AOW Interview with Jenny Lockton of Bohemia Design

To start, please tell us how you got started in this field and what was the ah-ha moment to start Bohemia Design.

I believe it all started because I grew up around my mother and grandmother, who made all of our clothes. They were gardeners who worked close to the land in the Midlands of the UK - these were my roots. I moved to Edinburgh when I was 13, and I had always been involved in arts and crafts from a young age. When I was 25, I first traveled to Morocco, which is perhaps where the seed was planted - I felt an immediate attachment to the crafts, the art, the people, and the country.

In Edinburgh, I eventually opened a creative shop and started carrying items I sourced from my travels to Morocco. People began asking for wholesale, as it was extremely new at the time. Things slowly expanded as I started getting into design, and then I really focused on Moroccan design. It was a very organic start.

What do you wish you knew when you first started? 

Ideally, I would have found a business partner who balanced my weaknesses. I’m creative, so finding the right partner who enjoys analytics, number crunching, and business management is challenging. This is the part that I struggle with. I tried several times to bring on a new partner but never found the right person.

What do you feel are the most significant hurdles when considering how to increase the production of your business? 

I work with artisans in Turkey, India, and Morocco, and I find India to be far easier than Morocco in terms of scaling. For example, in India, they have been block printing since the 16th century and are far more used to working for international buyers than is the case in Morocco. 

Of course, people in Morocco have been making crafts for centuries, but mainly for their local community. Therefore, producing in volume for international buyers is more challenging and scaling is more complicated.

The demand has been there for my business, but the challenges lie in quality control. I work with small artisanal families, and the list of difficulties is long – for instance, just managing the ability to produce the quantity of goods you want. When scaling, quality and pricing are the most significant challenges, particularly in Morocco. Unlike in India, where bulk purchases typically lower prices, in Morocco, when a product becomes trendy and you buy in bulk, the price will often go up.

I think this is a supply and demand issue that stems from the nature of production. For example, there was a style of basket that became trendy, and everyone wanted it. However, it was difficult for the artisans to produce it in quantity because it was a new product. When there's significant demand, finding sufficient quantity becomes an issue. Then, as demand increases, there's pressure on artisans, and quality can decrease. Sometimes, the price goes up because there's an opportunity to make more money. This is the complexity of working with artisans – since it's not a factory, both prices and quality can fluctuate. 

If you were to do it all over again, do you think you would have been more successful with a stronger product focus?  

Yes, if I were to do it all over again, I would cut down on the number SKUs to really hone in on the most successful products. I’d focus on those and then slightly expand within that product range. But then again, you also have to take chances. You always need “the next thing.” You also need a range to manage fluctuations and trends and satisfy consumer interest. 

What are your thoughts on the future of craftsmanship in Morocco and the other countries where you work?

The status of being an artisan is not regarded the way that it should be.  It’s not a desired craft. How much artisanal will be produced in the future is uncertain because many people do not want to go into it.

For others interested in working with artisans in Morocco, India, Turkey, or elsewhere, what are some tips you would relay?

You have to go to the country and spend time with the people. I’ve spent countless hours watching them work with their tools and materials. Don’t think you can bring your designs to an artisan unless you really know how they work. Time and patience are crucial to understanding the whole process. You also have to build relationships with the people you are working with. You need to trust one another.

What tips can you share regarding shipping?

When I first started with Morocco, I used air freight, then road freight, and then shipping containers. I've since returned to road freight because of the delays with containers. The container delays were hard on cash flow, so we shifted to working with Morocco in smaller, more frequent orders, which also helped with our quality control. This approach allows us to maintain more consistent stock. With India, we've been using air freight - it's expensive but gets the product in quickly. Containers are time delayed but we want to move to shipping by container as our volume grows, it's the more cost efficient and environmentally friendly option.

We prefer to ship smaller shipments more frequently throughout the year, keeping our warehouse stocked in Edinburg.

Are there any marketing or sales tips you have learned which you can share? 

A lot of people find us organically through our website. We launched it in 2006, so we were early to go online. We must keep up with our SEO, Google AdWords, and do a little social media marketing.

We have exhibited at trade shows over the years, including Shoppe Object, which we will attend this February.

We also work with an organization called PressLoft, through which we get a lot of magazine coverage. They search for the type of articles they are looking for and, from there, can find your brand. We get a lot of press from this.

We also take nice lifestyle shots with strong photographers, which is a dream for magazines. We invest in photography (about 3 shoots a year) knowing that people are so visually led.

In terms of your mailing list, what strategies have helped grow it?

Many people sign up to join our newsletters via our website. When we get a new wholesale inquiry, we ask them if they want to join our list.  

We perform well in organic listings, though we also use paid listings. For example, we rank high in searches for Babouche slippers - both paid and organic - because we've been there for a while. We also rank highly when it comes to Moroccan products.

Google rates us highly, so we appear high in SEO rankings. Being niche helps. You have to know how to write your copy in a way that aligns with how consumers will search.

Have the trade shows been worthwhile investments?

They used to be, yes. Less so, recently. We did one last summer that was just ok. This February, we will be at Shoppe Object.

Tell us about your challenges when it comes to sourcing in Morocco.

Bulk orders can be challenging because large retailers sometimes try ordering Moroccan artisanal products before they go into administration, specifically the leather belt made famous by Kate Moss, which needs to buy high volumes while maintaining quality.

Artisans in Morocco have been producing for their own market, so what buyers want is entirely different. It’s about managing buyer expectations. You have to educate consumers so they understand that not all these pieces will be exactly the same, and that slight variations are part of selling artisanal goods.

What have been your best sellers?

•      Babouch leather slippers

•      Our baskets fly, and we are constantly introducing new designs.

•      With items from India, our new hand-block zip pouches and bags as well as our candle holders from iron are doing well.

Could you tell us about your customer base?

Small, independent shops are our bread and butter. We don’t work as much with large-volume retailers. We prefer this because we like the terms of small shops. Often, the terms of larger retailers don’t work for us.

Retailers that work for us:

·      Maison Flaneur - well curated and design-led with a good international customer base.

·      Glassette - quirky, contemporary homewares.

·      Generous Ape - focus on sustainable brands.

·      Not On The High Street (NOTHS) - featuring small, independent, creative brands.

In terms of wholesale, Faire has been huge for us. We were one of the first brands to be invited. We communicated a lot when they wanted to launch in the UK because they needed insights. We are on their top ten list. Faire has nailed it in terms of customer service and support for the brands, helping you look at your analytics. They have been brilliant.

We have a warehouse in the UK; we have a lot of customers in the US and Canada, and we ship to them with no problem.

And, if I were to do it again, I would work with agents and look for a warehouse.

What are some artisan brands that you love?

Here are some artisanal companies and a gallery based in Marrakech that are elevating craft and representing self-taught Moroccan artists:

·      Beni Rugs (@beni_rugs)

·      Bouchra Boudoua (@bouchraboudoua)

·      Zoubida (@zoubida.official)

·      Galerie SINIYA28 (@galeriesiniya28)

Do you see a drastic rise in demand for drop shipping?

Yes, they ask for it, but we don’t drop ship except on the few platforms mentioned: Maison Flaneur, Glassette, Generous Ape, and NOTHS.

What trends in the market are you seeing that you might experiment with?

Ceramics and glassware.

I’m tempted by ceramics – and see a lot of interesting techniques to experiment with in Morocco. I’m tempted but then again, this would require time to find the right partner. We would also need to then consider sea freight because the high risk of breakage.

I’m also interested in hand-blown glass but again, it’s a question of finding the right packaging and shipping options.

And for fun, can you share some of your fave spots in Marrakesh? 

Here are some of the places I like to eat in Marrakech when I'm treating myself or friends and family, although some of the very best food I've had in Morocco is at very humble, local places:

·      L'Mida (@lmidamarrakech)

·      Cafe Atay (@atay_cafe)

·      Mizaan (@mizaanmarrakech_)

·      Jajjaj in Sidi Ghanem (@hassanhajjaj_larache)

·      Bacha Coffee at Les Musee des Confluences (@bachacoffee)

Thank you, Jenny! 

Visit: https://www.bohemiadesign.co.uk/