Buyers meeting had…and what a hellish meeting it was

As you all know, I work in the fashion industry. My new pieces arrived safely and I have to say, I am very proud of them. Of course, certain tweaks will need to be made in order to make them perfect, but that it always the case.

So, I had a meeting with a very prestigious department store. Having waited over an hour and a half for them to get ready, I was not expecting such a brief liaison. The women I met were surly, rude and quite frankly mildly insulting. Never have I met buyers who were so dismissive. Yes, I admit in hindesight the collection is small for their standards, but why are we always wanting more, more, more? In a society where we are now trying to see that materialism is not sustainable, why do they advocate it so much? You would think that with someone of such stature they would want to embrace change and new designers. Why is it then that they all go for the same brands? The whole point of the meeting was to get feedback and generate ideas. Instead I received a rather derogatory encounter from someone who, let’s face it, could not set up her own business. In the end though, would I want to work with someone like that? It has made me realise how valuable my independent stockists are and how much I need them, not the big guys.

Going down Oxford Street on my way home I noticed there are two Marks and Spencers, two Uniqlo’s, two New Look’s, three H+M’s, 3 Coasts (including concessions), all the same make-up brands, two Russell and Bromley’s, three Boots, two Next’s and so on. Why is this? Really, do people enjoy this same-street-shopping? How dull. When did it become like this? It is seriously just like a gigantic game of Monopoly; who can buy up the next available space. Even the designers in the big department stores are all the same; not to mention the stand alone same designers on Bond Street and down towards Picadilly, all selling the same stuff!

I ask you, what is it that you like about shopping? Personally I enjoy meandering down lovely streets and finding shops filled with goodies. I love the new labels, the small and not-quite-well-known labels, I love the architecture of the small boutiques, I love the feeling you get when you find something really special, I love speaking with the owners and finding out more about them and their experiences. Above all, I enjoy the feeling I get when I know I have purchased something from someone who will value that sale. Do you think Selfridges, M&S, New Look and such like know you? Do you think that sale is valuable to them? Will it make a difference to their stock levels? The answer is no, not really. Go to your small boutiques and independent stores; speak to the owners and get to know them. If they start closing down at the rate they currently are at, all we will see forever is the same Starbucks, Topshops, H&M’s, New Look’s, River Islands and the rest. Oh, all of which are all owned by the same giant parent companies anyway.