Welcome to Autumn Winter 17 – the collection I am most proud of to date. A lot has happened since my last post – mainly a gorgeous four weeks spent in Devon and then a rather strenuous three weeks writing all the copy for this collection and uploading all the images to the site, not to mention orchestrating four days of photo shoots. Also, as I write this it is time to reflect and also to celebrate as today is the exact date I launched Cleverly Wrapped three years ago. So Happy Birthday CW!
So much has happened to the business over the last three years and in the main I would say it has all been positive. I know that the buying has improved as I have learnt so much about all matters scarf related and also what people want. I also know that the photography has improved. It is such a huge part of online retailing and I am ever thankful to Justine Kirby who does all the shoots with me, who is a friend and who I think is brilliant at what she does. Together we have come a long way and the good news is we have fun doing it!
What has been frustrating is how long it takes to improve upon things. All the things I want to do differently take at least six months to put into action because of the way the fashion industry works. To give you an example I am off tomorrow to buy for Spring Summer 18 a whole six months before I will see the stock. Very frustrating for someone with little patience and a penchant for instant gratification!
So onto Autumn Winter 17. This collection is all about scarves and there are very few other accessories apart from some ponchos and some gorgeous knitted gloves. Although the business will continue to diversify in the summer I feel that scarves is what we are all about in the winter. The cashmere section is way bigger and way more colourful than it has ever been before and we have done a few special collaborations which give us exclusivity – namely three scarves by Madeleine Thompson which are designed for CW and a range of colours from Beshlie that are exclusive to CW. Last winter I was so pleased with the amount of really luxurious cashmere scarves that we sold so this year there are even more. All the cashmere is amazing quality and although I am sad that on line customers can’t feel it I can give you my word that it is all incredible. I can also tell you that in the cashmere section what you pay is what you get. Sometimes I see gorgeous cashmere scarves when I am buying but I won’t buy them if I think they are overpriced for what they are or if the quality of the cashmere is poor.
The other big change for Autumn Winter 17 is that you will notice a lot more CW own brand scarves. There are six new styles in the seasonal steals category which I believe are at a great price for the quality of the scarf you are getting. This is because they are being produced directly for CW so the middle man has been cut out.
Still with us is the CW Commuter Express which has been our best selling scarf since we started. This season it comes in six new colours and one old favourite. It sells just as well to women as it does to men and people are always blown away by the feel of the silk wool fabric. You will also see some entry level price point CW men’s wool scarves as well as our Classic Cashmere wrap. You can see the entire CW collection by clicking the link here.
I hope you like the collection as much as me. I can honestly say there isn’t one scarf that I am thinking ” why did I buy that?”, something that does happen when open boxes six months after the moment!
Time to wrap up warm and add a splash of colour to your wardrobe!
Happy Browsing of Autumn Winter 17!
Harriet x