Interview by Gemma Slater. Brand manager. www.Madamrage.com
Here at Madam Rage, we know that our customers love to be one step ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest trends. So, when I managed to catch five minutes with our very busy (and very fabulous!) Senior Buyer Kim Bowden, I knew you’d all want to hear what she has in store for next season. Kim oversees the new and exciting designs that come through from both catwalk inspiration and her knowledge on our best sellers to create those unique Madam Rage pieces.
Kim shared a lit a little bit of inside gossip on what’s in store for the upcoming season. Here’s what she had to say…
G. So Kim can you tell us what you are working on at the moment?
K. Sure, I am currently working on the May/June intake so we are in full swing of summer. – I have just signed off some fabulous maxi dresses in vibrant prints and colours. I just love the maxi season – they’re so versatile and easy to wear and they suit everyone. I am using best-selling shapes and have moved them on a little bit with some exciting new prints. I’m also trialling some new fabrics that I hope everyone is going to love.
G. They sound great! – Spring and Summer seem so far away since the sparkles and sequins of Christmas have only just finished! – How do you decide on what will go into the collection?
K. Well, as you can imagine we have to sample masses of designs to see how the look in real life. Ideas on paper can be so expressive but they don’t always work in the flesh! I begin by working with a colour pallet then decide which shapes would suit those colours – if they’re not immediately working the designs are out! I always over-commit myself on styles and have to have a last minute battle to decide which styles make the final collection in our sign off meetings, (things can get a little bumpy in these! We are normally in heated debates between the buying team! … We can sometimes find ourselves shouting at each other over the simplest of things but I am a true believer of a loud debate is always a beneficial one!)
G. Well as my office is next door to yours I can certainly tell when there is a signoff meeting next door! J So can you tell us what your colour pallets are for the spring collection and where you get the inspiration for these?
K. I have tried to concentrate on colours that I know our customers like, lots of teals, raspberry, navy and that all important cobalt blue! We also have colour pallet meetings at the early stages of the collection, we put together the strongest colours from the catwalk shows and read the reports from sites such as WGSN – these are crucial to us so that we know we will be in-line with our competitors. I guess there were two main trends to come out of these meetings, one being pastels, with Louis Vuitton’s SS12 collection being a strong inspiration for this. We have already placed a few styles in a gorgeous salmon coral so fingers crossed that will work for us! We are also concentrating on Tribal as a key trend. We used the Burberry SS12 collection as a platform of inspiration for print, pattern and colour.
G. They sound beautiful I can’t wait to brighten up my spring summer wardrobe! – so what are your favourite pieces that you have placed for the upcoming season?
K. Well I have so many favourites! (I do put the collection together after all!) – I would say the pieces I will be wearing myself this season are some of the colour block tunics, they are so easy to wear in the office or out for drinks and the colour combinations of bold and neutrals really feel new! I also am a massive fan of the best-selling dress from last year. This is the Sleeveless lace belted dress. For the autumn we did it in black and it was a massive success so we have brought it back in some great new colours: Coral, cream and a gorgeous cobalt blue. I have also brought in a gorgeous semi-backless maxi dress that has a striking nautical feel to it – bring on the day that I can wear that one! It’s almost a reason to book a holiday! I am just so excited about the whole collection – I think it is a strong mix of the best of the old and a blast of the best of the new.
G. The collection sounds so exciting! – I can’t wait to see how much the customers like it. So when can we get our hands on it?
K. The collection starts to come in next week then it will trickle in throughout the next few months with around 4-5 new styles every week. We think it is important to keep the newness coming through but not to bombard the customers with options and keep the collection tight.
G. Thanks for all the inside gossip and for your time Kim we will let you carry on with your work.
Here are a few snaps we managed to get of the upcoming collection, take a look; we would love to hear your comments!
