UK High Street giant Topshop often collaborates with local designers on limited edition fashion collections. Assia Benmedjdoub caught up with its latest aussie recruit to discuss what goes on behind the scenes.
It takes guts to play hardball with a company that reportedly sells eight sets of underwear per minute, 2500 dresses a day and 40,000 pairs of shoes each week. But that’s exactly what designer Mel Kier did when approached with a supply offer from Topshop late last year.
“They were in love with the label but the buyers were unsure how the prices were going to work with their budgets,” she says.
Kier was exhibiting her retro-inspired swimwear label Jemma Jube at Paris Mode City, an international trade show targeted at the swim and lingerie sector, when a team of Topshop buyers dropped by her stand.
She had approached them earlier in the year to discuss a potential presence across the company’s network of over 400 global stores, but they were keen to test the market first.
“They were aware of the label already apparently, which is why they were interested in seeing the range,” Kier continues. “They loved it but had to wait to see how designer swimwear would look for them on the floor.”
When an offer was finally put forward at Paris Mode City in September, Kier crunched numbers and quickly realised it would not be a profitable one for her business. As a staunch supporter of local manufacturing, Kier would have to shift production offshore in order to meet the retailers’ pricing needs.
Further negotiations ensued and both parties agreed on a small capsule collection for the spring/summer season.
“There were several back and forths to negotiate garments and pricing,” she says. “We discussed pieces in the Jemma Jube mainline range that they liked, then I reworked my picks to create a cohesive and signature Jemma Jube for Topshop range. Everything needed to be simplified so as to keep costs to a minimum.”
Local production on the swimwear range was underway by December, and it landed in Topshop’s London flagshop store and ecommerce website earlier this month. Kier produced three styles in three colourways of black, yellow and red; a halter set with a frill brief, a halter set with super high-waisted shorts and a skirted one-piece with a crossover back.
By tweaking elements of her signature design, Kier was able to reduce standard price points of between $A159 - $A320 to around $A84 - $A94 (GBP49 and GBP55) without sacrificing brand integrity.
She said all three looks tied back to her reputation for producing designs which “flaunt curves” and “embrace womanly assets”.
“The super high-waisted shorts and one-piece accentuate curves and suck in tummies while the frills and skirts disguise those little areas [consumers] prefer not to show off,” Kier explained. “Bust areas are also designed with support in mind, plus rouching to create enhancement for those not so well-endowed.”
But even tweaks in the design department weren’t enough to guarantee a profit for Kier. A standard mark up of 250 to 300 per cent on Topshop garments, coupled with the poor value of the GBP, meant cost pressures were apparent throughout the entire process. The experience however, proved to be an invaluable one.
Just three years ago, Kier collaborated with New Zealand designer Mala Brajkovic on a capsule collection of one-piece swimsuits and separates. Manufactured in Sydney and stocked at Brajkovic’s flagship store in Auckland, the range saw Kier work exclusive Brajkovic prints into her signature, voluptuous styles.
It was a partnership largely free of pricing constraints and retailed from $210 to $220. Working with a global retail giant opened her eyes to a new way of doing business – and it is a venture she’s keen to capitalise on, currently having only just a handful of stockists for her Jemma Jube brand.
“The fact that Topshop endorses your brand opens up a lot of doors,” she says. “A Jemma Jube online store is planned for this year to take advantage of the growing international exposure the label is receiving.”
MAKING A SPLASH: THE OTHERS
Topshop has worked with a number of Australian labels as part of its designer collaboration ranges. Below are some of the highlights.
Alice McCall: Spring/Summer 2008
“I was flattered to be asked to do this range as it will allow our brand... to be available to a much wider market within the UK,” McCall said of her Topshop collaboration in 2008. The collection featured the designer’s signature high-waisted mini skirts, staple tees and eye-popping geometric prints in a palette of acidic fluoro. Easy-to-wear summer dresses in light cottons and jerseys also featured heavily in the range, while a single-shoulder mini frock in floral and brown stood out as the key statement piece.
Material Boy: Spring/Summer 2008
The lads weren’t left out of the picture either, with local brand Material Boy putting together a capsule range for
the store’s male brother Topman. It was designer Mic Eaton’s ‘A celebration of your Inner Gay’ collection which first caught the eye of Topman design directors in London; his look book featuring a heavily made-up, androgynous teenager wearing skinny jeans, leggings, hoodies and tight tees in block colours or exclusive prints. The small drop was sold at Topshop’s flagship Oxford Street store, online and a selection of international department stores.
Richard Nicoll: Spring/Summer 2009
Known for producing clean, tailored silhouettes, Australian-born designer Richard Nicoll stayed true to form for
his Topshop gig. He offered up a sharp collection of crisp white separates and dresses, offset with block-coloured jersey frocks and spliced jersey blouses. Key pieces included a sleeveless tailored jacket, high-waisted pleat front trousers and slim-cut broderie anglaise shifts.
A key statement piece in the collection was a tank maxi dress in jersey, rendered in aqua blue and heather gray.