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BRAND WAGON
IEASHA WALKER meets Not Just A
Label’s Robert Cavell-Clarke to discuss
the company’s alternative business
model and growing community.
For many designers who are just starting out there’s always the need
to figure out what direction to take next. Thankfully, there are a
number of platforms and services that aid new fashion designers,
resulting in maximum exposure and opportunities that would’ve
otherwise been difficult to obtain.
Not Just A Label is one of those platforms, an online shop and
showroom for young and talented designers. Robert Cavell-Clarke,
Head of Scouting and Designer Relations, not only brings in
new designers but also works closely with them throughout their
progression with the company. Browsing through the website it’s
evident just how many designers they now work with – a consequence
of the company’s six-year growth spurt.
In just a few years, the company made a huge jump from just a few
hundred designers to working with thousands. “We’re taking on 100
new designers every week… we have 19,200 designers and that’s 120
countries now.” When looking for new designers he attends every
event in the UK as well as main fashion events worldwide. They even
keep up with other events that physically can’t be attended via the
Internet. “The quality has to be incredible and the production has to
be amazing and tell a story. We don’t sell little black dresses because
there would be no point – you can get those anywhere,” Robert says,
laying out exactly what he looks for when he’s on the prowl for new
talent.
However, Not Just A Label is more than just a concentrated online
platform for high-quality designers looking to promote their brands.
One of the things that sets them apart is filling in the gap when it
comes to communicating with and finding new designers. “A buyer
or stylist can go through the designers really quickly through our
website because all of the profiles are next to each other and they’re
built in the same way. We find, when doing our scouting, how
stressful it is going through the designers’ own websites. Sometimes
you won’t know the designer’s email address or where they’re based
because there’s no bio.”
“Serbia has an arms embargo
where the import and export of
metals are banned, making it
hard for a jewellery designer.
We have a jewellery designer
that couldn’t take her pieces
outside of the country and we got
involved and found a loophole.”
Robert calls the collection of hand-picked designers at Not Just A
Label a community, which highlights the cooperative values held
by the venture. Designers are encouraged to communicate and
work with one another which has yielded some incredible results,
“One of the designers made a Facebook group and someone’s always
writing on it – whether it’s asking advice about their designs or doing