Opening a retail store is no small feat. Most emerging designers, and even some established designers, cannot afford this in today’s environment. Rent prices have skyrocketed, a global pandemic still looms, and the world of ecommerce is completely flooded. So I was really excited to hear that luxury retailer The Shelter in the heart of Ponsonby, Auckland, has come up with a new accessible solution. Rack rental. With the cost of having your own retail offering out of reach for most, this is a fantastic affordable opportunity to showcase your talent to their 10,000+ customer base.
For those who don’t know, The Shelter is a curated lifestyle destination popular for its experimental and explorative traits. It is one of the most fashionable retailers in New Zealand and the team is dedicated to promoting and supporting the New Zealand fashion industry and its emerging designers.
Rack rental is super simple, it’s an extremely affordable monthly subscription to showcase and sell your designs alongside top New Zealand and international luxury brands in this prime retail space. Not only the rack itself, but they have also bundled in a few other opportunities to layer your selling experience. Including different elements like social media features, newsletter inclusions, brand-led in-store activation, and a window display opportunity. This is a great platform to test the waters and gain confidence to sell your garments.
The Shelter are looking for designers to apply via office@theshelter.co.nz with their brand identity book, two recent season lookbooks, and a cover letter explaining how you would utilise this opportunity. You can find more information on the full packages at www.theshelteronline.com.
The retail arena is like your own showroom. You can invite your clients into your own environment, a world that is important to the designer’s vision. I wanted to help bridge the gap for young designers to create a professional retail experience for their brand.
An in-store presentation and the constant client interactions that come with a retail presence is an invaluable tool and an important learning curve for designers. It’s also a great branding opportunity. Today’s costs of rental spaces, store fit-outs and the ever increasing wage costs inhibit this experience for a young brand, so we created this opportunity to experience the great parts of retail. They can sit their brand side by side leading New Zealand and international designers and by being part of this they get to create their own environment around their rack, they choose what stock they want to show and we keep their brand all together in their space creating their brand experience within our retail store.
– Vicki Taylor, Creative Director of The Shelter
