Ruth Chapman
Ruth Chapman, Joint Founder
Photographer Credit : Ed Reeve
Ruth Chapman's Matchesfashion.com is a global luxury-shopping destination for men and women. It is all about exclusivity, beauty and aspirational fashion.
So it may not surprise you that I pop into their Wimbledon store every now and again, and often take my credit card to task…
Last week, I sat down with Ruth Chapman to talk fashion, motherhood, daily routines and future goals.
The Matchesfashion.com Wimbledon Village store
Ruth Chapman on fashion and her business
Ruth, co-founded the business with her husband Tom. The couple recently stepped down as joint chief executives after 27 years at the helm and are now joint chairmen.
“My love for fashion has always been with me, “ says Ruth, “even from the really early days. The writing was definitely on the wall. When I was at school I used to waitress to save up for dresses I had seen in Vogue.
”Her mother and her stepmother helped fuel the passion, as Ruth says they were both incredibly glamorous women - there was nothing slap dash about them getting ready to go out.
Of the company, Ruth describes her role as the “guardian of brand - Matchesfashion.com”. Nothing happens unless she sees it, likes it and approves it.
Every piece bought for a season goes through a list of lengthy considerations: do we have too many pieces that are similar? Is it relevant to the business brand? Does the design/fabrication/style justify the price point?
But most of all, Ruth and her “strong buying” team keep the customer at the forefront of all decisions. “You can never underestimate the customer’s intelligence,” she comments.
Starting with one shop, Matchesfashion.com now have 14 stores and a significant online presence, which accounts for 85% of the business.
Ruth tells me, “The company has changed a lot over the last 30 years. The British Fashion Council have been around for about 26 years, so I feel we have grown as a business alongside British creativity.
”Ruth feels that right now fashion is a very exciting place to be, “Globally, there is a huge appetite for fashion,” she says. “But when we started that wasn’t the case. I used to think the Italians dressed beautifully, I still do, but that time British people didn’t necessarily.“
“There were a few people who wanted to buy beautiful clothes but they weren’t so smitten with it as they are now, and young people weren’t as fashion obsessed. Now the whole spectrum - from 16 to 75 year old women and men are really interested in feeling current and beautiful. People are much more engaged than they were before.”
Ruth on High Street brands:
I knew the answer to this before I asked it but I asked anyway. Does Ruth Chapman ever buy on the High Street? No - not for herself, but yes for her daughters.
Her standouts on the High Street are
,
,
and
.
Zara, she describes as “clever”.
“I do think stores like Uniqlo do commodity basics and denim really well. But I do feel it is a shame when the High Street copies a designer’s ideas.
”She continues, “This is particularly hard for young designers who haven’t made much money and although the design is uniquely theirs, they can’t protect it and that’s infuriating.
”The accessibility of fashion and how quickly the High Street can turn around catwalk looks is incredible, but it is a double-edged sword.
Ruth on Motherhood:
When Ruth talks about her children she smiles. She has poise and elegance in the way she talks about everything, so is not a “gushy” mother. But her love and pride for her three children, 22, 21 and 16, is evident.I ask how being a mother fits with the fashion business – she says, “Fashion is actually an easy industry to have children in. And working for yourself is a luxury. You can tailor your time to suit you and take time out to do what you want to with your children. If I worked in a law firm it would be so much harder.”
Ruth on Routines:
Surprisingly to me, Ruth doesn’t wake up at 4am. I don’t know why I thought she would, but I had visions of being on the phone to Australia and doing Bikram Yoga!
She starts her day at 7am – she favours a calm start to the day. She enjoys making a “delicious” breakfast with alkaline foods; draws a bath and reads the paper. Some days she exercises. She is generally always in the office for 9am.As she says, “I couldn’t think straight without my own time first thing in the morning.”
Ruth on Goals:
Without hesitation, she says, “Well, motherhood is an amazing achievement and one of my goals, though it may sound silly, is to be around to look after my grandchildren. But in truth, I’m not very strategic, I am a very live-in-the-moment person and quite organic.
”She goes on, “I never plan more than five years in advance and I never think I want to be chairman of this, or invest in that. If an opportunity presents itself, of course, we formulate a plan quickly.
”She tells me she would like to continue working, working in fashion and travelling and get involved in more charities. She and her husband currently work with a charity called Access, providing work placements for children from under privileged backgrounds.
There is a lot to Ruth Chapman – she seems to have almost the perfect balance of serenity and focus – something I certainly aspire to. Having been incredibly generous with her time, I came away having had a lovely interlude and am looking forward to seeing her in the New Year to chat about Spring/Summer 2016.
No 23 Welbeck Street, Matchesfashion.com's Private Events and Shopping Townhouse