Goodordering’s Jacqui Ma on the fashion of cycling
loading...
Fashion |INTERVIEW
Goodordering is “first a bag, secondly a cycle bag” proclaims founder and designer, Jacqui Ma, who launched her independent accessories label five years ago after taking up cycling.
“I was working at Puma when they did that limited edition foldable bike and it got me thinking about the fashion of cycling and not just the practical commute,” explained Jacqui over lunch at Shoreditch House. "It was then a few years later that I decided I wanted to make cycling bags for the commuter cyclist.”
The timeless collection of functional bags, which come in various sizes and configurations, such as hooking directly over the handlebars or on the pannier rack, are practical as well as stylish, but more importantly adds Jacqui, these are “bags that people use everyday”.
Launched on Kickstarter to fund production, Jacqui said it was a “great way to see which ones people liked, which colours they liked, as when they pledged they had to choose style and colour - it was really good market research as well as the money”.
Jacqui added: “I also thought I was designing a range of bags for women, even on my kickstarter video, which is one of regrets, I say cycling bags for women, so I basically wiped out the male species.
“Kickstarter was a way of finding out home truths really quickly, a lot of guys did like them and I got lots of feedback asking are they just women’s cycling bags, so in the end I changed it, which was a massive change as if I had gone to market and launched as women cycling bags I would have alienated a big audience. Now I’m really proud that they are unisex.”
As well as receiving 15,000 pounds using Kickstarter, Jacqui also injected 15,000 pounds of her own savings into her accessories venture, but she warns that it isn’t as easy as it sounds and while crowdfunding did “boost” her brand, it is just one tool needed to launch a successful business.
“Crowdfunding has changed a lot now, you have to have almost all your money already pre-pledged as it is such a big industry now,” warns Jacqui. “Back when I did it, I could rely on the crowd a bit, now certain industries work better on crowdfunding, so anything like functions and gadgets and things people can demonstrate, like one of those late night TV infomercial, whereas I have a new fashion collection of jackets doesn’t go so well.”
Jacqui goes on to explain that crowdfunding now, even just five years on from when she used the platform, is more like a marketing tool: “The end consumer is so savvy and smart, now you have to be so genuine about what you are offering, which is hard as it is quite a crowded marketplace.
“But the community side of it is really important as you speak to real customers.”
Goodordering founder Jacqui Ma talks about the challenges of setting up her own accessories business
It hasn’t been an instant success for Goodordering, there have been a lot of ups and downs, such as finally getting stocked in John Lewis after two years of trying to then getting “kicked out” as there wasn’t room, but Jacqui states that the learning curve has really made her refocus the brand on the end consumer by championing face-to-face selling, rather than pursuing retailers and wholesale.
“About a year and a half a go I decided to step back from retailers and wholesale and concentrate on direct-to-consumer as it was taking up so much of my energy and self-esteem getting rejection after rejection,” expressed Jacqui. “I tried for two years to get into John Lewis and it was great, I thought I had made it but it didn’t last, they decide there wasn’t room and I got kicked out and I lost so much money.
“It was a waste of two-years when I could have been focusing on the end consumer. It was a good lesson - now my focus is on community building and that’s why I still stay at Borough Market every Saturday selling face-to-face. I’ve been doing it for two years and it has really built up my stockists.”
Jacqui, who has a background designing bags for Puma, Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft and Debenhams, places a lot of Goodordering’s steady growth on the tight-knit London bike industry, as well as the nostalgic design of her bags, which are inspired by Japanese school bags and 80s retro travel bags, and the fact that they are designed with technology in mind, with padded compartments and pockets of varying shapes and sizes, as well as being water resistant, hard-wearing and versatile - each bag generally has more than one way to wear. For instance, the Market Shopper is a tote bag, a backpack and a pannier in one - so can be worn over the shoulder, on the back, or as a pannier attached to your bicycle rack.
“What makes a bag a Goodordering is that they are about urban cycling, colourful and fun as well as being practical.”
It’s the versatility of her designs that has led to numerous collaborations, including one with Transport for London (TfL), which included the handlebar bag and market shopper being updated with lining representing London’s tube map as well as implementing a zip with the TfL’s logo - both of which sold out.
“The TfL collab came through opportunity, when you are small company, good things come through luck and the connection came through from the Boris bikes and hire bike schemes and it was about getting the normal average joe riding and I liked that as it is kind of what Goodordering is about as well,” explained Jacqui. “TfL was about including everyone, urban transport and promoting cycling and it was a really nice combination.”
When asked if there was any brand or retailer that she would like to collaboration with, Jacqui stated excitedly: “I would love to work with & Other Stories, and do a limited edition pink fluffy iridescent bag, as it would be fun and would reach a whole new market.
“I like to collaboration with brands that can reach new people to cycling, as people really into cycling are already into cycling. I always dream with a chance of reality it happening, I could see the & Other Stories happening, as there aren’t that many stores like that who stock independent brands and champion emerging brands.”
Jacqui added: “I do think that is one of the responsibilities for big companies like & Other Stories is to help bring up little brands, as they can get street cred for that, and they can make such an impact on the causes and brands they support.”
As well as going for fun and colourful, Jacqui, who states that Goodordering is very much a unisex and kids brand, has also realised that there is a big market for cycling bags aimed at men, and that’s where the Stealth collection comes in. Made of waterproof coated super strong nylon with nylon webbing and waterproof reversed rubberised zips, the rolltop backpack pannier comes in black or red and is billed as “not compromising on style to bring you the most functional bag”.
“When I started the brand is was all about colour and fun, with the practicalities, which was the third consideration, whereas the Stealth collection of black bags, has been created more with men in mind, and is about growing the company.”
Goodordering to offer customisation of its bags
Another area that Goodordering is looking to target is the art of personalisation and allowing consumers to customise their own bags, as well as further down the line designing their own pocket configuration.
Jacqui stated: “The next big project is for people to be able to go online and customise their own bag - this is quite a big project - but the idea is to allow people to choose the piping, as some don’t like the white piping, so if you could do a blue bag with red piping, and even get your initials.
“I feel that people are more conscious consumers and look after things a lot more if it has their name on it and they’ve designed it, plus, I love seeing people customising their bags, sticking stickers on and making it their own.”
The aim is to offer the customisation service online, with Jacqui expressing that she wants to make it a “little game - where you build your design”.
“The first step will be changing the colours, and some kind of initials and patches, something to have a little fun,” added Jacqui. “In the future it would be cool to be able to offer people the opportunity to design their own pocket configuration for the shopper for instance.”
“I want people to be able to afford my bags, but I also want them to have pride in the product, and personalisation helps that.”
Goodordering championed by Facebook
The Goodordering story has also been highlighted by a number of Facebook campaigns, including the ‘Let’s Get to Work’ campaign, which championed Britain’s small businesses, and the ‘She Means Business’ platform for entrepreneurial women, which offers business and financial advice, as well as networking and marketing information. Jacqui starred in an outdoor campaign and is one of the highlighted inspirations on the platform, sharing her story, the challenges, as well as her advice to future female entrepreneurs.
“I love that Facebook means a niche product like mine, which is like marmite - some people just don’t like it, can be amplified all around the world using technology,” said Jacqui. “It allows you to find your little tribe all over the world and it has opened up and allowed people to have very niche businesses.”
Social media is also giving Jacqui the perfect platform to grow her brand internationally, with Instagram, alongside Facebook not only acting as a direct connection with her customers and converting into sales, but also attracting retailers, with many stating that they found the brand though the photo-sharing app.
While Goodordering has a regular pitch at Borough Market ever Saturday, Jacqui is quick to add that her own bricks-and-mortar retail presence isn’t on the cards anytime soon, instead she is looking to concentrate on her own e-commerce, which accounts for around 70 percent of direct-to-consumer sales, as well as developing relationships with key retailers, such as TokyoBike, one of her stockists.
“I did a pop-up shop last year on Hackney Road which I thought would be a smart idea and it was OK, and I probably made my money, but I realised having an own brand when you walk into a shop and just see my bags everywhere is not about the consumer it is about my ego,” said Jacqui. “What the consumer actually wants to do is to walk into a shop and buy a helmet, buy a lock, and maybe buy a bag.”
Jacqui added: “It isn’t right for me to have my own store, the pop-up was too much about me and the brand and not the customer. If people have gone to the trouble of not buying online then they really want to be offered a good experience - I’m trying to make it more about the customer.”
Goodordering is stocked in concept stores and independent boutiques globally, including Tokyo Bike, The Design Museum in London, Merci in Paris and Action Bicycle Club in New Zealand.
Images: via Goodordering Website by Juliet Taylor