Well, changes are afoot at House of Flint, and it's time to share the news! It's a scary step, and one I've tried to avoid for a while, but it really has come to now or never...
If you saw our 2024 year in review, you'll know that our biggest roadblock has been actually making a profit. After our amazing sales in June, we pushed over the VAT threshold, and a huge VAT bill came next. Still on the cusp of that threshold, losing 20% of revenue really adds up, and so it's time to work on those margins!
There are a lot of areas that I will never compromise on. It's important to me that everyone along my supply chain (from fabrics to manufacture) is paid fairly. That being said, I've never included myself in that, and in order to keep House of Flint running, that has got to change.
So what now?
Last year, I launched the first of our ready-to-ship collections. This not only gives you a faster service, it also means there are no hidden costs for us, as I've already paid everything upfront. With made-to-order, there are always aspects that cost more than we realise, like:
- more fabric needed than included in the price
- more time to cut each piece individually (even if there are no custom changes)
- admin time to relay exact order specifications
- shipping costs to and from freelancers, our production studio and my studio
- human error at some point during the above
- longer sewing times due to equipment
- training new freelancers
I've tried to negate this by adding an extra fee for custom requests, but the reality is that this will only ever cover one small part of the extra costs involved with manufacturing made-to-order garments.
Does that mean no more made-to-order?
Absolutely not! I know this service is a big draw for so many of you, and while we will certainly be increasing our ready-to-ship collection, our made-to-order team will still be on hand to create garments just for you, in designs exclusive to our made-to-order collections. But what we will be changing, is how much this costs.
Will all prices be increasing?
Across our made-to-order collections, yes. We will launch the first new collection of 2025 later this month (or early next!), and our new pricing will begin then.
With our ready-to-ship pieces, we are able to keep prices the same, and new garments will drop in March.
What will the price increase cover?
The hidden costs, VAT, and a small wage increase for me. I'm hopeful it will also allow us to make a small profit this year. It feels scary to admit the business isn't making a profit, and to ask customers to pay more, because what if they don't want to? It's this thought that has stopped me paying myself properly these past six years, and I've been so lucky to have the support of my husband during this time, but I know that now is the time for change!
I could not be more grateful for your support for House of Flint over the last six years, and I hope that support will continue through 2025 and these changes, to ensure we're still here in another six years!