Study Tour to Ted Baker Showroom in LA Fashion District
Students studying Merchandising & Marketing and Merchandising Product Development recently visited Ted Baker’s Los Angeles office as part of a special study tour to get an inside look at what it takes to run a successful business in the fashion industry.
Patrick Heitkam, Ted Baker EVP of Wholesale and Licensing, greeted the students with a magic trick, which not only served as a fun ice breaker, but introduced the students to their quirky, fun brand.
In fact, the Ted Baker quirky sense of humor permeates every aspect of the business. They call their London headquarters the UBB, which stands for “Ugly Brown Building.” They like to encourage their employees to “dress Ted to toe” at work. Their informal motto is: “The world is your lobster,” which Founder Ray Kelvin borrowed from a British sitcom. They have lobsters everywhere, from plush toys in the office to lobster print textiles.
London is the “Tedquarters” and Patrick said that Ray Kelvin is there all day, every day. He is sincerely dedicated and loves the brand.
Patrick gave an overview of their licensing business which includes a wide range of products, from fragrance and kidswear to backgammon sets and bluetooth speakers. Ted Baker just signed a watch deal with Timex for a traditional meets Ted collaboration.
Ted Baker is doing business in every part of the world with over 300 retail locations—and no two stores have the same theme! Each store reflects the character of the surrounding area. For example, the Santa Monica store has a merry-go-round theme replete with seagulls eating french fries, representing life on the pier. The Westfield London location was built on a former greyhound racetrack, so they had custom made neon greyhound signs installed as if the dogs are racing around the perimeter of the store. Visit tedsstoreportfolio.squarespace.com to see for yourself the creativity in their retail locations. The Ted Special Projects division creates the themes and design for the stores, concessions, and trade show booths.
Patrick said Ray Kelvin loves to tell the brand story, and a good way to do that is through concessions. A concession is basically a miniature store operated by the brand, and located within a larger store. Ted Baker has their own sales people on the floor at the department store.
“Collaboration is so important in life,” said Patrick. “You need all your allies around you.” He was speaking about how all the different departments at a company work together. “It works best when there is a mutual respect between design and sales.”
Patrick met Ray Kelvin at Premiere Vision, a renowned textile trade show in Paris. He said he was wearing jeans, black canvas All Stars, and a navy blazer over a polo shirt. Ray gave him a hug and said, “I’m gonna hire you.” That was 2009. He in fact did hire him and now the Los Angeles office has grown to 50 people, much larger than their New York office. “It’s like a mini-London,” said Patrick.
Can Tran presented their current menswear collection. Lindsay Borkowski presented footwear, and other team members presented womenswear, Colour by Ted, and accessories.
Many FIDM graduates are currently working at Ted Baker, both in Los Angeles and London, including Wholesale Office Manager Victoria Marques, Santa Monica Store Manager Brayden LeBlanc-Jackson, Women’s Accessories Sales Manager Adriana Mencias, Canada Wholesale Account Manager Gabrielle Alcantar, and Global Marketing Manager Federica Capuano.
The visit wrapped up with an announcement that Ted Baker is currently looking for qualified candidates for their internship program.
Categories: Merchandise Product Development Merchandising & Marketing Industry Partnerships
