Elaine Burns, 36, and Alan Armitage, 39, are the brains behind Wear Eponymous, who like to think of themselves as a little bit different from a high street retailer.
Both from Glasgow, the pair chose their brand name because “eponymous means synonymously you and your tastes, so we translate Wear Eponymous as wear your own style.”
Have you always wanted to be in the fashion industry?
E: I was your typical girl who drew her own dress designs as a kid, very 1980s Dallas and Dynasty cocktail dresses.
A: I was always interested in buying what I liked from the current collections but never thought about a career in the industry. It was the dawn of the e-commerce age where anything seemed possible that evolved our careers in makeup artistry and IT development into the creative side of the fashion industry.
What made you start the company?
A: A need for a Scottish answer to all of the independent platforms. We were working as freelancers with these brands and they all seemed to be heading for ASOS Marketplace, Etsy or Wolf and Badger.
E: They are great platforms but there was a gap in the market for a Scottish answer.
How much do high street and designer labels influence you?
E: Their influence is everywhere and all of our brands take inspiration from the past, present and future. We take inspiration from the independent retailers who have created luxury shopping experiences that don’t alienate anyone.
A: Talented people inspire as well, as does confidence in your skills. We always love chatting with someone who is passionate about their work and learn something from everyone.
How do you choose what items to stock?
E: When brands contact us we discuss their collection and what we know fits our customer profile of accessible luxury. More often than not, the brands we attract are already making this style of product and it’s simply a case of curating a capsule collection for their WE page.
A: It’s pretty much a weekly process, with new arrivals landing all the time including new brands or new collections from existing brands from more and more countries.
Who is your biggest role model?
E: For me it’s a mix of Mary Portas for evolving her skills during her career to become an industry heavyweight plus Kevin Aucoin for his phenomenal makeup artistry skills and ability to work with any face and create something spectacular.
What makes you different?
E: We care, we listen and we work with brands to give them a beautifully stylish platform to build upon. Customers know that they can trust us and we aren’t simply working to targets for an investment panel. We’re doing it for independents.
Did you have any financial support?
A: We had minimal support as we never fit the criteria for many support outlets. We’re self funded, self supporting and very proud of it.
E: We’re building our own community of creative development outlets and will be sharing what we’ve learned as we go in the new element of our business in 2017.
What is your favourite item you have in stock this winter?
A: We love the beautiful curation of scarves that we have in store and online this winter. There is a design for every taste and style.
What is the biggest trend this winter?
A: We’re seeing a movement towards cashmere, with many brands producing beautiful knits, scarves and accessories with this super soft material. It’s a great investment in any form.