An Interview with Verónica Moncho Lobo

An Interview with Verónica Moncho Lobo.

You launched your label in 2008 and only three years later you have a boutique on one of the most renowned shopping streets in all of London. Can you share a few of the challenges you have experienced?
Everything has been a challenge since the very beginning, but a challenge I embraced with love and patience. Opening my own company has not been an easy task to fulfil, and as the company grows I find more and more that responsibilities multiply, and not just in the design area but in every aspect of the business. One of the initial challenges was to find the right production facility balancing the small start with the ongoing growing requirements and logistics of production and shipments. I started in Spain, moved production to New York, until I finally settled down in Italy. Another personal challenge was to deal with merchandise pricing with multicurrency suppliers, production facilities and clients in a rapidly changing and hard economic environment. I call it “personal” because my background is not finance, but I achieved and learned what seemed unimaginable a few years back with the help of my brother who is also my business partner. The most rewarding of all challenges has been to find the appropriate balance in my style which allowed me to gain acceptance not just here in London but in what are seemingly very different countries and societies, like the Middle East, Latin America, different parts of continental Europe and America.

 

Why was it important for you to have your own point of retail?
Having your own point of sales makes an unimaginable difference. First of all I have a space where clients can come and experience my world, try the clothing on and get to know me and my vision as a designer. I have immediate feedback, which is very valuable to me for designing future collections. I establish a direct relationship with the client that allows me to enrich my experience and discover what their needs are and to interpret future trends directly. Having a physical space facing the street gives me much more exposure to the world, and has already given me access to a subset of people in the industry that I did not have direct access to before. I have been discovered by new clients, new stylists, personal shoppers and international media in a way and speed that can hardly be replicated without a retail space. I also perceive that I am seen differently and in a stronger position when it comes to wholesale. The fact that I am expanding on my own gives me independence and at the same time renders me more reliable for the fashion trade.


You had a pop-up shop in Chelsea’s Sloane Square before launching your boutique. Was that helpful in identifying your market and building a customer base? Would you recommend other designers to do the same?
Having the opportunity to have a pop-up store definitely helped me multiply my customer base beyond my existing circle of clients. It was an enriching experience, it provided valuable feedback, and it gave me the confidence to go on and open a permanent space. In a short time I had the opportunity to test the area, to see the reaction of people face to face. Surprisingly, I discovered how much wider the range of women is that I actually dress than I thought initially. I would definitely encourage other designers to have a pop-up store. It is worth testing the market, the local area, and most of all to be exposed to the world directly for the first time. I think it is a great investment of time and money, without the financial risk of committing permanently to a location before testing all aspects, known and unknown.


You recently ran into Catherine Middleton in Sloane Square and swapped details. Will you be dressing her for anything soon?
I have to say that meeting Catherine Middleton a few days before her wedding day was a great and unique experience. She was very sweet and polite, and she is beautiful, tall, and charismatic. I of course do hope that she will come to visit my boutique. I would be delighted to dress her for any events that she might attend in the future.

Your dresses are very red carpet. What celebrities have you dressed?
I have dressed a wide range of socialites and models from Spain, Brazil and New York, and a selection of my dresses are in Cannes right now! My next target are celebrities that can enchant the cameras on the red carpet.

You are Argentina’s official television correspondent for all things fashion and Royal. How did this come about?
I would call myself Argentina’s “de facto” television correspondent, rather than official. But the international media attraction that the royal wedding has brought on London from a style perspective created almost unexpectedly a very unique situation. I had the opportunity to act as fashion correspondent to several TV channels, radio stations and printed media repeatedly during and after the royal wedding, opening an array of new channels of communication with the mass media. The Argentine press discovered me on Elizabeth Street, as they were visiting neighbouring shops such as Philip Treacy which attracted so much attention prior to the wedding. They realized that I was from Argentina, that I had been living here for the past five years and that I design cocktail and evening dresses, so due to my background and knowledge I became an instant commentator, not only on fashion, but also on the differences in protocol, styles and broader aesthetic and cultural differences which surrounded the event.
It was an experience that I embraced naturally and enjoyed fully, and which has suddenly but seamlessly become an ongoing and complementary part of my professional life.

You’re a truly global label in that you’re stocked in London, New York, Istanbul, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. How have you build up such a strong wholesale base in such a short time?
For the past three seasons I have been exhibiting my line at the MeMy Mode Fair at Paris during fashion week, which fits the profile of my line and price point best. Most womenswear buyers from around the world will come to Paris during fashion week to buy. But I have explored relentlessly since day one every possible link I could find through agents, press, friends, direct and indirect contacts, cold calling stores, boutiques, and buyers. In my experience it is only consistent effort that can lead to a meaningful and loyal database of clients for wholesale.