Gio Hellings started his business called Re-issue in Tilburg, the Netherlands, in 2005 with sneakers: exclusive models from Nike, Asics and Adidas. He also stocked clothing, but mainly for occasions – a range of t-shirts, the odd hoodie here and there. Over the years, the balance has gradually shifted. Today, Re-issue is almost as well known for its contemporary streetwear collection from brands like Daily Paper, Parra and Carhartt as it is for its sneaker selection.
Starting this fall, Hellings wants to go one step further, he says in an interview on the phone, and move towards the upper premium segment. In the coming shopping season, he wants to look at new brands and select even more strictly according to quality. When FashionUnited Hellings speaks, he has already bought the sneakers for spring-summer 2023, but he is still in the middle of ordering the clothes.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I regularly check Instagram to get an idea of what’s going on in the market. Also, I listen to the young generation, they are always up to date with new brands. Sometimes there are these people in the business who I see or think I see are well informed. Then I just ask her about it. Some of my employees are also young, so I hear a lot from them too.
So I see a lot, hear a lot, but in the end I mostly rely on my feelings. I don’t tailor my offer to my clientele, because then it quickly becomes too commercial. I prefer to go by my personal taste. I think I have a pretty good sense of what works and what doesn’t. Since I’m in the shop two or three days a week, I know what’s selling, which makes it easier.
How do you usually work?
Of all the brands I want to shop for, I ask about the lookbooks. I’ll take a look at them at home and then make a test order. With this in my pocket, I go to the brands to see the collections in person. Then I can see exactly where I need to add something and what isn’t necessary. After that, I also make orders at home, not in the showroom. As a rule, the actual collection deviates from the test collection by around twenty percent.
To what extent do you base your purchases on the sales figures of previous seasons?
Not really, actually. I tried for a while because I’ve heard everywhere that sales are important, but I just can’t (laughs). Budgeting is difficult for me. Of course I set a budget at the beginning of each season, but in eighteen years I’ve never exactly hit my budget. But I also like the freedom I have in my work. At the moment it’s all about numbers, I don’t find it that interesting anymore.
You have announced that you are making some changes in the product range. What will you focus on?
We will tighten the brands and the prices a bit. Starting this fall and next spring I will be working with brands such as Norse Projects, Ampere and Universal Works. These are brands I’ve known for a long time, with the exception of Ampère, which is fairly new. These are brands that I like to wear myself. Like I said, I think it’s important to stay true to myself, but my tastes are changing too. I was 25 when I started Re-issue, now I’m 43. The brand range is also maturing a bit.
In practice, that means I pay more attention to detail. I used to shop for a lot of t-shirts and hoodies, I still do, but I think it took a little long now. Also, I think people are ready for really beautiful things. When it comes to shoes, I pay more attention to quality. After all, we want to ‘lift’ the entire collection, so to speak.
Inflation is currently high and products are already becoming more expensive. How do you notice that and how do you deal with it?
I can see it, but there’s not much I can do about it other than tighten my budgets a bit. But when I look at a collection and it’s really good, I don’t give up twenty percent because everything has gotten more expensive. Customers will eventually pay these prices, people get used to it.
I’m more worried about rising energy and fuel prices, consumers will feel that. We’re not aware of that at the moment, last season was one of our best seasons ever, but with all the price increases, it can’t go on much longer.
How do you see the coming season?
I expect a really good season. I am very enthusiastic about the brands that I have bought and I think we will sell them well. Sneakers have been delivered very poorly for the last two years, but this is slowly normalizing. If this continues, I expect more sales.
This article was previously published on FashionUnited.nl. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ.