Collectif is all grown up! 18th Birthday Celebrations
A couple of weeks ago I had the great pleasure of attending the Collectif 18th birthday party (held on the 25th November). From humble beginnings on a stall at Camden Market, the brand has flourished during those years and now boasts a sucessful online store shipping worldwide, international stockists, and shops in Brighton, Spitalfields, Commercial Street and of course where it all began, Camden.
To celebrate this massive achievement, Collectif hosted an extravaganza at their Camden shop and FEST. With tickets snapped up fast including hair and make up at the event, I bagged a silver ticket for £20 which included a free dress (I chose the absolutely gorgeous Maica green velvet dress which fits like a dream!). What an amazing deal those tickets were! It also included a free drink at the shop (sponsors Sailor Jerry saw to that!) and a pink cocktail at FEST which was particularly yummy.
I headed to the shop early to have a browse (you can’t go to Collectif without buying something, right?!) and picked up a Jasmine skirt I’d been after which was no longer available on their website (woohoo!), then had a mingle with the staff and ladies starting to trickle in for the celebrations.
There was live entertainment outside the shop, with fabulous groups like the Victory Sisters, the Tootsie Rollers and Britain’s Got Talent finalists, the D-Day Darlings bringing cheer to the crowds in the crisp night air. I went over to FEST to be met by the delightful Collectif team (all looking fabulous in their Collectif finery), and joined the ladies that had been coiffed to perfection while we waited for the evening events to start, chatting amidst exquisitely dressed stables and everyone dazzling in their Collectif frocks (honestly, everyone looked stunning!).
It wasn’t long until the doors opened to the main stage and everyone gathered on the dancefloor to listen to the launch of the birthday party. The live music started and we were treated to The Danny Mcvey Trio, more Tootsie Rollers, D-Day Darlings and Victory Sisters. It was a delight to see the SwingDancers burning up the floor with their awesome moves! I really must learn how to dance one day.
The evening was peppered with talented acts in between the fabulous musical numbers, featuring burlesque and drag performers Lolo Brow, Meth and Tigress.
The Mythical Menagerie team were there too, sprinkling us all with a friendly dusting of unicorn sparkles.
There were some truly moving moments too – just looking out over the hundreds of guests and feeling the love and warmth in the room, the sheer joy of everyone being who they are (most apparant when the song ‘This is Me’ came on), lifting each other up in confidence and enjoying each other’s company – things this brand stands for and prides themselves on. It was a very magical evening.
Later on the MD made a rousing speech and commended his wonderful team of staff that help make the brand what it is. I had spoken to the MD a few times that evening and he wanted guests to know how grateful he was to have such a brilliant team, and that they really are what makes the company. I have to say I agree, as the Collectif team go all out for their customers and it was lovely to hear an MD recognise the efforts of all members of his workforce – be it customer facing or behind the scenes. If you’ve ever been to a store you’ll know how awesome the staff make you feel when you’re trying something on; if you buy online, they’ll try to get it to you as quickly as possible and work extra hours to make this happen, and if you’ve ever had an unfortuate issue with something not working, the customer service team just want to make you happy and rectify it as soon as possible. As well as the many others like the creative teams and office staff that all make up the amazing Collectif family.
It was also very exciting to hear him promise more events going forward and a pop up shop near the Head Office was the start of these last week. Keep an eye on the facebook page Events section for the latest updates, can’t wait for more of these types of things next year!
I was also given a little insight into how the company decides what to make and who we are as customers. I absolutely loved this as I have a Marketing background so I found it incredibly fascinating. Customer engagement and listening to feedback was clearly evident here and hugely impressive.
It was such a well organised and fun night and I had an incredible time, as did everyone I spoke to (it was great to meet so many of you!). I’m thankful to Collectif for building such a fantastic community, caring about their customers so much and continuing to design the most fabulous clothes which suit everyone, regardless of age, gender, size etc. We all looked and felt amazing, and that’s what it’s all about.
See you next year!
ps for my outfit info click here and for further photos from that night, follow Collectif’s instagram tag #collectif18