As I work in our Covent Garden atelier on a marketing tactic to introduce Semple dresses to more women, I am distracted by a voice on the radio mentioning online shopping. Two years ago I wouldn’t have been so interested but now a good deal of my time is spent thinking about why women buy what they buy, particularly their clothes.
Of course, e-commerce is not new. It’s about 20 years old but, the commenter said retail spending is now driven by shoppers who wear what they want to wear rather than what retailers want them to wear. This is good news for us at Semple as we yearn to meet the discerning woman who wants to curate her own professional appearance. She is a woman who gives thought to how she looks and is, in turn perceived. A woman who likes to know the provenance of her clothes. A woman who has aspirations no matter what her life experiences.
I recently attended the We Are The City Rising Stars Shortlist celebration as Jenna, our Editor was nominated as a Rising Star in journalism. As I sat among the 200 guests, I was inspired by the achievements of all of those shortlisted for the much coveted Rising Stars Awards. To my mind these women are emerging Olympians.
I scanned the room to see what women were wearing and spoke to a number of the them about their dress shopping habits. They buy their clothes online with the expectation of returning items that do not fit. They shop with speed in mind and expect garments to arrive within 24 hours of placing an order. Missing for all of them is an interaction with others when buying clothes in-store, touching the fabric, checking colours against skin, trying on before a decision is made.
Tessa wearing her fuchsia made to measure Semple Dress in Hello! magazine
Olympian Tessa Sanderson, strong and agile physically and mentally, proudly modelled her Semple made-to-measure fuchsia dress in Hello! magazine last week. Holding her Olympic Gold, CBE and OBE medals she exuded confidence and style. Tessa understands that success takes time.
We are artisans at the Semple atelier. We are passionate about ensuring that our clients enjoy establishing a relationship with us. Semple women are curious about who makes their dresses, their garment will fit so that returns are not part of the shopping expectation, they appreciate that their dress will take longer than 24 hours to reach them.
Not all of us are Olympian’s but you can share something in common with Tessa – a Semple dress!