Building a brand in tough times

Launching our childrenswear brand, Lilly + Sid in February 2009 might not have seemed great timing to most. Headlines reported of ‘Bankrupt Britain’ , cotton and energy prices were soaring and the exchange rate was moving rapidly.

Fast forward 3 years and our brand is the best selling UK babywear brand to UK independents * with a fast growing list of off-shore stockists. It hasn’t been easy , but it has been an incredible journey which we feel we are only just beginning. As we continue to build our brand in the tough economic climate, we continue to live by our team principles.

 1)      Save where you can, spend where you can’t

There is an endless stream of avenues within which to spend your capital and you don’t need to go down all of them at once

2)      Dare to be different

Customers need an enhanced ‘reason to buy’ when times are tight.  To us, there is no such thing as a’ best seller repeat’. We encourage our team to ask the ‘why not’ rather than the ‘why”- ‘why would a baby boy wear knitted leggings?’ – “why not?”! Dont copy, invent!

 3)  Stick with what you know

As parents of 3, we knew there was opportunity for a brand ‘to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary’ so we started the business with the help of factories and friends we have worked with in the industry over the past 15 years. As our babies have grown, we found wanting for a trend led range of everyday wear at good price points . Not an extension of our baby range, we knew our own children wanted their own look and so L+S Brother and Sister was born!

4) Listen

There is a wealth of knowledge out there which we build upon each day. From our stockists customers and sales agents giving us feedback, ideas and suggestions from the front line to successful entrepreneurs who have become our mentors. Feedback is free and also the most vital aid in building our brand.

5) Love it

Ok, not all day everyday, but most of the time most days. If we don’t love a product, process or price then we change it – FAST. As a start-up business we knew our key strength over the established competition was our ability to make change happen. As our business grows and becomes a little less small, we try and remain as fast paced and excited as we were on day 1, February 2009.

Here’s to the next 3 years!

Imran Hassan, co-founder of Lilly + Sid

 *as reported in CWB magazine industry measure 2012.