{"id":2522,"date":"2018-09-28T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T05:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insider.utelier.com\/?p=2522"},"modified":"2024-02-19T15:30:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T15:30:04","slug":"silent-goods-bravery-in-the-face-of-adversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashioninsiders.co\/features\/designer-interviews\/silent-goods-bravery-in-the-face-of-adversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Silent Goods: Bravery in the face of adversity"},"content":{"rendered":"
In our present fashion landscape brands typically make the cut by learning to shout the loudest with marketing nous and myriad Instagram followers. They also, invariably have the deepest pockets to fund expensive product development and grandiose launches.<\/p>\n
Doing the opposite to your competitors may all be well and good but why bother?<\/p>\n
If atypical brands do survive – the route to survival will be slow and hand-to-mouth.<\/p>\n
How do these brave hearts plan to grab market share from the likes of E-tailers Everlane and Patagonia who have succumbed to the pressure of launching physical stores, and who is their ideal customer?<\/p>\n
In fact, where will they find customers if they don\u2019t also have bricks and mortar store to attract passing trade?<\/p>\n
I caught up with Oliver Ruuger the creative director of new brand Silent Goods to question his and his teams\u2019 motivation behind launching a brand that has chosen to go down the road least travelled.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For me, it feels like it\u2019s been a very long time coming.<\/p>\n
Silent Goods is a sum of several ideas that our team has been discussing for years in our day-to-day work. (Our background is designing and crafting handbags for some small and big brands). A lot of the common practices that make the fashion industry work as it does just didn\u2019t make sense for what we wanted to create and how we wanted to work. It\u2019s taken us a few years to come to this point but it felt that all the pieces of the puzzle were in sync to finally start something of our own.<\/p>\n
My background is in design.<\/p>\n
I work as a designer and creative director, teach design at universities and have been running our design workshop since 2012, together with my co-founder craftsman Volker Koch. We also create art pieces and have been exhibiting work in a number of galleries including the V&A museum in London and MAXXI in Rome.<\/p>\n
Firstly it\u2019s important to say that our sights are not set on creating a big company. I think size is something that creates problems of its own. Silent Goods can exist very well making a relatively small amount of bags each year. Our customers are finding us by word of mouth or by searching for something very specific.<\/p>\n
So we are not for everyone, and that is a good thing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As far as transparency goes, we look at it simply as good manners, something that should be an integral part of every new sustainable business that is starting up. We don\u2019t see transparency as the reason why someone should buy a bag from us, it\u2019s just a manner of communicating so that people can make informed choices.<\/p>\n
Find out:<\/strong> Manufacturers that are trusted and we have verified in person<\/a><\/h5>\n
What do you consider to be your USP?<\/h3>\n
We are the “anti IT” bag.<\/p>\n
No labels, no logos!<\/p>\n
Just well designed, well-made\u00a0bags that do not need to shout to be heard.<\/p>\n
Who is your ideal customer?<\/h3>\n
Someone who cares about the choices they make and takes the time to be interested.<\/p>\n
How do you intend to reach customers through online sales alone?<\/h3>\n
We are hopeful that by really taking care of our customers post-sale, people will share what we do with their like-minded friends.<\/p>\n
It seems to be working great so far, we haven\u2019t even launched our online store yet and we have a considerable waiting list for bags that are not even made yet.<\/p>\n
While the ideology of charging the consumer less by foregoing the wholesale route is laudable, why are you eschewing the tried and tested method for maximizing sales?<\/h3>\n
Firstly, we do not need to maximize sales. Foregoing the wholesale route has two main benefits.<\/p>\n
For one, we don\u2019t have to include the wholesale margin in our price, therefore the bags cost about half of what they would if they ended up in a department store.<\/p>\n
But the more important reason is that by removing the 3rd party from the equation, we can have a direct communication with the person who will use the bag that we made.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to say that the relationship doesn\u2019t end with the sale, it only begins.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What are your future plans for scaling up?<\/h3>\n
We offer a lifetime warranty and free annual care and conditioning for each bag.<\/p>\n
At the moment we have our workshop in London available for our customers, but it is not as easily accessible for people from other countries. It is a little early to talk about scaling up, but for us, it would mean opening more workshops to be closer to those customers.<\/p>\n
How are you funding the business?<\/h3>\n
Silent Goods is self-funded.<\/p>\n
Where do you manufacture?<\/h3>\n
One of the founders of Silent Goods, Hamdi Sarackardesler is a 5th generation proprietor of a leather goods manufacturer in Istanbul Turkey, called Petek.<\/p>\n
The company was officially founded in 1855, however, the family roots go all the way back to the 16th century Ottoman empire.<\/p>\n
Sarackardesler means \u201csaddle brother\u201d in Turkish, the name given to the craftsmen who travelled with the horseback army and repaired their saddles<\/p>\n
How do you select your suppliers \u2013 do they have to be sustainable, ethical\u2026etc.<\/h3>\n
Collectively, our team has been in the industry for many decades and we have a fantastic network of suppliers and collaborators supporting us.<\/p>\n
In general, a bag has 7 main components<\/strong>: the main material, the lining textile, metal fittings, zips, thread, glue and reinforcements.<\/p>\n
We have selected the very best for each, based on our experience and sustainability.<\/p>\n
Related reading:<\/strong> How to Make a Handbag if Your Background isn’t in Fashion<\/a><\/h5>\n