[Events] Baby steps - how to break into the UK fashion market

Angelika Huwiler, the youngest speaker presenting at the Fashion Exchange +27, gave us the ‘inside edge on exporting fashion to the UK’. She says that although there is a market for SA fashion overseas, the stumbling block is that there is no road map available to inform designers on how to penetrate the industry.

Huwiler broke down the interested markets into two categories:

1. African Diaspora – those patriotic and wealthy Africans living in the UK who are keen to support their homeland brands.
2. Fashion conscious individuals – those people that are interested in exploring new designs, cultures and want to stand out.

Huwiler stresses: “Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure!”

For those designers looking to break into the UK, she gave us a checklist of factors one needs in place to successfully broach the industry.

• Have a press office – even just a small one – its a great marketing tool if used correctly and can provide a global awareness of your brand
• Use it – publish press releases – let people know what you’re up to, where you’re exhibiting - be constant!
• Look books – buyers want to see your catalogue and what you can provide
• Use models for illustration of your designs
• Keep the Department of Trade and Industry informed of your whereabouts – let them know you’re arriving for London Fashion Week!
• Content labels – this is imperative under labelling laws
• Knowledge of cash flow – fashion is not all about design; you need to have an understanding of the business side of the market
• Range plan
• Know what your lead times are – buyers want to know how long it’s going to take to get their order – from point of production to delivery
• You need to know how your collection is styled and branded and be able to correctly translate it to buyers
• - Knowledge of international fashion trends – what works in a local market may not work on an international scale

Huwiler strongly believes that the way to enter the international market is with baby steps. She says local fashion designers need to attend and observe the Fashion Weeks to first to get a better understanding of the processes of exhibiting and follow-through – rather than jumping in with showcases and failing to capitilise on the opportunity due to lack of education of the market.

She says there are three core distribution methods:

• Intermediary (agents): if you’re new in a market, find agent who understands culture and knows the places to stock your products.
• Short term – boutiques: your product will (hopefully) have a niche feel to it – source those small boutiques that fit your brand ideology and use them to leverage yourself to your target market.
• Long term – main stream (Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Harrods): getting their collections into these big name businesses is most designers’ long term ideal. However, this market is extremely competitive and it’s absolutely essential to have a game plan in place. Huwiler says these players won’t even glance your way if you haven’t exhibited at London Fashion Week for at least three years running. But you need to be constant and consistent in your showcase – miss one year and you could completely destroy any chance you had of gaining their attention.

And in the end, it’s all about quality over quantity – so start small, build a culture of quality; be prepared and be educated!