Writer of The Last Word column Ashma John takes a look behind the scenes of the Guyana-based e-tailer 592 Dresses in an exclusive interview with its main mover and shaker Dason Anthony.
Most Guyanese designers and fashion retailers choose to manage their production independently or to import. Creating a business model that uses factory production for fashion has not been done before in Guyana. In fact, most of the output from local garment factories is for overseas orders.
Retailers who have a direct link with factories cut out the middleman and also stand the chance for higher profitability. However, many have opted to shy away from local factory production because of high minimum orders or the inability to create in-store lines because of consumer lust for imported goods.
I recently got the chance to have a Skype interview with Dason Anthony, a former business executive with Digicel about his start-up, 592 Dresses. 592 Dresses is an e-tailer that produces ready-to-wear garments inspired by local designers. Dason either buys the designs off designers or invites them to create a line specially for his online shop. The mainstream designs tend to be mass produced by Denmor clothing factory, while the more intricate ones are produced by an in-house production team. From my kitchen in Antwerp, while Dason sat on his couch in Georgetown, I delved into the realities of factory-produced clothing from Guyana, the mechanics behind the model, and more on 592 Dresses. (592 is, of course, Guyana’s telephone country code.)
Ashma: What stimulated your interest to get into the turbulent online retail fashion environment?
Dason: To be quite honest, for the past two years I had been thinking about entering the fashion industry. I don’t have an exact reason but I always knew I had a passion for