SilkFred starts 2024 on a high by hitting the two million customer landmark

SilkFred, the online fashion platform know for its occasion wear from one-of-a-kind independent brands, has kicked off the New Year on a high serving its two millionth customer.

Established in 2011 by founders Emma Watkinson, Kate Jackson and Stephen Jackson, Silk Fred sought to fill a gap in the market that was not being filled by retail giants or fast fashion brands.

Its aim was to connect the SilkFred customer with independent brands and help them find unique fashion they wouldn’t find anywhere else and it went on to help nurture brands such as Never Fully Dressed and Dancing Leopard by showcasing them on its platform and app and through its one million social media followers.

Watkinson said the success of SilkFred had been down to its relentless focus on its customer: "Over the years, we’ve seen a huge shift in the fashion world but SilkFred has had one constant focus since the beginning; the customer.

“We always wanted SilkFred to be a customer centric brand. From what products we share,  to personal styling tips, our wonderful customers are always at the heart of what we do. We strive to always connect with them in unique and personal ways.”

Social media has played a huge role in the success of the business, she added: “We use social media as our shop floor, engaging in personal conversations on our Facebook group, bringing shoppers handy fashion tips on Instagram and TikTok, coupled with starting social trends like our Try On Tuesdays is one of the reasons I personally believe we have hit this milestone. We constantly work with the customer to ensure we’re innovating in ways that will always benefit them.”

Emma Watkinson

SilkFred has stuck to its digital first strategy, despite print media and the high street still being dominant when the brand was established 12 years ago.

“We always knew we wanted to be an online only business," Watkinson said.

“At the time, not everyone shared a similar vision for a brand, but we really believed that we could create a place for independent brands to showcase their amazing designs, as well as giving the customer amazing freedom of choice.”

“To this day, SilkFred remains a place where brands come to launch and grow and customers can find the perfect outfit for all their social occasions," she added.

Looking ahead to 2024, Watkinson said the brand would continue its growth trajectory by employing new innovations in AI and live streaming, for example, to continue to build and engage with its community.

“In 2024, we are excited to welcome new customers and brands to the SilkFred community and deepen our relationships with our loyal customers and  brand partnersWe want to continue to grow our community and provide them, not only with unique and interesting fashion, but to make getting dressed up fun.

“Finding new ways to engage customers, especially in this day and age, is never easy but we have a couple exciting endeavours in the pipeline.

“We are currently working on developing our AI service ‘Fred’ which gives our customers a personalised shopping experience, and our live stream events.

“These are all innovative ideas that we believe will keep our customers excited and bring them a superior shopping experience that they won’t be able to get anywhere else,” she said.