Hats off to the Clothes Agency (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Hats off to the Clothes Agency

Whether it's a Dolce & Gabbana suit or a pair of exquisite Gucci shoes, a Cirencester agency has a wealth of designer clothes for sale at a fraction of the original price.

As its name suggests, www.clothesagency.com is an online designer clothes agency which was set up by Lady Sara Apsley of Cirencester Park.

The business has done so well that Lady Apsley has since opened up a showroom at College Farm Buildings near the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester which is a real treasure trove of fashion bargains.

New and high quality shoes, bags, jewellery, hats, children's and women's clothes adorn the rails. There are top fashion names like Prada and Jimmy Choo but also high street names like Marks and Spencer and Warehouse.

Lady Apsley said she was inspired to set up the clothes agency after a stressful time trying to sell her own clothes on the internet auction site eBay.

"I decided I had to do something with my wardrobe and I thought I would try selling my clothes on eBay but people were wanting to give me five pence for things that had cost an absolute fortune. It was an unpleasant experience and my things were going for a fraction of what they were worth even second hand.

"I thought there had to be a better way to sell good quality clothes than this."

She set up the website, www.clothesagency.com, in June 2003 and since then the site has gained just over 10,000 members worldwide including Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain and Russia.

Around 2,000 people visit the website every day and browse through the collections. There are also men's clothes featured including a collection of suits worn by Nicolas Parsons on the television series Sale of the Century.

The company now has hundreds of clients who bring their clothes and other items to sell. The quality is checked over by staff before items are put on the rails and the client receives 40 per cent of each sale.

There is a wide variety of outfits in a range of sizes and a large selection of evening wear and ball gowns.

One London client recently brought in a couture Chanel dress which was tailor made for her and would have cost around £20,000. It is for sale at www.clothesagency.com for just £1,500.

There are also brand new clothes for sale from the Really Wild Clothing Company.

Lady Apsley is keen to carry on her fundraising charity work alongside her business and holds regular champagne and shopping parties from which she donates a percentage of sales to charities.

It seems the secret of her success is good business practice and some old fashioned customer care.

"We are careful what we take in and have a good price range. We strive to be friendly and relaxed so that people can shop in a nice environment and our website is very easy to navigate.

"We've worked hard for this and it's going really well which is very exciting."

Visit their website at www.clothesagency.com or warehouse at unit 9, College Farm Buildings, Tetbury Road, Cirencester. Telephone 01285 885283.