Opening a store in a post-COVID world has meant that we have always done all our buying in the online sphere. This definitely has some benefits, but it had always been in the plan to eventually make the journey to join in the ‘real world’ version.
The unknown always brings a certain level of anxiety - would it be worthwhile, was it a valuable investment, were we just going to be teeny tadpoles in a huge pond... the imposter syndrome was real.
However, the stars aligned this June, & we made our way to Paris to see what the hype was about. All we can say is that the hype was worth it, the trip was incredible and the experience, exposure and connections created have cemented our beliefs that things really are better in real life.
Paris is an unbelievable city. It oozes effortless cool, beautiful clothing is adorned by beautiful people on beautiful streets. If nothing more, we could’ve spent the week people watching from sidewalk bars and come home happy.
But, needs must & work we shall…. If you can really call it that. The main show we went for was Welcome Edition: a multi space, multi level showroom, filled with many of our current suppliers and bucketloads of potential others. The energy of the place was palpable, a collection of visionaries, & creatives who are passionate about their craft and sharing their world with you. There is nothing like hearing from the brands directly. Understanding their ethos, vision and story means you can develop a better partnership, and know that what you are selling also aligns with your own. Seeing collections firsthand means your selecting process is sensory and tactile, allowing you to cohesively curate the seasons buy with all the information, and we really feel this had enabled us to develop a much stronger seasonal representation.
As well as Welcome Edition, we were lucky enough to have time to wander the streets of Paris, finding inspiration from stores, exploring other trade shows & of course just soaking up the Parisian spirit. Hopefully, we have managed to bottle a bit of that, bringing it back to fill the store with enthusiasm and energy for all the things we love…. And let’s just say we are already planning the next one!