Trend Association With Browns CEO Elizabeth Von Der Goltz

Browns CEO Elizabeth von der Goltz has lived many lives across the fashion industry, from being the Chief Commercial Officer at Matchesfashion to global buying director at Net-a-Porter. As a result, this formidable force of fashion has been pulling the strings behind major brands, supporting up-and-coming designers and seemingly pulling it all off with ease for well over a decade. We recently got the chance to sit down with von der Goltz here in Singapore, to delve deep into what she knows best: trend predictions for the upcoming fashion season and beyond.

Elizabeth von der Goltz is one of those people whose names you might not know, but whose impact you have definitely felt. She is the woman responsible for many of the trends and designers in our wardrobes today. She currently holds dual roles at Browns, the pioneering British multilabel boutique, and Farfetch, the world’s biggest fashion e-commerce marketplace, as CEO and chief fashion & merchandising officer, respectively. On her journey there, she has led the buying teams at Matchesfashion, Net-a-Porter and Bergdorf Goodman’s.

Von der Goltz describes her job today as “bringing together teams to create a really beautiful, curated destination for the luxury shopper.” She came up in the era of the destination store, but as she says, “so many of the stores that we loved in the world—the Colette’s and the Barney’s—have closed” and so, her goal is to have Browns “be that experience, and to have that experience translate onto our website and app.” In this exclusive interview, von der Goltz tells us why she does what she does, and shares her hard-won wisdom for the next generation looking to break into the industry.

Related article: Farfetch Releases Its First Conscious Luxury Trends Report To Help Customers Shop More Responsibly

What is the most satisfying part of what you do?

I think the more you progress in your career, the more you actually get away from the really fun part, which in my case is discovering new designers and working with the product. A lot of my job satisfaction still comes from mentoring new designers—making sure they’re getting global awareness, and the support from my teams. The satisfaction comes from people in general, whether that’s our customer, or my team in the business. This industry should be fun, right? Fashion should be inspirational. We’re not saving lives—we’re bringing joy. That joy has to spread across your team internally, and across your customer base externally. It’s about the designer community, and the people we’re able to touch and inspire, and bring joy and discovery to.

When buying into new designers, what are the qualities you look for?

Firstly, you want something that seems lasting. Does the designer have some sort of signature or DNA that you can see going forward and evolving with time? It’s super important for them to have a unique, distinct style that’s able to grow and develop over a long period. You also want to ensure that the designer is actually set up to succeed. They need to be able to ship on time, and have the right quality in the clothes. The operational, logistics parts are important. If you pick them up, can they sustain the business? Lastly, we’re also looking at their sense of style—what the lookbook looks like, the styling, the social media images. There’s something about understanding someone’s total image and how they want the brand to come across to the consumer.

Here at BAZAAR, we have our NewGen programme where we nurture young designers. As a retailer, what are some of the things that designers just starting out need to know, especially the aspects that tend to be overlooked.

I think one of the most important things when you’re starting out is not to do too much at once. When you’re a small business, it’s tempting to get your name and brand out there, but try not to sell to too many stores at once. Just try to find a few really important partners. Be really strategic about where you want the awareness of your brand to come from—whether it’s certain e-commerce players, or your favourite stores in certain cities. Back in the day, it was like everyone tried to sell to 100 stores at once, even if you are making five pieces for one and 10 for another. It’s so much work. It’s better to find fewer strategic partners and work with them, and have them help you. When you’re negotiating with stores or whoever you’re going to partner with, try to make sure that you’re getting what you need out of the partnership.

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As a young designer, you need to protect your bottom line and your business. It’s okay to say that these are the things I believe in, and this is the way I want to work. You have to communicate very early on to protect yourself and your business. And then, stay true to yourself. Often, what happens when you’re a new designer and you’ve sold a few collections, every store you sell to is going to give you so much feedback, like, “Oh, our customer in the US likes this; our customer in Asia likes that,” and they’re all opposite views. It’s a lot of information—you have to take parts of it that you really believe mean something to your business and that can help you, but you have to stay true to yourself, your design process and your creativity. You have to filter through the noise to find what makes sense for you, but don’t try to do everything because then you’re going to create a collection that’s completely watered down and has lost your DNA.

What is it about the industry today that excites you the most?

I find it super interesting that fashion evolves constantly. What you’ve seen happen in the past five years is that the consumer keeps changing, so as retailers, we have to keep changing. Customer tastes are changing; how they shop is changing; what the new generation is interested in, and how they consume content—all of that makes us constantly learn and grow. I’m also a true believer in sustainability, and now that customers are really asking for it, you have to make every company move towards it. For us, it’s in how we buy more considered, conscious products, and also in how we help mentor designers to be more sustainable in their supply chain. I’m also a huge supporter of diversity and inclusion, and I find it so important to support Bipoc (black, indigenous, people of colour) brands. I’m very excited that the fashion consumer is now global and pushing to support all kinds of designers across the board.

Related article: Never Before Seen Vintage Christian Dior Jewellery Is Now Available On Farfetch

What do you think the future of fashion looks like?

I think sustainability has so much to do with the future of fashion. As you know, fashion does not have a great track record with sustainability. I think for this industry to keep existing, you need to make sure that you’re thinking about your supply chain, and how the industry can grow in a healthy, sustainable way. I also think that young talent is the future. Whoever that’s going to end up at the big houses tomorrow are the young designers you support today. So it’s really important to nurture them the right way. Trends move so fast now. Sometimes you buy a designer and they’re really hot, and then two seasons later, it’s over. How do you do this in a way where you’re actually supporting the talent that you believe will be leading the Diors and Chanels of the future? Another thing I’ve always talked about is that we need more women leaders in the industry as well. So I hope to inspire and mentor, and do as much in that aspect as possible.

Associate Fashion Director: Jeffrey Yan
Digital Content Manager: Navin Pillay
Subject: Elizabeth von der Goltz
Special thanks to The Fullerton Hotel Singapore