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I am fresh from my return from Asia after a ten-day trip that included Vietnam and Hong Kong. During the trip, I met up with our 5 Growing Elite Stylists who had earned this trip and were treated to VIP treatment by our leadership team throughout their travels. I have to say that amongst the fun times and time we spent bonding with the teams, it was so great to get to know these five very different stylists better and get to understand how they each approach their business. Whilst each stylist has a very individual style, I discovered that they really have more things in common than not, ultimately caring for and curating clients and their wardrobes under the J. Hilburn brand. |
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In amongst the itinerary of visits, we talked product and about specific pieces, how to show them to clients and help them understand how it can fit into their wardrobe, which colors (apart from Navy Blue) work for him, and why. It was a great conversation that was informative for me and helped me understand better what our clients are looking for each season. Outerwear came up a lot and especially with these stylists representing the cooler zones, the need for outerwear that works easily into their closet, with universal styling. We also talked about fabrics, selling approaches, and selling options to established clients and how these clients appreciate this touch from the stylists of individual curation of styles that match their own personal style and taste. This element seemed the most fun with this group, who have certainly mastered fit and are confident going above and beyond with stylish options. I listened to stories about clients and their experiences, from being stopped in the street and complimented on their clothing style to managing expectations around fit and consistency, which is perhaps one of the more difficult conversations when working with a product that is made one piece at a time. |
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We had some memorable dinners, with incredible food and hospitality offered by our global teams, visits to religious temples, local monuments, and some retail temples, too, including local markets and specialist malls with unique product offerings. It was great to see our stylists enjoy all of this as an adventure of a lifetime and a recognition of their hard work and tenacity.
As part of the trip, I also met with our global teams, worked with some of our mill partners with offices in Hong Kong, and managed to check in on some competitive retail therapy in the local markets. The trip culminated on the last evening with our TAL Annual Dinner, which was the first time it was held after five years of covid and post covid precautions. Being part of a large, successful group is a great honor for me professionally, offering not only financial stability to our growth efforts for J.Hilburn but also allows us to leverage enormous talent across the organization to help and improve our business as we pave the future of J.Hilburn. I hope our 5 Growing Elite stylists took this away from meeting with our global teams, too. It is a great time to be a J.Hilburn Stylist, and growing your business has never been so well rewarded as is today, and bringing others along on this journey should be something we all feel worth the effort.
Travel is never easy on the body, but it is worth the effort to broaden the mind and help give perspective on things that make a difference. If the long embraces and teary goodbyes at the end of our trip were anything to go by, I know that I am so very grateful to be working with such amazing human beings who are making a difference in so many men’s lives, including mine. |
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