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Location:
Home > Showcase
> Profile |
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Designer Maker Retailer |
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Beer Cube |
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Flat top Salt and Pepper |
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Jigsaw |
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Pinch Bowls |
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| Career pathway
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Originally trained
as a horologist (watchmaker) in Dublin and got interested in
jewellery and silversmithing. Came to Birmingham in 1994 to
begin jewellery and silversmithing training at UCE in the Jewellery
Quarter.
Came out of Uiiversity two years later (HND) and got a job managing
and designing for a company in Rugby. After 1 year bought the
company and all my designs back.
1998 – won Nat West Entrepreneur of the Year.
Moved the business to Birmingham and opened a small gallery
at this time too. The range expanded as did the gallery and
began to sell directly to other retailers via trade fairs in
NEC and Earls Court.
Now we sell directly to the public via the internet and our
gallery, we also design for the Royal Academy of Arts, High
end retailers in New Bond Street London and 5th Ave. Ney York
– new designs being lauched in Tokyo this year.
Am constantly retraining in web base software, teacher training,
retailing skills and marketing.
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| Industry
Relationships |
| Work with a
huge variety of suppliers of services and components, spinners,
stampers, polishers, casters in brass and silver. Build teams
over a long time with main suppliers so loyalty and good payment
terms can be rewarded when you need to pull the cat out of the
bag. |
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| Inspiration |
| Function and
style. I design products for use by all, style wise they fit
in the grandest palace and can snugly and with a sense of chic
in the smallest apartment. |
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| Clients |
| Mostly confidential
but can say I have worked with a huge variety of retailers and
very high end corporate customers including Jaguar, Ford and
the Orient Express. |
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| Tips for
Newcomers |
Develop strong
supply chains and say to each supplier you will buy off them
forever if they can give you consistency of service and quality.
Stick to your word.
Pay on time will get you good suppliers.
Tell the supplier you have paid them and thank them for the
service. (Usually cheques go straight to accounts dept so the
guy on the ground never knows when the money comes in)
Develop short (instant cash/markets stall) Medium (Customers
who re order/ independent retailers) and long term (Volume buyers)
plans for your fledgling business. But don’t neglect one
for the other.
Don’t keep changing your product range out of vanity –
if it sells make it again and sell it to some one else –
later you can become an artist. |
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| Outlets |
Our own gallery, Harvey
Nichols London and Edinburgh, Metal Guru Brighton, The Silver
Shop Bath. |
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| Address: |
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David-Louis Design
Gallery,
23 – 24 Warstone Lane,
Hockley,
Birmingham,
B186JQ |
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0121 233 4757 |
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| Email: |
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david.Hendley@gifts-of-distinction.co.uk |
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| Web: |
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www.david-louis.com |
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