THE FASHION MATCHMAKER

The best partnerships are built with care, not speed. On average, I need around six months to identify and onboard three strong new partners for your brand. Done right, from day one. Some brands can expect even more.

It starts with an in-depth intake and a personal visit to your company. Not to tick boxes, but to truly understand your brand’s DNA, your collection, and the people behind it. I come to you and that visit is simply part of the arrangement, not something you find back on an invoice afterwards. Combined with a close analysis of your existing export markets I know what kind of partner fits and what kind doesn’t.

That precision matters:

85% of the matches I’ve made over the past 16 years are still active together after the first five years. Success comes down to genuine alignment; in brand identity, work ethic and retail portfolio.

Once I’ve found the right candidate(s), I introduce them to you officially. You have the conversation(s), you make the decision. When there’s a fit, the partnership can start the following season and any lead time in between is put to good use, building awareness and preparing the market for the new kid in town.

Whatever the reason is, if a candidate falls short of your expectations, I pick the search straight back up in that specific region and find a better alternative.

How we work together

I work on a fixed monthly retainer, invoiced monthly in advance. Everything above is in it: the intake, the search, the visit, the introductions, my travel and the fairs where these many times actually happen. No hourly counting, no surprises halfway through the month.

Six months matches the rhythm I described. Twelve gives us two selling campaigns instead of one at a lower monthly rate, and honestly, that is where this work comes into its own. A partner signed late in the first season only shows turnover in the second.

The three partners I commit to are covered by the retainer. Should we find more, and that happens, a modest one-off fee applies per additional partner, invoiced only once they’ve placed their first order. If it doesn’t earn you anything, it doesn’t cost you anything.

After the first three months you are free to stop, whatever the reason. And if we haven’t reached three partners by the end of the agreed period, I simply carry on until we have. Without additional billing, of course.