What about the uniqueness of buying for a boutique allows you to sell to such close circles of friends and family?
I would say that it is the ability to know every one of your clients. By knowing every client, you know their circles and can therefore purchase according to what is happening in their lives. I know when many clients will be attending the same event and can be sure that I have purchased a vast selection of unique looks for each of them. When it comes to our everyday wardrobe, I keep everyone, family or friend in my thoughts when I am purchasing to be sure that classic, modern, and contemporary looks are included in our mix.
How do you grow with fashion and where it is headed without loosing those customers that might not be ready for the next wave of trends?
Growing with fashion isn’t an option if you are in the fashion business. It is more about how you interpret fashion and trends. To be ready for the clients that embrace these trends early and then continue to offer these trends as other clients are ready. Good fashion isn’t identical for everyone. Good fashion is unique and special and styled individually for each client and shouldn’t have to do with a trend. Do we sell some of the same looks and styles to multiple clients? Sure we do, but not without asking, "Can each of those clients wear it and look great?" I have said this before, and here it goes again, fashion and style is not about being identical, “the sea of sameness”. Fashion is about a diversity of looks, created from a mix of pieces by multiple designers.What does age diversity mean to you and how do you buy for it?
Age does not play a large part of my decision in buying for the store. After 24 years, I know who we serve and who we would like to serve. Good fashion is often ageless. What I take into consideration is having enough sleeve options, different skirt and dress lengths, higher and lower necklines, and different rises in our pant options. These are the things that are important to “age” and can be as important at 30 as they are at 80.When you think of generational style, how do you define that?
Good fashion is ageless and I do not purchase according to age, I purchase according to our client that I know very well.Are there fabrics you buy specific to the customers you serve?
Fabric choices have changed tremendously over the years, due to technology. Technology has influenced designers from evening wear to casual wear. Our professional suiting is more comfortable as well. The most important part of selecting fabrics is how they are going to hang on women. I look for quality design made with quality fabric. Pretty simple, really. Sometimes price plays a part in that quality, meaning it will be a more expensive garment, other times it doesn’t. But fabrics that move, breathe and hang well are always selected as a part of our offerings. With the activeness of women and their lifestyle needs, we meet this challenge everyday with our selections.
What are you excited about in regards to the future of fashion?
I guess I would say that I am excited because there will always be a future to fashion. There will always be women with a desire to dress well and appropriate for every occasion. So there will always be a need for wonderful buyers, merchants, designers and stylists to interpret the current need and looks for these women. Every season I am still inspired by the new designs and new innovations in fabric and details. I love to see new designers emerge and the designers we love, excel at what they do. I cannot predict what will excite me in a year, five years or ten years, but I know I will be excited and inspired by something fashionable every year!
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Stylist and Jophiel owner, Julie loves that she gets to be around pretty clothing and work with beautiful people each day at the store! As an entrepreneurial business leader in fashion she has the specific goal of continuing the unique perspective of a fashion merchant; selecting fashion lines, creating seasonal stories and inspiring creativity and success for Jophiel staff, clients and the community she serves. You can read more from Julie here.
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