Spotlight on independent retailers: Merchant & Mills

At a time when fast fashion is seemingly on top, retailers like Merchant & Mills are proof that traditional production methods and handmade creations are still just as appreciated as they were in the past. The Rye-based store sells everything from sustainable cloth and haberdashery to sewing kits and patterns, reaching shoppers who are looking to add a more personal and thoughtful touch to their wardrobes.

The retailer also goes beyond its physical space, offering classes and retreats for avid sewers, as well as wholesale opportunities for others who share their passion for introspective and purposeful crafts. Its owners, Carolyn Denham and Roderick Field, travel the world in search of the best fabrics and practical inspiration to add to its selection, always coming back to the store’s most important ethos: respect the roots of sewing.

Talking with its team, FashionUnited explores Merchant & Mills slow and pragmatic mindset, its journey since it opened its doors in 2010 and how it has transformed itself as the world continues to speed up.

How did the idea for Merchant & Mills come about?

Carolyn Denham & Roderick Field began Merchant & Mills in 2010, with the intention of bringing style and purpose to the often-overlooked world of sewing. Carolyn worked in fashion for decades and later in interior design, and Roderick is a recognised photographer with images in the national portrait gallery. Carolyn started Merchant & Mills as she wanted to get back to her roots of making and to encourage people to opt out of fast fashion and mindless spending and put time and consideration into their clothes.

What is the Merchant & Mills concept?

Our ethos is to respect the roots of sewing, from trade to home dressmaking, as we enable and inspire more people to find the satisfaction of simply making. We look for cloth that has sustainable credentials and will stand the test of time. Our ethos is keep it simple, and do it well. For example, buy the best you can afford and put the time into making something as well as you can and that you will wear for years to come. We supply everything our customers would need to create a functioning wardrobe: cloth, patterns, and notions.

How does Merchant & Mills stand out from other retailers?

We put extra time and care into the presentation and packaging of our patterns, cloth, and notions. Products are never rushed, but are slowly developed to reflect a thoughtful wardrobe – regardless of current trends. We find our shop to be a very tactile experience, not only is it a treasure trove for textile lovers, but we find that even the most unlikely person walking in off the street will come in and be inspired to make something.

Who is the typical Merchant & Mills customer?

While our customers range in age and skill level, they are sustainably minded and care about quality cloth and considered making.

What changes have you experienced through the high street?

We are based in Rye, East Sussex and are very much a destination shop. As the brand has grown, the shop has become busier, and we’ve seen more of our customers make the trip to visit our cloth products in person as opposed to shopping exclusively online. We also offer retreats where customer can come for the week, sew, stay locally and basically have a very indulgent week of making! I think they love to see the goings-on behind the scenes. Our shop is an office, a making space and a place to meet like-minded individuals.

Have you had to adapt your business model in any way?

We feel like Merchant & Mills has a strong identity and strong sense of what we offer. However, as the sewing community on social media has grown, it’s been a helpful tool to get instant feedback from our customers as we develop new ranges. Certainly, we had no idea from the beginning that cloth would be such a strong seller for us, this is an area we have really invested in and is always the most well received, and it’s fun for us too!

Why did you decide to extend Merchant & Mills into providing classes?

It felt like a natural progression – many of our customers would ask about classes and retreats when they’d come into the shop. So when we moved into a bigger space – we finally had room to actually start hosting classes. When we weren’t able to host in-person classes during the pandemic, we also released how-to videos and online tutorials for some of our more popular patterns.

Do you think there are advantages to being an independent retailer today?

Independent retailers are in a better position to connect with their community and react to their customers’ demands. Often, they also have more freedom to be creative and experiment with the products they carry.

What have been your biggest learning curves and challenges since opening?

Our main challenge has been keeping our team safe throughout the covid pandemic while maintaining an online business. Alongside this, Brexit has been quite a steep learning curve as we’ve had to adjust and come up with new solutions to retain our European customers.

Do you have any future plans for the store?

We are currently designing and renovating the Merchant & Mills House – where our customers can stay while attending our sewing retreats and others can rent out throughout the year. We are also developing a sister interior brand which will carry homewares and textiles. So the shop will certainly carry more homeware led fabrics. But really we are always on the lookout for something new – and I hope now travel is becoming more of an option again we can really get out there and source some exciting new lines!

Has the pandemic had any positive/negative effects on the business?

Merchant & Mills has continued to grow steadily throughout the pandemic as we saw many new customers take up sewing. I do also feel like from a wholesale point of view we have had many new accounts being opened from small makers – I think the pandemic really gave people a push to do what they’ve always wanted.

How do you select your wholesale partners?

We check that our wholesale partners have a similar ethos to us and the brand values are the same. We are in a lucky position that people mainly seek us out, but we do try to do trade shows – again, excited to get back out there post-pandemic pending!