Paris in 30-degree heat is not nearly as enjoyable as Ibiza… the hot, sweaty Metro vs an icy cold mojito on the beach is no competition at all! However it’s during the hottest part of the year that fashion buying for the following summer takes place, and so it’s around now that fashion buyers from around the world – including those hailing from certain boutiques in Ibiza - descend on some of Europe’s greatest cities with a camera in one hand and a calculator in the other, ready to view the latest (and still top secret) ready-to-wear collections almost a year before they’ll arrive in store.
I make it out to sound terrible, being forced to spend (quite literally, from a buyer’s perspective) a few days away from the island in a bustling metropolis, but there’s a reason that city-folk come to Ibiza at this time of year, and it’s not just to spend a fortune at Pacha. Of course I can’t really complain – these buying trips are one of the best parts about having a boutique – going to various Fashion Weeks, to beautiful showrooms in stately buildings and being presented with a room full of clothes and a rail to put your selected things on… it’s certainly more fun than your average office job! It is slightly inconvenient that it occurs during the busiest part of the season in Ibiza, but hey, that goes with the territory.
The labels present the collections by private appointment, and always start with the season’s inspiration and what has been selling well. We then go around the rails ourselves and choose the items we think will work in our store here in Ibiza… so irrespective of how nice they are, we tend to ignore leather jackets and wool in summer!
The higher end brands usually supply models so you can see what you’ve selected actually being worn (because we all know things don’t always look the same on the body as they do on a hanger). Although I must say, some of the models make concentrating on the clothes rather difficult…
Depending on the brand (and how skinny we are feeling on a particular day!) sometimes we can try on the sample sizes too. We then take photos and write the orders (which includes choosing colours and fabrics), and that’s it until January/February, when the process starts again for winter.
So far this summer we’ve been to Paris, London, Madrid, Milan and Barcelona, and I’m happy to report there were some amaaaazing collections – we can’t wait for them to be delivered. Highlights include t-shirts from DJ’s favourite Y3 (which reVOLVER will stock next year for the first time) and Alexander McQueen McQ, plus an electrifying dress from Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania. But I can’t reveal any more, I’m afraid, or I’d have to kill you.
All I can say is that our customers are going to look hot, hot, HOT next year!
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