Dear Subscriber,

It’s Julie again, here with the final part of our story on why we chose Direct-to-Customer (DTC) over wholesale.

In 2023, we took a leap and stocked our handbags in three stores—one physical, two online. It felt like a milestone. Seeing our brand on their websites and in a boutique felt like a stamp of legitimacy. But as time passed, I started seeing beyond the surface, past the excitement of “free exposure” and into the reality of what wholesale really meant for us.

Here’s what we learned: 

1. Extra workload & hidden fees – From endlessly resizing images to labeling products according to vendor manuals, the behind-the-scenes work was tedious, albeit necessary, and at times feel unworthy of the time spent. Each store has a vendor manual dictating how products had to be packed, tagged, and shipped. Many were outdated, confusing, and full of contradictions. Mistakes? They meant chargebacks—penalties deducted from our payments.

2. Shipping expenses before making a sale – We covered all shipping costs before making a sale, sending products out with no guarantee they’d find a customer. Or worse, at the end of the season when the store wants to clear out some space, we’d pay to get unsold stocks back to us.

3. Losing our voice – This was the hardest part. We realized we couldn’t control how salespeople presented our bags, which often did not align with our brand. Too often, under pressure to hit numbers, they relied on discount-driven pitches instead of the craftsmanship and timeless appeal that Julhs was built on.

After a year of navigating these challenges, I knew we had to make a change. The heart of Julhs has always been about creating something meaningful—not just another product on a shelf. That’s why we’re shifting our focus to what feels right: speaking directly to you, our community, one email at a time, through newsletters.

Here, we get to share our philosophy, our offers, and our journey—without compromise.

Warmly,

Julie

On behalf of Julhs