An Interview with the ladies from Her Velvet Vase

Hi all,

I’ve decided to blog about something new this time so I contacted the ladies behind the popular and successful blogshop Her Velvet Vase and managed to secure a quick interview with them. For all of you who have never heard of them, they are pretty big in the local blogshop scene! And, they are also in the running for the “Best Blog Shop” award for the upcoming Nuffnang Regional Blog Awards 2009! That’s big right???

Here is a picture of the two pretty ladies decked in their self-manufactured pieces! (:

Read on for the exclusive interview with them.

Mag (Left) & Clare (Right)

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1 ) How was Her Velvet Vase started? ( Where? When? What?)

Her Velvet Vase was introduced in March 2007. At that time, Singapore’s shopping scene was relatively stifled with limited fashion retailers to choose from, especially those that came with an affordable price tag! Most clothes offered were rather generic and we wanted to give it a shot at being more individualistic by importing clothes and manufacturing our own designs. Of course, we strongly believed that an internet based venture would be a potential success with girls that simply didn’t have the time to shop at brick and mortar stores – I mean, what better way is there to do something you love in the comfort of your own home/office, at your convenience and at your own pace?

2 ) Why the name Her Velvet Vase?

We were hoping for something slightly more distinguished and unique, yet potently underlying. We figured that, if we really wanted to start something that was edgier and bolder, our label/name should form the foundation of it all. Have you realized the innuendo in our label?

3 ) How did you spread the word about Her Velvet Vase? Could you let us in on how big is your customer base currently?

We actually didn’t do much advertising initially; most of it was through word-of-mouth or posting little advertisements on online selling communities in the hope of sparking consumer interest. However, It was rather difficult in the beginning because Clare was overseas most of the time so we were unable to participate in flea markets to garner publicity. More recently though we’ve been lucky enough to be offered interviews by The Straits Times and several other magazines, as well as invitations to hold small events so that has certainly helped greatly in our exposure. Although our customer base has grown quite significantly since we first started, we hope that we will be able to continue expanding our provision of exclusive and affordable clothes for everyone!

4 ) Where do you get the inspiration for your self-manufactured items from?

Most of our inspirations come from international fashion brands or the latest trends from various different countries. However, we try our best to infuse our own interpretations and personal style into these designs so that they would appeal to our customer base in a local context.

5 ) What do you think makes your blog shop stand out from the rest?

I think we were very lucky to have started out early and that we were able to garner the support of a loyal customer base. It’s really important because if it wasn’t for them, we would never have become what we are today! We definitely do try to provide as best customer service as we can, as well as garments that are well up to standard in terms of quality, style and affordability. More importantly, we’re open to feedback and enthusiastic in learning, absorbing and growing to cater better to our customers’ needs.

6 ) How do you deal with fussy or nasty customers?

Over the years, we have gradually come to realise the significance of customer service particularly when it comes to running an online business. We meet an extensive range of interesting customers with different expectations, individual standards and personal preferences every day. However, because you are just as faceless to them as they are to you, it is imperative to leave a lasting impression so that they will continue to return and patronise your shop. It is therefore imperative treat each customer with due respect, friendliness and sincerity!

7 ) Describe your fashion style.

We actually don’t have much of a fashion mantra! More generally, we’re into change and flexibility; so most of the time we’re looking at daring to experiment with different pieces of clothing and coming to different styles.

8 ) What’s your current fashion must-have?

At the moment, our current fashion must-have are basics! Although they’re simple, we love their versatility. With good planning, basics never fail to exude an effortlessly different and unique style once you dare to mix, match and accessorize. That’s precisely why we like to keep our pieces simple. Because you will always be given an opportunity to infuse your personal style into the outfit and be provided with an alternative!

9 ) Tell us why you deserve to win the Blog Award.

Winning this award would be a great encouragement for all the hard work that both of us have put in and it would be amazing to be given this opportunity to showcase our brand to a wider audience. Both of us have put in a lot of time and effort into nurturing Her Velvet Vase and we sincerely hope that our passion and sincerity in providing exclusivity, affordability and most importantly, beautiful clothes will be recognised on a larger scale.

Nevertheless, we’re extremely honoured to have been nominated for the Nuffnang Blog Awards. That we’ve been recognised for it and better still, by the very people – our customers – whom we’ve been striving hard for, is already in itself one of the best rewards we could’ve asked for

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There you have it! An exclusive interview with one of the finalists for the Nuffnang Regional Blog Awards 2009!

Do show these ladies your support at www.hervelvetvase.com .

xoxo

♥