Bespoke Furniture.com by Margaret Graham

A friend was practically bald, so often did I find her pulling out her hair, so I sat her down for a gin, and discussed the situation. The problem was to do with finding– no, not a person, but furniture that would fit into her life. All I could do was to pour several more gins, and suggest she tore up blotting paper instead.

If only I had known about Bespoke Furniture.com. We would still have drunk the gin, but she would have paid for it, so pleased would she have been with me. So just in case any Frost readers have a similar problem, read on. But don’t forget the gin.

How Moving into a Flat Made me Start a Furniture Business

by Adam Buchan

Nothing beats a room of one’s own and I was delighted when I moved into the flat above the pizza delivery parlour.

Next up was the thorny question of how to furnish it. I had a problem. Originally part of a bigger house, the rooms were an awkward shape and I found it impossible to find furniture that I liked and would fit in. Eventually, I ended up commissioning a kitchen dresser and dining table but they were both disappointing and badly made.

Two years later, having built the website myself,  I am running a company, bespokefurniture.com, which oversees the making and delivery of just such wooden furniture, including kitchen dressers, larder units, wardrobes, chest of drawers, and tables.

Welsh-Triple-Dresser-Glazed-Top

Description: Welsh Triple Dresser, Glass Door Top

Its aim is simple: to provide high-quality made-to-measure furniture from the best British workshops. All of our furniture is handmade to order, so customers can specify their exact dimensions, paint colour, timber and handles.

It took me eighteen months (much longer than anticipated) to find the right workshops, during which time I travelled the length of the country. There were a lot of individual craftsmen that were not geared up for regular orders but eventually I found the right partners, based in Staffordshire and Yorkshire.

After much deliberation over the blueprints for each piece of furniture, I launched the company, unleashed an on-line marketing campaign and held my breath. It took a week for the first order to come through… but then another soon after. I haven’t looked back since then, sales have been climbing month after month.

Bespoke Furniture.com by Margaret Graham

Description: Double Wardrobe, Four Drawer

I have learnt an enormous amount. Quality control has to be maintained at all times, and takes a lot of care and patience. Couriers can be unpredictable. Customers can change their mind. But all of these issues are part of any retail business. My original conviction was that if we could deliver excellent quality, affordable furniture within a reasonable timeframe, then there is a really significant market to be tapped – and this is definitely proving to be the case.

https://www.bespokefurniture.com/

 

 

 

Women Have £404 Worth of Clothing Gathering Dust in their Wardrobes

  • Over 10 billion pounds worth of clothes languishing in British women’s wardrobes
  • 80% of women have fashion items they haven’t worn in the past year
  • 35% of women forget clothes in their wardrobes
  • 32% of women have stopped wearing clothes as often because they have put on weight

 

summer clothesBased on recent research, there could be up to 10 billion pounds worth of clothes lying unloved and unworn in British women’s wardrobes, left over from shopping sprees and Saturday afternoons on Britain’s high streets. A survey* released today by luxury resale clothing site VestiaireCollective.com has found that the average British woman has over £1900 worth of clothes, handbags and accessories in her wardrobe.

The survey, commissioned by YouGov, also found that 80% of women have items lurking that haven’t been worn for over a year. With the average woman having not worn 21% of the fashion items they own in the last year, VestiaireCollective.com estimates that this could mean that £10.1 billion pounds worth of fashion lying paid for but unworn in women’s wardrobes.

The survey of over 1000 women found that over one in three women (35%) had actually just forgotten about the clothes in their wardrobe, suggesting that there are some women with a few too many items nestling in the darkest recesses of their closet. Thirty two per cent of women had also stopped wearing their clothes as often because they had put on weight since buying them, with their growing waistlines accounting for smaller sizes being left to hang. Surprisingly, 26% of women stated that they don’t wear certain items more often because they are the wrong size or fit for them.

The average value of a woman’s wardrobe was £1909, the value of the contents rising with age; 18-24 year olds typically having wardrobes worth £1495, and the 55 and overs with £2,232 worth of items.

Fanny Moizant, UK Managing Director and Co-Founder of Vestiaire Collective believe that women should clear and recycle their clothing. She says: “It is sad to see so many once loved items lying unworn in women’s wardrobes. Clean and well-kept branded items will sell in a few days and will give the seller extra money to spend on something that won’t be forgotten or will actually fit. Vestiaire Collective has made it easy for pre-loved fashion to be given a new life and sold on, which can net sellers a sizeable profit in the cash-strapped few months of the New Year.”

Fanny continues:

“And the good news for British women is that this year many of our global shoppers have asked for more British high street, heritage and luxury brands to be sold on the site. With the average clothing item starting from £40 on the site, we’re encouraging everyone to de-clutter and make space in their wardrobes this year.”

 

* *Calculation by Vestiaire Collective: £1909.92 (average worth of wardrobe) x 21.17% (average amount of clothes not worn in the last year) = £404.43 (value of unworn clothes) x 25,074,877 (women in Great Britain) = £10,138,526,622

* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,046 adults (1,053 female adults). Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th – 16th December 2013.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

How To Clear Out Your Wardrobe.

I have always wanted to be one of those women who wear matching underwear everyday, and are always effortlessly stylish. That is not me however, and I have decided being myself is much better. However, I am so busy that I have become obsessed with being organised and keeping everything in it’s place. I started with my wardrobe, and this is what I learned.

Take all of your clothes out of your wardrobe and try everything on. It can be quite overwhelming bringing everything out at once, so you can do half at once, or maybe just a drawer. Everything that doesn’t fit, put in one pile. Be realistic about this pile. Are you going to lose weight? Then put everything else into three other piles.


Keep

Unsure

Charity shop/Ebay/Recycle.

Get ride of stuff that doesn’t suit you, in poor condition and hasn’t been worn in 12 months.

Another good thing to do is have a one in and one out policy. Everything you buy something new, get ride of something old. Keep only a few old clothes for decorating or housework.

Things that need dry cleaning should only be in your wardrobe if you really love them or have money.

Put things that need alterations or mending. As well as shoes that need re-soled.

Everything in the keep pile should be put back in the wardrobe. Arrange the clothes by type, then colour. Everything in the get ride pile should then be put in another three piles (!) sell, give away, and recycle. Sell anything you think you can on Ebay or to a designer outlet, give away the stuff that you are not selling to charity (get gift aid so you can claim it against your tax.) All of the other stuff can be recycled, don’t just throw it away. There are charities that can recycle your old clothes.

Your maybe pile will probably make you indecisive. Ask a friend or a partner for their opinion, put all of the clothes in a bag and hide them away, if you don’t miss it after a few months then throw them out.

Get ride of things that don’t enhance your life.

Sales of sewing machines are up by 50%.

    Don’t buy something in the sale just because it’s cheap. You’re not ‘saving’ money, you are buying a problem.
    Know your body shape and what your comfortable in.
    Buy investment pieces.
    Learn from your mistakes.
    Take an inventory.
    Throw out cloths that you haven’t worn for 6 months.
    Find a style that suits you and stick with it. Have the courage to ignore what is fashionable and go for timeless elegance.

Organise your wardrobe. Buy some Vacuum sacks [£11.78 , lakeland.co.uk] to keep out of season clothes in and get some cedar or Lavender balls to repel moths.

Storage boxes are great and can be bought cheaply. These ones are cheap and can be stacked on top of each other As can hanging racks and hooks. Hooks Value Pack

Sewing kit. Learn how to sew. Take a class in dressmaking.

No wire hangers. They ruin clothes

Keep bags and accessories accessible. Stuff bags and shoes and keep them in their original packaging. Keep bags in the dust covers that they come with.

If you can afford a Hand-held steamer, get one. They are a great investment.

Fold knitwear, once horizontally and then put arms across the body for fewer creases. It will stretch if hung.

Dry-clean only clothes should be removed from packaging as soon as possible, as the chemicals can cause damage.

Get shoes resoled regularly. Buy the most expensive shoes you can afford and then look after them. Buy a shoe tree to keep them in tip-top condition. Wood Shoe Tree

Riding boats never go out of style.

Hang everything in the same direction.

Store clothes with acid-free tissue paper, to keep out moisture and damp.

If your leather shoes are too tight, heat them with a hairdryer and wear them with a thick pair of socks.


Some items of clothing that never go out of fashion.

A pencil skirt

Trench coat.

Plain court shoes

White Shirt

Good quality jeans.

Silk blouse

Pale, fuss-free underwear.

Sharp Blazer

Black Trousers

Little Black dresses.

Hang trousers upside down from clip hangers to avoid creases.

Got any tips of your own?