Bethany Rowntree

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Bethany to discuss all things Studio B, her beautifully curated online store. An online fashion boutique Beth set up 2 years ago and runs solely by herself (with a little help from her fiancé Sam and of course not to mention Mabel her beautiful Whippit). Beth curates the most beautiful collections, taking the hard work out for you and introduces us to different and new independent brands. With a huge love for Scandi brands, Studio B has shown us the likes of Stine Goya, Résumé and Munthe.

We meet at Mare Street Market by London Firelds and Bethany is wearing the most gorgeous dress ever (no surprise there). She's in a statement mix and match floral maxi dress which she admits is her go to dress at the moment. Layered with a pastel Stine Goya knit of dreams and patterned bright socks. She is the vision of her brand. 

We talk all things about running a fashion online store, what she loves most about being her own boss, the hard bits and all the other million things that go into running your own business.

What inspired you to start Studio B?

Being completely honest, I was bored of where to shop. I was fed up of department stores at the time and I could never find anything I wanted to buy, it was so uninspiring. Everything was either high end and too expensive or the other option was from the high street, where everyone ended up looking the same.

I wanted to shop from smaller independent brands, where quality was at the forefront and they had a story behind them rather than being mass produced. I would find all these brands and designers on instagram but there wasn’t one place you could go and buy from them all.

I was working as a buyer for Anya Hindmarch at the time, and thats when I thought, I should do this. I decided to leave and start Studio B, it was scary but I knew it was what I wanted to do.

How would you describe your style?

Well (looking down at her gorge outfit), It's definitely a colour and print clash. I love anything bold and I don’t over think it. I will wear what I like and I never think is this too much, I just put it together. Basically If I like it I wear it.

I also try not to follow trends and have a big love for vintage. I love to layer something old with something new. I definitely like to layer.

Studio B has recently launched the new Danish brand Résumé. Look at that colour...

Studio B - Résumé

You have a busy day ahead, what do you wear from Studio B?

Ah thats a tough one, First of all I don’t believe in day and evening outfits. I like to wear my clothes for either, adding accessories to fit the right occasion.

I am loving the brand Sleeper and their PJ feather two piece.

You can wear it together for an evening out or in the day by layering it with a colourful piece of knitwear like the new Stine Goya pastel knit.

Stine Goya Sana Knit Sweater

Another new favourite piece from my collection is the oversized shirt from Munthe,

I love it because it's so versatile. I like to wear it with my Gestuz leather trousers and laced boots. Oh and always layers of jewellery. My favourite being the Wald Berlin smiley chokers at the moment.

Munthe Edmond Shirt Jacket

Wald Berlin Smiley Dude Necklace

And of course one other would have to be the green Résumé collared prairie dress.

Wear on it's own or layered with a polo neck underneath and finish off with some Stine Goya printed socks.

Résumé Stella Dress

What's the best part of running your own business and Studio B?

I love buying a new collection, I get excited to see what brands are launching for their new season. Especially when you get a great collection, I then can’t wait to show my Studio B followers, I love to see what my customers are loving and buying.

I also love meeting new people and collaborating with other brands. Working with others and building relationships keeps the brand exciting. It's great that designers want to work with me on small collections exclusively for Studio B.

And the worst?

The amount of workload and trying to switch off. I run a lot of my business through my instagram, so I regularly receive messages (which I do love). But being one person to get back to them all can be quite tough. People will tend to go on Instagram when they have finished work, like we all do. But this then means most of my evenings are filled with replying to customers questions.

Another hard part is that I do all the behind the scene jobs, it's not just buying beautiful collections. The packing up orders, printing out labels and the customer service side. On boxing day last year I had over 200 sale orders that I needed to pack up and ship out the following day.

Any tips for how to shop the upcoming seasons?

I would avoid buying into a trend, go with what you like. The high street will be full of trends but they won’t last and everyone ends up looking the same. I’d recommend following a style rather than a trend. Follow people who's style you like on Instagram, it's always a good way to get ideas how to wear outfits. I always like to post ways of wearing a Studio B item, it inspires my followers on how to wear something in a normal everyday way.

What challenges do you see for the fashion industry?

Sustainability definitely. Danish brands have always worked sustainable and they are definitely ahead in making a change. Another challenge I see is how fashion still works within seasons. It seems really old fashioned to me, like Spring Summer starting in January, no one is buying like that any more. The world has changed and social media has had a big part in that. Customers can now see designers collections way ahead of their launch, and want to buy it then and there. Everything is more accessible and fashion needs to change and keep up with that.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

Getting married! Sam and I have just booked our wedding in June and thats definitely a big thing I am looking forward to. It's also got me thinking to add a wedding section to the site for the Studio B bride, The Sleeper PJ set in white would be amazing for example, layered with Wall Berlin necklaces.

I’m also looking forward to going to Copenhagen fashion week in August, I haven’t been able to go yet being so busy, but this summer I am making time.

Favourite Instagram accounts?

It has to be....

Another matinee - @anothermatinee

Heart zeena - @heartzeena

Anna wick - @annawinck

Aurore Van  Milhem - @aurorevanmilhemparis