Advice on Exporting a Fashion Label

Advice from Fashion Designers on Financial, Trade Buyers, Trade Shows, Production/ Supplies and Marketing issues for exporting a fashion label. This information was gathered for a Talk given during Dublin Fashion Week, 27th August.

Financial
• Consider your financial position before exporting – the lead times are longer and you will need more finance than when trading locally
• Cashflow – it takes 10 months to collect payment from the design/ ordering materials stage, you need investment from the start
• Factor in currency fluctuations in your prices
• Make sure your financial and legal experts are familiar with the market you are exporting to, or get international expertise
• It can be harder to collect payments from abroad
• Credit check new retailers, insist on a pro forma payment
• If you are researching a foreign buyer contact the relevant Embassy in Ireland
• A major time consuming issue is getting bills paid on time
• Selling to countries that have a different season can help cashflow, for example for knitwear labels autumn/ winter is busier
• Keep a bank account in the currency of your buyers and suppliers for example if buying fabric with US$ and selling in US dollars.
• Pay the landed duties for buyers, it makes life easier for non EU – buyers, and they are more likely to buy from you.

Trade Buyers
• Buyers rarely buy the first time they see you, they will take a note if they like your collection and visit next season
• Keep a database of buyers and send them promotional material, persistence pays
• Visit stores to know what labels they stock and how they display merchandise
• Late deliveries may be refused and will reduce future orders – Do Not Be Late, If you know you cannot deliver a particular style or colour, contact the buyer immediately
• Know what a buyer wants to listen to- talk business with the trade buyer – delivery times, price points, margins, not just about design
• Get order books and receipt books with your brand/ logo – they look professional and don’t cost too much
• It takes time to build a customer base abroad, with time consuming phonecalls and information follow up and keeping in touch
• Ask buyers to sign the order confirmation, include terms and conditions

Trade Shows
• Visit trade shows/ events before you agree to exhibit to get a feel for the best stand locations and the type of buyers/ exhibitors that go there
• Book your stand early and request where you want to be – maximum footfall
• At exhibitions you need an eye catching stand design to display your collection and attract attention
• Britain is the usual first export market for Irish designers
• London and Paris Fashion Week are juried. You can selected one year and dropped another.
• Paris and Milan are the biggest international fashion shows for buyers from U.S. and Japan, Australia
• ‘Margin’ is a good inexpensive show in London for up-coming designers where you have 1 rail to display your collection, buyers from H&M and TopShop attend to find something new and different
• Try specialist shows – Intimates at Harrogate or Interfeel in Paris for lingerie

Production/ Supplies
• Find out your fabric requirements, what are the minimums and the maximums, what are the lead times
• Keep your collection tight with easy to produce pieces, it is not profitable to produce 6 embroidered coats (you will be paying sur-charges on fabric and production)
• Review your collection after meeting a couple of buyers, if something is not selling well drop it from the collection – you won’t get sufficient quantities
• Ask factories for a production approved sample
• If high street retailers buy from you, can you supply Oxford Street quantities?

Marketing
• Get involved in fashion shows if you can afford to for professional photographs
• Have several samples ready in advance for photo shoots
• Key – flattering designs in flattering colours
• Create line sheets of the collection so buyers can see the collection at a glance and it looks professional
• Provide point-of-sale material (posters, postcards) and discuss a marketing plan with the retailer
• Have a disc (CD) with high quality images and thumbnail on the cover, and a press release in Word format in the local language (eg. French, Italian)
• Keep a note of all contacts to send them catalogues – persistence pays off
• Pay attention to details for example hangers when displaying your collection
• When you have outgrown trade shows, get a show room
• Sell online for example www.asos.com, www.becheeky.com – it can help achieve the minimum quantities

Notes from Eibhlin Curley Dublin City Enterprise Board’s conversations with NC Kilkenny, Sphere One, Fable Clothing, J Rothwell, Live by Love, Constance Harris

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