Ashleigh Dempster had early success with her trendy children's shoe line, AKID, but after a few years in major retailers she scaled back her business to focus on the consumer.
as a direct-to-consumer business was always the right one. I just didn’t know it at the time.When I launched I had zero experience in footwear so I was easily distracted by all the wholesale and distribution opportunities that presented themselves.
I didn’t have the right team to support the demand. That, coupled with production issues put in me in a position where I was pouring all my time, energy and resources into an antiquated model where I was losing control of the brand on the other end. In addition to this, we always had difficulty fitting into the box that the retailers needed us to fit in. I remember during my first big meeting with a large department store they asked me to divide my collection into boys and girls. As a gender-neutral brand, this should have been my signal to walk out the door. Last Fall I made the decision to move away from wholesale.
Four years ago I launched our annual Egg Hunt in LA which is a by invitation only event for over 300 customers and friends of the brand. Not only do we offer a giant chocolate candy and egg hunt for the kids but we always support a local charity through a clothing and shoe drive. The event has become a tradition now and it’s these type of experiences that allow me to connect with my loyal customers.
This is not to say some form of wholesale or retail presence is not in our future. It’ll just be done in a very thoughtful, unique way. from the very beginning. Why have you not raised money and should new brands focus on raising money in their early stages?Since inception, I have been approached a handful of times with opportunities to partner/ take on investors but to be completely honest, I didn’t feel ready.
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