Many of us find our most unique fashion pieces at trendy, hidden boutiques. Trouble is, when life gets busy, we don’t always have time to trek to these places to score the newest items when they first arrive. I love the idea of being able to shop for all of my favorite boutique items in one place. Lucky for me, the people at farfetch.com share a similar vision.
I spoke with Marketing Director Paul Brine to find out what farfetch.com has to offer, as well as some of his personal “must-haves” for this year. Herewith is what Paul had to say:
Q&A:
beso: Tell us about the farfetch.com philosophy and the idea behind the site.
Paul Brine: In 2001, farfetch.com founder José Neves helped open a boutique in London called b Store. He found that when entering the world of e-commerce, marketing a smaller store wouldn’t be easy. José came up with the idea of a site that would pull all the boutiques together, because they all had a different voice. farfetch.com began with just 20 stores.
b: Luxe, Lab, and Cult are three ways to shop farfetch. Tell us how you came up with the idea for these categories and what treasures we would find in each.
PB: These [categories] were José’s idea. We had a massive list of over 200 labels, in which some were casual and some avant-garde. We needed a way to separate them. Luxe is high-end, well known designers. Lab is up-and-coming and avant-garde designers. Cult is more casual, like denim and diffusion lines.
b: Are there any plans to expand farfetch.com to include more than U.S. and European boutiques?
PB: Yes, we are working with Brazilian boutiques right now. We plan to have these out within the next six months.
b: Your site not only carries exclusive designer fashions, but also lifestyle items. What are some of your favorite pieces?
PB: I like the Snake and Skull Candle by D.L. & Co. because it’s very gothic. I also like these prints by a company called Jaguar Shoes, which feature various artists’ work.
D.L. & Co. Skull with Snake Candle
b: What are some of your favorite fashion “must-haves” right now?
PB: For women, Pierre Hardy shoes. They have these silver metallic wedges with lots of straps. There are also these brass cuffs made by Givenchy. For men, Henrik Vibskov sweaters, which are colorful and have big faces on them. I also like the Opening Ceremony Desert boots.
Pierre Hardy Wedge Bootie Sandal
Givenchy Stud and Brass Cuff
Opening Ceremony Brown Leather Boots
b: What hot men’s accessories are key for summer 2010?
PB: Sunglasses. The Zanzan Zazou sunglasses are very retro and handmade in France, so they are great quality.
b: Who are some of your favorite designers?
PB: For women, it’s Christopher Kane. For men, I like Martin Margiela and Robert Geller.Â
b: Name the one item you have acquired from farfetch.com that you cannot live without.
PB: I have a shirt by Blaak Homme. It’s a navy shirt with white polka dots.
b: Who would be your ideal celebrity spokesperson for farfetch?
PB: It’s hard to pin it on just one. We would love to have Lara Stone. She is a Dutch model who has a lot of personality.
b: With over 400 designers on the site, can you tell us some of the most popular lines right now?
PB: Right now the top is Alexander McQueen. Although he has always been a top designer, with his recent death we have seen an increase. Opening Ceremony is big, too; we have a lot of their shoes on the site and they sell very well. Henrik Vibskov’s whole collection is on the site and has become a real cult label. All of these items are hard to find.
Alexander McQueen Yellow Heart-Shaped Peep Toes
b: What do you think it is about your site that keeps people coming back for more?
PB: The sheer amount of products found here. You can get lost in there for hours! We add new items every day, so you can come back next week and find all new things. Also, we have many exclusive brands that you just can’t find anywhere else.
b: Lastly, we’d like to know — What’s your beso? My beso is “be so unique.”
PB: I’d say our beso is “be so individual.”
- Dana for beso
