North East-based online retailer Dressmezee has bounced back from a pandemic pause in fashion shopping by seeing its revenue increase by 133% from last year, hitting £2million in turnover.
The business, which was originally launched from the bedroom of 35-year-old entrepreneur Cristal Luo in 2015 has gone from strength to strength after moving to new 17,000 sq ft premises and doubling staff numbers to service its growing demand.
The fashion brand, that has been supported by business advisers at Robson Laidler, went through a rocky period in 2020 where refunds were outweighing sales due to the closure of party venues, restaurants and pubs. In direct response, the team at Dressmezee worked hard to pivot its business model from luxury dresses to loungewear to keep customers shopping. Dressmezee founder Cristal Luo said: “Like all fashion industry businesses we felt the impact of Covid-19. As customers sought out cosy clothing to wear at home, we went through an eight-week period where our sales were in decline. We acted promptly and with the dedication of our team we adapted our offering from dresses to loungewear and pyjamas with a Dressmezee twist of sparkle, animal prints and glitz, which saw sales rocket once again. “With turnover at a steady £980,000 for our 2020 year end, we initially set ourselves a cautious target of reaching £1million for 2021 , so are unbelievable excited to have smashed this, hitting £2million. It is only with the hard work and passion of our team that we have been able to achieve this.
“As the fashion industry recovers, our strong financial position is underpinning further investment in our staff and products. We are now setting our sights even higher and working on ambitious plans and look forward to showcasing our new collections in the summer.” Dressmezee has recently moved to a huge unit in West Chilton Industrial Estate to house all stock, admin offices and photography studios to style, shoot and market the clothing on its social media platforms. Over the past 12 months Dressmezee has also appointed an additional 11 members of staff, including a new buyer and marketing and design team who are responsible for a host of new advertising campaigns, which brings its total headcount to 24.
Cristal continued: “Robson Laidler has supported us not only with our accounts and financial reporting but with vision mapping exercises, forecasting, seeking out our sustainable competitive advantage and pulling this all together into a clear business plan with achievable targets and full accountability.”
Robson Laidler business adviser Jack Spoor advised Dressmezee throughout the pandemic and has continued to support them with regular financial coaching and reporting.
Jack said: “Dressmezee are a dream client in that they work hard, listen and act upon our advice. After seeing the inevitable decline of sales during the first few months of the pandemic they quickly adapted their business model and have thrived and grown. It has been an incredible journey and a process we are proud to have supported them with. We look forward to supporting Dressmezee into the next financial year.
