Alongside him and Kegels, they also now have a team member working on business development, so that Kegels can keep focused on the creative. “At some point, it’s funny that you have to put a label on someone’s job,” she says. “That’s also something that happened this season. Before it was kind of free and suddenly it’s like, ‘OK, now you only do that.’ You have to create structure as you become more of a company. Now, we need to be a bit serious — and it’s good to see my [employees] grow.”
Production challenges
Like any young brand, Julie Kegels is faced with production challenges. Kegels manufactures in Portugal and Romania, alongside her native Belgium. Though she’s still building personal relationships with suppliers, which is crucial to getting a good place in the production queue and making orders on time. “It’s super difficult because you don’t have so much time to just go there, or you don’t have the budget to go there the whole time and to visit them — so that’s also really not possible,” Kegels says. “But that’s a goal for the future. I think it would be very helpful.”
Kegels built her US and Asia-Pacific business via sales agents in the regions, and based on the success, she’s hired a European agent this time to scale that market. “It’s strange because we’re from Europe, but everyone is always saying it’s more difficult,” she says. “[European consumers] are a bit slower to trust brands, and I get that.”
In the meantime, the designer doesn’t want to force things: “We want to be patient; that’s important for us. Because if you force something, they will also drop you. And you really want to have a steady relationship with everyone.”
Facing a challenging wholesale market, Kegels is working on her direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, producing drops that differ from the collection in third-party stores. Her revenue is mostly from wholesale right now, but with the new drops, she’s learning more about those who shop directly with the brand. “We started out selling expensive pieces on e-commerce, but now we know that doesn’t work, so we’ve changed it,” she says.
E-commerce is also proving fruitful when celebrities wear her clothes. In May, Dua Lipa wore a strong-shouldered denim jacket from the label, which sold out on the brand’s site “in a second”, Kegels says. Another dress with a green lining, which the brand shared on its Instagram, also performed well DTC. “That’s working for us, because people find it more approachable.”
The goal, ultimately, is not to create a trend or hype, but “to grow in a sustainable way, and do everything step by step”.
Post-show, Kegels confidently explains her approach and her mood board to a throng of smiling journalists. With an interesting concept, a woman’s point of view and a little bit of star power, perhaps this show will propel her label even further.
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