HEAVYWEIGHT BRANDS Alexandra Houston has worked with since they were starting out include rope harness specialist Figure of A, whose ‘Mune’ Harness with Detachable Choker is shown here
Alexandra Houston: Charmskool supremo plans world domination!
OCTOBER COVER STORY: Alexandra Houston is the brains behind London alt/fetish pop-up Le Boutique Bazaar and the more recently launched Charmskool, a retail platform that combines its founder’s deep love of fetish and fashion with her substantial experience in cutting-edge online fashion retailing. Here, Alexandra explains the ethos of Charmskool – tagged a cooler and kinkier version of Etsy – and we throw in a report on the recent Charmskool House event in Soho, a preview of the upcoming Le Boutique Bazaar on October 6, and a look forward to Charmskool’s international debut this month in NYC.
Interview by Tony Mitchell. Banner: Alexandra at Le Boutique Bazaar by Hyder Images
When Charmskool supremo Alexandra Houston and I first discussed, in early September, the idea of featuring her in a Fetishistas interview, it was already clear that this autumn was going to be a busy time for her.
Immediately ahead of her at that point was her Charmskool House event on September 14. This one-off during London Fashion Week would meld art exhibitions, film screenings, portrait and tattooing sessions, spanking workshop and market stalls from selected Charmskool Shop brands into a unique social evening at a quirky Soho venue.
Fast forward three weeks from then, and on Sunday October 6, she’ll be co-hosting the first new season’s outing for LBB, aka Le Boutique Bazaar, the alt/fetish fashion pop-up she has run in collaboration with Torture Garden for the last decade.
Upcycled Leather Handbag with Metal Ring Detail by Dollitta, a new Charmskool brand
And then — perhaps most exciting of all for Alexandra — on October 13, the weekend after LBB, she’ll be in the US to oversee Charmskool’s international debut in New York. She’ll be revealing more about that later in this article!
Since Alexandra is well-known to fetish folk from her role at Le Boutique Bazaar, and given that Charmskool was launched in February 2022, seven years after LBB first appeared, one could easily assume Charmskool was conceived as an online spin-off from LBB over which, this time, Ms Houston would have sole control.
But that isn’t how it happened, she assures me: “Weirdly, I had the idea for Charmskool first, before anything else, right when I properly got into the fetish scene, around 2009. I actually discussed the idea with a friend who works in retail tech, but there was no way to really build such a platform then.
“Fast forward, and running LBB always meant we had feedback from people asking for an online version because they couldn’t attend the physical events. Charlotte [her TG partner] and I explored the idea in depth together, but again, it would’ve required a complex, costly custom-built platform, so we eventually abandoned the idea.
Gothic Passion Crucifix Choker: Houston says she’s “obsessed” with 666999’s jewellery line
“Fast forward again: I began working for retail marketplaces (depop, ASOS marketplace, poshmark) and when I was made redundant from my last job I decided to re-open the case and see if building the site was now possible.
“And finally some advances in technology had meant that it would be possible without a fully custom-built platform — there were more ‘off the peg’ options available.”
I remind her that when I’d mentioned my surprise at not seeing any kind of formal press release about the launch of Charmskool, Alexandra had admitted she hadn’t issued one because she was initially unsure if it was going to work. So, two years-plus down the line, does she feel more confident?
“Hah! Well to be honest, it’s been way harder than I thought! I thought it would be an instant hit, but it’s been a really hard slog. I feel if we’d launched during the pandemic, it would’ve been really successful, as all small brands were flourishing with everyone shopping online with their furlough money!
“But I was still at ASOS then. Launching on the way out of a pandemic and into a cost of living crisis has been hard. Charmskool is also a commission-based business, so it means we’ve never had much budget.
“Luckily we have a little seed money which we have been pushing into things like exploring international markets and paid advertising. But it’s still harder than I thought it would be.
“Disrupting people’s habits (Etsy, and buying direct from the designer) is really hard, especially when your ad budget doesn’t stretch to having something popping up in front of people 24/7! We only just hit 10k on Instagram, which we’re really proud of.
“I have to credit my amazing marketing manager Becky Lightbody (ex-Playful Promises) for her hard work on that. She is my rock and an incredible person to have on the team.
“She knows how to do everything and stylistically we are super in sync, so she helped shape the visual identity of Charmskool, which I hope is now starting to be quite a recognisable brand.”
But just in case anyone thinks the launch of Charmskool was evidence of ‘creative differences’ with Torture Garden, be assured that nothing could be further from the truth.
The simple fact is that, by the time the technology was finally available to launch Charmskool online, Charlotte had moved on to become managing director of Torture Garden with direct responsibility for all its fetish events.
This meant that Charlotte “had her plate totally full”, says Houston. “So Charmskool is a solo venture, or ‘sister business’ of Le Boutique Bazaar, as we affectionately call it!”
So what does the Charmskool chief look for in brands when they apply to be added to the platform? And does she actively scout for sellers to ensure the right fit for the site?
Alexandra explains that, when it comes to designers, there is a ‘special sauce’ she looks for in their particular combination of originality, price point, usability of product, seller commitment and brand aesthetic.
“The ones that have the mix right are the ones that tend to do well. Sometimes it’s hard managing expectations. I see brands that have some of the special sauce right, but if, for example, the pricing is too high and the items are too quirky, I’ll try and have a tactful conversation about it with them.
“So with Charmskool being a curated site that is now maturing a bit, we are being extra-selective about who we bring onboard. I genuinely do not mind at all if sellers have a big social media presence, and in fact often the ones that don’t are more committed to growing their business with us.
“What I am mainly looking for are designs that are either really original and hit the zeitgeist, or solid products that I know will be commercially viable.
Kultchen: a new Charmskool brand specialising in spiky styles such as these leather Boot Straps
“After that, it’s about photography and brand image. We offer a whole suite of seller services to help brands along who struggle with the visual aspect of marketing, but I need to see a grain of identity in the products in order to feel engaged.
“I like to think of Charmskool as a platform for inspiration and discovery of underground fashion,” she says. “I am always actively scouting for brands and reaching out to sellers from the UK, EU and North America on a regular basis.
“As I’ve been working in fashion for a long time and have a deep passion for original design, I like to think I can spot a ‘diamond in the rough’! There have been quite a lot of brands that I’ve worked with since they were starting out, including heavyweights like Figure of A, Kerris Spencer and Rose Noir.
“I’ve also had really good luck with handbag brands. We were the first ones to work with Boob Bag (now called Haus of Mammilla) and get all the ‘it girls’ wearing their designs.
And more recently the upcycled, customised styles from Daddy’s Gurl have been a hit — they are currently the bestselling thing on Charmskool.
“We have a new brand that just joined from Germany — Dollitta — that I’m very excited about. Think lots of heavy hardware, chainmail and recycled leather.”
Asto Leather Bra by The Loussine, a designer who’s been with Charmskool since she started
Among other new additions Alexandra is particularly thrilled to have onboard is a jewellery brand called 666999 that she admits to being “obsessed with”.
“They make futuristic cyber styles with a slightly gothic twist, and it’s like nothing I’ve seen before. They aren’t really a ‘fetish’ brand per se, but their style is perfectly matched to fetishwear.
“I’m also really excited about Kultchen from Berlin, who I found during my outreach ahead of my trip to German Fetish Ball this year. They are making incredible leather accessories such as fully spiked harnesses, gauntlets and shin guards.
“There is also The Loussine, who has been with us since she started and is going from strength to strength with high-end fetish/fashion crossover leatherwear. She has probably the strongest business head I’ve ever encountered, which is really amazing for someone so young.”
READ MORE – GO TO PAGE 2 OF 3On Page 2: Charmskool picks up brands Etsy drops, plus report from Charmskool House
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