Meet the Scots fashion boss who helps designer brands serve Hollywood A-listers and royalty

It is little more than four years since the fashion and textile design management graduate from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, set up The Brand Hanger but in that time the business has grown and seen them move premises to cope with the expansion and demand for their elite service.

Ms Palmer, originally from Glasgow, spotted a gap in the market with how high-end luxury fashion brands were getting their products shipped to customers or stores. Some were even hiring interns to wrap and package garments to be sent out to clients and this is when the idea for a luxury brand warehouse which selected, wrapped, packed and shipped came about.

The Brand Hanger is now classed as the hidden secret in the fashion world but has become an indispensable element for London fashion houses, with clients such as Justine Tabak, Sweethearts of the Rodeo and Wales Bonner, desperate to get their designer dresses and accessories into the hands of key clients and VIPs.

It describes itself as offering wholesale and e-commerce pick and pack to luxury boutiques, department stores and individual customers.

Susie Palmer, director of The Brand Hanger, saw a gap in the market

And there is a high level of responsibility as Ms Palmer and her partners Mark Bowring and Paul Witkover, are looking after and handling garments which will carry the designers’ personalised packaging and brand name. And with high price tag involved, the location of The Brand Hanger remains a tightly guarded secret.

The Brand Hanger in London serves high-end designer brands with distribution

“I had been working in the fashion business in London since I graduated from Heriot-Watt and even at university I released it was the business side of the industry that interested me most,” said Ms Palmer who worked for designer label Issey Miyake, at their flagship London Conduit Street store. “However, it was a few years ago when I saw a gap in the market surrounding how fashion brands got their items to clients.

“We started off with a 900 square foot warehouse and wondered how we were going to fill it. As it turned out there was no problem and we ended up looking for larger 12,000 square foot premises,” added Ms Palmer who for eight years ran her own fashion network firm Palmer Productions with clients including Sophie Hulme, McQ - Alexander McQueen, Studio Nicholson, Project D, Beulah, Anna Valentine and Lazy Oaf.

“We are the hidden secret of the fashion industry. It was booming and we had boxes leaving the warehouse continually. We have a good reputation and things were going well and then lockdown struck. We were involved in picking, packing and gift wrapping items for wholesale or to stores such as Harrods and Bloomingdales in New York and boutique department stores and then everything shut down overnight.”

Susie Palmer, of The Brand Hanger, is no stranger to rushing garments to A list celebs such as Beyonce

The business was facing being left with stock which was going out of season, but brands had to quickly realise that they needed to pivot and look to online shopping which saw a massive boom in 2020.

Ms Palmer, 40, added: “We had a warehouse full of stock of from designer brands which was going nowhere. The focus was then turned to online shopping and e-commerce really became the thing and where were had been sending out packages to stores, it was the people buying from home in lockdown we were sending to. I think there was the phase in lockdown when people were never out of their pyjamas and then the longer it went on people wanted to treat themselves again and have something nice delivered to their door. So we began to see people ordering luxury items with online sales strong.”

The Brand Hanger in London serves high-end designer brands with distribution

With time and precision of the essence, The Brand Hanger has a team of skilled wrappers and one of the questions people are asked at interview stage is if they like wrapping Christmas presents.

“We have lists and lists of how items have to be wrapped in a certain way or style for specific clients and one thing we ask future employees is if they like wrapping as it is a huge part of what we do,” added Ms Palmer.

As for the future while the economy and retail, including the fashion industry, begin to recover, Ms Palmer believes that some things have changed for the better.

“So many stores have closed their doors and names disappeared from the high street. I used to spend my Saturday afternoons trailing up and Sauchiehall Street with my granny, but those shopping days are gone. There was also such an emphasis on seasons with spring/summer and autumn/winter and I think lockdown might have changed that,” added Ms Palmer. “In the past after London fashion week there was such a quick turn around to get items in stores, but lockdown has changed the way people shop and fashion brands may supply and deliver their items as and when they are ready.”