As the Head of Private Labels at Zalora, one of Southeast Asia’s largest e-commerce sites, Rayne Reed never misses a beat. Between testing out prototypes and working with her team of designers to encapsulate next season’s trends, she’s got her thumb set on everything relating to her stable of private labels.
The result of Rayne’s hard work? A constant flow of stylish pieces that will appeal to every and all Zalora customers, regardless of occasion, budget or personal style. After all, the site is one of the few e-commerce giants who study the shopping habits and customer data religiously, and use this information to help them develop and produce the merchandise to better relate to the customer’s changing wants and needs.
Still, Rayne isn’t just all business and numbers. Having spent years working in the international fashion market, she’s got a keen sense of what’s trending before it even becomes a thing. It’s this alchemy of knowing what sells and knowing what’s cool that makes her a wonder woman in her work.
Taking some time out of her busy schedule to chat with us, she gives us the 411 on Zalora’s private labels, as well as a comprehensive look on the Fall/Winter 2017 must-haves!
As a fashion company, our private label brands allow us to bring exclusivity to the site, with our customised collections for our customers in Southeast Asia. With our private labels, we can create unique and diverse fashion identities ultimately allowing us to control our own destiny as a fashion business.
Living, eating and working alongside our customers in Southeast Asia allows our private label team to offer styles that are unique exclusively designed for our customer in mind. We strive every day to inspire our customers with fresh, new fashion ideas, and redefined classics.
We have an amazing collection of brands in our private label portfolio, offering diverse and exclusive offerings in the apparel, footwear and accessories departments for both men and women. Our Zalora label is designed with the contemporary woman and man in mind, and customers can find complete “head-to-toe” looks.
Something borrowed focuses on trend-driven styling that gets its inspiration from youth culture, of-the-moment trends, and a fresh spin on feminine streetstyle.
Zalia is our label that offers modest fashion with a modern twist. The label takes pride in essential lifestyle pieces for every girl, as well as glamorous occasion dresses, which include a beautiful range for Hari Raya and other special occasions.
Lastly, Velvet offers fun, flirty and feminine footwear and bags in the essential shapes of every season. They come in a huge range of colours and prints.
We know our customer better than any other brand can. We design and live in Southeast Asia, so we are at the very heart of our customers’ daily lives. Every day, we strive to offer a relevant range of fashion, at the very best quality and value possible. We study sales results and website shopping patterns every day and are able to respond to what our customer is interested in quickly.
I can promise you no two days are alike in the Zalora Design studio! Every day brings exciting new ideas, amazing opportunities and important challenges. To give you an example of a few key activities of this week: working with my design team to identify key trends for our March collections, ensuring our best-sellers make the October delivery timeline, reviewing fabrication and shape for the Hari Raya 2018 collections, finalising our looks for the Jakarta Fashion Week show, presenting our Fall/Winter ’17 range to our VIP customers, voting for our semi-finalists for our “make Me A Zaloral Model” completion, hosting a group of school children in the design studio to share what fashion is all about.. the list goes on!
Of course, all of this is possible because of my amazing team at Zalora. My team inspires me daily and I am very lucky.
Feminine touches are everywhere this season, and ruffles are one of the top trends in our collections. From delicate to oversized, adding a ruffled top dress, skirt or shoe into your everyday style will surely bring the right touch of feminine detail to your look.
From left: Front Ruffle Jumpsuit, $49.90 and Waterfall Front V Neck Dress, $34.90
The embroidery trend from Spring continues with strength into Fall, with patterns and colours becoming richer and bolder in their expression. This Fall, embellishment in the form of gemstones, sequins or pearls are added into the mix for an opulent touch of glamour.
From left: Embroidered Slip Dress, $44.90, Something Borrowed and Floral Embroidery Boot-Cut Jeans, $44.90, Zalia
Statement sleeves add a bit of drama and fashion flair to your look. Make sure to pair a statement sleeve with a more minimalist finish to balance the overall appearance.
From left: V-Neck Flare Sleeve Boxy Top, $24.90, Something Borrowed and Layered Sleeve Knit Jumpsuit, $39.90, Zalia
Layering options finish and refine your look, adding interest in terms of texture shape or proportion. There are so many options, it may be hard to choose just one piece.
From left: Collection Drapped Collar Trench Coat, $69.90 and Off The Shoulder Bomber Jacket, $59.90
Always great for special occasions, lace and mesh continue to be an essential part of our everyday style. Adding a hint of mesh or lace can be both playful and provocative. Be playful with your pairings, and try mixing lace and mesh in one look.
From left: Drop Shoulder Babydoll Dress, $34.90 and Cami Tutu Mesh Dress, $69.90, both from Something Borrowed
Statement totes are fun and practical, and they allow you to wear your heart on your sleeve.
From left: Fun Shopper Bag, $29.90 and Reversible Everyday Tote With Pompom, $34.90, both from Something Borrowed
Clutches are a great way to add fun and colour to your style. Expect the unexpected!
From left: Icon Pouch and Metallic Lip Pouch, $24.90, Something Borrowed
Think velvet, satin, metallic pops, sequin patches, fringe, fur and ruffles! Flat sandals, slides and loafers are definitely the styles to consider for Fall 2017.
From left: Fringed Slides, $34.90, Something Borrowed and Fur Slides, $34.90, Zalora
Images: Zalora
This story first appeared on www.womensweekly.com.sg
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