For many independent designers, the first stockist is a turning point. A good boutique puts your work in front of new customers, adds credibility and gives you feedback you can’t get online. But getting stocked takes preparation. Here is a practical guide to pitching boutiques and stockists, based on what independent labels and buyers typically expect.
Step 1: Make sure you’re ready
Before approaching any shop, check you can actually deliver. Buyers want to know that if they place an order, it will arrive on time and match the samples. You should be able to answer:
- What are your wholesale and recommended retail prices?
- What are your minimum order quantities?
- How long does production take, and when can you deliver?
- Can you produce repeat orders if pieces sell well?
If you can’t answer these yet, focus on production first. See our guide to starting a fashion brand for the basics.
Step 2: Find the right boutiques
The best stockist isn’t always the biggest or best known. It’s the one whose customers will love your work. Make a list of shops that already sell brands with a similar aesthetic, price point and values to yours. Visit them if you can, or study their websites and social media. Notice how they present products, which labels they carry and whether they support new designers.
Concept stores, independent boutiques and specialist online retailers are often more open to emerging labels than department stores.
Step 3: Prepare your materials
A buyer may give you only a few minutes. Make them count with:
- A line sheet: every style with a clear photo, style code, colours, sizes, wholesale price and recommended retail price.
- A lookbook: styled images that show the mood of the collection.
- A short brand story: who you are, what you make and why it’s different, in a paragraph.
- Terms: minimum order, delivery windows, payment terms and shipping costs.
- Press: any coverage, prizes or notable customers.
Keep it simple and professional. A clean PDF works better than a huge file.
Step 4: Pitch with care
Find the buyer’s name, either on the shop’s website, through LinkedIn or by asking politely in store. Then write a short, personal email:
- Explain why you think your brand fits their store.
- Introduce your collection in two or three sentences.
- Attach or link your line sheet and lookbook.
- Suggest a next step, like sending samples or meeting.
Avoid mass emails. Buyers can tell when a pitch has been sent to everyone. Timing matters too: buyers plan seasons ahead, so pitch before they set their budgets, typically around the main buying periods during and before fashion weeks. Our fashion month calendar has the key dates for 2027.
Step 5: Understand wholesale and other models
There are a few common ways stores work with new brands:
- Wholesale: the shop buys your stock upfront at a wholesale price and sets the retail price.
- Consignment: the shop pays you only when items sell, and you take back unsold stock.
- Concessions or pop-ups: you rent space or share revenue in exchange for a presence in the store.
Each has trade-offs. Wholesale gives you cash and commitment, but lower margins. Consignment is lower risk for the shop, but you carry the stock and the risk. Make sure terms, payment dates and responsibilities for damage or returns are written down before anything is shipped.
Step 6: Showrooms and trade fairs
If one-by-one pitching feels slow, showrooms and trade fairs can put you in front of many buyers at once. They usually cost money, so research which buyers attend and whether they match your brand before you commit. Many cities run showrooms during fashion week, and some programmes for emerging designers include showroom support.
Step 7: Look after your stockists
Getting stocked is just the beginning. To keep a stockist:
- deliver on time and exactly as promised
- give staff information about the collection so they can sell it
- share content they can use on social media
- check in about sell-through and listen to feedback
- respect your recommended retail price in your own channels
A happy stockist will reorder, recommend you and often help you reach others.
Common mistakes to avoid
- pitching before you can produce
- underpricing your wholesale and leaving no margin
- sending huge, unsolicited attachments
- ignoring a shop’s existing brand mix
- giving up after one unanswered email (a polite follow-up is fine)
The bottom line
Getting your fashion brand stocked is about fit, preparation and relationships. Choose shops that suit you, make it easy for buyers to say yes, and treat each stockist as a long-term partner. And if you’d like more people to discover your label, submit your collection for a feature in The Vanilla Issue.
