March 10, 2022 Industry news
Proudly sponsored by GS1 UK, it offered unique opportunities to connect with buyers, hear top tips for growing your brand, getting products stocked, audience engagement, developing socially responsible, sustainable businesses and more.
Sante + Wade
We opened the online event with a panel discussion exploring the best channels for building direct-to-consumer fashion brands. Hosted by GS1 UK CMO and membership director, Sarah Atkins, attendees heard from Duco Life co-founder Kieran Miles, and Agnès Cushnie, co-founder of Sante + Wade, two GS1 UK members who have enjoyed great success selling their products online.
Marketing director Agnès entered the world of fashion in 2009, launching luxury swimwear brand Agnès Valentine. Ten years later, along with best friend Shola Asante, she founded Sante + Wade, a high-end shoe brand accommodating the needs of women with longer or wider fits.
Their range has been worn by celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Paris Lee, and was a four-time finalist at the 2020 Drapers Footwear Awards.
Duco Life
Kieran’s journey into the industry was born out of a love and climbing and adventure.
Over coffee in 2016, he and his best friend Tom realised that while they loved the sport, they didn’t love the clothes.
Wanting to create something better, they decided to develop their own range of technical sports garments and Duco Life was born.
Humble beginnings
Originally named ‘Elát’, Kieran and Tom tested their brand proposition and realised that the name didn’t really stick. They re-branded as Duco; meaning “I Lead” in Latin and, with an initial investment of £25, printed two cotton t-shirts featuring a logo they sketched on a scrap of paper.
At first they intended to only create shirts for themselves, but were soon approached by fellow climbers wanting to purchase their own. Realising they were onto something, they began creating the vision for Duco was going to become.
They began by developing an understanding of different materials and manufacturing processes. Being keen environmentalists, both wanted sustainability to be at the heart of their brand, so set out to create a range of performance apparel manufactured purely from plant based materials and post-consumer products.
Those two printed t-shirts have since grown into a company that puts a passion for adventure and environmental consciousness into everything they do. In 2017, the friends wore Duco to the Climbing World Championships, returning two years later to see Team GB take to the podium wearing their brand.
Testing the proposition
Agnès' journey into the world of fashion took a more traditional path. When Agnès Valentine launched in 2009, the retail landscape looked very different. The high-street still reigned supreme and while online selling was growing, it didn’t carry much weight, particularly in the premium sector.
She began by attending trade shows to build relationships with wholesalers. “Obviously that came with greater market recognition because suddenly I had access to key foothold stores. Maybe this enabled me to start quicker in terms of sales income” she said.
When launching Sante + Wade, she was confident that her brand offered something unique – beautiful, high-quality footwear for women with sizing requirements outside of standard – and was keen to test this out.
We did our own research and realised there was an obvious space to fill. The larger players were not dedicating enough time to this community and there was a clear lack of bespoke, custom made options. We went online because we couldn’t wait for retailers to take a chance on us and wanted to test the proposition ourselves. This enabled us to have a direct channel of communication with our consumers and control our narrative."
Agnès Cushnie
Sante + Wade
Focusing your efforts
Having an online presence is essential, especially in the post-covid world. Both founders believe that while a multichannel distribution strategy is the way forward, online can be particularly powerful in building trust by speaking to consumers directly.
The majority of Duco’s sales are through their website. After recognising this is where most of his customers are, Kieran focused his efforts accordingly.
My advice would be to select the channels that you think are going to have the best traction. While this may seem obvious, it is very easy to get carried away and spread yourself too thin. While trade shows and wholesale can be exciting, there are a whole host of logistical tasks and challenges that come with them. Selling online can be a super easy way to grow your brand. If you are going to manage fulfilment yourself, you can manage scalability or use platforms that will fulfil products for you, all while getting closer to your consumer."
Kieran Miles
Duco Life
Other channels to consider
Kieran also recommended adding social and wholesale elements to the marketing mix. Duco has seen great results from partnering with brands that share compatible audiences on social media, running promotions or content that has direct appeal and adds value for all.
Agnès advised viewers to consider influencers as part of their promotional budgets. While this can be a great way of finding ambassadors to test your proposition with their existing audiences, she also recommended proceeding with caution.
“You need to build a relationship” she said. “You need to work out if they have chemistry and a personal connection with your brand. Speak to them about the problem you are trying to solve. If they don’t have a first-hand understanding or experience of this, it probably won’t work.”
Both agreed that authenticity is what matters most. “It really is quality over quantity” added Kieran. “I wouldn’t advise younger brands to bet big on them. You have to make sure your product is right first. When you look at how you interact with influencers, make sure the relationship between you, the brand, and the problem you are trying to solve is all connected.”
Platform and marketplace management
Agnès has had positive experiences managing sales through shopify. She told how the platform has also helped Sante + Wade move towards a multichannel strategy.
“If you are starting online, it is important to have a platform that integrates with online marketplaces so you can either share part of all of our online catalogue with them” she said. If you have an order placed on their site, you will be notified so you can fulfil it yourself. This is a great way to test the potential of working towards a more wholesale basis. You need to choose the right platform and work out if it is scalable.”
Kieran has opted to focus on his Squarespace site but also sells on Amazon due to its enormous reach. Kieran currently manages all channels himself. “Shopify is excellent with great options for integrations, but if you aren’t as savvy on the tech side, you may find Squarespace easier and a little cheaper” he said.
Just keep trying
Sarah ended the session by asking both founders to share some final advice for anyone looking to grow direct to consumer sales.
“Just keep going” said Kieran, citing his approach to Team GB. After attending the world championships in 2018, I couldn’t stop thinking about how the GB kit could be better. I emailed, called and chased everyone I could until we got the pitch. It was all about persistence and building relationships."
"My biggest message is that it is going to be tough so just keep pushing. Whether it be suppliers or designers challenging your ideas, whether you want a new contract, collaboration, influencer or stockist, you just have to keep trying.”
Agnès concluded, “I have found it is always better to share your rewards, burdens and challenges. If you have to start out alone, try and invest in a coach or mentor."
"While exciting, it can be a tough and challenging journey so having someone who can support and guide you is important. Find that person who will tell you the difficult truths and help you find a way through.”
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