James Gold

James Gold is one of the co-founders of the multimillion-pound retail chain Skinnydip London. James is a passionate, driven and reactive businessman with first-hand experience of the pressures of managing such a popular brand.

James started studying law at Birmingham University, some may say a million miles away from founding a fashion retailer. With a family history in the clothing industry, James always had an interest in fashion and wanted to work in a creative industry. In 2011 Skinnydip was born out of a casual conversation that James had with his brother and best friend. They were discussing the release of the new iPhone and how there was very little to customise the phone. It was evident that there was a gap in the market for making technology fashion and so Skinnydip was born. 

The brand hosts a wide variety of products, from quirky bags and beauty products to water bottles and innovative shockproof phone cases. Their products immediately gained public attention upon release, now boasting over 100 concession stores selling across an impressive 60 countries. They also have a flagship store located in the coveted Carnaby Street shopping estate in London, a shop which sits amongst some of the biggest high street brands. A key concept of the Skinnydip brand is niche products and reacting quickly to emerging trends within the market. With this key concept, James has quickly become familiar with the pressures of a fast-moving industry and staying up to date with consumer needs and behaviour. 

James is passionate about expanding his business and devotes a great deal of his time to make sure consumers are provided with great service across all of his stores. His next big ambition for the brand is to expand internationally, opening a US office and hopefully introducing the brand to a number of American malls and high streets. Japanese customers are also frequently browsing their site, so James hopes to expand to Japan in future. 

James is able to deliver brilliant after dinner or keynote speeches about all things retail management. Able to cover topics such as ecommerce, branding, sales, marketing, starting a business, growing a brand and company culture James is the perfect choice for your next event.