On April 15, 2020, our first collection of classic silk scarves became available for pre-order.
If you're not familiar with pre-orders or a pre-sale, that means that you were able to order products starting in April, but we didn't go into production until May, and your order won't arrive for another few months after that.
So, why are we doing pre-sales?
There are a couple of reasons why I chose to launch this way.
- Pre-selling can be a more sustainable option for brands, because it gives me a better idea of the demand and ensures that we don't produce more than we have to, ultimately reducing waste in unsold inventory down the line.
- As a small startup, LIYA hasn't taken any on any investors or business loans—everything I've done so far has been funded by me personally. But placing a large production order with the manufacturer is a much bigger expense, so pre-selling provides the necessary capital for me to do that.
- Although we're living in an unprecedented time at the moment, this collection has been in the works for the better part of a year, and there are a lot of other small businesses (farmers, factories, sew shops, shipping companies, packaging suppliers, label makers, photographers, PR agencies...) that are part of our supply chain. Going ahead with the launch as planned allows LIYA to continue to support other small businesses, while guaranteeing you have a beautiful scarf to look forward to when everything goes back to normal.
All in all, going ahead with the launch during a global pandemic was a tough decision, but I knew it was the right one, even if it looked a lot different than what I had initially planned for.
And although I'm sensitive to the fact that many of our potential customers might have lost work, and that as a luxury fashion accessory, LIYA products are far from essential, our production partners have lost work during this season too, and every order helps keep small businesses and jobs alive.
Ultimately, I'm glad we decided to launch with a pre-sale during COVID-19, and I'm grateful for everyone in our audience who has supported us through this process.
If you have any questions about the pre-sale, or just want to get in touch, I'd be happy to hear from you! And if you want to order your own scarf, you can do that here.
Thanks for being a dedicated fan of LIYA Collective.