Mid-age Research

I did a little initial research on Mintel which had some great facts and figures about new mums. It revealed that new mums do not enjoy the shopping experience and have difficulty in finding clothes that suit their new body shape and that are fashionable as well as being the correct size. It also stated that there was a gap in the market for new mothers who struggle to find clothes, who are tending to be older when having children, therefore are more financially stable, and more likely to spend money on new clothes.

This is really interesting and something that I see in some of my relatives that have had babies, including my aunty and especially my mum whose body shape changed when she had me and my sisters over 22 years ago, however I don't think she found the confidence to experiment with clothes and figure out which ones suited her. She didn't have me or my sisters whilst she was in mid-age, but her lack of confidence in trying new styles is something that she still struggles with today. I have also noticed that ever since my aunty became a mother, she tends to stick to the same types of clothes that she probably feels comfortable with. However, before she had a child, just like my mum, she had a more varied wardrobe.

Looking at all of the evidence, it is clear that mid-age women need clothes that are stylish and suit a range of body types. I think there is a huge gap in the market which needs to be filled, so maybe a shop aimed at the middle-aged and purely for the middle-aged would be a good idea. A styling service may also be a good idea, to help them figure out what suits them best and give them confidence.

I have also been thinking about doing a tailoring service....looking at the British labels in the previous posts and others such as Paul Smith, Burberry, Dunhill and even Saville Row, they all have one thing in common, apart from the fact that they are part of Britain, they are also tailors. I guess tailoring is a very British thing, and just happens to be on trend at the moment. It is an opportunity for women who are not comfortable with their shape to have something custom made to fit them perfectly and to flatter their shape.

So my idea would be to have a boutique selling clothes with a tailored aesthetic running through the store, that also offers a tailoring and styling service.