Fashion Retailer of the Year Awards
As an inveterate shopper and self-confessed fashion fanatic I was of course delighted to be invited by Ragtrader to judge this year's Fashion Retailer of the Years Awards.
The task was easy enough - or so I thought. A spot of secret shopping here, a couple of interviews there. A few weeks cruising around as an almighty fashionista judge. Easy.
Wrong. Of course, like everything in life, what seemed simple at first turned out to be anything but. Without exception, the finalists for both the large and small chain categories were outstanding. Choosing a winner was a very difficult task, and one that almost didn't seem fair.
After all, how do you judge a streetwear chain against a bridal business? A local label against a major international brand? One competent, committed, successful retailer against another competent, committed, successful retailer?
In the end, however, we just couldn't go past General Pants as the winner of the large chain category. There is something special about General Pants and I think we've uncovered what it is. General Pants is way cool - we all know that. But there's something else. General Pants is friendly.
There is nothing pretentious about General Pants. It offers a very democratic brand of coolness that elevates it from a good to a great retail experience. It is a company that treats its customers like friends - be they the funkiest dudes or the dorkiest dorks. It invites them to interact with the business in a myriad of imaginative ways, and by doing so has successfully created a genuine community that is as inclusive as it is dynamic.
There is a lot to like about General Pants - most of which is evident as soon as you walk through their doors. But there is also a lot going on under the surface, from a range of community projects to an adventurous approach to purchasing that has given many emerging designers their big break. All of these things combine to make General Pants a standout this year and a very deserving winner of the large chain category.
And now on to the small chains. What can we say about Feathers? How about "You can always find something at Feathers". This seemed to be the common refrain of the women I spoke to about this quiet retail achiever. Entering a Feathers store is like stepping into the very well organised wardrobe of a woman who knows exactly how to dress for comfort and style without spending an outrageous fortune.
David and Lanette Porritt deserve much of the credit for breathing new life into the Feathers range without alienating the company's traditional clientele. The shops feel fresh and uncluttered, the service is thoughtful and the range is broad but extremely well resolved and very reasonably priced. Feathers does not offer bells and whistles but it does offer something that many retailers do not - namely an artful mix of clothing for the not-18-anymore woman at prices that make shopping at Feathers a smart transaction rather than a guilty pleasure.
By Zoe Edquist