An introduction to FCKC's, what are they? What's in it for you?

FCKC's is the abbreviation for Fashion Compass Knowledge Card's. Fashion Compass helps fashion, gift, accessories and outdoor brands find sales agents and distributors. I have spent years speaking with fashion and lifestyle brands about agents, distributors, wholesale, retail and international markets.

After hundreds of conversations, I realised I have a lot of information sitting in my head that could be useful to brands. The real object of FCKC's is to share "What's actually out there?".

I'm not a great writer. I'm better face to face or a video call. So, these are not going to be polished essays or carefully constructed "thought leadership" pieces. They are going to be points, observations, snippets of information. Things I see repeatedly. Questions brands ask me. Things I think brands should know before they make decisions.

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What can you get from these?

Which agents? - Which distributors? - What's the difference? - Which markets? - Which channels? - Which type of representation? - What does the brand realistically have access to? What opportunities are they not even aware of?

A brand might tell me: "We need an agent in Germany." My first question is usually "Which part of DACH?" but might be: "Why Germany?" Not because Germany isn't important. It is because there may be something else.

You might sell women's accessories and assume you need a fashion or accessory agent. Perhaps you have a better opportunity with a gift or lifestyle agent.

You might be looking at U.S. entry. An agency in Dallas may be more beneficial and cost effective than the fee and commission charging N.Y. one

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What I won't be giving away

Some of the ways I find agents, distributors and opportunities have taken years to develop. Those are part of what clients pay me for, so I'm not going to publish my trade secrets :)

A key thing brands I worked with noticed "it's good having someone persistently looking at new markets and opportunities for the brand". Stephen is always out there & putting the brand out there".

These FCKCs are simply some of the things I've learned along the way. Take what is useful. Question the rest. And forgive the occasional overload.

Thank you: Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

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Fashion Compass Knowledge Card 1

How to find Sales Agents & Distributors part 1.

Which markets are best for my brand?

Around 50% of the brands that approach me think I only work with agents in the U.K. I get that, I am based here after all, but I have to correct them. "The best way to look at it is I am no better or worst at getting Agents for the U.K. than I am Taiwan, Australia or Mexico, I just happen to do it from here".

I have introduced brands from South Africa to South African agents, German to Swiss and U.S. brands to Spain and so on. You get the picture.

The markets best for your brand may be obvious they may not be. A lot of factors come into play. Type of product, pricing, domestic sales, financial resources, ability to ship and more.

Fashion Compass has a process which works best when I can aim for more than one or two markets or regions even if that means more regional agents in your domestic. Generally, I encourage strong domestic then prefer to look at neighbouring markets.

There is the important aspect of: Is your brand commercial, premium or luxury higher end? That may determine as to what type of agent you can work with. There are regional, national and pan global or e.g. pan European.

Another important factor to consider is: Are we aiming just for brand value, brand volume or a mix? Some markets, e.g. Italy, Japan hold better brand value than say Poland or New Zealand. If your brand is relatively unknown, New Zealand maybe more welcoming than Japan as every brand is knocking on Japan's door.

Your resources. Some agents want a monthly fee and commission; can you afford that? The U.S. for example, most agents want (very ballpark) $1000pm and 14% commission. The higher up the luxury end you go; they want fees too.

The brands attitude to B2B. I have spoken to some brands that do no B2B and want to get into it. If they are doing well with their own stores or online, what is their attitude to doing likely $20k max first year and do they have the resolve? It's imperative they know "what's out there".

All the above are typical things I look at with a brand if we do a video call.

Fashion Compass helps fashion, gift, accessory and outdoor brands find sales agents and distributors.

Thank you: Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

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Fashion Compass Knowledge Card 2

How to Find Sales Agents & Distributors Part 2.

What is the number one factor when a brand approaches an agent?

In short the answer is to convince them what ever orders they take will be delivered.

The thing agents dislike most is when they take an order and the brand doesn't deliver. To them it is lost revenue.

If they carry 5 to 10+ different brands you want them to show yours favourably to their customers. As soon as any doubt creeps in the agent may bump your brand further down knowing the other brands will deliver.

Obviously not all orders can be done. So, if you have a problem to deliver an order, call the agent immediately. They may have a solution but at least you have the chance to win confidence and keep the brands integrity.

If you cancel production of a style make sure that is known either on your B2B order portal or memo. Quite often the agent can call the customer and tell them, "Style X, the V neck is cancelled but I can switch it to Style Y, the Cardigan in same yarn".

When I make the international partner profile for a brand, a profile relevant to agents and distributors I always make sure this is projected, "We Will Deliver". No matter if you are a start-up, a huge D2C starting B2B or a seasoned wholesale or multi-channel brand there are ways we can show that.

In my experience, agents are becoming more selective about taking on new brands. Tariffs, Wars, Weather, etc. Global or local. In some cases, an agent won't like a startup brand but in some cases they will. E.G. if your brand is made in the same country/ region as the agent he/ she may feel more confident to take it on. Equally if you have a never out of stock (NOS) collection with some held in their territory.

Logistics naturally is also important. It's not my expertise but as a by-product of what I do and 50+ years in the industry there are usually solutions I can give and point a brand in the right direction. Fashion Compass helps fashion, gift, accessory and outdoor brands find sales agents and distributors.

Thank you: Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

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Fashion Compass Knowledge Card 3

How to Find Sales agents & Distributors part 3.

Does my brand need an agent or a distributor?

Firstly, understand there are probably 1000 agents to each distributor in many markets. When I do the video call with a brand part of that is ascertaining what they can do when it comes to delivering overseas. Some brands can deliver their B2B orders easily almost anywhere some can't. I have solutions for some on this.

Obviously for my work I want as much to aim at as possible. A relatively unknown brand will unlikely be able to get a distributor for several reasons even a well-established brand may not command distribution.

Agents mostly charge commission only. I gear the brands up I work with to offer around 14% to 15%. Some categories demand more or less %. Most agents and distributors sell forward for next season.

The agent will either email or upload the orders as they sell. The distributor will compile all recent orders and then essentially buy the goods from the brand on agreed terms.

Distributors want (ballpark) 30% discount off the B2B price, 60 days payment. They usually import from the brand or it's supplier. That's why many brands prefer distributors it is basically easier, more convenient. Brands want distributors in particular on other continents trade zones. It is "easier" for the distributor to import than to export your product to individual retailers.

It is not that difficult to export though, many brands do. No matter how small or big your current business is, starting a new market will likely bring lower sales in the first few seasons than you expect. If you only want a distribution model, it really will depend on your brand.

Agents do assist with quite a lot of customer service, payments etc. I maintain through my experience the hardest part is getting orders, the rest is very much "where there's a will there's a way". I also take a stance: I would rather a good agent who genuinely wants to represent my brand, than a not so good distributor and vice versa.

With all that in mind, my process is sending the agents and distributors relevant the international brand profile and see what comes back. As well as relevant emails, it is to a degree a numbers game especially with 1000 to 1 agents to distributors. You can stand still and wait or start with an agent.

I wrote a more detailed article on Agents / Distributors on LinkedIn here: (2) What is the difference between a fashion sales agent/ rep and a distributor & what are the main advantages & disadvantages? Expert Advice * | LinkedIn.

Fashion Compass helps fashion, gift, accessory and outdoor brands find sales agents and distributors. Thank you: Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

Thank you: Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

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Fashion Compass Knowledge Card 4

How to Find Sales agents & Distributors Part 4.

Why do some fashion agents charge a monthly fee and commission?

Across my database of more than 30,000 agents, representatives, showrooms, distributors, and retail partners worldwide, I would estimate that around 15% charge both a fee and commission.

This varies enormously by market and brand type ( Luxury, premium or commercial).

Luxury fashion agents have to be in luxury showrooms in luxury streets in luxury cities. Even if near the metro station they cant show a collection 20 mins from town like a street wear premium denim can. Their personnel must be luxury trained; the rails have to be luxury the snacks and tea or coffee have to be. Get my drift, everything is more expensive for these agents to exist.

Fashion Compass has worked with over 25 luxury end brands over the years from startup to reasonably established collections. I would say because of the agents nature half of them can be found with a search. I have around 90% of those and know how to track down the others. These types of agency can be very transient. They change a lot, both location and as an entity. It's a very hard business and many close after the first year or the owner may switch to consulting.

The luxury high end is very tough to break through. Often zero to small orders in the first season. With fees and no or little sales it puts enormous strain on the relationship going into month 4 or 5. I always work with brands, especially high end luxury ones to look at different avenues to get some sales going.

With the U.S. market most agents of all categories, commercial, premium and luxury charge fees and commission. Again I wrote a very detailed article on LinkedIn about this: (3) Sales Agents That Charge Fees and Commission. | LinkedIn.

When I do the video call with a brand, we normally discuss this. I treat all brands differently, seldom are two the same. Whilst some (around 15%) of agents in Europe, Australia, Canada and most other markets have fees and commission for commercial and premium brands, the majority don't.

I am not against fees plus commission, but I do make the brands aware of it and understand the fees. That way we can still aim at these agents, see what comes back and take each enquiry at face value. Fashion Compass helps fashion, gift, accessory and outdoor brands find sales agents and distributors.

Thank you: Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

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Fashion Compass Knowledge Card 5

How to Find Sales agents & Distributors Part 5.

How did I find 30,000+agents, distributors and retail partners?

Any fashion, luxury or premium brand can jump onto Google or AI and ask for a list of fashion agents. I have done it myself, putting myself in a brand's shoes and searching different categories, countries and keywords.

The results aren't always very useful.

You tend to see the same well-known agencies appearing again and again because everyone is searching in much the same way. I've also seen model agencies, PR agencies and even the odd estate agent appear!

The established, well-known fashion agencies are often there - and many are very good. But they are also the agencies everyone else is finding.

And there is another problem. Many agents don't have websites at all. Others change categories, regions, agencies or even their whole sales direction over time.

So where did my 30,000+ come from?

I've been compiling them for around 17 years, across fashion, footwear, accessories, outdoor and other categories, covering men's, women's and children's markets and countries around the world.

It isn't one giant list that I bought somewhere.

Much of it has been built through the actual work I do for brands.

I spend around 2-3 hours a day delving into my archive, researching and contacting agents and distributors for current clients. When I send a brand profile to an agent, I may also be introducing other brands I work with. That creates another opportunity to discover, contact and update people in my network.

Over 17 years, that adds up.

And today, a lot of my work is actually updating rather than simply finding. Agents move, change categories, join other agencies, start their own agencies, stop representing certain markets or change direction completely.

So the value isn't just having 30,000+ names.

It's knowing which ones are still there, what they do, where they operate, what they represent and how to approach them.

And not every market works the same way.

In parts of the Middle East, for example, there may be relatively few traditional agents and more opportunities through retail partners. China and India can require different approaches too. The answer isn't always "find an agent".

So yes, you can search for agents yourself.

The bigger questions are:

Do you know where to look? Which markets to consider? What type of partner you actually need? What information they need from you? And how to approach them?

That's where the years of doing it become useful.

How did I find 30,000+ agents, distributors and retail partners? Many hours of work and time which also builds experience to not only find them but land them for my clients.

Fashion Compass helps fashion, gift, accessory and outdoor brands find sales agents and distributors. Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

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Fashion Compass Knowledge Card 6

Where I find & have Sales agents & Distributors.

I find agents and distributors literally everywhere. Did you know there are more agents and distributors in DACH and Italy that sell into the Middle East than in the Middle East?

I've introduced brands to the usual DACH, U.S., Japan and Australia markets, but I get a real buzz when I find a partner in a market a brand hadn't even considered.

Recently I introduced a menswear collection to an agent in Fiji. A few years ago, a swim brand to a distributor in Chile. One of my favourites was a flip-flop brand to an agency selling into cruise ships.

I'm always hearing "You must have a strategy" and "You must find the right markets that suit your brand."

I've been in this industry long enough to think: yes, let's have a bit of a strategy - but let's keep an open mind too.

If a department store in Mongolia came to you at a trade fair, are you really going to say:

"Sorry, you're not in our strategy"?

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Sometimes the opportunity is where you expect it to be. Sometimes it isn't.

My agent and distributor network covers markets including:

And it isn't simply a case of putting every agent into one country.

A Belgian agent may also sell into the Netherlands. A Hong Kong agency may work across China. A Greek contact may cover Cyprus. Some agents work regionally, some nationally and some across multiple countries.

My files started around 2008 and have evolved as I have. They are organised by markets, but the reality is much more fluid than the filing system!

Each market file can contain hundreds of contacts across the categories I work with — fashion, gift, accessories, footwear, outdoor and some home, across men's, women's and kids.

So when a brand tells me: "We want Germany." I can look at Germany.

But I can also ask: "What else is out there?"

That is often where it gets interesting.

Fashion Compass helps fashion, gift, accessory and outdoor brands find sales agents and distributors. Stephen Laundy, Fashion Compass.

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Fashion Compass Knowledge Card 7