145 – Revisited: James Eden, Private White V.C.
Listen to this episode of the Make it British Podcast (26:56)
Powered by the Simple Podcast Press Player
Listen to this episode of the Make it British Podcast (26:56)
In this episode, I revisit an interview I did back in 2018 which is still very relevant today.
It’s a ‘no holds barred’ interview with James Eden, owner of Private White V.C. who tells me how he’s turned a clothing factory that solely manufactured for other brands, including Burberry, into one that makes 90% own-brand luxury clothing sold direct to the customer.
Find out how (and why) James took on this challenge and his unique costing policies which have helped his business stand out in the crowd.
It’s great advice for any British-made brand or UK manufacturer.
Discover
- The history behind the Private White V.C. brand
- Why James decided to switch his factories production from solely manufacturing for other brands to launching his own label
- Advice he’d give to other manufacturers that want to launch their own brand
- The challenges the factory faced when supplying big brands and retailers
- The pros and cons of selling wholesale
- How he’s flipped his pricing strategy on its head and the reaction that it’s had with their customers
- His decision to offer transparent costings
- Why good design is so important
- His thoughts on Black Friday – “zero discount on everything”
- How to build a loyal customer base
- His initiatives to recruit and develop staff and skills
Comment on this episode
1 Comment
Leave a Comment
Search the Blog
As a fellow UK manufacturer of a Brand, although not in the fashion world, I can fully relate with many of his words. Love his piece on sustainability, longevity and profitability ending with transparency! We at muggi have recently moved away from the traditional distributor model and trying to concentrate on direct sales to consumers and build those relationships for the future. We try and make a brilliant product at an affordable price, both for us and the customer, we promise that it will deliver against that initial expectations and hope they will be delighted. Having now visited their website I was delighted to read the article on Zips! Such an important element within any garment that can potentially ruin the wearers experience on a daily basis, as it jams and pops open until it breaks, rendering the garment useless. A beautiful example of how attention to small details can make all the difference! I’m not really name dropping but I had the privilege of interviewing Richard Branson many years ago and he gave me these three words of business advice: Accept absolute personal responsibility; Pay obsessive attention to detail; Deliver outrageous value; Never stop improving; and Keep moving forward. All as relevant back then as they are today, some even more so. As Churchill once said ”When you are going through Hell keep going. That is certainly enough quotes for now, thank you Kate and James for sharing some really useful thoughts, greatly appreciated. DT