Farewell Killstar, Hell Bunny and Collectif

Well this one has been brewing for a while! 20 odd years ago (when I started Kate's Clothing) online shopping was a fresh landscape, fertile and ready for those of us with the skills and drive to make the most of it. Roll forward to today and it's a very different picture. With the rise of the likes of Amazon, Shein and now Temu, it's become a lot, lot tougher for the little guys like me to carve a path. Add the huge increase in fraud, friendly or otherwise, and the pressure is really on!

There's only so much I can do about the aforementioned, I can however, address another thing that's happened in the last 2 decades. The brands I stock also have similar pressures and one of the ways they've addressed that is to sell direct to you the consumer. To be honest, a few of them have become a bit too good at it for my liking. The awesome Killstar (quite rightly) now dominates the gothic domain with their constant influx of stunning designs and brutal discounts. Little old me can't keep up. When the the brands do a big retail discount, I get a large influx of returns as people send back items they've just bought from me and buy them for less direct. Putting the extra admin aside (and the admin load for returns is no small matter) it still makes it really difficult for me to manage my stock levels. Consequently I end up short on some sizes and styles and all my efforts and advertising costs just result in customers heading directly to the brands website, where there's more stock. So, reluctantly, I've decided to make the tough choice to focus on the brands that aren't quite so excellent at selling direct (no offense other brands). I can add some real value to them and offer you guys something more unique and hard to find.

So sadly, it's time for me to say goodbye to Killstar, Hell Bunny and Collectif. I'm so grateful to them for their support over the years, they've all been lovely to work with.

Right now though, what this means for you, is some bargains are to be had while I work to clear the stock I have, so please make the most of the price reductions and help me to adapt to the new plan.

As always, thanks so much for your support!

Kate

x

 

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21 comments

Been a customer since you opened and I totally understand this decision, though it stings as they tend to be the most size inclusive brands. Punk Rave/Devil Clothing XLs are more like an M! I still have an original Kate’s Clothing dress – hope you will consider going back into releasing your own designs!

LJ

Killstar’s quality went down… I don’t buy them anymore. Won’t miss them at all.

Sylwia

I will be honest and say that Killstar’s quality of clothes is quite bad. Shoes and bags – sure, but clothing is not. Fabric is cheap, especially lace. I guess that is why they can run all those discounts.

Good luck. I will try to support as much as I can.

I really love Dark In Love and PunkRave.

Fleety

I totally understand this decision, but this will have a big impact on my shopping with you, sadly. I am a size 18-20 on the bottom and 22 in the top. Other than leggings, Killstar is the only brand you sell that has clothes that fit me. I always buy from you instead of them if you have the item in stock. Will you be stocking any new brands that cover plus sizes or extending your own range to cover this gap? (I know Punk Rave etc claim to have plus sizes, but their conversion makes them about size 16)

Angela

I can completely understand the need to do this Kate.
I am a big Killstar fan and always bought from you until Brexit. I live in Spain and the import duties were just over HALF of the cost of the clothes! But I still buy from your clearance if I feel the clothes are worth the extra cost.
I have purchased a few times from Killstar.eu but if I’m honest I’ve been
quite disappointed. Some of the fabrics are getting like my grannies crimplene dresses – consequently I have about 10 pieces still labelled in my wardrobe! The sizing is getting a bit hit and miss too – which is something I could always rely on. Never had that problem when buying Killstar from you – which I put down to your selective stock choice!
Their recent sales have been very disappointing. I’ve noticed some price increasing prior to sales.Thankfully I have a friend driving over from the UK in March so will be placing an order with you soon.
I’m sure you’re making the right decision.
We admire you!!

Jayne Preston

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