Inside the national success of feel-good fashion brand Repertoire
How weekly drops and warm, friendly staff have helped fuel growth.
At a glance...
Good design always wins, and Repertoire designs for women, not trends.
Repertoire has built a strong online community, and releases weekly drops to its Facebook Group.
Afterpay helps make Repertoire pieces more accessible.
Staff matters, and Repertoire recruits staff who care about their customers.
When Debi Bowker and Lee Kleiman first went into business together, it was for one reason: they wanted to have fun.
The pair got on so well during a hotel fit out project that they decided to go into business together so they could continue the good times. Combining Debi’s business acumen and Lee’s background in fashion, they recruited Debi’s daughter Meghan Maher fresh from uni and, together, launched fashion brand Repertoire in 2006.
“Right from day one, there was one thing that Lee was clear on: if she was to be a part of a fashion business, it needed a lot of heart,” explains Maher. “Back when we launched, the fashion industry didn’t always have the best reputation – there was a lot of fast fashion, pack and wrap, and judgment in the stores of high-end brands. That’s not what we wanted for Repertoire.”
The women quickly decided on their guiding mission – to make accessible clothing in New Zealand that’s elegantly relaxed with an edge, which makes women feel beautiful, and that’s offered in a supportive and inspirational environment.
Sixteen years later, that mission remains unchanged – and the fun that Kleiman, Maher and Leanne Luijken (their newest business partner) have working together permeates throughout the entire business.
Today, the brand, which launched in Tauranga, has 60 employees and six stores across New Zealand, with an eye firmly focused on opening more in the coming year. They’re also about to wholesale their Repertoire clothing to selected retailers, a growth strategy that will see them quickly increase their footprint across the country.
Good design always wins
Repertoire’s clothing designs hit the mark because the brand aims to make women feel good, rather than to follow a trend.
“Our clothing is definitely the key to our growth. When our designer Lee creates clothing, she takes into consideration all the factors women struggle with. Repertoire clothing doesn’t look good on coat hangers, it’s designed to look beautiful on bodies,” says Maher. “The fit and quality of our clothing always impresses customers – they know their investment with us will go a long way in making them feel good and will have longevity in their wardrobe. That’s what keeps them coming back.”
"The fit and quality of our clothing always impresses customers."
"In designing for women, not trends, we make sure we create stylish clothing that offers comfort and flexibility. We realised early on that our customers need their clothes to move with them throughout the day. They might change their shoes and tweak their accessories, but their clothing needs to work with whatever they have on that day - that might include a school run, business meetings, lunch with a friend, then dinner and a movie..."
Customers return for the staff
Another key driver of success? Repertoire’s staff.
“We have the most incredible staff – women who really care about our customers and who love our products. They’ve created friendships with our customers; customers will come in to just say hi.”
“Shopping requires you to be quite vulnerable,” continues Maher. “It’s not always easy to try on clothing, to give a new outfit a go. Our team makes women feel safe and inspired when they shop with us, so customers really enjoy the shopping experience. As a result, we have such a loyal base of customers.”
When recruiting, Maher says they look for women who have a passion for fashion and who love using their skillset to dress a woman in a way that makes them feel amazing.
"There is nothing like the moment you share with a customer when she steps out of the fitting room and can't believe how good she looks in what she has on! Seeing that instant lift in energy and confidence is an incredible moment and so we look for that knowledge, understanding and passion when we hire."
Develop a community to embrace your customers
Covid and lockdowns delivered a silver lining for Repertoire. Being locked down and isolated meant the team had to think outside the square to communicate and connect with their customers – and as a result, they’ve built a strong online (and offline) community.
“During lockdown we were connecting with our customers through social media, offering home consults, virtual wardrobe audits, photos of styling ideas, interviews with relevant guests and helpful videos,” she says. “We knew our customers needed a distraction and we saw it as a good opportunity to connect with them in a different way.
That strong online connection has remained post lockdown. Repertoire’s VIP Facebook page ‘Style Tribe’ has a highly engaged community of women who regularly post and share supportive comments to build each other up, and Repertoire’s regular 7pm Thursday Facebook lives, where the founders present new pieces and how they can be worn, are can’t-be-missed appointment viewing for many of their 21,000 followers.
"We don't profess to be social media experts but we're passionate about fashion and making women look and feel amazing and that comes through on social," she says. "I think people respond to the fact that we are real and authentic on social media and you can tell how much we care."
“For us, the community we’ve created with our customers is so important. It shows that Repertoire is much more than just fashion and that’s exactly what we set out to achieve.”
Don’t be afraid to do things differently
Unlike most fashion brands, Repertoire produces a new collection every week rather than seasonally. On Wednesdays the pieces hit the stores and on Thursday nights at 7pm the team go live on social media to present the new designs to their customers, who are normally perched on the couch, wine in hand.
“We noticed that women get tired when you just release seasonal drops, with nothing new and exciting in between and no reason to go back into store,” explains Maher.
Women get tired when you just release seasonal drops, with nothing new in between.
“Instead, we do small drops each Thursday. It’s not fast fashion because we do very small units of less than 50 and everything is designed to go with other pieces and to be worn for years. During our Facebook Live we educate customers around how to wear a piece and how it works in the wardrobe. With limited stock, our customers know to pounce fast as items often sell out quickly.”
How Afterpay make Repertoire pieces more accessible
Because Repertoire releases clothing in limited weekly batches, offering customers the opportunity to buy now and pay later with Afterpay ensures that they don’t miss out.
Maher wishes they’d jumped onto Afterpay sooner. “We are so grateful for a service that allows people to pay and take their purchase with them that same day,” she says. “Because we only produce only a small number of units, it was heart breaking whenever someone didn’t pick up their laybuy.”
In addition, she says has noticed a marked increase in sales as a result of Afterpay.
“I think it’s because customers are far more likely to purchase if they can take a piece home with them immediately. Giving them a little flexibility in terms of their spend is brilliant. What surprises me is the vast age range of women that use it – it’s remarkable and speaks volumes on how easy it is to use.”
"What surprises me is the vast age range of women that use Afterpay."
As well as helping customers manage their payments, Afterpay has delivered Repertoire new customers through promotions, events and other supporting initiatives they offer retailers.
“I would recommend Afterpay to other retailers because it’s so simple to use and it’s effective. I love how it works with tech and that the services are always improving. I’m a big fan of supporting businesses that continue to adapt with time and make our job easier, which is our experience with Afterpay.”
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