Dappad seeks to redefine how 'city dwellers' shop for fashion

With the likes of the Trunk Club paving the way for curated online shopping for style-less men, driven by the addition of a personal stylist’s opinion free of charge in the US, it was only a matter of time before the concept found it’s way overseas to the UK.

Scandinavian duo Erika Nilsson and Anja Stavnsbjerg felt the time was right to introduce their own vision of a personal men’s wear shopping website in London. Launched this Monday, Dappad is designed to help men look and feel their best, without ever having to set foot in a store.

"Fashion and design have been part of my life for as long as I can remember," explains co-founder, Nilsson. "In Sweden we love design and my parents have always appreciated that, so I have been brought up with that. I love clothes and shopping for myself and I have been shopping for my husband for a very long time."

Living in London for nine years, Nilsson previously worked in the heart of the finance hub for eight before leaving to start up Dappad, whilst Stavnsbjerg brings with her years of experience working in the fashion industry, previously working with the likes of Burberry, Levi’s, COS and more.

"By working in finance and working with people who are very busy living the lives they lead, I had that life and so does my husband, you start to realise what a great need there is for something like this," continued Nilsson. "People are busy, but people want to look good and have to look good at work."

" I can definitely see the desire for this concept being in high demand here in the UK"

"However, when you are working a 50, 60 hour week, sometimes even more, and you have families and other interests, the urge or desire to visit a busy high street on a Saturday or Sunday morning doesn't score very high on the agenda. I can definitely see the desire for this concept being in high demand here in the UK."

“My husband is a great example for this scenario. He is a guy who earns decent money and has a good job, but he would dress completely wrong in a mismatched ensemble of random high street clothes from the stuff he would buy on his way home from work because he didn't have time to go before."

"He would just end up with something that doesn't really fit him or suit him or fulfill his wardrobe needs. Which made me think, there must be thousands of other men in the city who are exactly the same and suffer from the same.”

These thousands of men, who are known as 'city dwellers' and work in finance are Dappad's first group of target clients. "We are targeting guys, between the age of 25 and 45, who have a bit of cash to spend, but are too busy, and still want to look good."

By offering a commitment and subscription free service, the duo hopes potential clients will be more encouraged to try their personal online shopping service. But in order to enjoy the full benefits that Dappad offers, customer must first sign up online, following the site's start-up procedure.

"The customer first begins at with the start-up process, where he is asked to select which ‘level’ he is at; entry level, mezzanine level or executive suite, which are classified by the type of dresser the customer is. So whether he is bit of a clueless guy when it comes to fashion, or a confident dresser or a pro, there is a level for them all. Then, depending on which level he has chosen, he is redirected to another part of the site where there are different looks he can click if he identifies with them."

Dappad to help men from all 'levels' get their fashion fix

"For the confident and pro dresser there are more advanced, or styled looks, whilst for the entry more basic looks. These looks are not necessarily the clothes we will send them in the box, but it helps us get a better understanding of what sort of style the customer would prefer to wear. Then we collect more data about them, such as favorite brands, measurements, sizes and contact details. Afterwards the customer is matched up to the appropriated stylist who will contact him directly to get to know him better before sending out the first box of clothing."

Dappad leaves it up to the customer to decide how and when they will be contacted by their personal stylist, whether it is by phone, message or email. Once the selected stylist has spoken with the client and understands his needs, she will send out the first box.

Boxes sent to customers normally contain two to three complete outfits on average, but contents tend vary depending on the customer wishes. Prices for the items are the same as the recommended retail prices, with prices for t shirts ranging between 30 pounds and 80 pounds and jeans between 135 pounds and 200 pounds.

"We try to customize the order as much as possible so the customer can see how the clothes would work together and our stylists are always available if they want to ask questions about the boxes content," adds Nilsson.

Personalization at it's core: "We try to customize the order as much as possible"

"On average, a full box of three outfits would be worth around 1,000 pounds, but again the customer is not obliged to keep anything and is able to try it on at home. They then have ten days to decide what they wish to keep and what they wish to send back and we arrange a pick up for any returns from the location of the customers choice, free of charge."

In order to ensure that Dappad stands out from other online retailers and potential competitors, Nilsson and Stavnsbjeg have hand selected the brands the website offers, working with names such as AG Jeans, Orlebar Brown, Cheaney Shoes, Eton Shirts, J Lindeberg and Tiger of Sweden.

"We are really quite specific which brands we work with and lean towards 'affordable luxury' ones. We are trying to stay away from the high street as much as possible, so we can bring in something new and fresh to the boxes, so when customers open them, they see something they would have not necessarily thought of or found by themselves."

"We aim to offer different brands from our competitors, as a few of them offer what I would define as mainstream or high street brands, so we try to offer more unique labels that are harder to find. Of course, the overall look and quality is very important to us when it comes to which brands we work with. We are also adding new brands throughout the year continuously as well, so we have an up to date brand offering."

Another way the duo aims to connect with their potential customers is setting up a situation where they can meet face to face. "Because we are targeting the city guy, we plan to open up a series of pop-up stores in the city’s major banks over the next few months, which is one of our first priorities in terms of our marketing strategy," explains Nilsson.

Pop-up shops allow customers the chance to learn about Dappad in one "smooth transaction"

"We will have clothing available, stylists for them to meet. We will make it a cozy little ‘pad’ environment for our potential customers to come into, have their measurements taken, and be able to talk to the stylist, getting the signup process done in one go. It should be a quick and smooth transaction for them and they won't have to go shopping afterwards."

Although Dappad only launched this week, Nilsson has ambitious plans for the future of the men's wear online shopping platform. "Our five year plan includes the eventual roll out of Dappad to the rest of Europe and Scandinavian of course. First and foremost, we would expand to Sweden and Denmark, Norway perhaps or Finland and then more further down the continent."

"This really feels like a concept that seems to be popping up more and more and I think it will become the next big thing. Considering how much we try to outsource as much of our lives that we do not want to do, or do not have time to do, shopping shouldn't be any different, especially when we can offer it free of charge," notes Nilsson.

"I hope that in a few years time, when online and offline shopping have become even more advanced, that this concept will have become a norm and where people get their clothing from. It is a proven concept already in the US, so there is no reason why is should not be as successful here in Europe. Eight out of ten men say they hate shopping, so I find it quite strange that the shopping processes have remained the same for women and men up until now."