The Dress2kill Story so far.
Well I suppose I should start by introducing myself. I am Jimmy Hibbert and the founder of Dress2kill.
In October 1999 (seems like quite a while ago now), I was working as a recruitment consultant for Michael Page. I worked in sales and marketing and recruited sales people as well as sales managers for the Publishing sector. Life was ok, the money was good and the team that I worked with were great, the trouble was, I was simply not cut out for life in this particular corporate structure.
"I booked up an interview room to avoid the embarrassment of my colleagues hearing my waist measurements..."
It was at about this time that I decided to get some suits measured up. I had always liked having suits made for me and not being the tallest of chaps, finding an off the peg number that didn't drown me, was quite tough. So I took the plunge and asked an old guy from Leeds to come into Michael Page to measure me up for a suit. I booked up an interview room to avoid the embarrassment of my colleagues hearing my waist measurements and also to help the old boy from Leeds sell me his worth's without distraction. He came equipped with some cloth books, a tape measure (obviously) as well as some of the worst halitosis I have ever experienced. Armed with all of these tools, he sold me two suits each costing around £600. Unfortunately there was not much of a personality to his sales pitch, but none the less he managed that day to sell around 20 suits. He also tapped me up for a number of friends who also went on to experience his bad breath. The fact of the matter was, that there was clearly a market for this type of offering.
Back at my desk with my head clearly on the job in hand, I began to hatch a plan. If I could offer bespoke suits at affordable prices, without the smelly breath and with a little personality and of course with the convenience factor, I was surely on to a winner!
Not so fast, I hadn't got a "Scooby Doo" how a suit was even made, let alone where they were made or for that matter what went into making them. This was a problem, but surely one that a cocky recruitment consultant could solve. I mean it wasn't as if it was a harebrained idea, or that I had no experience in the suiting world.
So feeling confident about my new business idea, I wrote to the Institute of Textiles who turned out to be extremely helpful. For about £45 they sent me a whole list of contacts and information on the industry. I began to hatch my plan!
That summer, I was away in Port Grimaud with my then girlfriend and her family the Watney's. I had always had great respect for my girlfriends father Adrian Watney who at that time was setting up a members club called Home House. He was asking me generally how work was going and I told him about my predicament as well as my idea to sell bespoke suits to the world. To my amazement he thought it was a great idea that it had loads of potential. He was always extremely positive, a gift he has that I really admire. When we returned he put me in touch with a lady called Shirley Biggs. Shirley had recently retired as buying director of John Lewis and previous to that she had been a Design Director of the Windsmore group. Not really knowing what to expect I travelled over to Hampstead to meet Shirley armed with my business plan.
"I was greeted by a blonde lady with fag in one hand and bottle of wine in the other. Big blue eyes stared at me with a larger than life smile and a huge amount of energy and excitement."
The moment the door opened, my life changed.
I was greeted by a blonde lady with fag in one hand and bottle of wine in the other. Big blue eyes stared at me with a larger than life smile and a huge amount of energy and excitement. Until you have met Shirley, it is hard to imagine, but she really is one in a several billion. She has more energy than most 20 year olds you meet and the most outrageous of personalities which combines cheekiness, naughtiness as well as one of the kindest hearts you would hope to find. To this date, I have not met anyone that dislikes Shirley Biggs. Anyway I digress. After several bottles of wine and many laughs, Shirley thought that my business plan had legs. I cheekily asked her if she would be interested in getting involved in helping set up the company. Unbelievably she said yes and I had a business partner. That week, I bowed out of Michael Page gracefully. I think most of my team thought I was a bit bonkers and I don't blame them – “You're leaving to set up what?” You can imagine it. I think my parents were slightly worried as well, but I have to take my hat off to them, they have always been incredibly supportive and continue to be so. Thanks Mum and Dad.
Shirley and I decided to base ourselves in Borough High Street (SE1) where the rent was reasonable and we had access to both the City and The West End. We also had access to Borough Market, which is probably the best food market in London, but that honestly didn't have any sway on our decision.
We set up the company which we decided to call It Suits. I know, it sounds like a strange name, but we were setting up the company at the beginning of the dot com and we thought that itsuits.com had a nice ring to it. We both enrolled in a course to learn how to measure people for suits and at the same time learnt all about the various cloths and linings and how a suit was made. We decided to back ourselves and both put in similar amounts of capital to set the business up. In reflection, I am pleased we did this as had we gone outside for investment I don't believe the drive and enthusiasm would have been the same. My brother (a lawyer) and a friend Luke Jones (who was also an entrepreneur) put up small amounts and supported us with their advice and contacts. We were also very lucky to have Neil Biggs, Shirley's husband who has been invaluable to us. Thank you Luke, Andrew and especially Neil you really were and are a great help.
Looking back, the biggest learning curve of all was the actual experience. In the beginning, we both wrote down 15 names of friends we could approach and offer our first suits to. I could name them, but I don't wish to embarrass them. They know who they are both Shirley I and I will always be extremely grateful for their support and patience. Although we never expected the suits to fit first time round, we did give them our guarantee that in the end, we would deliver them a suit that they would be happy with and when we had achieved this, then the deal was that they would then recommend us to their friends and colleagues.
"The first two years were extremely tough. I personally had to re mortgage a couple of times..."
The first two years were extremely tough. I personally had to re mortgage a couple of times and my credit cards were stretched to the max. Anyone who sets up their own business will know how hard these first couple of years are. It really does sort the wheat from the chaff.
In 2002 we changed our name from It Suits to Dress2kill. We felt that we needed a change and to some extent a face lift. We were lucky at that time to enlist the help of Edward Varley who joined us for six months in a marketing capacity. During this time we redesigned our website and addressed our whole marketing strategy. We chose the name Dress2kill because we felt it encapsulated the energy and passion that we all had for the business and because it was also different to all the other fuddy duddy tailors out there that all seem to call themselves names and names if you get my drift. Dress2kill was punchy, it was different and it breathed new life into what I thought was a boring and unadventurous and unexciting industry. Since the birth of Dress2kill, we continue by striving to breathe life into the suit industry. We always take huge pleasure in giving our customers an experience that they will enjoy and a suit that will fit them and makes them look and feel great.
Some of the highlights over this tough period were meeting with some famous entrepreneurs, Sir Richard Branson and Charles Dunstone. It seems simple now, but the best people to ask for advice are those that have been there and done it.
I wrote to Sir Richard asking him for an hour of his time. In return I said that I would make him a suit. To my astonishment, he wrote back inviting me to his house for an informal chat. He has been a huge help in encouraging me on the right path and convincing me to believe in myself and more importantly the company. He opened many doors for Dress2kill and personally endorsed our product. All Virgin Credit Card holders receive a complimentary 10% discount to this day. He still wears our suit - Thank you Richard.
The highlight of the last 6 years was becoming a finalist in Ernst and Young's, Young Entrepreneur of the Year – an accolade that is a reflection of our teams hard work and perseverance.
Over the last six years or so that Dress2kill has been around, we have developed a very loyal and great team of people.
We have come a long way in the last 6 years and have recently opened our first studio in The Cut in Waterloo. We have over 5000 customers now; the large majority of whom come back for more. Our studio combines not only bespoke suits but also what I term as a pampering salon offering haircuts and wet shaves to massage, pedicures and manicures. We have created a club where our members can relax and unwind over a glass of wine while Dress2kill prepares to pamper them. Dress 2kill is unique as are our customers and we hope to offer our service to people nationwide in the not to distant future by opening more stores.
If you would like to find out anymore, please feel free to email me, jameshibbert@dress2kill.com.
