9 minute read
Spotlight On... Clothing
Fashion Forward
Today, one size clothing is the new big thing, with independent gift retailers and lifestyle stores of all shapes and sizes viewing the category as an essential, either as a reason for customers to visit or as an impulse purchase.
With fashion show Moda co-locating with Autumn Fair in September, PG&H asked a selection of gift retailers to reveal what’s trending.
Gift retailer Caroline Ranwell, owner of Hugs & Kisses Gifts in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, is about to open a standalone clothing shop - No. 43 Clothing & Accessories - 300 yards from her main gift and card shop.
“I started to put clothing into Hugs & Kisses just before the pandemic hit - calling it VIP Clothing - because I wanted something that would increase the spend in store, as well as offering customers another product category,” she explained.
“We started with loungewear and ponchos and then added jumpers, but before we could expand the category, we found ourselves in lockdown. However, clothing has done so well for us that I’m opening a dedicated clothing and accessories shop this Autumn where we’ll also be selling blouses and shirts, tops and T-shirts, dresses, Magic Trousers, shorts and leggings, skirts and jumpsuits, jackets and cardigans, as well as knitwear, which are all currently available on our website. Everything is one size, and our expansion plans include offering footwear this year. However, until the doors of No. 43 open, customers are being invited to private viewings at my home.” Also emphasising the importance of clothing in her Rayleigh gift store, Lovely Libby’s, is owner Libby Holden. “During lockdown it was a massively important category,” she stressed. “We found that buying clothing was a release for our customers, making them happy during such a tough time. They bought clothes for themselves as well as for their friends.” She continued: “Everything we offer is one size - it’s good for all ages, shapes and sizes - and brands we do well with include Chalk, LV Clothing and Terminal One. However, our best selling item of the year has to be Magic Trousers. We’ve literally sold thousands of them, and as for jeans and leggings, we literally can’t keep them in stock!”
It’s a similar story from Libby’s mum, Tracy Holden who owns gift shop The Olive Branch in Billericay. “We introduced clothes at the start of the pandemic and discovered that they are a great attraction, making a brilliant extra add on as it’s an impulse purchase for most customers. For example, when someone comes in to buy a gift and sees a top or a jumper that they love, they can’t seem to resist buying it at the same time. Everything we sell is one size, including trousers.”
Above: A striking blue poncho from Cadenza.
Left: An easy to wear, casual top from Made in Italy. Below: Chalk’s popular ‘star’ top.
However, some gift retailers have been ahead of the curve for some time. “During lockdown, and with our internet offer expanding, one of our fastest selling categories has been clothing,” confirms Keiron Cockley, co-owner of four Brocante stores in Cornwall.
“We opened a specific clothing branch, La Cote, six years ago, as we wanted it to run alongside the Brocante home and gift offering, trialling a tiny range of tops one winter in our Fowey branch. We found that the demand was so strong that we expanded it to an entire room of the shop, dedicating it
purely to clothing, as well as introducing several running rails that were dotted around the store. Now clothing is a large part of the offer we have in all our shops.”
On the question of sizing, Keiron says that one size items sell best for Brocante. “It’s something we’re happy about, as we don’t have to carry a whole size range. It also means we have never had to have a clothing sale with random end of line products.”
Given that all four Brocante shops are located in Cornwall, Keiron says that the clothes are an affordable pick up for customers. “They are probably down on holiday and either haven’t got the right item with them or fancy a quick change. This price point means you don’t have to over think it.”
He highlights that ‘easy to wear’ is the biggest customer turn on. “We don’t carry formal wear, as it wouldn’t be appropriate for the areas we trade in, so imagine lots of stripes and loose fitting, soft fabrics. Dungarees have been incredibly popular this year, but our Magic Trousers and palazzo pants fly out. We try and keep just a few colour ranges so it all merchandises well, and we can feed new lines in at any time. However, we have slowly introduced some higher price point items from a few quality brands such as Chalk and Robell. As they are noticeably superior, people don’t flinch at the ticket price and we merchandise these items separately.”
Julianne Moore, owner of clothing/lifestyle store MiMi, carries a wide range of different fashion labels, spread over four floors in her main Hartley Wintney store, which also houses a boutique shop in the garden. There is also a second MiMi store in Wokingham. Labels include Made In Italy, Chalk, Adini and Nomads.
“At the moment we’re offering mostly one size, but we’re looking at going more into sized clothing, where we offer 20 sized labels. We forward-buy eight to 12 months in advance, so our Spring/Summer 2022 orders are almost done now, and to show customers what’s new in store, we change our windows three times a week.” Julianne adds that in general, “people come in for one thing and go out with something completely different.”
Jo Webber, owner and fashion buyer at Jo Amor in Tiverton, has sold clothing for the past 28 years, selling brands that include One Hundred Stars, with four new fashion brands introduced earlier this year. “Fashion is a very important part of our business representing two thirds of what we sell, making us a destination store that’s known for its fashion buying,” she states. “It gives us a foundation to base all our buying on, with a lot of our clothing bought six months ahead, giving us a feel for the colours, themes and patterns coming through for the next six months. Pre the pandemic, most of the clothes were forward ordered, but since being forced to operate online we’ve introduced one size clothing to reduce the returns, starting with Chalk.” With early Christmas shoppers on the lookout for something different, one size tops could be the answer for many a shopper looking for something to delight and surprise a friend with. And it could even be a case of, I’ll buy one for a friend and one for myself too!
Above and left: Also from Made in Italy, two casual dresses. Below: Glamorous summer sandals from Lunar, among the footwear exhibitors at Moda.
Sock It To Me
Few people (aside from fuddy duddies!) would disagree that it’s definitely a treat for the feet - and the morale - to put on a pair of brand new pair of socks, especially if they’re brightly coloured and patterned, the sort of socks that you might not buy for yourself but would love as a gift.
“For Christmas 2021, our Powder range is inspired by the great British outdoors, as a year on home soil has led to a rediscovery of our wonderful British wildlife and produce for many of us,” says Powder’s head of marketing, Hannah Graham. “Socks truly are the perfect gift, firstly because everyone needs them! Plus, you can still find something perfectly personal in terms of the design, so that even at a great price point you can show someone you really care. Also, with our bespoke packaging you, don’t even need to add these to your wrapping pile!”
Oliver Slacke, founder of Swole Panda, which offers sustainable bamboo socks and clothing, concurs. “Socks are the perfect gift. Everybody needs them, yet nobody wants to buy them for themselves throughout the year. It’s not Christmas without a pair of socks in your stocking.”
So, what’s trending for Christmas 2021? “It’s about fun motif patterns,” reveals Oliver. “From watermelon designs to bicycles, we have a huge range of different styles in subtle and bright colours with this year’s Autumn/Winter 2021 collection containing lots of oranges and blues.”
Meanwhile, for managing director Gary Schaffer, the brands within Sock Academy are making Christmas 2021 the most socktastic ever. “We have our biggest, boldest seasonal range yet, taking every opportunity to put the ‘cool’ back into ‘yule’! At United Oddsocks we’ve launched our first ever advent calendar, A Very Oddsock Christmas, containing 12 funky socks with a festive twist, available in ladies and men’s sizing. The fun continues with a brand new kids product - A Holly Jolly Christmas - presented in a book format. Cosy Toes are our first ever cosy socks, featuring exceptional quality and bright seasonal designs wrapped up in a bright and bold gift box, while our baby sock brand, Cucamelon, has My First Christmas, with two adult pairs and one baby pair of cute, cosy matching socks. And finally, in our Cockney Spaniel range, Let’s Get Blitzened, is a boozy, fun and Christmassy box of three matching pairs, while for men, there’s Bah Humbug! for those who can’t get into the Christmas spirit!”
At Smiling Faces, Andy Osborne says that 2021 has seen the company’s Sock Therapy range and customer base grow considerably. “Themes such as cats, dogs and bees have remained best sellers, and for A/W 2021 we are launching more popular designs, plus specific Scottish and Welsh themes.”
As Laura Leigh, head of product development at Joe Davies, points out: “Socks have been growing in popularity over the last few years, making a great gift for occasions such as Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They have a small retail footprint, especially for independent stores, while also being a great selling opportunity on a spinner for garden centres or bigger stores.” The company’s brands include Equilibrium, Sock Society, Nuzzles and Dog Lover - which have all introduced new designs for the coming season - with invisible Secret Socks, made from 100% cotton, brand new from Joe Davies for Autumn/Winter.
