Founded in Bruges in 2017 by Yoshi Verbrugge and Steffie Maene, Steel & Barnett has been a wholesale-first brand from day one. The company launched without an online store, and independent retailers remain at the heart of its strategy today.

Rather than chasing as many doors as possible, Steel & Barnett measures success by how well its collections perform in each store. The focus is on sell-through, not sell-in. “Rotation is everything,” says co-founder Yoshi Verbrugge.

Built to support retailers

The brand’s website exists to help consumers discover the collection and find a nearby stockist, not to compete with retail partners. Pricing is consistent across all channels, there are no discount campaigns, and retailers are told well in advance when designs are phased out.

Steel & Barnett’s retailer support rests on three pillars:

• Visual merchandising: plug-and-play display concepts, developed together with retail partners.
• Local expertise: a network of experienced sales agents across the UK.
• Marketing support: new campaigns every month, with videos and imagery organised by SKU and ready for retailers to use.

Simple to work with

Since Brexit, the brand has made trading with UK retailers as straightforward as possible. Orders are dispatched within 48 hours from its warehouse, and import duties are handled by Steel & Barnett, so there are no unexpected costs on delivery. Low minimum order quantities let retailers order little and often, keeping stock moving and protecting cash flow.

Made for gifting

Most individual pieces sit between £50 and £75, a range that works for both self-purchase and gifting. Women account for the majority of purchases, mostly as gifts, which makes gift sets and curated combinations important drivers of sales. Every piece comes in gift-ready packaging.

“If you put that in a gift box, you’re selling emotion,” Verbrugge explains.

Growing with the right partners

Steel & Barnett is expanding its UK network carefully, adding new accounts while strengthening existing ones. The brand is also looking for agent representation in northern England.

“I believe that honest communication is everything,” says Verbrugge. “That’s how we grow.”

Interested in stocking Steel & Barnett? Get in touch with the team to find out more.