In 2013, Nour Khoury started a personal style blog aiming to promote the independent designers she was drawn to. When she envisioned it evolving into a global boutique and a kickstarter for designers, she approached Rudy Seikaly, a colleague and serial entrepreneur with background in real estate and technology and increased sensitivity towards social responsibility. When Khoury, who has spent years working in luxury fashion merchandizing and started her career in marketing at Le Bon Marche Rive Gauche in Paris, pitched him her idea, the two of them joined forces and founded Bucolik, an e-commerce marketplace for emerging designers. The site launched in early 2016 with an exclusive selection of international fashion, jewelry and accessories labels. We sat down with co-founder Nour Khouri to discuss their newly-launched website, expanding their services beyond sales, their current projects and future plans.
“Bucolik” founders Nour Khouri & Rudy Seikali
Please briefly introduce yourself and your team to our readers.
Nour Khoury CEO and Co-Founder of Bucolik.com; Rudy Seikaly, Co-Founder of Bucolik.com; MacKenzie Kassab, Editorial Director; Karole Seikaly, Operations Manager; Sophie Nahas, Fashion Buyer
What is it that draws you to emerging designers?
I’m drawn to their talent, drive and passion, but also to the dedication they show to turning a vision into reality. I’m an entrepreneur facing similar challenges, so I can relate to what they’re going through.
How you would you convince potential buyers to invest in a piece designed by an emerging designer rather than an established one? How do you shift attention to the product?
When you shop on Bucolik.com, you’re not only supporting a young designer; you’re supporting the fashion industry. We’re providing an alternative to fast fashion, which means giving customers the opportunity to own beautiful pieces you won’t see in every mall in America. Our collections offer a fresh perspective, but there’s also an emphasis on quality and craftsmanship – because these designers aren’t as well know, they really have to prove themselves. We shift attention to a product by showing our customers how a collection fits into their lifestyle, whether it’s through a photo shoot, trend report video, or editorial story. Many of the emerging designers we work with have really incredible stories, so we try to tell those as well. We hope our readers feel a personal connection to a brand before they buy an item.
In what ways is Bucolik more than a shopping experience – a “journey,” as you like to call it?
Selling products is a small part of what we do. We want our customers to feel like they’re traveling the world with us, meeting the designers we know and love, and exploring their native cities. We also want them to share our experiences and discoveries along the way, whether it’s an interesting book, an undiscovered music festival or a breathtaking resort. But there’s another journey happening behind the scenes, with our designers. By offering online and offline services, like PR, marketing, sales support and events, we’re creating a path towards better
opportunities.
You have recently organized a popup focusing on Lebanese designers in collaboration with Marianna Webbe PR. Tell us a few words about this experience.
Caravan Beirut was a curated luxury marketplace that took place from April 8-12 in Washington, DC, marking the launch of our digital retail platform, Bucolik.com. The event focused on Lebanese designers because we wanted to promote the image of Lebanon through design, art and fashion, and to open new distribution channels for the talented designers we work with.
How important is integrating editorial content into your ecommerce in order to explain and spread Bucolik’s mission?
It’s essential. Customers have endless options when it comes to ecommerce, so we really want them to see how our collections fit their lifestyles and what they want: great design, quality craftsmanship, exclusivity, and to know about a young designer before anyone else. We work hard to understand who our customer is, and we tailor our editorial content – and even our product selection – around her interests. Products are just a small part of the puzzle. This strategy is founded on Bucolik’s long-‐term mission to build brands, not just sell products. Seeing our customers fall in love with a designer is as important as making a sale.
Bucolik takes on PR, marketing and offline distribution assistance, besides sales. What makes you passionate about building a brand?
We find something exciting in scouting and promoting new designers, new visions and personalities that are behind the things they make. There’s something exciting about discovering relatively unknown labels and sharing their vision with our customers, especially when the designers all have such different backgrounds. Today people shop as much for the experience as they do for the product. It’s important that we offer something much more than just a collection of beautiful, well-made pieces.
In return for giving us access to their collections and the stories behind their products, we’re motivated to push our emerging brands to the next level. Aside from online sales, Bucolik also offers offline support. For example, we help them find new distribution channels in retail markets.
Our daily conversations with press, retailers and consultants equip us with a depth of insight that leaves as well situated to assist emerging designers. Using this knowledge, we create effective strategies to help ensure the commercial success of our brands. We tailor our services to each brand to result in the most meaningful outcome.
What is the most common mistake young designers do while trying to raise brand awareness?
We find that emerging designers often focus on statement pieces, without including wearable, everyday pieces in their assortment. They may not be as glamorous to design, but wardrobe staples really are essential in a collection. We’ve also noticed that young brands tend to focus on design (which is, of course, their strong suit) at the expense of business development.
What are you currently working on and what are your future plans?
Right now we’re focusing on growing our roster of designers and providing our readers with a virtual escape, our “journey in style.” We have scouts in several cities looking for undiscovered talent, so we’ll be adding new looks, telling more designers’ stories, and whisking our readers off on exciting adventures. There’s never a dull day around here – and that’s just the way we like it.
www.bucolik.com
Images © Bucolik
