The Beginning
Itās about time I told you a little about me and where Iāve come fromāmy backstory, if you will. Iām going to explain how I became a master clothes folder, and how that passion and skill led me to where I am, sitting in my kitchen, writing this book. And how I went viral on TikTok in lockdown, resulting in the platform I have now where we, the #FoldingFam, meet and share our love for all things homelife.
HOW DID THE BOOK HAPPEN?
Youāve probably heard of The Folding Lady online (@thefoldinglady), teaching you how to fold, organize, and gift wrap. I give some authentic snippets of my homelife there but my account is not about me so much as the folding, so I should introduce myself properly . . .
My name is Sophie and Iām 36 years old. I grew up in Crumpsall, in Greater Manchester, England, with my mum, dad, and older sister. My dad was a bus driver and my mum a nurse. When I was about 10, my mum got a job in Surrey so we all moved in with my gran who lived there. After secondary school [translation: high schoolāthereās a handy UK to US terms glossary here to solve any language questions], I went on to college but it wasnāt right for me and so I left after a term.
In the meantime, I had started working on the weekends in a department store and I took on a full-time job there. My first son, George, was born when I was 21 and I decided to give studying another go so I began a degree in Early Childhood Studies and graduated with a First Class Honors when I was 25. I fully intended to continue on to achieve my Qualified Teacher status but personal circumstances saw me working back at the department store again, where I had continued working part time throughout my degree.
At this time I lived in what many of you will know as The Flat near Guildford, just outside London, with George. A few years later, I met my husband, Jacob, and he also moved in to the flat with George and me. We got married in November 2016 and along came Arthur in December 2018 to complete our family. Last year we finally moved out of The Flat to the house you see us in today.
As Iāve gotten older, Iāve learned how to live more in the present. Iāve spent a lot of time on myself over the last few years, discovering how to take real responsibility for my own happiness and health. Now I focus on the good in my life, and the things that make me happy. I try and steer clear of the bad, but when thatās not possible I am a lot better at tolerating it.
I am happy, positive, practical, and like to have a good laugh. Iām a Capricorn so I am also hotheaded, argumentative, and easily irritated. I love to read and to educate myself, I am fascinated by watching my kids grow upāhuman behaviors in general intrigue me. I love food, prosecco, and a good old JƤgerbomb on a night out with my girlfriends!
My folding journey, and the start of my understanding about After Value and taking responsibility for my own choices, truly began at the department store . . .
MY FIRST FOLD
āWhere did you learn to fold?ā is one of the most common questions I get asked, and I remember my first folding experience as if it was yesterday.
I was 16 and it was my first day at the department store. I immediately felt at home. I walked through security, signed in with my name and time of entry, strolled through the locker room, up the stairs, and through the door that led to the shop floor.
As I walked down the aisle toward the back of the shop floor, I had no idea where I needed to be but I was drawn to the wall of denim. Piles and piles of Diesel jeans were beautifully folded on columns of shelves, with a big table in front where there were more piles of jeans. Each pile was of a particular jean style and you could see they were in perfect size order from largest at the bottom to smallest at the top. Then, above the shelves, there was a pair of jeans attached to the wall to show it off in all its glory to customers. It was organized, made the most of the space, and was aesthetically pleasing.
I was fascinated by the way the jeans were folded but I couldnāt figure out how it was done at first glance. There were the same number of pairs of jeans in each pile, and it made me happy just looking at them; it soothed me and filled me with instant calm. There were a few pairs of jeans out of place to one side and my brain didnāt like this so I couldnāt help myself. I picked up a pair and started to fold.
āThis is my section, but as you are here, Iāll show you how to do it properly,ā said a sharp voice from behind me.
And that was the moment I learned my first fold. And it was not just any fold. I would say the Diesel jeans fold is one of the most iconic I came across during my 15 years in retail. Many attempted it and few passed the test. I did, of course, but not on that first dayāmuch more practice was needed but I had caught the folding bug already. By the end of my first day, I was hooked.
I was initially hired as a Christmas temp to work on Saturdays, but after my short stint at college didnāt work out, Mum made me ask my manager for more hours. Mum gave me two optionsāI could go back to college, and she and Dad would support me by giving me lunch money and train fare, or I could get a full-time job and pay them rent. I come from a family of workers so me staying at home doing nothing just wasnāt going to happen. At 16 I really had no idea what I wanted to do so neither of these options felt exciting to choose from, but I enjoyed my Saturday job the most so full time at the store it was!
MERCHANDISING
Soon I was working in womenās wear as a sales assistant in the French Connection department. They had a great mixture of hanging rails and shelves filled with knits, jeans, and tops, so I quickly learned how to fold from my colleagues. I was taught how to use folding paper to make the jumpers look neat and uniform in size, and how to fold clothes into a pile by size. I also had to learn how to āmerchandiseā rails with appealing outfit options and according to prescribed color stories from the brand, and how to move around the fixtures and fittings to make the department look fresh and new to the customers on a regular basis.
Merchandising was one of those jobs that you were either good at or not. It involved a vision and knowledge for colors, current and seasonal trends, the needs of the customers, and so many other elements. It wasnāt just about moving the clothes around; it was about making the most of the space, thinking up new ways to display clothes, and making sure branding was in place. Some brands would send merchandising guidelines, but they didnāt always suit the space. A good merchandiser would be able to take the guidance and adjust it to their space and stock. The main goal was to keep your department looking new and fresh for customers and to showcase your bestselling products with the aim of making sales.
The possibilities were endless, and I enjoyed this side of the job so much. I longed to oversee the creative aspect of the role rather than just taking direction from someone else. I liked my colleaguesā ideas but I was bursting with thoughts about ways to make the products look amazing but also organize the department to make the customersā shopping experience easier and more pleasant. There was nothing better for me than the end-of-the-day āfolding and hanger-spacing timeā alone with my creative thoughts.
IN CHARGE
My time finally came when I was put in charge of the DKNY concession. Iād begged my manager for this department and eventually got it. I felt like Iād truly landed. It was a good size, had its own till point and three fitting rooms. I was 17 and, in my eyes, I was the manager of my own shop. I bought myself a notepad, pen, and calculator. The brand paid half my wages so I told everyone very proudly that I worked for DKNY. I received a free uniform every six months and they were the most expensive clothes I owned. I felt like I was in Sex and the City working for such a luxurious brand. I would buy Vogue magazine every month to keep up-to-date with high-end fashion. I canāt tell you how much I loved this job and this brand. Over the next two years I lived and breathed this department, never caring what time I left work, and when I eventually did, not a fold or a hanger would be out of place.
Over the next 15 years in the department store, I folded and wrapped hundreds of different brands, from 7 For All Mankind to the iconic Victoria Beckham crown pocket jeans, from Ralph Lauren polos to Armani T-shirts. I had folds that allowed me to get more clothes on the fixture because it was Christmas, folds that would make the clothing look so special it had to be purchased, folds that piled the clothes high and ready for sale shoppers, folds to show brand logos, folds that were fun, folds that were luxury . . . the list went on. I worked my way up to floor manager and worked across all of the departments: Mens, Ladies, and Fashion Accessories. I ended my time at the store with a year running the Cosmetics department, so my organizing skills and product knowledge covered a broad range of products.
THE JOY OF GIFT WRAPPING
I love gift wrapping. No one deserves more respect for wrapping than a retailer because we get no training (except what we teach each other), hardly any resources, and we have to learn to fold and wrap a purchase with the customer watching and another customer waiting.
The pressure is intense but we aim to be quick and efficient. The appreciation from customers for even a simple wrap in a single piece of tissue paper is just lovely. I think a lot of retailers really underestimate that last part of the customer journey when theyāve paid for their item and the exchange of ownership is about to happen. Those of us who understand this moment fully would fold the item nicely, wrapping it beautifully in tissue paper so it doesnāt unravel in the bag. I liked to hand it over with a parting congratulatory comment like, āGreat purchase, itās a beautiful top. Enjoy!ā And I would really mean it because so many of the items were high-end and way out of my own price range. We were genuinely so in love with a lot of the products. Sometimes we were actually sad to see them go!
My favorite wrap is the one we used every day. Gift or no gift, if we had tissue paper available at our till point, we would use the simple but clever ātissue paper, no tapeā wrap. I remember watching Mel in the Whistles department doing this wrap so quickly and seamlessly for all their customers and I made her show me how to do it. It was a game changer for my customer serviceāthe joy people got from watching me wrap their clothes was amazing. It was such a great end to their experience in the store, they were always so grateful. This is why I love gift wrapping so much; it brings such After Value and happiness to both the giver and the recipient.
MILESTONES
A lot of my life milestones were at the department store . . . I turned 18 and 21 while I was there, had my first work night out, my first paycheck, first promotion, finished my degree, and had my first baby! During my pregnancy with George, I worked in the denim department and I spent those months folding jeansā7 For All Mankind, Hudson, Paige, and Leviāsāsometimes standin...
