«I’ve always been in love with fashion and I was an assiduous follower of trends. Therefore, to have a brand was something that would make all sense to me, at some point in my life», says Graça Rodrigues, the founder of the lifestyle brand to Portugal Têxtil.
The brand’s baptism turned out to be Gracedition’s best business card. «The name comes from a mixture of Grace, graceful, and edition of “Limited Edition”», she explains, adding that all products end up orbiting this limited edition concept, with stocks of about 50 units.
At the helm of Gracedition is, together with Graça Rodrigues, Monica De La Serna, the brand’s COO (Chief Operating Officer). The duo shares the creative part and marketing. «Trend research and new styles is done internally and in close association with our suppliers», with whom the two entrepreneurs consider to have «an excellent relationship of proximity and collaboration». «Only this way we can have a good result and in accordance with our expectations», defends Graça Rodrigues.
The production for the brand takes place in northern Portugal. «In the case of sunglasses, one of our premium products, it is made in the north by a craftsman, who uses the best materials and already does it for over 50 years», says Graça Rodrigues.
Digital native – with sales on its webpage and in the Portuguese e-commerce portal Minty – Gracedition believes in the potential of the online channel to reach «a broader audience and keep up with current strategies».
This predisposition to internationalization has already borne fruits. Orders – on average 50 per week, «but growing» – also come from Spain, UK, Italy, Germany, Netherlands and Denmark. «The US is gradually beginning to show interest, which makes us very happy because it is a strong market», adds Graça Rodrigues.
With customization on the agenda, the brand found out that, in Portugal, there was «room for a 100% Portuguese product, with a good quality/price ratio» for a woman who favours unique and quality pieces.
With a generation aware of what happens in social networks in mind, Gracedition will launch «soon» an app – the Gracemoji. «This app will be totally free of charges and will allow the customer to use our unique Emoji when chatting with friends or printed in a t-shirt», explains the founder to Portugal Têxtil, being that the possibility of customization is already available on the site and ranks among the brand’s bestsellers, next to the sunglasses line.
Online only for a month, Gracedition’s sales «already exceed the expectations» of the duo who lead the brand, something that makes them «very satisfied».
“Be trendy, but be original! Be Gracedition” is the motto of the brand, dedicated to urban women who cannot do without the originality of their looks. The price range of the products vary between 34 and 160 euros. «We want to have our space and we will work very hard for this, so in the future we might broaden our product offering», summarizes Graça Rodrigues about the ambitions of Gracedition.
