Crate|ov Clothes is a fashion website where you can get a personal stylist to combine three outfits for you, which are packed in a crate and delivered to your front door. Dare I say this is like the Uber of personalised ensembles?
#Trending thought we should find out what goes into making a business like this and how it goes about providing this personalised service, so we caught up with Mathew de Villiers, the managing director of this online fashion store. De Villiers has two partners who are holding down other jobs to inject more funds into their business.
“The business was inspired due to the pure frustration of having to go to the shops to buy clothes, or even having to buy them from an online store,” De Villiers says.
Taking time out of the day to go shopping can be an immense drag, not to mention the struggle to find something you actually like.
De Villiers explains that Crate|ov Clothes aims to alleviate the unappealing aspect of doing one’s own shopping, which often comes with “not always knowing what is trending or which outfits work together the best; having to endure the tedious task of returning the items and then waiting for the returned amount to reflect in your bank account; not being able to try on items at home with items from the shops; and having to pay for items before being able to try them on at home”.
Crate|ov Clothes hand-picks items for its clients and delivers them by courier charge-free and obligation-free.
“Our client responses have been outstanding. Some clients have already ordered four crates in the past six months. Our clients absolutely understand that this is a convenience that they cannot live without.”
The company started up in July 2016 and, after two years of planning, testing and preparing, it opened to the public in July.
“Our stylists are hand-picked based on their experience. Our business involves a huge level of customer satisfaction and brand knowledge. We currently have three stylists and will soon be hiring our fourth.”
Crate|ov Clothes offers men and women a large selection of clothing styles. Once you have decided what you want, your crate is packed with between six and 10 items of clothing, which you have seven days to try on.
“If a customer likes an item, they simply keep it. We collect the items that are not chosen and charge them for what they take. Our clothing ranges from beachwear and streetwear to formalwear. We also have partnerships with various brands in South Africa,” says De Villiers
For more information, visit crateovclothes.com