An entrepreneur started a luxury fashion brand with a knock on his brother’s door and the leftovers from a car loan.
Ben Gallagher, a 23 year-old from Formby, is the co-founder of Luxe Collective, a fashion business which sells luxury goods for less than comparable brands. He had little interest in this area growing up until he saw his sister receive an intriguing present at Christmas in 2018.
The family rule was that presents could not be more than £100, so his sister’s designer shoes piqued his interest. Ben said: “I thought, ‘how is my sister getting a pair of designer shoes, we can’t afford that’. So I went to my mum asking how much they were, and she said they were £100 off a second hand website called Vestiaire.”
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Ben became “obsessed” with the website, a kind of eBay for luxury goods, and began to think a similar business could work in Liverpool. His thoughts turned to his brother Joe, who he had teamed up with previously to sell candles, air fresheners, books and underwear.
Ben said knocking on Joe’s door changed both of their lives. The pair were both enthusiastic about carving out a niche in the industry, but starting it was still an ad hoc process.
The first injection of cash came from Joe’s £2,000 in savings, along with leftovers of a loan that Joe used to get a car. Ben quit his full-time job in insurance after just one month, and set his sights on opening a physical shop.
Ben said: “I decided to open up a shop because I didn't like being told what to do. I was a very arrogant kid.” Business started slowly, with the pair just buying and selling three to four items at a time to start off with.
But Ben believed there were many others like himself and Joe who the business could appeal to. He said: “We were the customer that we were trying to sell to, so we knew exactly what the customer wanted. They wanted a good experience, good prices on products that were guaranteed to last long, that were authentic and were very trendy.”
Luxe Collective soon gained traction, offering people the chance to sell their luxury goods to the business, which Ben and Joe would then sell onto the customers. This is a less expensive means of buying designer products, as well as promoting sustainability through re-using items.
Lockdown presented huge challenges for the business with less people buying and selling, but Ben wisely used this time to “triple down” on his TikTok videos. Rather than showcasing the business’ products, he decided to tell fascinating stories from the world of luxury fashion, from the backgrounds of famous designers to controversial Vogue covers.
When you scroll through their feed, you may not even realise that the Luxe Collective sell anything at all. While this may seem self-defeating, Ben views the videos as integral to his brand’s aim of making the industry far more accessible to others.
Joking about his strategy, he said: “My company hates me because I don’t try to sell anything. I just try to educate and entertain and give value to our videos.”
This stems from his own experience growing up, where he could not relate to luxury fashion in any way. He said: “I’m so aware that there are people out there who don't have access to luxury at all. Our videos give people access to the world of luxury without having to own anything.
“Who says that you can’t like luxury things without owning luxury things? If you know the information, then you have information to support your point.”
This ethos has paid off, with Luxe Collective now boasting over a million followers on TikTok and expanding from just Ben and Joe to around 25 full-time staff, with a £7.5m turnover. His decision to open a pop-up shop in London next month next to a Louis Vuitton store is down to the customer base that the fascinating videos have created.
Ben said: “I go down to London and every time I go I get recognised, people stop me in the street asking about luxury. I’ve become a real figurehead in the luxury industry.”
It’s a proud moment for Joe. He argues none of this would have been possible without the dedication of the whole team now working for the business. He said: “It’s not just a celebration of me and Joe. Without the whole team, we wouldn't be here right now.”
While obviously wanting their luxury goods to be sold, there will still be free Luxe Collective t-shirt and tote bags available for those unwilling or unable to buy them. A recent message he received from a fan emphasised to Ben how important this is.
Ben said: “I saw a message before from a girl who is 19 and is struggling with her mental health, and we are a massive inspiration for her. She can’t make it down on launch day but she’ll come down later with her parents as she wants to thank me.
“That was really heartwarming. She said she’ll pay for a t-shirt and tote bag even though they’re free.”
In the last few years, Ben has worked on his own development too with a focus on reading, exercising and mediation. The phrase “become a better person and your business will become a better business” is at the forefront of his philosophy.
He said: “When I was younger I used to take bad decisions really personally and I used to get really upset. Now, the whole journey of self-development has helped me grow a business.”
Its challenges like this which Ben argues is evidence that his journey has been far from straightforward. He said: "We were brothers who were in jobs they didn't like and took a risk.
“It might seem to people on the outside that it's very structured and there's a rulebook to follow in business, but there’s not. It's just trial and error and hiring really good people, trusting them and giving them freedom to do what they can.”
When asked about his advice for potential entrepreneurs, Ben said: “Anyone can do it. When I was a kid I was useless, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do what I’m doing right now. If you stick at something and you love it, you can succeed.”
More information about Luxe Collective can be found on its TikTok or website. Its London pop-up store will open on 15 July.
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