in Rosslare, Co Wexford, and she grew up on the shop floor.
Blue is "small and exclusive", and stocks fashion labels Marithé + François Girbaud, High, Liu Jeans and Pataugas, complemented by belts from Orciani and jewellery from Reminiscence. Unusually for an independent, Fox sources approximately 50 per cent of her stock from one label, Marithé + François Girbaud. Her buy is made up of their Active, Sport City, Jeans and Cravatata ranges, and Nicola had to undergo an interview process to secure the brand.
Her decision to increase her Girbaud stock was driven by her customers' reaction to the label, which now has an extremely loyal nationwide following. She describes it as "good for small and big sizes", adding that "the stuff lasts - you would have things for years".
A former account manager with Esat Telecom, Nicola always loved fashion. "I always buy what I like; I buy definitely with customers in mind." She views her role as very much like an editor's, and she always buys with her mum so that she has an experienced sounding board.
"I'm six years in the business and I'm getting better and better. You do get to know your customers better with time." Buying in London, Paris and Milan, she goes for "something for all different sizes". She doesn't go with a specific budget, and she does mid-season buys to refresh the collection. She is careful "not to do a huge amount of any one thing".
The only downside, she says, is that "it's like drawing blood from a stone trying to get stuff in." But, she adds, "I love selling . . . There's a great buzz if you've bought stuff and people love it. You're only as good as your last season so you've really got to keep at it and at it."
SUZANNE CUMMINS AND REILTIN LACEY FROM NYLES
Cathedral Close, Tullow Street, Carlow.
www.nyles.ie
Suzanne Cummins and Reiltin Lacey are sisters-in-law and fashion entrepreneurs on a mission to bring the bohemian cool of New York's Lower East Side to Carlow.
Their lifestyle shop, nyLes, has a distinctly vintage feel and sells a mixture of American (Ella Moss, Foley + Corinna, Tibi NY) and European (Manoush, See by Chloe, Anitsa) labels, accessories (Juvi jewellery, Minette shoes, Becksöndergaard bags) and a selection of homeware and gifts.
The pair brought complementary skills to the business, which has been open two years. Lacey has a background in PR and Cummins in fashion wholesaling. When buying, they find a partnership has distinct advantages. Cummins explains: "When you're buying . . . it's really overwhelming, because you're spending a lot of money and . . . you can have really pushy people and it's really good because we have a good cop/bad cop routine with the suppliers."
The pair also try on all the samples, photograph everything, and only confirm their final orders after completing an overall purchasing review on returning home. This ensures they assess styles in relation to their customers and that they are "not buying the same stuff in each collection."
Value is very important to them. "We were never people to go out and splurge on clothes," says Lacey.
"We'd be quite conscious, when we buy, of people who wouldn't have huge budgets." They buy in New York, Paris and London, and keep a lot of their budget (approximately 30 per cent) for in-season buying. Lacey says they have had a steep "learning curve" about buying too heavily into seasonal trends, because of copying, and Cummins confirms that they now buy "interesting clothes rather than trends".
They are growing in confidence as they grow the business.
"I don't think people are spending less money, they're just being really careful what they're buying," says Cummins.