Wealden Times | WT244 | September 2022 | Winter Interiors Supplement inside

5 minutes with...
Gemma Holmes, Odyl’s owner
Tell us about your background in
fashion... I had worked in TV for years
and was always interested and drawn to
the fashion and what shapes and styles
worked on screen. When I had my son
my career path took a turn and Odyl was
born. I’ve now been on Cranbrook high
street for eight years and we’re set to stay!
Which brands and designers do you stock?
With all that’s recently gone on in the world,
we have been working very hard to keep
stocking the unique mix of European brands
we are well known for and that I love.
The Dutch brand Fabienne Chapot has been
at Odyl since the start and delivers season
after season. Their knowledge and attention
to detail on fabrics and prints is exceptional.
I also work with a very high end Italian
brand Partizia Pepe who offer individual
and unique premium womenswear.
Second Female has been one of my core
brands since I started here alongside
Onjenu – the stretchy dress brand
– which is a customer favourite.
How do you advise your customers
on the shapes and styles that will suit
them? The whole ethos behind Odyl is
to make our customers feel fabulous – my
customers are my best advert! We stock
a petite range alongside the core sizes
and are soon to introduce a plus size
offering in store and on the website.
As a woman who has been all different
shapes and sizes, I understand how
important it is to find out where a
customer’s body confidence lies and work
with them to accentuate this so they
feel comfortable. I’m also here to nudge
customers out of their comfort zone. I
feel very lucky that they trust in me and
my team to advise them and suggest
new things to try that ensure they leave
through our pink door feeling fabulous!
Patrizia Pepe sequin
jumpsuit £320, Odyl
odyldesign.com
What exciting pieces are arriving soon
for the new season? I’m excited to touch
on the oversized suiting and tailoring
trend in our usual colourful way! There are
some surprises arriving in store soon! We
all absolutely love the buttery soft MDK
leather jackets – the colour options this
season are phenomenal. Such a key piece
to change up an outfit. They can be casual
with jeans and a t-shirt or thrown over a
billowy dress to change the silhouette.
We have some great boots coming in from
Vanessa Wu in gorgeous metallics that
complement the beautiful feminine pieces
in our signature stand out colour palettes.
odyldesign.com
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