For Veronique Gallé, owner of women’s clothing store Reset Fashion in Arnhem, the Netherlands, the glass is always half full. She says so herself, in a cheerful voice, when FashionUnited calls her in the first weeks of the trade fair season. Gallé begins sourcing the Fall 2023 collection with her signature optimism, despite the challenges brick-and-mortar fashion retailers are facing today.
Their shop was a Jackpot and Partout branded franchise shop until a decade ago, but it has since been abandoned. Gallé then took over the business and gave it its new name: Reset Fashion, a nod to the transformation the business was undergoing at the time and the constant innovation that fashion offers. Gallé offers its clientele a daily fashion reset with a wide range of brands including Nukus, Opus, Beaumont and Gestuz.
How would you describe Reset’s style in a few words?
Reset’s style is fashion forward, but we also have basics – and I’m talking nicer, more luxurious basics. We choose quality and good fabrics – I don’t like ruffles and frills. In a few words, the style could be described as business casual with a sporty touch.
Where are you in the ordering process right now?
I’m still at the beginning, but we don’t always have to order so early. Some of our brands are very close to the market, especially Opus and Someday – I usually don’t buy their fall collection until early summer. I think it’s good that I don’t have to order everything for next autumn now, because then I can react better to the market later in the year. Then I can still see how things develop in the coming months, what should I order less or where there is more demand.
Do you also order by feel?
Yes, in any case. Even clothing is still a feeling. The shopping experience is important – otherwise everyone would buy their clothes online. And experience is what you get when you order with experience yourself. Sometimes you just have to try something new to get ahead. I love that.
So where does your inspiration come from?
Especially from the magazines I subscribe to. Sometimes from TV shows: the fashion items on RTL Boulevard for example – although sometimes I find them a bit ‘over the top’ – or I look at what the presenters are wearing. But I also just take a very close look at my surroundings in everyday life.
Of course, the brands we work with always present new items themselves. I get to see them on the internet or the brands send us look books, then we can also look at what we find interesting.
I can’t go to the Modefabriek this winter, but I was there with the team last summer and we looked around thoroughly. I think it’s good when my colleagues can get a taste of fashion from time to time and see what’s on offer.
What does your ordering process look like?
I have a number of partner brands. These include Opus, Someday and Nukus. I agree with them on a certain number of square meters of retail space, which we then stock together. I visit these brands to see the collections. Before ordering, we also discuss our expectations for the season together: how consumers will behave and whether they will shop more cautiously or not? At the end of the day, this results in a certain budget, which I then stick to to some extent.
These brands are the pillars on which we lean. This does not mean that we are bound to each other for life, but above all that we work closely together, also in terms of flexibility and repeat orders. Opus and Someday are particularly innovative in this respect: I can reorder an item from them via a special B2B app and have it sent directly to the customer. I only get the bill. This means that I also get the sales instead of an online shop, which the customers could have gone to.
This flexibility is an advantage for purchasing. I don’t have to take all the financial responsibility: as a retailer and brand, we take it together.
Do these brands still have a say in the design of their in-store space?
Not really, but what matters is that Opus and Someday offer very nice promotional photography for some items for use in stores. This can then be hung up next to a beautiful mannequin. That gives a strong picture. The goal is, of course, to sell these items separately, and I’m part of that. But if I absolutely don’t want something because I don’t think it will work, then I won’t do it either.
How does this work with other brands?
We also have many trouser brands such as Angels, Florèz and Para Mi and even a vintage trouser wall. Precisely because we offer so many pants, many women come to us to find good pants, which is difficult. When they find what they are looking for, they often come back to buy it again or find something to go with it, like a top or belt. We also have a lot of jackets. Jackpot has had a heavy focus on outerwear, so customers expect to be able to get those here too. Coats are a pretty risky category, but I still shop wisely. Then I look: what else goes with these clothes? And what’s new? Innovation is important, also for us as a business.
Have you been working with the same brands for a long time or do you change regularly?
I’m not interested in changing brands. In this respect I am very conscientious. I stick to my decisions. Even if you want to give up a brand, I think you should try it out for a few seasons first. But of course brands come and go of their own accord, there’s nothing you can do about it.
In addition to our main brands, we also have some smaller brands: our eye-catchers, as I call them. These are the brands that do well in the shop window, such as Anna Alcazar or Sophie Schnoor – this brand is still quite young for us, but it is a real ‘eye-catcher’. You can upgrade your shop window with it. That’s how I do it too: when I come across something that I’m like, ‘oh, I like that’, I record it.
Eye-catchers sometimes have their price. What do you notice about inflation and how do you deal with it?
Everyone has to deal with it, including us. Of course it’s difficult, but I’ve been in retail for 35 years and I know there will always be ups and downs. I think inflation has an impact, but still, if I post a very expensive, beautiful blazer on social media now, it’ll be sold within a week – the most expensive blazer. Should you stop buying expensive blazers because of inflation? They just sell themselves. Value for money That means it’s typically Dutch: if it’s worth the money, the Dutch will spend it.
In addition, everything is becoming more expensive, and savings can be made not only in length, but of course also in width. I think people will be more clear about not only what to spend their money on, but also where to spend it. It is therefore important to remain distinctive as an entrepreneur. That means staying active, being innovative, organizing things. Private shoppingshows, events… There has to be something to see and do to engage the clientele.
As for me as a fashion retailer, it’s better not to underorder. Think of a butcher’s display: if it’s only half full, we as consumers quickly think ‘well, he doesn’t have a lot of choice’. The same goes for fashion stores. Safe ordering doesn’t work I think. I personally prefer to keep exciting things in my collections because then I’m more likely to sell them – and if not, I’ll just sell them later. So excitement, even if the market is uncertain. Fear is a bad advisor. You have to stay on your own path and believe in yourself. That’s the best thing to do.
As a retailer, you obviously have to deal with price increases. Do you pass this on to customers or do you compromise on the margin?
I would say that we as retailers should settle for a little less this year and next. I take a closer look at the cost of living, but other than that I don’t change much.
What other developments are affecting your ordering process this year?
I am more and more concerned with the topic of sustainability. I don’t want to buy products that are 100% polyester and I’m researching how and where the garments are made. I prefer products that come from the Netherlands or other European countries. I’m not ‘greener than green’, I’ll admit that, but I think it really helps if we all try a little harder. In that regard, I would rather choose higher prices and longer life than cheap and fast.
Do you mainly take the initiative yourself, or do the brands you work with do the same?
The brands I work with know I’m committed to sustainability, and they often do it themselves. But most importantly, customers are asking for it, so I need to be able to tell them something about it. You can then make your own choice based on that.
What do you expect from this season?
It will be an exciting autumn. How will prices develop, what will happen to the energy? I don’t think it’s going to be an easy fall, but alright – it depends what you make of it.
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.nl.