SHOW SPECIAL - Attire Accessories magazine

SECOND
II
24 ATTIRE
I
LIFE
South London boutique Deuxième is a creative hub where fabulous designer accessories are given a
second chance. We spoke to owner Camilla Simson about the store...
WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER
BACKGROUND BEFORE YOU
OPENED DEUXIÈME?
I am a trained actress so I spent the
years pre-Deuxième enjoying lots of
fun acting jobs in theatre, television
and fi lm. Th ere were, however, quite
a few periods of no work, which was
not so enjoyable! Initially I did a lot
of waitressing between acting jobs but
then a friend introduced me to a great
second-hand shop, “Dressage” (now
Deuxième!) where she was working
part-time, so I got myself a job there
whilst continuing to act.
WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO LAUNCH THE BUSINESS?
After a few years of working at Dressage part-time, the owner wanted to
sell the business and move to the country to start a family. By that time I
was aware that I needed something to supplement my acting career if I ever
wanted to get a mortgage and have a regular income, so I made an overnight
decision to get a huge bank loan and buy the business. It was the quickest and
biggest decision I’ve ever made, but probably the best one! Of course, there
have been ups and downs, and if I’d known what running my own business
entailed I’d probably never have done it, but I’m glad that I did.
Th e great thing is that I can continue to take acting jobs as the shop runs
pretty smoothly even when I’m not there and my staff is largely made up of
actors and singers, which makes for a lovely, creative atmosphere!
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE CONCEPT OF THE SHOP?
I took over the existing business and business model in 2001. My intention
was to improve the quality of the stock and create a more boutique feel so
it was more like a girly haven rather than a glorifi ed charity shop. I then
re-vamped, re-branded and re-launched in 2006 as Deuxième.
HOW DID YOU SELECT THE PREMISES AND LOCATION FOR
YOUR STORE?
I didn’t need to think about the location of the premises but the store is in a
great location; it’s a lovely, villagey area near the Kings Road with really nice
shops and cafés, and Parsons Green tube is just round the corner. Th ere are a
lot of yummy mummy types in the area who are very loyal customers but there
are also many photographic studios and recording studios around which brings
a fashionable edge to the area.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE CORE CUSTOMER
BASE FOR DEUXIÈME?
Th e beauty of a shop like this is that there really is something for everyone
regardless of age, so we have customers ranging from teenagers to
octogenarians! Th e core customer base is probably 25 to 45 year olds from
around southwest London, but we have loyal customers from all over the city
and from outside of London too.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE OVERALL
PRESENTATION OF THE SHOP?
It’s got a very girly, boutique feel and people often don’t realise that the stock
is second-hand, though a lot of the time items are actually totally unworn
anyway. It feels very relaxed, welcoming and homey, almost like you’re in your
big sister’s dressing-room, with a glamorous and bohemian edge.
HOW DO YOU SOURCE NEW PRODUCT LINES AND
DESIGNERS FOR THE SHOP?
Customers come in and show us the items they want to sell and we look
through them, obviously only considering good quality, fashionable things in
good condition from top labels. We choose the items that we think we can sell,
agree a price for each one with the owner and then display the items in the
shop for eight weeks. Th e customer will receive half of the amount of any of
their items that we sell and if any items do not sell, the customer can arrange
to collect them at the end of the eight week period. Alternatively, we can send
them to charity.
WHAT ARE THE KEY FACTORS YOU CONSIDER WHEN
INTRODUCING A NEW PRODUCT LINE?
We have clothes brought in to us for selling every day so we obviously have
to be quite picky as there is always limited space in the store. We can consider
some very good high street labels but we do try to concentrate more on
designer and high-end pieces, although having said that, in these economic