Re-Style founder Harriet Scriven on creating the ‘next shopping revolution’

With nearly half of women (49.2%) over the age of 25 struggling to find clothes that fit them, according to the latest data provided by Find Out Now, Re-Style founder and chief executive Harriet Scriven is on a mission to show the world her solution for the problem for retailers and consumers alike.

Re-Style sets out to bridge the gaps between consumers, tailors and retailers, offering help with alterations, repairs and bespoke pieces.

With repair prices starting at £7 and increasing depending on the weight, fabric and complexity of an item, customers can go directly to the Re-Style website or via its retail partners to choose from a list of recommended local tailors.

While it’s early days, Re-Style is currently in a trial phase with a “UK household name” for alterations as well as a luxury accessories brand for repairs, the names of which Scriven does not let slip.

With current partners including pre-loved platform Sign of The Times and bridalwear brands Rewritten and Maids to Measure, Scriven says the business is ready to take the next steps towards bringing bigger retail players on the Re-Style journey.

Tailors across London are using Re-Style and the platform is on the lookout for new partners to scale up the business.

“The end goal would be to work with the likes of eBay or Vinted because everybody who’s shopping pre-loved is already thinking a bit more sustainably anyway,” says Scriven. “There is a really big opportunity with pre-loved ecommerce because [customers] haven’t been able to try products on.”

With the likes of Harrods and Selfridges on her CV and a range of retail experience under her belt, Scriven says it was a mixture of personal experience and professional knowledge that led her to eventually launch the business, having been at the trial stage at the end of last year.

Humble beginnings

Scriven hopes that her solution to ill-fitting clothes will make shopping more enjoyable for consumers and simultaneously improve loyalty and reduce return rates for retailers.

“Despite having a background in luxury retail, I’ve always struggled and not enjoyed shopping for my shape,” she says.

”It’s tricky to find people that I could trust with my clothes and that’s something I’ve been aware of for a long time. This came to a head when I got married during the pandemic. 

“All my bridesmaids were different body shapes and nobody knew a decent tailor. We eventually got there by word of mouth but it made me think, there had to be an easier way to do it. That kickstarted it.” 

Now offering a “friend in your pocket who will help you feel great in whatever you’re wearing”, Re-Style hopes to make it easier to find professionals to trust with clothes and sees doing this hand-in-hand with retailers as the future.

Scriven says it’s been a slow process but plugging into the problems facing both consumers and tailors has been essential for the business to succeed.

Revolutionary solutions

Scriven believes she has the solution for retailers to turn the huge battle of high return rates on its head, which could change the game for brands.

“We see it as an anti-returns tool so that customers think to send something to be altered as a first option rather than sending it back. On the flip side, it is a selling tool for things that don’t fit correctly.

“For retailers to process it costs up to 66% of an item’s RRP whereas alterations are a much lower cost and more sustainable option. It’s about how we can help retailers in terms of cost savings and sustainability.”

She adds that tailoring is a skill set that is invaluable as it is something difficult to do yourself, as a non-professional, and trust is at the core of the business model.

“We always bang the drum to get a proper fitting, [tailoring] is quite hard to do unless you’re a professional and know what can be done and what shouldn’t be done.

“Retailers right now are facing a lot of pressure to be more sustainable and with more regulations starting to come in across Europe and the US, we are focusing on that.

“There are a couple of [competitors] that have been tackling this but they’re focusing on the consumer angle. Whereas for me, the gap is there to be thinking about what retailers need. That is where we can have such a big impact, especially with returns.”

Scriven adds that the need for Re-Style comes as part of the progression in the way people shop and the increased consideration for purchases.

“We’re probably at the point that rental was at five years ago and the need for tailoring is being driven by the same audience – that younger customer.

“We’ve seen the shift in how people shop over the past 15 years and I think this will be the next shopping revolution.”

Sew far, sew good

While many may assume that the scope for a tailoring platform only lies within the fashion sector, Scriven thinks otherwise.

“One goal, which is longer term, is that the business model we’re working on doesn’t just have to be for fashion,” she says. “For example, it could work if your microwave, coffee machine or fridge broke. There are so many industries we could take this into.

“So while we’re starting with fashion where I see this eventually going is being the software that supports product customisation and repairs for a whole extension of different product types.”

She also adds that the stereotype around tailoring is that people assume it is only for luxury items – a myth she is keen to knock on the head.

“It’s just not true. Where I’d like to take this is that we can support mass retailers and resellers,” she says. “I think retailers now are quite confident and comfortable about repairs but when you start talking about alterations and the impact you can have it goes beyond sustainability.

“It is an operational, cost-saving method that is more efficient. Being able to put that in the hands of customers or offering it as a service is something that people haven’t thought about much.

“I always have to be reminded to do step one before step 10 but the sky is the limit.”