Why is It All so Scary?

So why so much fear? Why so many pre-conceived notions and reservations? Well, like everything in fashion, it all comes down to one word: exclusivity. Personal shopping is seen as a splurge rather than a necessity, an extension of shopping that is usually associated with upper-class shoppers. And we all know how they like to turn services that, at their core, are easily accessible into luxury experiences for the sake of flaunting their access.

For years, I would pass personal shopping sections at department stores and be scared to even look in their direction, because something in my head (and in my bank account) would tell me it wasn’t for me.

As time passed, I saw no indication that this service would be something I could be a part of. Even when I had money to spare, it seemed too gated to become one of those little pleasures of life. It felt like an investment, rather than an experience you can try out and see. That was until I sat down, green juice on the table, with the Tufffinds girls.

As we took the first sip of the ginger, apple, cucumber, carrot and whatever else healthy green stuff combo, I asked a question I needed an answer to as much as I wanted to answer it for myself. “Why are people so intimidated by the idea of personal shopping and styling?” We got into it immediately.

“I think personal shopping has been seen as such a luxury service for so many years that people are scared of it. And to be honest, if I weren’t involved in this industry, I personally wouldn’t, because it does intimidate me.”

“People fear messaging, even if it’s something so small. But I would love for a younger girl to come to me and say, “I need styling for a pair of Massimo Dutti jeans, or whatever she wants.” And I’ll be like, come to me.”

Of course, it is a paid service. And of course, it is not essential, but it can be an indulgence, no matter what your budget is. Despite what the gatekeepers of it all are trying to convince you of, a bespoke or personal service should not immediately be associated with a higher price.

“It doesn’t need to be luxury. Sometimes that’s why people fear it. Because, even with our previous job, we were so exposed to luxury that everything had to be a certain value.”

“There’s no budget. If that’s how you want to be styled, it doesn’t matter. It could be £ 1,000 or £20. It’s still the same process.”

The Launch of Tufffinds

The ginger kept lingering longer after each sip, and I, inconspicuously reaching to check that my mics didn’t accidentally malfunction somewhere between minute twenty and thirty, dove into Gin and Gina’s origin story. I knew they worked together before, but there is a big leap between working in an established company and branching out on your own as partners.

Gin and Gina first met working for now-closed Threads Styling. Matching each other’s energy immediately, they channelled their shared experience into creating something new and personal.

“We’ve spoken about it before: that it would have been great, eventually, to do something on our own. And then we were actually put in a position where it was like, well, it’s now or never.”

With Tufffinds, Gin and Gina found independence. Now, they curate their own content and tailor their service, with a key rule: they do not exclude.

“We don’t want to get things out there that are not relevant to us, because what’s the point? I can’t tell you it’s nice, so why should I get you to buy that?”

“We also don’t want to send our clients stuff to buy when we don’t think it’s for them. We won’t waste their time. We’ll just send them stuff they want. It’s more about the freedom of that.”

Putting Themselves Out There

Personal shopping might be a mystery to me, but in the digital space, hundreds of accounts worldwide offer similar services.

Settled into the conversation, I wanted to learn what sets Gin and Gina apart from their competition. Prior to our meeting, I looked through the Tufffinds socials, and up until that very moment, the instant comfort I found on their page remained a pleasant mystery.

“We want to make it a little more of a community than we’ve had in previous jobs. Because fashion can be really lonely.”

With Tuffinds, Gina and Gin are launching a new generation of interactive personal shopping. No more soulless chats with faceless profiles, the girlies are here for you, showing their faces and creating a place where fashion lovers can share in the joy of discovering new brands and styles together. They have collaborated with their friends on edits, posted pictures of the sourcing proccess and most importantly, put themselves out there.

“You’re trying to constantly think of different things. And it’s not like we’ve invented something different. But what can we do to make it slightly different from others?”

This is why I found Tuffinds so appealing as an entry point for personal shopping newcomers. On their Instagram, Gin and Gina are front and centre, which I haven’t seen much of on other personal shopping platforms.

”In our previous jobs with our Instagrams, we had to just post what they wanted us to and certain brands they wanted us to. And people would go off and do their own thing after they’ve left, and they’d still do the same thing, which there’s nothing wrong with. But I think it’s really hard, as a client, to trust who you’re buying from.”

“So what we’re trying to create is this community, and we’ve done an edit where we’ve included some cool girls, mostly just our friends, and they’ve chosen what they want to put in their bags, and we’re going to post that. And it’s not all these influences, not people that we don’t know. It’s just loads of different personalities that we’ve been friends with.”

“With these edits, just looking at them and seeing that we’ve actually included people we know will get others to see there’s nothing to be scared of.”

How Does It Actually Work?

Halfway through our green juices, and nowhere close to being done, I had to ask a very silly, but in my mind, important question. How do they actually do it? How do they go from meeting a client to creating an elaborate and, more importantly, uniquely personalised wardrobe?

For me, understanding the specifics of the process was a big part of removing the fear. It’s always easier to reach out when you know all the next steps.

Both Gin and Gina were excited about sourcing. Going through the journey of finding that right item for their clients, no matter how long it takes, brings them genuine pleasure. I saw their eyes light up as they told me how far they had to go to source a specific item.

Gin shared that she once had to go through pages of magazines and hours of websites to get her client that one special dress. The smile on their face made it all worth it, though.

But the road to curating a perfect wardrobe is long and winding. And it starts with a custom styling edit, something that requires a lot of research, and even a bit of stalking. When a person first reaches out to Gin and Gina, they are essentially strangers, and it becomes up to them to solve the puzzle of their style.

“Edits can take hours and days. It gets quite frustrating because, when you’re doing an edit, you’re not just shoving in the first coat you see. You’ve got to consider the size and budget range. Is it something they would wear?”

“And then that’s when the stalking comes in. Some of them, we don’t really know that well. And we have had to, it sounds creepy, but we have to stalk them, because it’s so personalised.”

“Sometimes it’s hard when their Instagram isn’t public, but seeing where they’re tagged and the types of places they go can help you get to know them better. Some clients are very open. They will literally just send you wardrobe pictures.”

As their client list grows, it might become easy to get lost in the process and end up sending the same edit to each client. The girls know, though, that’s how you lose clients, not keep them.

“We always want to make it personalised for each one. We’re getting good at our stalking skills.”

The Alienating Experience of Physical Shopping

The appeal of having someone along for the shopping journey itself cannot be overlooked.

If you spent your whole life shopping at larger chains or fast fashion shops, entering a more high-end store can be intimidating. Especially when, in return for an excited smile and the giddiness of your first adult money purchase, you receive judgment and odd stares from shop assistants.

This, along with the fact that luxury shop experiences have become centred around locating specific items rather than browsing and taking in the experience, is making the idea of casually walking into a store feel like a full-time job.

This alienation curiously coincides with the rising public interest in physical shopping. Maybe five or six years ago, online shopping platforms reigned supreme, stores slowly emptied, and I honestly would not have been able to tell you the last time I visited a physical shop. Now, things are different.

Perhaps going through the pandemic made us seek more in-person connections. Or maybe with recession indicators left and right, the idea of online shopping takes away from the rewarding experience of buying something with our hard-earned money. Either way, when we buy something, especially if it’s a big thing we have thought and dreamt about for months, we want to feel.

Unfortunately, as Gin, Gina, and I agreed, the store visits just aren’t it. This is why, as we discussed our recent shopping experiences passionately, I realised how the appeal of personal shopping and styling is not just the personalised approach, it’s the idea of going through the experience, feeling the anticipation and having someone right there with you, sharing in the joy of a fresh purchase.

“We’re not going to intimidate or judge anyone. And it can be really intimidating going into big stores and big brands because you feel like you have to look and dress a certain way. And things are also so exclusive.”

“When you talk to us, we will send you pictures of what we’ve sourced, and we’re just as excited as you are.”

Personalisation and Style

Of course, a more wholesome sourcing process is not the only reason people choose to enlist the help of services like Tufffinds. There is also the personal styling aspect.

“A lot of it is about what’s trending and the demand for things you can’t get yourself. But sometimes, actually, it’s about finding your own way of styling, because there are so many different aesthetics. Like the clean girl aesthetic, the pilates girl, it’s sad. Sounds bad, but it’s come to a point that if you dress a certain way, you’re categorised in this sense.”

Finding your personal style can be tough, and in the sea of trendy edits and “how to be stylish” videos, it can be even harder. Personal shopping offers a more in-depth look at your wardrobe. Starting with items you already have and sourcing what you need for your dream style, regardless of price point, can be a valuable service in a world where viral items make everyone follow the same uniform. The personalisation creates a more lasting and less cyclical wardrobe.

I am exploring the idea of styling-for-hire services, knowing full well that there is a certain sensitivity around the whole concept of personal style. It’s something we all crave, a unique day-to-day wardrobe that is somehow singularly you and makes a lasting impression. Building it, crafting the image, and then being complimented for it feels like a great personal achievement. When it comes to styling, we seem to reward only those who crafted their image without outside help. We give way more love to the looks of celebrities who famously style themselves. They, in turn, are always fast to announce it.

So does using a personal styling service equate to taking a shortcut? I don’t think so, but also, honestly, who cares? If you are looking to change up your wardrobe and don’t know where to start, it’s a great entry point. If you already have a distinct style and want to add some personalisation, it’s a great help. After all, it’s still you picking the items, looking at the edits, and deciding what you do or do not like. The process would not work without your involvement, but having another person by your side just makes the journey more fun. And really, what’s the difference between texting a friend for advice or asking your personal stylist?

“I would love for people to generally come to us when they want our advice for a specific thing. That would make me feel so happy to know that someone values our opinion on what to buy because they trust us.”

Enjoying the Process And Looking to the Future

So what does the future hold? Will the need for customised wardrobes, the desire for rewarding shopping experiences, and the doom-and-gloom environment of physical stores turn people’s heads towards services like Tufffinds? Shopping and Styling services have been around for decades, but one thing is for certain: with more boutique and independent platforms, like Tufffinds, the general public feels less intimidated to reach out.

By putting themselves and their community of shoppers on their socials, they remove the soullessness of seeing the same Pinterest-esque images and show that this service can be fun for anyone. And with the rise of styling edits and recommendation videos, their voice grows louder, as those who can actually help, not just throw random trendy items in your face.

When considering the social and financial aspects of personal shopping, it’s important to remember that the main goal is still to have fun. That is what warmly rests at the heart of Tufffinds, the joy of finding that one cool pair of jeans, the excitement of styling them in a way you have never considered before, the idea that somewhere out there, there is a personal shopper who is as happy when you wear them out as you are.

“There’s so much unknown about it, which is why people don’t go forward with it, because everything is so secretive. The idea of being more exposed is making people understand that it’s actually fine to ask a question. We’re not expecting you to buy anything just because you message us.”

“People can even just send a message, just ask for general advice. Like, ‘Is this bag good or popular?’ And it could just be an answer, and then they can come back later or not. It’s generally just about enjoying the process.”

Just like most things in the industry, the direction personal shopping and styling services will take is going to be largely dictated by changes in socio-economic and cultural tides. What I can tell you is that after speaking to Gin and Gina, I am optimistic about the decrease in people’s alienation from services. We now know it is for everyone!