Drapers Column – Trade Shows

I regularly write a column for Drapers Magazine – and thought you might like to read it.  Drapers is a Fashion Trade Magazine.  For more details go to www.drapersonline.com

Below is the original article:

Trade Shows

It’s that time of year again with the trade shows fast approaching but will they help rejuvenate the independent retailer? Will they excite the indie’s giving them a fresh sense of ‘oh la la’ or will the caveat remain ‘in difficult economic times’? Just writing that phrase gives me a headache!

Trade shows are great fun – full of drama, imagination and creativity and above all else liaising with PLUs – people like us – what could be better? Having said that it is also full of wannabes – people who want to be in the industry, but aren’t. They usually arrive on the Sunday and the big boys and girls on the Monday.

Trade shows are also located in energetic cities, which are fun places to be. Travelling to the show in itself is exciting and a change from the usual 9 to 5. Then as one enters the venue, which is usually an impressive building, your blood starts pumping faster. Your eyes are awaken at every angle by colour, graphics, the artistic and inspirational stands, the new original collections and the amount of well dressed, stylish and I-want-a-dress –like-hers-o-and-shoes-too-people in one place, all this stimuli enables us agents to subtly clinch those sales and try and make even higher targets than the previous season.

Being part of both camps – a retailer and also an agent – I can enjoy both sides of fashion and can use this as one of my sales tools. Some manufactures have listened, thank goodness, and have introduced new lower priced collections, helping to keep the brand out there, encouraging new and fairly nervous retailers to purchase them and resulting in agents continuing to enjoy the after show drinks party.

It is wonderful selling these collections to other retailers.  Instead of hearing the…..”I could make this myself”….or “how much?” comments that us retailers hate hearing from customers, as they don’t usually help ‘end of day banking’, reception is much more positive with indies happy to take on stock they can sell.  So roll on trade shows to give us all the pickup we need.

CWB (Childrens Wear Buyer) Magazine – March/April 2012 Issue

Charlie is featured in CWB’s current issue.  Here is the article.

Music Review: Tom Staniford – Lessons Still Young

I was asked to write a music review – thought you may like to see it – It is published in this month’s Brighton’s Monthly Unsigned Music Mag.

Tom Staniford – Lessons Still Young

Genre: Acoustoic Folk Rock

I first saw Tom Staniford at a Brighton Unsigned monthly gig at Latest Bar, where he was fine tuning his new album Lessons Still Young.  He has three tracks from it, Lessons Still Young, Turning Pages and a Sophie Ellis-Bextor cover, Starlight.

Tom isn’t a stranger to covers – he puts his slant on it, as Simon Cowell would say and has covered a beautiful version of Will Young’s Jealousy.  In fact they are such good covers you don’t realise who sung the first version, you are just ‘lost’ in his voice.

He has a soulful clear soft voice which you can listen to over and over again to.

Tom penned both Lessons Still Young and Turning pages and his buttery notes enlighten your mood even if the song is about the age old saga … man falls in love … man losses girl to another bloke.  While the subject matter is not uncommon has his lyrics are captivating, and the music whisks you up and make you want to travel the song’s journey with him.

Having spent a number of years moulding his experiences and been influenced by the likes of  Jeff Buckley, City & Colour and The Cure Tom  best describes his music as acoustic folk rock.

Even though Tom sometimes plays with a band – you hear his bass and voice, they stand out and rightly so.   A truly talented artist, so what are you waiting for? Go check him out!

Tom Staniford – Lessons Still Young

Drapers Column – Tres Chic

I regularly write a column for Drapers Magazine – Talking Shop – and thought you might like to read it.  Drapers is a Fashion Trade Magazine.  For more details go to www.drapersonline.com

Below is the original article Tres Chic

Tres Chic

I recently visited France – Paris to be precise – for 6 days.  I went to exhibit 3 brands at Playtime, Paris – a French Children’s wear trade exhibition at Parc Floral, on the outskirts of Paris.  I haven’t been to Paris for 10yrs, since my now husband proposed to me along the conveyor belt at Charles de Gaulle airport.  I was happy and refreshed to see how effortless stylish the French are, including everyone from the butcher, baker, school child, mother and bed and breakfast host.   I never thought why did she choose to wear those trousers with a bottom like that? or why did she chose to wear that top, what did she see in the shop changing room mirror?  Or why did she dye her hair that brassy blonde with her skin tone?  Everyone seems to know what to wear and how to wear it and wasn’t due to their slim, non-obese frame, or money, as us Brits use as an excuse not to take care in their appearance.  The French know how to dress according to their frame, whatever their shape.  Now why is that?  Is it the natural aesthetic beauty in the French architecture and urban streetscape that les enfants grow up with? No, I think us Londoners can easily rival our Parisian friends.  What is it?  What is their secret? It is the emergence of lower-end stores such as 99p stores or the US inspired budget chains that seem to have recently taken over our High Streets in the UK?  As I didn’t see these types of retail units in France, in the droves as they are here.  I can’t quite put my finger on it and I haven’t even mentioned the stylish Italians – don’t get me started on them, even if they arrive on a vespa, dripping in sweat, or glowing, if they are females – they look fantastic.  I long to walk down a British High Street and see us Brits looking good, some do and it’s great to see, but just not enough!  Trinny, Susannah and Gok are all great in promoting people to take care in their appearance, but they can only do so much.  What’s amusing about this, is most of the people reading this article are the stylish ones, who know how to dress – so what can we do?  Answers on a postcard please.

Drapers Column – Instant gratification is stores’ major weapon

I regularly write a column for Drapers Magazine – Talking Shop – and thought you might like to read it.  Drapers is a Fashion Trade Magazine.  For more details go to www.drapersonline.com

My article ‘Instant gratification is stores’ major weapon’ is now online and in the Drapers Magazine http://www.drapersonline.com/5030385.article?referrer=e6

Below is the original article Online Shopping

Online Shopping

Whether we like it or not online shopping is here to stay.  With the disappearance of many familiar branded shops, such as Thornton’s, Habitat, Faith, to name but a few, I hope online retailing will not replace our much loved shops.  However, I think it definitely has been one of the factors in the demise of them.

Call me ‘old fashioned’ but I am a looky, touchy type of buyer and thank goodness there many of us out there.  However, every once in a while one is forced
to buy something online.  In my case it was perfume and not an unusual brand, as it happens.  Boots didn’t stock it, my local Debenhams didn’t stock it, either did my local indie stock it – so to keep smelling good I had to go online or go on holiday to get to the duty free – I didn’t have the spare time or staff cover to take a ‘business trip’ to Barcelona or Ibiza so it was the online option.

First of all, how many passwords do we really need?  Tell me I’m not the only one who gets annoyed at remembering what they are.  Tell me I’m not the only one who doesn’t print out the order confirmation form – my home computer isn’t connected to a printer.  Tell me that when writing down the order onfirmation code, as I can’t print it, that I also remember where I then put it.  And tell me you too forget your online banking code – what a nightmare that is?
How many times do we really need to keep logging on and off to our hotmail account to get passwords resent through?

How much more enjoyable it is to go into a store, have a browse, maybe collect your points, buy a new lipstick or smell other perfumes, pay for your goods, go home and put it on straight away – instant gratification. Us Indies have to embrace online shopping to stay alive and participate all the various social media interactions out there – onliners have to be convinced that they aren’t a number to make that purchase.  Unfortunately in the case of my perfume purchase that was all I felt like, especially when it didn’t arrive for 10 days, but at least I now smell good.

Drapers Column – Independent Shopping

I regularly write a column for Drapers Magazine – Talking Shop - and thought you might like to read it.  Drapers is a Fashion Trade Magazine.  For more details go to www.drapersonline.com

Here is my original article ‘Independent Shopping’ that was featured in August’s 2011 edition. For the edited version ‘Raise your Sales by Raising a Smile’ (I always write too much – I have a target of 250 words) click on http://www.drapersonline.com/comment/talking-shop/raise-your-sales-by-raising-a-smile/5027836.article.

I have just written another ‘Online Shopping’ which will be featured in this Friday’s edition. When it has been published I will share the original with you too.

Independent shopping

Shopping has become a 21st Century hobby, whether it’s online or on the high street, it  is now many people’s weekend pastime. However, we all know it hasn’t been the  easiest of years (tell me when it was easy), with most retailers going into  sale early and continually hearing there is an increased number of vacant units  around Britain’s high streets.

So what can we independents do to keep our feet firmly on the high street? First and  foremost we need to understand the customer.

How many times have you as a customer thought twice about going into an indie? – be  honest. Was it that few customers were already in there and you don’t like  awkward spaces in conversation and environment? Was it that you knew nothing  about the labels and didn’t want a lecture on what is and is not hip – and I  don’t just mean the music playing? Was it that you weren’t dressed up enough –  didn’t have your ‘approving nod from the assistant’ clothes on. No? So, you  ended up in John Lewis probably, buying the usual brand not stocked in that  indie you couldn’t go into, and you probably had to make a car journey or order  online – oh the joys of making oneself feel comfortable just to purchase that  new top.

What I say is, be brave customer – go in that cool indie shop (all indies are cool,  aren’t we?) we won’t bite you and probably make you go out happy and smiling.

Here at Charlie Barley, we try and make the customer smile. When we have a promotion we  try and think of something fun to do. For example, at Easter, people had to hop  on one leg to get 15% off (or type HOPPING online at checkout). Customers were  literally hopping in the store.  It was
great fun and not only made me smile, but the customers too, resulting in  higher sales.

Another idea for increased sales comes from John (Co-Owner at Badger, Mens &  Womenswear Clothing, Brighton).  He says,  ‘Always ask your sales guy to provide staff uniform.  It is great for staff morale and helps push  that brand.’

The human race needs interaction with one another – that’s one of our strong points.  We don’t need to look at a till to read out  ‘Greet your customer’, because we automatically do it.

And it’s not just about the attitude, either, we’ve learnt a lot about pricing recently, too: David Woodward (from card emporium Custard, Brighton) says, ‘We wouldn’t be here if  we weren’t competitively priced – we have to be price conscious.  It’s wrong to assume my products are  expensive because my shop is a boutique.’

Here in Brighton we are ‘lucky’ as locals and visitors enjoy and support the indies, may  be because we don’t have a great department store, so people naturally shop  around.

So us indies have to be unique to keep attracting customers, whether it’s with our fabulous customer service, cool products or just by being competively priced but above  all we will fight to stay on your high street.

Aunty Ollie Summer 2011 Collection now in!

Aunty Ollie has done it again – fab vintage inspired prints on girls dresses, boys shirts and childrens summer hats – a great collection for this Summer 2011.

Here’s  a peak at what’s available for the complete Charlie Barley collection go to http://www.charliebarley.co.uk/index.php?route=product/manufacturer&manufacturer_id=11

Boys short-sleeved shirt £26.99

Flounce Sun Hat with ties £18.99

Blue Hummingbird dress £32.99