Customer Story
Fashion retailer LMD weaves technology into its business to preserve dressmaking craft
Amidst the competition and bustle of the fashion industry, local retailer LMD Collections stays true to its craft.
LMD Collections is a local fashion retailer cut from a different cloth compared to their rivals. Amidst competition from drop-shipped and cut-label stores, it stays true to its craft of producing its own line of dresses, all uniquely designed by four sisters trained by their tailor father. The business, now in its 10th year, remains helmed by the four sisters, with the help of a determined younger generation of family members, siblings Xavier and Joanne Goh, who are 30 and 29 years old respectively. Overcoming intense competition and a changing retail landscape through the adoption of technology to improve their workflow productivity, LMD Collections continues to move forward confidently, basing itself on the family business ethos that focuses on passion, craft and customer relationships.
Reinforcing quality, and staying open to new market conditions
If you frequent Chinatown, you might have noticed LMD Collections has six stores along its streets. Passionate about the craft of dressmaking, the sisters design every piece that goes into each of their outlets.
Every newly designed dress is first tried on to determine the level of comfort and each stitch is scrutinised by experienced pairs of eyes before the clothes are considered good enough to bear the LMD brand.
The process is rigorous, but one that the sisters insist on, and that sets them apart from the drop-shipped and cut-label stores in today’s competitive fashion retail scene.
“They [the sisters] are very passionate about sewing and tailoring, and are very particular about each stitch and design for their clothing,” Xavier shared proudly.
“We try out the dresses for ourselves to see whether the material feels itchy, if it is comfortable or too tight, and if it follows standard sizing.” Joanne added.
The older generation turned to both Xavier and Joanne when they needed help to reduce the unavoidable strain of paperwork and also to stay relevant to younger consumers.
The younger pair of siblings are now running all the LMD Collections retail stores, while spearheading the digitalisation of their business with new tools to drive cost competitiveness and expanding LMD Collections’ customer segment with their online store – www.LMD.sg.
Explaining the reason behind maintaining both online and physical stores, Xavier shared that they were keen to ensure customers were given the opportunity to feel the material and try out the fit of a dress before purchasing.
“The emphasis on a piece of clothing’s fit and feel is at the core of LMD Collections,” Xavier shared.
“The online retailers are selling their goods at very low prices, but the quality is not as good as ours. We can say that very confidently.”
Modernising the way they worked
Before the siblings stepped in four years ago, the four sisters who are Xavier and Joanne’s mother and aunts, ran the business with a labour-intensive approach.
“They started from scratch, without using any computers, just a normal cash register, and they wrote everything down on paper - how much they sold and so on. At the month’s end, they had to tally everything. Sometimes, they’ll work till 3am at night, just to pack the stock and calculate everything,” Joanne shared.
“They had a lot of customers, but it was very tedious without technology to help them. Everything was drawn and designed on paper.”
There was a tinge of pride in Joanne’s tone as she related how well her older family members took to using the iPads that littered their office at Upper Cross Street when Xavier and her first introduced them to these devices: “They sought help from us, because they were not content with being stagnant.”
“We’re very proud of my aunts, and my mom and dad. They learned very quickly,” she said.
Leveraging on Xavier’s keen interest in technology further, LMD Collections also ventured into utilising several Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products from Singtel, including the e-commerce platform Shopify, digitalised itemised payslips from E.Payslip, as well as email and collaboration solution ONEOffice.
“We needed a secure server, and ONEOffice was on the cloud and had an email service,” Xavier stated, before revealing that he regularly attends Singtel workshops designed for SMEs to keep abreast of their latest offerings.
“A physical server would have cost us about $10,000, which was too much when we first started out. We had to go for a cheaper alternative, and once we went for it, I found that it was so much better because we could access it anywhere. It’s actually very convenient for us.”
Besides becoming more efficient in coordinating work, Joanne also noted the role technology has played in helping them make informed business decisions.
“We can check how sales were like last year. Previously, they [her mother and aunts] could not compare, but now they can. They have charts done up by Xavier and they can identify the trends, which also helps them realise how important it is to use technology,” she pointed out.
Relying on instant messaging, the family constantly shares their latest designs and business insights with each other on the go. After all, unlike other families, they are tied together not only by kinship, but also by a shared commitment towards LMD Collections.
Unique family dynamics
“Previously, we didn’t know all of them very well. We just knew them as our aunts and we needed to respect them. But after started we working together, we got to know them better, and recognised each person’s strengths and weaknesses,” Joanne said.
“It’s fun because you’ll never get to experience such closeness with your family members. We see them every day, and we have all our meals together. This is very different from other families,” Xavier pointed out, and shared proudly that 25 of 35 of their employees are family members.
Indeed, the family’s unique dynamics, commitment to quality, and willingness to move with technology-driven times are what LMD Collections is banking on to ensure their presence in Singapore’s retail scene for another decade.
Both Xavier and Joanne are hoping for their customers to take the name of their business, LMD Collections, to heart - Lai Mai Dress (来买Dress).
A piece of Do Different advice from the siblings
“They [other SMEs] shouldn’t be afraid of the digital age. The pace is fast and things develop quickly.
For example, no one knew about Taobao five years ago, but right now, it is one of the world’s biggest retailers.
We have to catch up and start using technology to aid our business, or else we will be left behind. “
– Xavier, 30.
”Don’t keep yourself within the box, because there area lot of things you can learn.
After you’ve learnt it, you’ll realize it’s easy to use and not difficult at all.
You just need to take the first step to try.”
– Joanne, 29.
About Do Different:
A mobile and digital world ushers in new challenges and opportunities for businesses. SMEs that are quick in their transformation and adoption of technology find themselves building up a competitive edge that drives growth and allows them to operate effectively in this new economy
In this six-part series, Do Different explores the common challenges and experiences of SMEs that leverage technology to level the playing field, while reinventing their business and operations.