Elegance with Edge
Bold, contemporary and growing fast, UK-based Sosandar is carving out its niche in the competitive world of British fashion – blending trend-led design with savvy digital strategy to win over style-conscious women across the world. Here we converse with Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Ali Hall and Julie Lavington to discuss what comes next for the brand amid recent expansion.
The business was launched in 2016 with a vision to become a global one-stop destination for fashion-forward women. Its customers are people that want the latest trends that work in real life, they want clothes that make them feel good and it’s the business’ mission to cater for these desires, with a diverse product range across all sizes, empowering every woman to feel simultaneously sexy, feminine and chic.
The company makes predominantly own-label exclusive products, designed and tested in-house, which are sold through Sosandar.com and its own stores, as well as through a number of third party partnerships with NEXT and Marks & Spencer.
Opening its first stores last year, Sosandar now operates six sites in the UK in Marlow, Chelmsford, Bath, Harrogate, the Metrocentre in Gateshead and St David’s centre in Cardiff, Wales. Most recently they opened stores in Bath and Harrogate in February this year. These two locations were carefully selected for being affluent, thriving locations where their customers over-index.
In Bath, the store is located in SouthGate, the main shopping area in the heart of the city. It is close to the thoroughfare of Bath Spa train station with convenient underground parking. The store is in a prime position, adjacent to retailers such as Reiss and Oliver Bonas. Harrogate, meanwhile, is one of the largest commercial centres in North Yorkshire and is home to 76,800 people. Here, the store is in a prime trading position on James Street, surrounded by other established retailers such as The White Company and Mint Velvet.
“Our growth strategy is focused on continuing to grow brand awareness and expand our addressable market and routes to market, reaching customers wherever they want to shop,” comments Ali Hall, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Sosandar. “This is achieved both through direct-to-consumer channels and through chosen third-party partners, in the UK and internationally,” adds Julie Lavington, Sosandar Co-Founder
and Co-CEO.
Discussing guest experience, the two agree that with their store portfolio, their aim has been to bring the online to the physical space, to enable a seamless shopping experience. In addition, they know their customers and create products they want to wear, which ultimately ensures a positive shopping experience. Their decision about what to stock in store is informed by their learnings on which products are best-sellers, so they are able to stock products the customers want most.
Beginning life as an e-commerce brand, they have always been a digital-first business, at the forefront of evolving technologies and as an agile business they are able to adapt according to how their customers want to shop. Sosandar was built through social media and its success is evident in the strength of the brand and its loyal and growing customer base.
Sustainability has been a hot topic for a number of years now and Sosandar has a ‘Responsible fashion business’ framework embedded within its core values and they constantly review their practices in order to improve them.
“We understand that the company has an impact on the world and therefore we have a duty to act responsibly as we continue to grow and expand its influence. Throughout our business operations, company culture and interactions with our community and customers, we strive to have a positive impact on society. To mitigate our environmental impact, we source products from sustainable sources and use packaging which is ‘green’ and recyclable,” highlights Hall.
As our conversation moves onto the subject of key drivers, Lavington explains that the brand’s success has been built on an exceptional product range, seamless customer experience and impactful, lifestyle marketing, all of which is underpinned by combining innovation with data analysis.
“Importantly, due to our knowledge of customers, we have been able to build a strong brand that resonates well, so we are continuously able to offer our customers fashion-forward, affordable, quality clothing to make them feel on top of their game.”
The company has a warmth and friendliness that resonates with their customers and creates an emotional connection. Its vision and mission – to create clothing that makes all women feel good and caters to their desires to wear the latest trends that work in everyday life – also encapsulates the ethos of the company. Hall and Lavington are down to earth; they know their customers well and want to create products that they also want to wear.
“We have built the foundations for sustainable, profitable and cash-generative growth and we have a clear strategy in place to deliver growth. We have significant expansion and growth opportunities ahead, both online and in-store, in the UK and internationally, comments Hall.
“Whilst we can’t predict what macroeconomic challenges may arise, we are an agile company, able to adapt and respond to changing market and consumer dynamics. Crucially, we have built a strong brand and have a unique product range that resonates with our customers, giving us confidence in being able to rise to any challenge and continue to perform well, Lavington highlights.
As our time with the ladies comes to an end, they both agree that they are excited for what lies ahead for Sosandar as they take advantage of the multiple opportunities available to them. They are looking forward to bringing the brand to more customers across the UK and worldwide as they continue on this journey to become one of the largest womenswear brands globally.
