Guest Blog by Maria McGreevy of Unique Boutique.

Background Information

After graduating with a Fashion degree from Salford University I worked in two fantastic boutiques and assisted with overseas buying. Alongside that I began selling my own label to small boutiques in Barcelona - to my astonishment quite successfully. Now I have my own boutique, set up because I have known so many fantastic designers through my career and because I made it my business to seek them out and bring them to a boutique city centre retail environment.

I hope this article benefits some fellow designers into succeeding in a hard paced competitive fashion environment - it really is all about having the confidence to show what you are about and to show off your product. Everyone must start somewhere and sometimes I find fantastic designers at markets, other stores, websites and through friends of friends.

Friendly Confidence is Key

I am approached regularly by designers that want to sell their collections to Unique Boutique and so below I have put together a list of the basics to selling your product. Remember though, friendly confidence is key!

1. Make sure you visit the shop where possible, otherwise your product might not even sit well in the shop you are contacting. Obtain a business card or telephone number when you do. It’s always good to call first, acquire the name of the buyer and request an email, informing that you have been in, like the store and would like to send some images to the buyer.
2. Prices are essential - wholesale (your price) and the RRP (recommended retail price). Although a buyer will be entitled to put the final price on the garment, after all it’s only a recommended price by the designer, and they do not know what type of overheads the product has.
3. A follow up email and call is always good to ensure your email has reached the right place and you will probably find out then if the designs are suitable for the shop.

The Meeting

4. Once a meeting is in place, bring the samples preferably on hangers, (remember you are selling your garments now), steamed or pressed and labelled with prices at the ready. Don’t forget fabric swatches of the available colours and optional fabrics, delivery time, size and availability.
5. Washing instructions are required by law, so that the consumer will know how to care for their purchase.
6. Always include a delivery note with the goods, then you know what you have packed and the buyer knows what has been received. The buyer will often be billed for the postage costs (if wholesale).

Wholesale or Sale or Return?

7. Payment terms are for you to decide as a designer. There is wholesale, although for this I would expect colour choices, perfect manufacturing, good options of sizes and good prices and a great deal of styles to choose from. You can offer the buyer 30 days payments terms upon delivery or you can offer the goods at Sale Or Return (SOR). Again the terms will be up to you, so if you wish to protect yourself, have a contract ready which states that the goods must be paid within ‘a set stated time’ of them being sold.

   Remember to state if you are VAT registered as this will affect the price and push it up by 17.5%.Or perhaps you could offer a season at SOR (sale or return) as a method of the buyer trying before they buy. You are a new designer and if thereafter your garments are successful you will be in a strong position to suggest that you sell your goods wholesale. This has happened several times with me.

8. If you have extra packaging, you may wish to offer this to the buyer as a push of branding. However buyers will probably have their own branded packaging and may or may not wish to use it. It may conflict with their shop, especially if you have a website attached, then a customer may get the information to operate directly with the supplier for a cheaper price.

Good Luck, be confident when approaching and try not to take any criticism as personal, it’s all valuable.

Maria McGreevy
Unique Boutique
Manchester

www.unique-boutique.co.uk

Unique Boutique
Ground Floor Triangle shopping centre,
Exchange Square,
Manchester,
M4 3TR

Tel: 0161 8396651

I caught up with Rachael Elwell of the Kings Arms Knitting Club to ask her some questions about the group, buying handmade and knitting in general. Here’s what she had to say.

The Knitting ‘Renaissance’

At the time when I was younger, in the 80s and 90s, knitting wasn’t as popular as in previous decades and unless you had a relative who knitted in your company, you weren’t really that aware of the activity. These days you can get access to just about anything via the internet.

I think the resurgence of knitting has a lot to do with internet forums, blogging and the availability of free patterns, online tutorials and being able to buy just about any yarn and yarn related accessory on the market via online shops. You can very easily get inspired by projects that people are making right across the globe and even contact the makers directly right from your home.

I also think that today we are in a time when nostalgia and vintage style is very popular and to make connections with an activity that your grandmother most probably did throughout her life is really appealing. People like to reinvent and bring things back into fashion and I think knitting and crochet are just a progression of this.

The very idea that you can make something beautiful and functional from a ball of string and two sticks is just amazing

Knitting is a wonderful way to relax whilst also being productive and creative. The very idea that you can make something beautiful and functional from a ball of string and two sticks is just amazing.

I enjoy the whole process of knitting right from the start: going to the yarn shop and choosing from the hundreds of different colours, textures and fibres, through to finishing a project, which is more often than not a gift for someone else. Presenting a knitted gift to a friend or family member is so lovely and meaningful.

I also enjoy knitting as a fine art medium. I have recently introduced knitting and crochet into my visual arts practice and it’s opened so many doors for me from community-based workshops to working with fellow artists on collaborative projects.

The best way to learn any creative skill is to learn from others first hand

Starting the knitting club was a personal way for me to advance my skills in knitting and crochet. When the knitting club first started my knitting skills were basic and I believe that the best way to learn any creative skill is to learn from others first hand.

I felt confident from the beginning that I could teach people wanting to learn basics of knitting but I also wanted to reach out to people with more advanced knitting skills to come and share their expertise and knowledge with one and other, making it a real community effort to bring people with similar interests and passions for knitting and crochet together.

We invite interested passers by into the community to get involved

The idea behind the Kings Arms Knitting Club is to primarily bring people of all creative abilities, backgrounds and sexes into a public meeting space to practice their skills in knitting and crochet.

We also engage in group activity to allow people to learn from one and other, be inspired and make projects in which they may not normally have the opportunities or access to such creative processes.
Bringing the club to a public social space and one not normally associated with crafting activity clubs, also allows visitors to the pub to see creative works in progress and to engage with an activity they may have heard of but not seen in the making. The result is often one of amazement and intrigue. We invite interested passers by into the community to get involved if they so wish or just to pop by, say hello and ask questions about the activities taking place.

We also take this opportunity to raise money for charities with great success.

You know that what you are buying has the personality of the maker in it

The uniqueness of handmade goods is very appealing and you know that what you are buying has the personality of the maker in it, unlike mass-produced goods. There are thousands of crafters making clothing, jewellery, ornamental objects etc, but each maker will have their own special way of making.

When you are buying a handmade object you re also getting a piece of the maker’s soul – this makes you eager to know more about the designer and the skills and passions that have gone into making it and therefore you become very connected to an item.

I believe that handmade goods are not planned with the idea of becoming obsolete, the creations are more often than not usually meant to last a lifetime.

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The Kings Arms Knitting Club meets every Monday from 7pm until 9pm in the Snug at the Kings Arms, Salford. Everyone is welcome!

Think you know ballet? Then think again. The Scottish Ballet has always been at the forefront of dance, pushing the boundaries and changing perceptions. Their new Autumn Tour is no exception, with new music, vintage fashion and cinematography colliding. Merging traditional ballet with modern dance techniques and adding music from Radiohead and costumes from New York fashion designer Benjamin Cho, this is a show not to be missed.

For more information and tour dates go to www.scottishballet.co.uk.

And for a sneak preview, take a look at the following rehearsal clips.

There’s something so English about these pretty accessories by Ness Donnelly. Whether it’s in the mix of delicate florals and cool linens or in the visible stitching and hand embroidery. Whatever it is, they make a beautiful and memorable collection.

Buy online at www.nessdonnelly.bigcartel.com.

Manchester in Fashion, in association with Manchester Fashion Network, has unveiled plans to launch a talks programme to begin next month. The talks will include big guns Wayne Hemingway, David Mallon (The General Store), Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Manchester Arndale.

The events are split into two - In Fashion and Love Fashion. In Fashion is for people working in the fashion industry and includes events such as ‘Making it in Fashion journalism’, ‘Marketing yourself, your work and your brand’ and ‘Kick-start your success in world markets’. While Love Fashion is for anyone with a love of fashion and includes ‘Trends and tips for A/W 08′, ‘Vintage Style’ and ‘Make Do and Mend’.

To find out more about the events and to book online go to www.manchesterinfashion.com.

Free Tickets

And in addition to the above, we have two pairs of tickets to give away for two rather glam events that are invite only - ‘Behind the scenes at the department store’ and ‘Hemingway or the Highway’. The tickets are free to the first two people to email me with ‘Glam Tickets’ in the subject line.

Here come The Girls! Award winning art duo Andrea Blood and Zoe Sinclair have launched their first solo show in London’s Notting Hill. Their saucy self-portraiture and tongue-in-cheek performance art is sure to be a talking point. Themes include Englishness, sibling relationships and women’s relationship with food. It’s sexy, colourful and deliciously deviant.

What: In Bed With The Girls
When: Closes 1 November 2008
Where: Beverley Knowles Fine Art, Notting Hill, London
More Info: www.thegirls.co.uk

It’s been a few months since I first discovered All Things Original and it looks as though owner, Beverly Lay has been super busy sourcing new and exciting designers. Here are a few of my favourites:

1. I’m A Woman 2 by Liz Kay
2. Cherry Blossom Hair Clips by Pipnstuff
3. Geisha Print by Lucie Sheridan
4. Wire Drawings – ‘Set of Six’ by Lucy Smith
5. Mom, This Is The Friend I Told You About Pocket Mirror by Hide n Seek
6. Lampshade by Rose Cobb
7. Riley Gingham Bag by Emma Gordon

There’s lots more too at www.allthingsoriginal.com.

We’re delighted and excited to announce that Indie Quarter is one of the sponsors of the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. The fair will take place on 23rd to 26th October and will play host to some of the most talented designer-makers in the UK.

This is a first for the north. The majority of fairs, available to both trade and the public, take place in the south of England. And it’s a first for Indie Quarter. We’re thrilled to be a sponsor of the first of these annual events.

Each exhibitor has gone through a strict application process and has been selected by a panel of eminent judges. Categories include Ceramics, Furniture and Wood, Glass, Jewellery, Metal Ware, Mixed Media and Misc, Textiles and Leather.

The fair will be an excellent platform for northern based designers to sell their work, as well as helping southern designers to establish a client base here. And it’s an excellent opportunity to get in some early Christmas shopping!

What: Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2008
When: 23rd to 26th October
Where: The Manchester Grammar School Old Hall Lane, Fallowfield Manchester M13 0XT

For more information go to www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk.