Attire Accessories - Nov/Dec 2018 (Issue 73)

RETAIL INTERVIEW 99 WANDERLUST LIFE T: +44 (0)1271 815 456 W: wanderlustlife.co.uk @wanderlustlifejewellery Are you active on social media, and how do you use it for your business? We’re huge fans of Instagram – for us, it’s the most visual and creative form of social media, and the platform enables us to give behind-the- scenes insight to the many facets of our business. It’s an opportunity to see the things we adore, the places we aspire to travel, meet the team and find out more about us – and to also introduce new pieces and exciting brand news. The new “shop the product” feature on Insta is great – it gives a very instant and accessible way to shop. We love the support from our online community, and we see them as our brand’s family! How do you choose what to stock? Our Life Store is a carefully curated edit of homeware products that sit alongside our jewellery collections. This area has really grown organically as we’ve unearthed new brands and products inspired by travel. We’ve created a platform where the customer can immerse themselves in a full Wanderlust Life experience. Essentially, a store full of all the things we love! We’re exclusive stockists of Australian lingerie brand Bimby & Roy, and we’ve fully sold through on our huge summer order already. I love bringing exciting and new product to our customers, and it’s so great to discover brands and products that really align with our jewellery collection and customer base. Other brands we’ve discovered, love and stock include P.F Candles from the U.S., Scandinavian skincare range L:A Bruket, Dor and Tan Ceramics from Cornwall and Wild Medicine skincare products from Devon. What are your plans to do develop your online presence? As an online business, we’re constantly evolving and always look at moving forward with our online store. It’s as important as re- merchandising a physical retail space and changing window display to keep things fresh and current. We always work with the feedback we receive to improve the customer journey and navigation of our site. We constantly strive to move forward with the aesthetic of our brand and the look and feel of the overall store. At the moment, we don’t advertise online, and our growth has been very organic, but it’s certainly an avenue we’d like to explore in the future. Do you attend any trade shows? If so, which ones and why? We attended Top Drawer in London for the first time last January, although for us, the outreach felt a little too broad. It’s always really good to try these things, and going forward, I think we’d like to take a more considered approach to explore other ways of connecting independent stores and key accounts that feels a bit more synonymous with our brand ethos. What has been your standout moment since opening the store? Our launch evening was a big standout moment for us. We had more than 350 people attend throughout the evening, and the positive comments, feedback and support were very overwhelming. Seeing the shop and studio buzzing all evening really made the hard work and late nights leading up to the opening worthwhile! How do you view the fashion accessory/jewellery retail market at present, and what advice would you give other retailers? We’re always learning and evolving as a company, but my advice would be to give your brand purpose. Create a brand that makes your customer feel – one to fall in love with. I really believe that value-driven marketing is the way forward, and authenticity is key. Really find your niche, understand your customer, connect with them and develop unique selling points that make you a little different and stand out from the rest of the crowd. What are your plans for the future? I’m a huge fan of the creative culture in Australia and Scandinavia at the moment, and I think you can see those influences within our brand and also within our recently built shop and studio space. We continue to keep inspired, work on fresh collections and strive to collaborate with aspiring photographers, models and stylists to bring our concepts and ideas into a campaign. Our brand is inspired by travel, and my next big trip is a month in Australia this winter. I really find immersing myself in different creative spaces and culture so inspiring, and it hugely affects the creative process of our brand evolution. Often, it’s the beginning of a new collection, design or idea! We have three areas of our business: direct retail in-store, online and wholesale. The growth in all areas has been super, and the future is looking great. We are dedicated to sticking to our brand values so take a considered and limited approach to product and wholesale distribution alike, always looking to work with independent and concept stores that share a synergy with our brand and ethos. In terms of wholesale, our next phase is to grow distribution into Australia and Scandinavia, with the goal to have a strong presence in concept stores across the world.