Punkyfish is an exciting clothing label with a reputation for affordable designer clothing that has real 'streetcred'. The label has become a modern cult classic and its popularity has now spread well beyond its own retail outlets to include a network of dealers across Europe. Founded in 2001, Punkyfish’s main market is girls between the ages of 14-25 years old. Their customers like to express themselves and are influenced by many creative cultures and general urban lifestyle. Punkyfish is clothing for the young and energetic woman, making them feel confident; with a certain “attitude”. The company is distinctive in their choice of bright and exciting styles and colours. Punkyfish offers a unique and exciting range of clothing and accessories lines. The site is slick, fun and despite its extensive offering, newcomers can quickly get to grips with the ranges. Whichever way the customer follows, there is plenty of information on hand to help them choose the right products all of which results in an excellent sales conversion rate and average order value.
Reviews:
(Sourced through ‘Google’ online)
London SW18
17/12/2008
Punkyfish sell "urban" style clothes or fashions that I see on kids on the streets, garish clubbers or kids. I'm not a fan. The designs are really awful and I wouldn't waste my cash on this place at all.
This place really is a little cheap and nasty but, hey, if that floats your boat then fine. Expect things like *ultra* short little tartan skirts, bright neon t-shirts and big dirty heels. This place lacks class.
As I said, it's not my thing at all but if this sounds like the place for you then by all means go visit this place otherwise, best to avoid!
London
26/12/2008
Punky Fish, once in its time was a cool brand for the 16 year Avril Lavigne, I'm in love with a Skater Boy kinda chick.
But 10 years down the track, you'd wouldn't be seen dead wearing this gear. It's well placed being in Camden, but you've gotta feel sorry for the designers of this shop... as you know 5 metres down the road, some stall has ripped off their designs and are selling it for half the price. It's quite frankly out dated, and slightly nasty.
Stepney, London
17/12/2008
Punkyfish is an ok girls clothes shop. It's ok, because I wouldn't really want to see my girlfriend in this lot. But that's not to knock it.
there's a lot of pink, it's quite alternative. Leggings. Woo-Hoo. Chandeliers. And Coats. AND THERE'S A SALE ON WITH 70%. As if it's not cheap enough.
Skinny hoodies. Neons. No denims. Boots. Wellingtons. It's all ok, but only ok. I'd shop here for clothing accessories, not the clothing. But, then I don't wear womens clothes. And if I did, I wouldn't buy them here.
Seattle, WA
USA
23/1/2009
Punkyfish with its cutesy namesake definitely stands a chance in Camden. Their slightly off fashion is spunky with a lot of pink, purple, and green. I don't know if I'd shop their myself, but I had to go in because they did have a few things that had me borderline gushing- maybe for my sister, maybe for a friend. Either way, I'd pay a visit again- their sales associate seemed nice enough for me to do a second round- if not, I wouldn't think twice about coming back.
London E1
9/12/2008
A punkyfish shop is what it is - a brand who became big enough to open their own shop and peddle off their renowned goods to the girls who worship them. Punkyfish is generally a fashion statement of its own. Starting off as a clothes dispenser for the alternative styles, but when everyone started to buy them they became mainstream styles instead! The clothes are well designed and generally cute, but they sell lots of other accessories as well - look for lunchboxes, pencil cases, all kinds of merchandise and crap that kids are interested in. A good little place.
Advantages: colourful clothes, recognisable designs, good sale prices
Disadvantages: poor quality, bad service form online orders, questionable sizing
PunkyFish are a mainstream high-street clothing brand that sells 'alternative' style clothing. It's sort of like a colourful version of Hot Topic for us Brits. They have a very distinctive style and it's quite easy to spot if someone is wearing a Punkyfish item, as they have a strong identity within their designs. The sorts of things you can expect to find are aimed at a young female market, from teens to 20's. They have a bold use of colour and garments are heavily embellished with notions such as studs, eyelets, and zips. The trademark logo is a pink fish with piercings (!) and can usually be found on every piece, often in the form of a metal charm attached to zips, or embroidered on a small patch.
There used to be a store in central Bristol, in the Broadmead shopping area. This closed down a while back and I can't say I'm sad to see it go. On the positive side the shop was well laid out, with the rails arranged by garment type. If you wanted tops, you'd go to one section, jeans another, accessories at the back, etc etc. It was light and clean and in a good central location. Sadly the staff were inattentive and always appeared to be disinterested and unhelpful.
The prices seem to be above the average for items of this type, and I think the heavy branding plays a part in this. You can get quite a good deal on the sale items, and some of the accessorises are reasonably priced. However, I think that for the quality of the items they are asking too much. Currently, tops cost between £15-£30, jumpers £20-£35, skirts £25-£28, and trousers £28-£35. Leggings are a hugely popular trend now and there are loads to choose from around the £20 with different designs and prints. Punkyfish only produce women's garments but some of the accessories could be unisex, and I'm sure a lot of young men are wearing women's skinny jeans these days... I'm finding that I am losing interest with the brand as it becomes less punky and more trendy. The style seems to have developed and changed to suit a different target market.
From my personal experience I had a bad time ordering online with Punkyfish. I found a great pair of jeans in the sales and decided to order several pairs to stock up my wardrobe. They sent only the one pair despite my order stating a multiple, and they had already charged the amount from my debit card. It took weeks of back and forth emailing with their customer service department for this finally to be rectified, but in the end I did get my items after a long wait and perseverance.
The other problem with ordering online is their sizing options. It is difficult to determine which size will be best suited to your shape as they do not use the standard UK sizing of 8,10,12... etc. The 'one size' option is also something I will avoid in the future, I purchased a one size top online and it seemed totally out of proportion with my body. It was too low at the cleavage and not long enough in the torso, and it was a shame that there are no specific measurements listed on the descriptions as I could have saved myself some hassle.
The other problem I have with Punkyfish is the quality of their items is not to a good standard. Of the few items that I have purchased from them, I have had problems with about 50% of them. I bought a long line trench jacket with studs and embroidery on the back, most of the studs have fallen off and the inside button was missing. I have had problems with the buttons falling off but re-stitching them seems to work ok, I just think that the metal buttons used were too heavy for the fabric and tend to pull down then wear and fall off. Zips on jeans are a big problem, they become very sticky and difficult to move, and once you've done them up they won't stay up so the zip is constantly falling down! Not a classy look. One of my favourite items I've bought from Punkyfish was a stretchy 3/4 sleeve black top, but the number of times I have found splits in the arm sleeves is ridiculous, it looks like they have sewn the item with regular cotton thread instead of using something with a bit of elastic so that the seams will also stretch along with the fabric. As the fabric stretches and the seams don't this is a recurring problem. I also have a Punkyfish brooch where one of the embedded crystals has fallen out.
I'm not a fan of Punkyfish any more after experiencing several problems with their items and ordering. However I do occasionally get tempted by the odd piece and some of their designs can be unique and interesting. I am not a loyal customer to the brand and would only recommend people to shop with them if they are aware that what they are getting might not meet their expectations. It's ok if you want cheap "alternative" clothes and would be great for teens but I guess I'm just growing out of it now!
Summary: Worth a try for the occasional piece but don't expect too much
Advantages: Cool designs, fairly affordable prices
Disadvantages: Not easy to access products, poor quality
Punky Fish is a cheap designer label, known as clubbing wear for women. It is fast becoming the new Gucci, and everyone's talking about the weird and wonderful clothes made by this company. I too had raved about this new range of clothes for a months, until a couple of weeks ago, I bought a skirt by Punky Fish. It was a pink, tiered skirt with a wide waistband. I absolutely loved it, and couldn't wait to wear it. I'd worn it once, when, just as I was about to wear it to a wedding anniversary party, I discovered a large split where the waistband joined the skirt. I could have understood if the item had been cheap, but at a price of £20, this item was quite expensive. However, when I returned the skirt and asked for a new one, the staff were very understanding and swapped it.
Since buying the skirt, I have read many reviews stating the same problem. Clearly this is a big concern for Punky Fish, and they do need to sort it out. As well as the clothes being poor quality, they are quite hard to "get hold of". Not many shops sell products by Punky Fish, and so this is also a problem for the designers. Moreover, I found that most of the clothes didn't even have a proper sizing range. On the label, it jus said "One size". When I tried the skirt on, it fitted perfectly. Well I'm 13, so surely that in itself is saying something. If the skirt fits on a 13 year old, what chance has it got of fitting on a 23 year old, who the clothes are really aimed at?!
So, although the clothing may be nice and fashionable-is the quality really up to the price? I don't think so.
Summary: Nice, but poor quality clothing.
From the reviews above I can see that Punkyfish needs a new direction, it seems that its target market are dissatisfied with some of the elements of the company. From what I have learned from my research, I am going to redesign punkyfish and create a new brand concept that I think would work for them.
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