Inter view with Clare , Retold’s Founder Interviewer: Please could you tell me about the process you go through when planning and sourcing your collections? Clare: I don’t source in collections, I source pieces, when I find them. I have my own personal criteria when I source in terms of the style of it, or the colour, if there’s a print and the fabric is really important to me. And obviously the condition has to be a certain level. A good thing to know about vintage is especially when it gets managed from a wholesale perspective, they grade it on the quality and then that dictates the price. So, the quality is really important for me, the kind of level that I like. I have certain designers that I always love and that my customers really like. I look out for them and have a very set aesthetic. So, my minimal clean aesthetic is my criteria. I always think about whether I would personally wear it. And if it isn’t something that I would personally wear, then I wouldn’t take it. When I pull collections together, I go through all my reels and get the whole story together. I like to have items that compliment each other so that everything in the collection could be worn together and swapped in and out. Interviewer: Who is your target market? Clare: I think she’s late 20s, right up to the mid 50s. It’s hard to say whether I appeal to students or not. I don’t have a massive student customer base, mainly because of my price point. I’d say she’s a little bit older, probably has more of a disposable income, is sustainably minded and enjoys supporting small independent brands. Shopping more consciously is important to her. I think now people are seeing vintage can work alongside a very contemporary wardrobe, and that looks and works well for them. There’s lots of different choice out there now and it’s definitely given a broader range of wardrobes and customer.
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