Cherry Pop Clothing is an online retailer that produces and sells custom made garments that are inspired by styles and brands worn within UK rave culture. Cherry Pop uses sought after designs and materials that replicates designer fashion. The quality of the products and the affordable styles has lead to them being worn by girls all over Instagram.
Firstly, can you introduce yourself?
I’m a 24-year old design graduate who went to Arts’ University Bournemouth. I’m currently self employed, making and selling custom-made clothing that’s ideal for raves and festivals.
Tell us about Cherry Pop Clothing and where it all started
I studied Textiles for Fashion at university, specialising in print design. After graduating I struggled to find a grad job so I applied for a couple of standard local jobs but found myself getting bored. I then started making myself outfits for festivals and raves, inspired by products I had seen on Depop and Instagram and my friend suggested I start selling the clothes online. At first I ran Cherry Pop Clothing alongside another job as I had few followers but I wasn’t getting many customers. But after about eight months it became my full time job.
Where are you hoping to go with your products and brand?
I’m hoping that by establishing and operating an online clothing business it will add a lot of skills to my design CV and lead to future opportunities within the fashion industry. My ambition is to either work for a fashion company that really inspires me or to develop my own brand with self-made prints.
What are your main sources of inspiration?
I love going to festivals and raves and have always been inspired by the fashion and styles that I observe there. I know what type of clothes are popular within the scene as it’s items that I want to wear myself.
How do you go about sourcing your products and materials?
I extensively research online to find companies that I can trust. To begin with it was quite challenging and I had some bad experiences with a few online companies that ripped me off or attempted to offload poor quality materials. Through trial and error, I now regularly conduct business with companies that I can rely on for good quality material.
How do you keep on top of all the customer messages and orders?
It varies on a weekly basis. I’m still only a very small business but some days I might have 60 inboxes and the next day I might only have 15. However, on a monthly basis it evens out to a reasonable amount of orders. Trying to establish a business certainly isn’t a 9-5 or 5 days a week job. It's sometimes a struggle to keep on top of everything if I take weekends off work, as I will have a huge amount of messages to reply to on the Monday.
I always make sure I keep my customers informed and updated online and if I’m not working I'll let them know when I'll be able to get back to them. I always receive good reviews about how quickly I get items made and sent after payment but I do work long hours in the week to stay on top of everything. Sometimes I can work 12-hour days but it’s not too stressful as I'm working for myself and can determine my own pace.
What have been your career highlights so far?
My highlights would definitely be when blue ticks on Instagram message me for items. I’m still a small online shop, so I feel very humbled when people find my page. I’ve also recently been mentioned in Shout magazine by an influencer who was wearing one of my tops in the magazine photograph. A Cherry Pop item was also used on Nayva TV starring as part of a Y2K style fit, which was judged by Leah Abbott (Jorja Smith’s stylist).
Do you have any advice on running and online brand and keeping up your Instagram?
It takes time to build up followers and customers, so be patient.
Make your Instagram appealing, organise photo-shoots or collaborate with photographers to create a good image for your shop.
Listen to customer requests. The styles I make have all been developed from what customers have asked me to make.
Build up good relationships with companies from where you source your items and fabric. These relationships are key as they contribute to the smooth running of your shop.
Have fun with it! I find clothing manufacturing very hard work but I absolutely love collaborating with other people and organising photo shoots.
If you like what you see follow Cherry Pop Clothing on Instagram
Photography - Rachel Pendlebury
Model & Mua - Sophia Mascarenhas
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