The story behind BettyLicious vintage fashion

This week's guest Journal entry is written by Anja Hubrath, owner of BettyLicious vintage-inspired clothing and lingerie. She tells us about how the idea came about, and what setting up her first online shop involved.

When people ask me how I came up with the idea of setting up BettyLicious - an online shop selling vintage-inspired clothing and lingerie - this is what I usually tell them.

I just love quirky stuff, in particular anything vintage such as 1940/50 dresses and sexy lingerie.  I enjoy visiting vintage fairs. They always have a great atmosphere and you can see some really interesting people there, all dressed up in their vintage gear. I have to admit though, that I am not a huge fan of rummaging through vintage clothing. The items are often not labelled, so I have no idea what size I’m looking at and there is also the added hassle of having to look for something that is in good condition and made of good quality fabric.

And it goes without saying that I would not touch vintage underwear in a million years!

So after giving it a lot of thought I decided to set up a shop that sells 1940s/50s faux fashion and lingerie. The name for the shop was what followed and became vital to anything I did after that.  Don’t ask me how I came to think of the name BettyLicious though. Let’s just say my online dating persona had something to do with it and the name has become an integral part of everything I do.

BettyLicious sounds innocent and yet very seductive, in a Bettie Page way.  I like to think it describes a lady with exceedingly high expectations who is stylish, classy and fun. And that’s exactly how I wanted the look and feel of the website to be.

When researching other vintage clothing websites there wasn’t a single one that looked like the one I had in mind for my store. Betty had to be hot but not cheap, seductive but not overly sexual, 1950s but not your usual pin up girl. Betty had to be classy but fun, loved by guys and girls alike.

I had a rough idea what the logo should look like but really no clue about the visuals. That’s where manage my website and Flipside Studio came in - they translated a very basic brief into an amazing website.

I also thought that I’d like to offer more than just a shop. I wanted a little bit of cheeky entertainment to infiltrate my customers’ lives. Reading a blog that is somewhat different from the usual would cheer people up perhaps.  So I created Betty’s blog… which is really a soap opera about Betty’s life… with all the ups and downs that accompany a sexy, fun, entrepreneurial-minded lady who knows what she wants (perhaps more so when it comes to men and dating). The blog is set in the 50s and written from Betty’s perspective, using a language that is just a teeny bit out of date.

So why did I decide to create an e-commerce site selling vintage inspired fashion rather than have a shop presence in the high street? The benefits are endless.

One major factor is cost. Running an online shop is much cheaper as overheads are kept to a minimum. There is no rent to pay, just a small monthly fee to keep the website running.

Your customer pool is much bigger online, as you can reach people anywhere in the world. Twitter and Facebook make marketing to a worldwide audience really straightforward.

For me personally it was also important that I could be based anywhere in the world, and an e-commerce site makes a potential move to another country much more viable.

Of course it isn’t all plain sailing, and setting up an e commerce site can be complicated and time consuming.

As well as the creation of the visuals, there is also the technical side of it. Most designers specialise in either one thing or another, so a word of warning: beware of designers who are techies but say they can do both! The site often looks naff and uninspired!

There is also the fact that you need to integrate an online payment system and open a merchant account, which is easy enough to do but only if you know how.

I was very lucky to have found manage my website who were able to take care of all of these aspects while I continued doing the job I was meant to do. What could have been a nightmare, was actually a very positive learning experience on all levels and I’m very happy with the outcome thanks to manage my website, Flipside Studio (the designer) and Kinetic Pulse (the developer).

www.bettylicious.co.uk is now live…it’s been a little over a year since I first came up with the idea and I’m really pleased with the result.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewVintageBetty

Twitter: http://twitter.com/bettyliciousuk

Comments

[Christina @ Ralph Lauren mens suits]

That's very interesting story of bettylicious. Your website is cute and I love the vintage clothing for women and the lingerie's are so hot.