I have long said that LOYDFORD is an evolutionary brand. The designers have turned trend into trademark DNA and create their own looks that reflect their brand and resonate with their clients. They continually win new customers at both the retail and wholesale level by actually designing and creating rather than referencing and copying. There are not many privately owned and financed niche businesses that remain so they are to be congratulated for weathering the storms of present-day life as well as the ungrateful and lazy media who go after advertising dollars rather than spotlighting true talent.
I felt this was an important time to speak with them again as so many others cannot continue and yet they persevere and have grown despite all odds.
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After viewing dozens of collections for spring 2021 , I can honestly say the best reactions come from those who have a realistic outlook which is that clothes need to be easy to wear, be mix and match with what you might already own, can be worn at almost any time of day and lastly but maybe most importantly is that the clothes need to make you feel good when you wear them.
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In this pandemic world what do you think are the biggest challenges for a privately owned and operated fashion business such as yours? Production? Fabrics? Retail apprehension? Financial?
Production: the biggest challenge was in the beginning adjusting to the lockdown when everything closed and suddenly the daily routine got totally blocked and production places moved in very slow motion, half occupied factories, 3-day work weeks and everywhere with everyone being social distanced.
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Fabrics: we stopped ordering custom made fabrics from our mills with whom we have built long term relationships so we made our move onto Korean textiles where we got one amazing new fabric made while all other fabrics were just ok. We have a local partner for printing our silks so in that aspect we are ok. The costs were just very challenging given the circumstances.
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Retail apprehension: it was a great challenge to dive deep into customer service and turn our fashion house into an almost charitable organization .... joking of course but we turned everything into consignment and gave great discounts and everything worked out well for all concerned except for just a few retailers who proved to be very unprofessional and then we just had to rid ourselves of them.
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Financial: we are moving carefully and working double time for half… Sounds like nothing has changed… underpaid, over worked and over stressed before and after the crisis began. Our management style has proven successful for us since we have remained in business since 1999
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What message do you hope to send with your collection to your buyers at both the wholesale and retail levels?
Look at the quality of the item and its uniqueness…. Understand and realize where your wardrobe comes from ... Be aware of what you wear and how you wear it.
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What reasons have your retailers told you as to why your clothes seem to be so appealing to their clientele?
Timeless, effortless, unique, an attractive price point ... and simple in the fact that it is clothes you wear every day any way you want.
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As time moves on how do you foresee the growth of the collection in terms of new looks and silhouettes?
More dresses… we want to go back to party dresses as soon as parties can be had, we have been playing nice BUT we need some excitement and some fresh action!
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