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Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum 'Weavers in the Clouds' in London, primary research where I was able to get inspiration first hand and see a range of traditional textile methods how they are used in garments; historical and contemporary. Getting an understanding of the methods and how they are carried out, the level of skill is extremely high.

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Page used throughout to help plan sections of INP

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Write up from visit to Weavers in the Cloud exhibition on the at the Fashion and Textiles Museum. Visited on 13/07.

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WGSN Trend Analysis of trends within stores from Global Shop trade show visit.

1. Integrate tech: combine traditional VM elements with mobile apps and tech devices, such as screens or RFID technology, to enable browsing and play so customers are free to explore and learn about products on their own.

2. Create an experience: whether it is a photo-worthy backdrop or an interactive game, engage consumers with activities beyond shopping.

3. Stimulate the senses: use sensorial movements of colour to engage the shopper and create a dynamic branded environment.

Seeing shift towards integrating technology and what methods customers are reacting to in stores.

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INP guidence initial starting point.

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Planning for comp shop; initial points to consider during comp shop.

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INP Merchandising Excel Page- Merchandising Strategy

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INP Merchandising Excel Page- Merchandising Strategy

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Excel pages for INP Merchandising
https://fashionretail-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/r/personal/40090921_stu_fra_ac_uk/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BDA3653F6-348F-4102-905C-B335B43E32EB%7D&file=INP%20Excel%20Range%20Plan.xlsx&action=default&mobileredirect=true&cid=fc488f09-564d-48f0-a742-2f3bfe531c18

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Article exploring the demise of the high street and how retailers are evolving to insure they stay relevant in a market that is facing extreme difficulties. Trying to tackle the issue facing emerging brands in regards to finding space to showcase work but unable to due to rental rates. A space for designers that wouldn't normally be able to afford space, exploring new ways to foster new talent. The industry is in an age where even established fashion houses are struggling to profit from bricks and mortar.

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With the British high street in serious decline and luxury fashion houses such as Burberry closing down stores globally, it's no secret that the retail landscape is due a rethink. The public may be changing the way it shops, but retailers are also changing the way they sell. On Thursday, for example, models dressed in the latest collection by Amsterdam-based denim fashion label Hardeman joined members of the public in west London's Eccleston Yards for a round of speed-dating. Part fashion presentation, part serious opportunity to find "the one", the gathering was just the latest on the long list of events pushing the limits of the contemporary retail experience. The location? 50m, a fashion concept storefounded by the creative studio Something & Son.

Andy Merritt and Paul Smyth, who founded Something & Son, believe their fashion venture - a communal space for emerging designers to grow and evolve as their businesses do the same - offers one answer to the problem of smaller labels being shut out of the physical retail space by skyrocketing rents.

This is not Merritt and Smyth's first social enterprise: the pair previously launched Makerversity (a community for creative businesses set in Somerset House), Mission Kitchen (shared workshops for food workers) and Peckham Palms (a hub for Afro hair and beauty).

Community events at 50m aren't just for industry insiders either. In the past year, they have organised magazine parties with Niijournal (which seeks to explore "the issues of empowerment and representation within race") and Gal-dem (written by women and non-binary people of colour), as well as a week-long series of events in honour of the 2019 Fashion Revolution, a global non-profit that campaigns for greater transparency in fashion supply chains. In addition to the panel discussions and workshops, Fashion Revolution also saw a special collaboration with Dutch designer Duran Lantink that encouraged people to bring in their own old clothes, which Lantink then reworked into new luxury items.

Providing a space for designers who wouldn't necessarily be able to hold down a standalone store is one way that communal fashion spaces hope to foster new talent in an age when even big fashion houses are struggling to profit from bricks-and-mortar spaces.

50m originally stocked the works of just 10 designers."We were already producing stock for our own e-commerce platform but [50m] gave me the opportunity to put that into a store and provided me with a chance to gain a better understanding of our customers," says Daniel w. Fletcher, whose eponymous label was one of the original 10.It offered a way of curating a physical shopping space without the pressure of a big department store buy.

"We want to be supportive and help [brands] grow in an organic way and for them to really feel ownership of their own space, " says Merrit and Smyth's 50m co-founder, Tracey Suen. "At the moment, a lot of our designers are London-based, and we're starting to introduce more international brands. We want to be a platform where the best emerging designers around the world are all on one screen."

Today, the store houses around 50 brands, including menswear, womenswear and jewellery, as well as work by ceramicists, artists and candlemakers. Each of the creatives rents their own space within the store, deciding what to sell and how much of it, with 50m receiving a commission based on their sales.

"Designers have lots of creativity but, in order to build their brand, there's so many other aspects they need to be thinking of," says Suen. "Luckily, we've managed to find lots of people willing to volunteer their time." Through internal meet-ups and mentoring programmes, the community interacts with a group of experts including production and intellectual property specialists, accountants and lawyers, and marketing pros - many of the contacts that a designer will need in order to grow a successful business.

Slow fashion: how to keep your favourite clothes for ever - from laundering to moth-proofing

The community-based concept allows designers the increasingly rare opportunity to meet with customers face-to-face, which can encourage a circular economy system. Instead of disposing of clothes after just a few wears, customers may be more inclined to keep, re-sell or gift an item if they have an emotional attachment to it, having been part of its creation.

Some pieces on the store's online platform are also strictly made to order, again nurturing a sense of collaboration between the designer and their audience. By slowing down the process of shopping for clothes, 50m not only hope to create a more sustainable environment, they are also paving the way for emerging designers who want to do things differently.
Topics

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The fashion concept store that is rethinking retail

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With the British high street in serious decline and luxury fashion houses such as Burberry closing down stores globally, it's no secret that the retail landscape is due a rethink. The public may be changing the way it shops, but retailers are also changing the way they sell.

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WGSN report with trim and embellishments expected to grow and do well for the ss20 season. With obvious trends that can filter into my range, e.g. Amplified Pattern and Embellishment

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Turned into quality garments, but help reduce pressure on the oceans and their inhabitants.

ECONYL uses synthetic that is exactly the same quality as ordinary nylon

This regeneration system focuses on 6 steps that form a closed loop and uses less water and creates less waste than traditional nylon production methods. Waste is collected, then cleaned and shredded, depolymerised to extract nylon, polymerised, transformed into yarn and then re-commercialised into textile products.

Traditional production methods for nylon are not eco-friendly, they require huge amounts of water and produce a hefty amount of nitrous oxide, which is 10 times more potent than carbon dioxide. What’s more, nylon is not biodegradable, and it is estimated that up 40% of man made plastic waste in the oceans are nylon.

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Fishing nets have become a huge problem for marine life. Whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and other marine life are being trapped by the nets left behind by fishermen. But with some clever innovations and technology, fashion could be the answer to cleaning up some of these nets and saving the lives of our beautiful marine life.

A number of brands, like surf champion Kelly Slater's label Outerknown, or Stella McCartney, are now using fishing nets and reclaimed marine debris to make a recycled nylon fabric, ECONYL, that is not only turned into quality garments, but help reduce pressure on the oceans and their inhabitants.

What is ECONYL?

ECONYL, created by Italian firm Aquafil, uses synthetic waste such as industrial plastic, waste fabric, and fishing nets from oceans, then recycles and regenerates them into a new nylon yarn that is exactly the same quality as virgin nylon.

This regeneration system focuses on 6 steps that form a closed loop which uses less water and creates less waste than traditional nylon production methods. Waste is collected, then cleaned and shredded, depolymerised to extract nylon, polymerised, transformed into yarn, and then re-commercialised into textile products.

How can it help?

ECONYL is a way to recycle and replace virgin nylon in our everyday products and clothes. Traditional production methods for nylon are not eco-friendly, they require huge amounts of water and produce a hefty amount of nitrous oxide, which is 10 times more potent than carbon dioxide. What's more, nylon is not biodegradable, and it is estimated that up 40% of man made plastic waste in the oceans are nylon.

The downside

While ECONYL is a fantastic initiative that is helping to clean up our waterways and repurpose trash that would otherwise end up in landfill, sticking around in the environment for hundreds of years before breaking down, there is still one itty bitty issue: microfibres. These tiny plastic particles are released from synthetic fibres, including ECONYL, so you still need to be aware of how to minimise them when using the recycled plastic fabric. From using a wash bag or filter in your washing machine, to only buying ECONYL goods that don't require regular washing like shoes and swimwear, there are numerous steps you can take to make the most of your ECONYL goods.

The good news is that plenty of Good On You rated brands have jumped on the ECONYL bandwagon:

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Material Guide: How Sustainable Is ECONYL? - Good On You

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With some clever innovations and technology, ECONYL could be the answer to cleaning up some of these nets and saving the lives of our beautiful marine life. How sustainable is ECONYL?

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Target audience for Reiss millennial; drapers guide exploring comparison between generations and the shopping habits of each generation.

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Between them, Generation Z and millennials - broadly, shoppers in their late teens, twenties and thirties - attract endless attention, and represent fashion's consumers of both the present and future.
In this report, Drapers takes an in-depth look at how the two groups are changing, and how they feel about the fashion industry. What are the similarities between them, what are the differences, and where are the opportunities for brands designing and making clothes for these groups?

We also speak to a range of retailers about how they are creating propositions that appeal to these shoppers, and the feedback that they hear from them.

It is all too easy to become fixated on a certain age range, and younger shoppers are often the group of choice for retailers. They are, after all, the shoppers of the future, and brands that do not evolve alongside them are unlikely to survive long term. But while this report is aimed at delving into younger people's likes and dislikes, the aim is not to depict these shoppers as being more important than or even dramatically different to many of their older counterparts.

Many of the trends we observe in their changing behaviour are happening just as strongly for people over 40 as they are for those under. People's interests and tastes are rarely determined solely by their age, and Gen Z is no different.

But even with that in mind, it is interesting to watch a particular generation evolve, and determining what matters to them is still a worthwhile activity. Furthermore, much of the change we observe across all consumer groups is often driven by or more strongly represented among the young, whose strength of feeling about issues of the day can be greater than older generations.

One thing is clear, and that is the emergence of a more values-led, purpose-driven approach to fashion. Younger shoppers may not want to or are not yet able to pay more for ethically made items, but that doesn't mean they don't want them. In addition, the digital and multichannel shifts of the past two decades are not over yet. There is still plenty of work to do to meet those expectations.

Beyond the shifts in behaviour, it is heartening to see that younger shoppers are not disillusioned with fashion: most still see it as fun and inspiring, as well as a chance to express themselves, and they appreciate any brand attempting to keep up with them ethically. They appreciate even more those who are leading the way.

Having come of age during turbulent economic years and having never known life without the internet, they have little patience for rules and conventions that were designed for a different time. Gen Z and their older millennial brothers and sisters have the potential to make fashion an altogether better place to be: what brands need to do is exhibit a willingness to meet them there.

We hope you find the report useful. Please send any feedback or questions to rebecca.thomson@emap.com to help us continue improving our research into this group.

Rebecca Thomson, head of commercial content, Drapers

For the purposes of this report we define members of Generation Z as anyone born between 1995 and 2015, making the youngest four and the oldest 25. Millennials are those born between 1980 and 1995, and are roughly aged 26 to 38. We surveyed 2,000 consumers aged 18 to 38.

'Gen Z' has become just as much of a buzzword as 'millennial' did a few years ago, and is already synonymous with certain traits. If the headlines are to be believed, they are strident environmental activists, they are progressive, they are careful with money and they have short attention spans. But lumping such a broad, diverse group into one amorphous age bracket is a mistake.

Jonathan Reynolds, a retail and ecommerce expert at the University of Oxford says: "It's right to disaggregate Generation Z. We are wrong to use age definitions and put everyone into one age bracket. People have different contexts, motivations and there are different sub-groups within that demographic."

It is also easy to get swept away by the perceived newness of a fresh group of teenagers. But in many ways, Gen Z and millennials have similar patterns of behaviour to young people of previous generations.

To begin with, there is a larger, more mainstream group who watches what the Kardashians wear and is hooked on Love Island, and makes purchasing decisions that are driven by upcoming holidays and Saturday nights out. And there is also a much smaller, albeit articulate and vocal, more alternative group that is perhaps more progressive, and sometimes more controversial. This is best represented in 2019 by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Her emergence as a leader in this space is helped by the fact that anyone aged 25 or under is unlikely to remember the most significant events of the previous decade, such as 9/11 or the Iraq war. Terrorism was the defining issue as millennials entered adulthood ten years ago, but as this fades slightly in the collective memory, climate change is taking its place.

Reynolds says the activist group is the most interesting part of Gen Z, because they're exhibiting new kinds of behaviour. "They're not being influenced by big brands. They're very much a smaller subset of Generation Z but they're articulate and loud, so we hear a lot about them. And they probably have the brands more worried. If it grows, it's dangerous to brands because they often dont have the flexibility to shift."

What is different about Gen Z as a cohort, however, is they are the first group to have grown up with social media and related digital technologies, and this is creating new rules for how things get done. It has given them a new set of communication tools, which they are extremely adept at using, and which enables messages such as Greta's to spread faster and with more intensity than they might have a few years ago. The amplified impact and speed of change this has enabled means that Kylie Jenner is a billionaire by the age of 21, and global leaders are listening to Greta's every word.

In some ways, this is a re-labelling of trends that have gone before. What has changed, however, is access to information and virtual relationships.

Jonathan Reynolds, University of Oxford

Reynolds says any changes that do occur for this generation are tending to proliferate faster than they have in the past: "By and large, we have seen greater transparency for all those subsets than in previous generations because of technology and electronic word of mouth.

"In some ways, this is a re-labelling of trends that have gone before. What has changed, however, is access to information and virtual relationships."

But while Kylie Jenner and Greta Thunberg represent drastically divergent cultural trends, their followers are not necessarily different people. It is possible to be interested in celebrities while also being interested in sustainability; it is also possible to care about sustainability while engaging in unsustainable behaviours, partly because it is often simply not possible to make ethical consumption choices. Plus, younger shoppers do appear to want two very different things. "On the one hand, they're very idealistic," says Pamela Church-Gibson, the author of Fashion and Celebrity Culture. " But that is diametrically opposed to the fact we have got a lot of people who just want to buy cheap clothes online."

The other thing to note about Gen Z and Millennials is that they are growing in confidence. They are natural online communicators and their talent is being applied to topics other than sustainability - they are diverse, inclusive and they question norms. "What also strikes me about this group is its confidence," says Reynolds. "They're realistic, they're pragmatic and they engage in dialogue rather than protesting for the sake of it."

Contradictions

What is difficult, Reynolds says, is that some members of these generations want to shop with fully sustainable brands who are helping to change the status quo, but they also want immediacy and convenience in how they access any product. They want constant newness and immediate gratification, but they acknowledge the system that enables that is not environmentally feasible. "There is a contradiction - certain people are doing both things."

This means that, even as consumers lead this shift towards a more sustainable way of making and selling fashion, there may also need to be a concerted educational effort to ensure these young shoppers realise that this may mean some loss of convenience and increased effort from them; perhaps buying fewer, higher quality items per year may be necessary, and recycling clothes they are finished with is a must.

Reynolds says that for some, this is starting to translate into different ways of consuming. "My son, who is 23, is less concerned about ownership. The stuff he does have is very different and unusual - he places a premium on finding things that aren't very popular. That's a challenge for brands used to dealing with large chunks of the population."

Loyalty

While these trends play out, shoppers continue to interact day-to-day with the fashion industry. Hearteningly, our data shows that broadly, consumers appear to feel fairly positive about fashion. They report finding it fun and inspiring, and they see it as an opportunity for self expression.

Broadly, do you feel the fashion world is:

Despite having a reputation for lacking brand loyalty, this cohort doesn't necessarily think of itself as disloyal. They are, however, always on the lookout for new brands - possibly related to that desire for uniqueness. Over a third said they consider themselves loyal shoppers, and a half said they are 'relatively' loyal. Only 16% of shoppers said they rarely return to a brand.

Would you describe yourself as loyal to brands?

In the rest of this report we explore the shopping behaviours currently exhibited by Gen Z and millennials - as well as what they like and dislike about the propositions on offer.

Convenience scores highly for younger shoppers, who have high expectations surrounding it. More than half say the convenience of online shopping is its biggest appeal, and when asked what they would like to see more of, convenience-focused services are the most popular options.

Their biggest bugbears relating to online shopping are all delivery related: having to wait for a delivery, missing deliveries and paying for delivery or returns are the most annoying factors.

This area is a huge focus for the retailers we spoke to: see chapter 6, on convenience, for their comments on how they are developing their delivery and payment services.

What do you enjoy about online shopping?

What would you like to see more from brands online?

Improving fit technology is also a priority for this group, who seem clear on the benefits of sharing size data with retailers in return for better-fitting items and less returns administration.

But as Mike Branney, managing director of young fashion etailer Oh Polly, says, the technology has further to go: "Improving online fit technology is important but it's still quite gimmicky at the moment. When the systems move more towards virtual avatars with a combination of augmented reality, it will become a much more useful tool that people will actually choose to engage with."

What do you tend to find most annoying about online shopping?

Payment is another significant part of the process for these shoppers: 82% say it is either very or quite important. It has been an area of focus for retailers for years.

Nicola Thompson, global customer development director at Asos, says convenience and removing friction from the shopping experience is a priority: "That's why we offer 'buy now, pay later' through Klarna to give customers a chance to try product on without having to pay for it, and our premier delivery service that offers unlimited next-day delivery for just £9.99 a year.

"We're constantly following customer demand, bringing in new payment or delivery options as they become available, such as our same-day delivery proposition, Asos Instant in London, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham."

How important is a quick checkout process to you when deciding if you will make a purchase or return to a retailer?

Comprehensive and descriptive product information is also important: 95% of people read product descriptions either every time or sometimes.

Do you read product descriptions when shopping online?

Most people read them for information on how an item fits - perhaps mining them for as much information as possible in the absence of advanced fit tech - but shoppers also look for information on the materials and methods used in manufacture.

Do you read the descriptions for:

Buying from overseas brands is also popular, despite the taxes and fees that can sometimes apply. Nearly 60% purchase from overseas brands either sometimes or often.

Do you ever get clothing, shoes or accessories shipped from overseas?

Simon Kinsey, commercial director at TranslateMedia, which helps retailers translate and adapt their brands for new markets, says this is the first generation of global online shoppers. "Gen Zs and millennials are happy to order from overseas brands and they expect the experience to be authentic, personal yet consistent. It is a tricky proposition for retailers to balance an online experience which takes different local cultures into account alongside the need for consistency relating to fit and delivery."

He adds that global content platforms are starting to become more flexible, which is helping to serve this global demand. "It's now possible for product descriptions to 'write themselves' using content asset data derived from product photography, fabric and washing instructions which means that copywriters can spend more time crafting their brand message to appeal to local trends for online shoppers."

For our shoppers, the main reasons behind the desire to buy overseas include cheaper product, and finding those unique items.

Why do you often shop for clothing, shoes or accessories internationally?

When it comes to store shopping, Generation Z and millennials like having the ability to try things on, the social aspect, and the ability to browse and get inspiration. This is consistent with other age groups.

Just as predictable are the elements of store shopping they do not like: crowds and sizes being out of stock.

What do you enjoy about shopping in store?

Retailers' store strategies are changing in response to this to focus more on the social and inspirational elements of store shopping.

Giorgina Waltier, sustainability manager at H&M UK and IE, says the retailer is "continually experimenting with new services" that go beyond the remit of traditional retail: "In many instances these new services tap into the development of our sustainability work and our ambition to become a circular business. For example, we recently launched a garment repair and embroidery service within selected H&M stores globally, to enable customers to increase the longevity of their clothes.

"We are also trialling the sale of eco-friendly washing detergents and microfibre-filter laundry bags - both of which are not products that we have traditionally sold but we see as important additions that meet changing customer needs."

She says H&M group is experimenting with the sale of vintage items at & Other Stories, and is also starting to work with advanced analytics to tackle over-production by creating more alignment between supply and demand. "This in turn will enable us to provide a more targeted, streamlined customer offer in our stores, freeing up more space to further test and experiment with new services."

Paul Forkan co-founded lifestyle brand Gandys with his brother Rob in 2012, and the brand has three stores in London. He says the brand's approach to store retailing has changed.

"In recent years the way we see our stores as part of our brand has definitely changed. Instead of being a main hub for sales they have become places where our community come to connect with our brand and the individuals that work in our shops."

He adds that people come in to not only get a feel for the product and fit, but to also get updates on the brand's charitable foundation, as well as advice and stories about travelling.

"With the current generation of young people spending less time on the high street, the challenge lies in creating this experience online," he says. "Technology will make this possible through chat rooms and live "digital try-ons" powered by web cams and artificial intelligence, but that is still a few years away from being opened up to the masses. For now, stores are still an essential part of the shopping experience, especially for those who care more for brands as a whole as opposed to just a single product."

What things do you not enjoy about shopping in store?

Potentially more concerning for some retailers is that 27% of respondents say they would stop going to stores altogether if the final issues with the online customer experience could be ironed out. A further 42% say they would be "quite likely" to abandon store shopping if all delivery was free and fast, and if they could envisage how an item would fit.

If all issues with online shopping could be erased, do you think you would cut out store shopping altogether?

However, this utopian ideal of online shopping is a way off yet - for now at least, stores provide a crucial way for consumers to meet their favourite brands in the physical world.

Environmental sustainability is important to these shoppers. More than three-quarters (76.7%) say it is either very or quite important. This is pretty consistent for every age range, although slightly more men rate it as very important (39.6%) than women (32.8%).

How important for you is it that a brand shows it is environmentally sustainable?

Equality in all its forms is just as important: 77.1% rate it as very or quite important. Only 9% say it is not important at all. All age groups are in agreement, but the 18-to-24-year-olds are particuarly focused on it: 82.7% say it is important to them and just under half say it is very important.

We wanted to know about all forms of equality, rather than only gender equality, because racism, and discrimination against LGBTQI and disabled people are just as important to many in this group. The efficacy of being vocal on these topics can be seen in the success of brands such as Levi's - a long-term supporter of LGBTQI equality - which has been driven by its ability to remain relevant to younger shoppers via its principles and its storytelling.

For you, how important is it that a brand shows it is pro-equality (across ethnicity, gender, sexuality or disability lines)

Nearly half of our respondents say they have at some point decided against a purchase because of a brand's lack of sustainability efforts. Retailers often report that customers do not appear to be willing to pay more for more ethically produced items, which makes it challenging to build a business case internally for investment in sustainable practices.

However, this suggests brands are losing sales to other, more sustainably driven retailers, which is a trend that will not be immediately visible in sales figures. The evidence was strongest among the 18-to-24-year-olds, of whom 55% say they had abandoned purchases. Men are also more likely to fail to complete purchases than women (54% versus 44%). There are also regional variations in how shoppers are approaching sustainability, with shoppers in the South East and London more likely to rate it as important. In London, 63% of shoppers reported having abandoned a purchase.

Have you ever abandoned a purchase because you felt that the brand didn't reflect your values on either sustainability or equality?

Nearly half of our respondents say they actively hunt out brands that are sustainable or vocal about equality. This supports the theory that demand for sustainable products and support for equality-focused brands may be invisible to some retailers at the moment, because rather than buying sustainable ranges from otherwise non-sustainable brands, shoppers are using their time and money to look for brands that align more comprehensively with their values.

While there may well be a gap between what people say they are doing, and what they are actually doing, this is nonetheless a trend to take seriously. The fact it is not always showing in sales figures yet could relate partly to the fact that shopping ethically and sustainably takes a significant amount of work and research on the part of the consumer. With comparatively few sustainable options available, it is also still hard for a customer to make sure their purchasing behaviour reflects their values - they may still be shopping unsustainably because choice is limited. Plus, retailers have an uphill battle when it comes to communicating their efforts. Few customers will know, for instance, that Primark's jeans are among the most sustainable available on the high street, and H&M is often accused of greenwashing, despite a 20 year effort to improve its sustainability credentials that significantly pre-dates the topic's current fashionable status. In addition, sustainability is not easy for retailers - it is a labyrinthine project that takes years to build expertise in, and is expensive to develop properly.

Simon Kinsey, commercial director at TranslateMedia, says customers' interest in equality can be seen in a current trend for product descriptions to be written in gender neutral language. "Demand for language neutrality is coming from international brands, often those in Benelux and Scandinavia specialising kids toys and accessories, adult sneakers and outdoor brands and, more recently, the skincare and beauty market. The trend for language neutrality is being closely tracked by brands in the UK and the US," he says.

Do you actively hunt for brands that are sustainable or vocal about furthering equality?

Shoppers' interest in sustainability is a trend that is backed up by search data. Over the last five years Google searches for the term "sustainable fashion" have been on a steady upward trend worldwide, with the biggest rises occuring in Australia, the UK, Hong Kong, Denmark and Singapore. Searches for the term "sustainable fashion brands" in the UK have rocketed by 450% since January 2016. Retailers such as US brands Everlane and Reformation are popular related terms, and both have experienced large rises in search volumes over a similar period.

However, while consumer interest in sustainable fashion is increasing, the retailers leading the way are not necessarily being driven by consumer demand.

Giorgina Waltier, sustainability manager at H&M UK and IE, says: "While it is truly brilliant that sustainability awareness has increased so significantly with consumers over the last couple of years, our commitment to and communication around sustainability is not consumer led.

"We started talking to our customers about sustainable materials back in 2011 when we launched our H&M Conscious line, about the importance of recycling clothes in 2013, when we launched our global in-store garment-recycling scheme, and about supply-chain transparency in 2013 when we were one of the first brands to publicly share our supplier list.

"So, communicating to customers about the importance of sustainability is not new for us. What is new is the increase in appetite for this information, and what we are still yet to master is a balance in the level and detail of information that we share with the consumer."

Generation Z and millennial shoppers are predictably high users of mobile and social channels, but it is interesting to see the extent of these habits. Just over 70% of respondents report shopping via mobile apps, and users return regularly to their favourite retail apps to check for new product and content.

Do you shop using mobile apps?

This tallies with the findings of our Connected Consumer report, published in late 2018. That found these shoppers are avid mobile users: 77% use their phones to browse fashion, and 68% use them to buy fashion. It also found that they like apps: nearly 80% have downloaded at least one retailer or brand app, while 23% have downloaded four or more.

Over 70% of our shoppers said that they have purchased via social - some of the brands we spoke to say they have seen this reflected in their sales figures.

James Gold, co-founder of accessories brand Skinnydip London, says: "We have noticed our social transactions increasing." He adds that it is something the brand is looking at in careful detail, using focus groups to determine the images, products and captions that are most effective.

"Skinnydip was born on social and it is where we engage with our customers on the most authentic level. We believe that Gen Z and millennial customers identify most with brands that share their values and are honest, so that's our main focus in providing genuine, engaging content."

He adds getting the mix right is important for different groups. Those in their thirties respond well to different posts from those in their twenties. However, some trends are more universal.

"We notice an increase in new customers on social especially around new collaboration launches, or when we produce IGTV [Instagram video] content."

Have you ever purchased from a brand by clicking through from a social post?

Asos has 23 million followers across its various social platforms, and is focusing on having engaging two-way conversations with them.

Global customer development director Nicola Thompson says: "We know that our twentysomething customers spend a lot of their time on their mobile phones and using social media, so that is where we need to be to having engaging, two-way conversations with them." The focus is on inspiring them on the channel, she adds.

The networks used by these shoppers are shifting quickly, but in late 2018, those aged 18 to 24 reported in our Connected Consumer report that 74% of them use Facebook and 70% use Instagram.

With missed deliveries or inconvenient services causing annoyance for younger online fashion shoppers (see chapter 1), focusing on convenience has become a significant priority for retailers.

James Gold, co-founder of accessories brand Skinnydip London, says it is an area the brand is constantly working on improving: "Within the last six months, we have launched Doodle returns options, collection point delivery and free collection from an selection our Skinnydip stores. For us, the delivery process is critical. When there are companies like Amazon as competitors, we know that we have to try to meet customers' expectations as best as we can."

He adds it also already offers a pay-later service with Klarna, and is looking at being able to "slice" payments, so shoppers can pay in instalments, in the coming months.

Jo Tutchener-Sharp, founder of Scamp & Dude, says the childrenswear brand is working on introducing free shipping: "We have been looking at how we can incorporate the fulfilment and shipping costs into the overheads so we can get rid of shipping costs for the customer, as I know this is an issue for some customers when large operators such as Amazon offer free shipping. But at the moment it's not viable to pay for the packing, fulfilment costs and shipping ourselves."

Other brands are looking even further into the future.

Mike Branney, managing director of Oh Polly says the young women's clothing brand is looking beyond buy now, pay later: "We offer 'buy now, pay later' on our site for UK customers, and plan to roll out the same service in the US and Australia in the next few months. We are also investigating accepting payments in electronic wallets and cryptocurrencies, although the latter is still not particularly mainstream."

Andrew Cooper, head of direct to consumer trading and operations at Pentland Brands, says: "We constantly review these two areas and have recently added more delivery options so consumers can order later in the day for next-day delivery. We have bespoke payment options for different regions, and we are actively looking at how we provide more payment choices."

In our survey, consumers report being keen on convenience-boosting services. Almost two-thirds say they add items to their baskets for pay day purchases, and 69% of respondents say they would be likely to bring purchases forward if they were able to defer payment.

How often do you add items to basket and then wait for payday to make the purchase?

How likely are you to bring a purchase forward if you could pause payment until payday?

How do you feel about making purchases using a deferred payment method?

However, reaction to the idea of another convenience-focused service, renting clothes, was more mixed. While nearly a third said they would like to rent clothes from their favourite brands, nearly half said they would not. One-fifth were undecided.

Oh Polly's Branney says the complexity of large-scale rental is off-putting: "Moving from a model that already sees return rates of 30% to 40% to a return rate of 100% would require a step change in process. The rental market is also better suited to outerwear and hard-wearing fabrics, as most materials lose their lustre and structure after a few washes."

While renting is a newer idea for some, a third of our shoppers still said it appeals. It is likely that for many brands, a rental service could be a part of their future. This is especially true for longer-wearing items, one-wear purchases such as wedding outfits, or items whose wearers grow out of them quickly, such as children's clothes. Rental also plays into consumers' desires for both convenience and sustainability.

Would you rent clothes if your favourite brands offered that service?

This is also an area of the market where innovation will continue to have an impact. The sharing and rental economy is evolving quickly - both in the UK, but also in markets including China, where some rental platforms include the option of peer-to-peer rental. In the UK, it is an area where further development is likely to take place and where consumer attitudes could evolve quickly.

The behaviour of millennials and GenZs has already had a huge influence on the retail market.

They are proficient in navigating multiple channels, comfortable engaging with brands on social media and accustomed to broadcasting opinions about their shopping experiences online.

Both groups share an appetite for cross-border shopping if it means that they can buy distinctive products that are not available locally, but are also concerned with the methods of manufacture and that they are ethically sourced and sustainable. Product fit is also of huge importance and they spend time reading product descriptions to check measurements and materials. They also tend to lack the brand loyalty displayed by previous generations which means that retailers are faced with increased competition both locally and from abroad and have to work harder than ever before to produce the high-quality product descriptions and editorial content they need to stand out from their competitors.

At TranslateMedia, we specialise in translation and the cultural adaptation of content for brands and retailers to ensure quality and brand tone-of-voice consistency.

TranslateMedia develops technology to seamlessly integrate with all of the major CMSs and eCommerce platforms - drastically reducing localisation turnaround times, increasing speed to market and boosting ROI from global marketing campaigns.
Simon Kinsey, Commercial Director, TranslateMedia

It's no secret that the younger generations hold the key to the future of retail.

In an era of instant gratification, same day delivery, and the ability to shop through social channels, younger consumers expect a completely different and totally tailored shopping experience, that brands need to fulfill.

Klarna's research into the future of fashion technology has shown over half (53%) of fashion shoppers aged 16-24 would be happy for a retailer to use their online data to offer tailored discounts or recommendations. While more than one in five (22%) would like to be able to leave a store and pay for items later once they've decided what to keep. It's a different world now to what retailers have been catering to over the last 20 years.

But while retailers need to ensure they truly understand the demands of younger tech-driven shoppers, this approach can't be limited to those in a certain age bracket. We know that experience is the lifeblood of the retail economy, so offering the best experience whether through flexible payments, or a smooth returns process, solely to those in a certain age bracket would be an error.

Experience really is the new loyalty, and a truly tailored experience from perusal to payment needs to be embedded into a retailer's shopping cycle, for all consumers young and old.
Luke Griffiths, General Manager of Klarna UK

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Between them, Generation Z and millennials - broadly, shoppers in their late teens, twenties and thirties - attract endless attention, and represent fashion's consumers of both the present and future. In this report, Drapers takes an in-depth look at how the two groups are changing, and how they feel about the fashion industry.

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Using the brand website to find out about the brand; customer, brand vision, mission statement, KPIs etc. What kind of brand Reiss see themselves as to consumer and within the market. Essential starting point to decided the type of collection I want to produce for the brand.

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Discover the brand history and learn a little more about how Reiss has evolved since its launch in 1971 to present day in our video.

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Reiss code of conduct page, the steps Reiss make to making sure their suppliers meet certain brand expectations. Important for sourcing strategy and when developing the range, thinking about fabrics.

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REISS is committed to ensuring that its operations and supply chains promote safe, fair, legal and humane working conditions. The Reiss supplier code of conduct builds on the Ethical Trading Initiative base code and sets out our requirement and expectations regarding the conditions in which Reiss products are made.

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Latest news about Reiss on Drapers.com

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Drapers guide' net-a-porter releasing a specified area for sustainable brands on their website, with the rise of consumers increased interest in environmental concerns when it comes to the products there are purchasing.

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Net Sustain identifies sustainable brands from across the luxury fashion etailer. The category includes 26 brands and 500 products - each meeting one or more of Net-a-Porter's five sustainable attributes.

These include a considered approach to reducing waste in the supply chain, aligning with internationally recognized best practices in the fashion industry, and the consideration of human, animal and environmental welfare. There is also a heavy focus placed on locally made and artisan products.

Products and brands are badged making them easily identifiable for customers. Key brands include exclusive capsule collections from Stella McCartney and Kiwi brand Maggie Marilyn and seasonal styles from Chopard and Veja.

Global buying director, Elizabeth von der Goltz, said: "Our aim is to give a voice to the brands that are truly making positive changes by providing them with a platform to highlight their best practice. Our sustainable edit provides our customers with the knowledge they need, understanding that they can trust that these brands have been carefully reviewed and meet our criteria for inclusion."

Yoox Net-a-Porter Group has a commitment to sourcing 100% renewable power by 2020.

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Net-a-Porter launches ethical product filter

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Net Sustain identifies sustainable brands from across the luxury fashion etailer. The category includes 26 brands and 500 products - each meeting one or more of Net-a-Porter's five sustainable attributes. These include a considered approach to reducing waste in the supply chain, aligning with internationally recognized best practices in the fashion industry, and the consideration of human, animal and environmental welfare.

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Giving consumers the opportunity to filter online garments that are recycled or responsibly sourced. For Millenials and Gen Z this is an important factors as research shows that they make conscious decisions to shop more consciously, 91.6% of respondents in a Drapers Report said that customers are showing a growing interest in environmental issues.

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Shoppers can browse fashion and homewear from brands including Monki, Selected Femme and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as recycled collections from Ellesse and lingerie label Wolf & Whistle.

Asos's responsible edit allows customers to filter products by whether they are recycled or use sustainable materials, resulting in less water use and less waste. The retailer said it would add new products to the edit daily and will also introduce a wider range of filters over the coming months.

The moves comes after luxury retailer Net-a-Porter launched a new homepage category that curates ethical products. The category includes 26 brands and 500 products, each meeting one or more of Net-a-Porter's five sustainable attributes.

In Drapers' recent sustainability survey, 91.6% of respondents said that customers are showing a growing interest in environmental issues.

Earlier this week, the government rejected all recommendations made by the environmental audit committee's report on the sustainability of the fashion industry.

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Shoppers can browse fashion and homewear from brands including Monki, Selected Femme and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as recycled collections from Ellesse and lingerie label Wolf & Whistle. Asos's responsible edit allows customers to filter products by whether they are recycled or use sustainable materials, resulting in less water use and less waste.

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Articles on swimwear brands that source ethically delivering on sustainable materials and style. Using for research to guide the fabric I am going to use for my range

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The fashion industry may be a leading contributor to our planet's pollution problem - but as shoppers become increasingly eco-aware, brands are being forced to revisit their manufacturing processes and make them more sustainable.

It is estimated that by 2050, there will be a greater volume of plastic than fish in the ocean, with 1.4 billion tons of waste entering our seas every year.

There are more than 600,000 tons of fish nets floating around, making up a tenth of all marine litter, killing animals and destroying coral reefs.

Every ton contains enough nylon to make over 10,000 swimsuits, which is why conscious fashion designers have been turning to techno fabric ECONYL.

This soft lycra is cleverly made from regenerated ghost nets and textile waste that can be recycled and remoulded again and again. It's extra resistant to chlorine and sun cream, meaning it keeps its shape and colour for longer.

We've looked for brands that tick our ethical boxes without compromising on quality or style. These swimsuits and bikinis may cost more than the mass-produced, throwaway deluge found in many popular high street shops, but they'll last you years and keep your conscience clear, without looking bland or frumpy.

Note that it's always best to hand wash your swimwear to minimise the shedding of plastic microfibres and keep it in better nick for longer.

Devonshire sustainable swimwear brand Davy J got a lot of shout-outs when we asked conscious shoppers for their recommendations. These sturdy suits are designed for swimming and being adventurous in, as well as poolside posing, and are built to last. Divers help recover abandoned fishing nets and feed them into the production process, meaning for every 100 pieces sold, around 9kg of plastic waste has been put to fresh use. New styles include a cut-out one-piece and high-waisted bikini bottoms that can be pulled up to overlap with the top or rolled down to reveal a contrasting lining. Sizes range from 8 to 18.
IndyBest pick: The little black swimsuit: £140, Davy J
Just like the little black dress, everybody needs a go-to black swimsuit. This classic cut beauty is hard-wearing enough for cliff jumping and beach volleyball but also looks fabulous paired with a floaty skirt and wedges for the bar. It's double-lined with thick straps that cross at the back and help keep everything in place.

Based on the north-west coast, micro brand Batoko also makes swimwear out of recycled plastic waste. Collections are deliberately kept small to maintain quality and a slower, more planet-friendly pace, so there are just nine fun and colourful designs to choose from. Prepare to want them all, from orca whales to lobsters. The size range is wider than most we've found, from 6 (XS) to 20 (XL) and the cost is more than reasonable for the quality. Recycled packaging is kept to a minimum and a proportion of the profits go to the Marine Conservation Society. Mums may enjoy the option to buy matching mini versions for any little eco-warriors at half price.
IndyBest pick: Wild cat swimsuit: £50, Batoko
"Water loving jungle cats" are the inspiration behind this wild animal print swimsuit that's back for a limited run this season. Its cut is classic with a scoop neck and lower back, and it looks gorgeous under a long, loose-fitting shirt on the beach.

Gyko's motto is "less mis-match, more mix-match". These ECONYL bikinis are modular; finally, every woman can find their perfect combo from three styles of top and three styles of bottom. Everything is made under one roof in London by a not-for-profit social enterprise that provides full-time training and day courses for anyone considering a fashion career. The packaging is plastic-free. Sizing is currently limited, only going up to a DD cup and size 12, but the range is set to expand soon.
IndyBest pick: Top two: £50; bottom three: £40, Gyko
If you want to play it safe, top three offers the most support and bottom two the most coverage. If those factors are less of an issue for you, our favourites are top two with its vintage Hollywood vibe and the high leg of bottom three. The honey colour will look amazing with a tan but it also comes in red or black.

Selkie Swim Co is all about empowering open water swimmers of all abilities to push their boundaries. Its collection is made from ECONYL, reflecting the team's love of our rivers, lakes and seas. The British designers take inspiration from the seaming in women's sports underwear to enhance the streamlined shape, with a colour palette inspired by the tones and textures of water. Sizes go up to 18 and the packaging is fully recyclable.
IndyBest pick: Sports bikini top: £39; bikini pant: £29, Selkie Swim Co
If you're looking for swimwear that'll support your active lifestyle but want something more stylish than the usual mundane sports costumes, you'll love this bikini top with secret front support and its matching low-rise bottoms with their comfy wide waistband.

Fashionista Georgia May Jagger is among the celebrity fans of snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing brand Volcom, which has sustainability at its core. This company takes its impact on the environment and the communities in which it operates seriously. Its swimwear is made from recycled plastic and fishing nets and is digitally printed, which uses less water than conventional screen printing. The designs are fierce and feminine; some have a grungy edge, others are more classic. Pop your measurements into the online size tool to find your best fit.
IndyBest pick: Tropakill one-piece: £75, Volcom
This modern take on the traditional swimming costume turned our heads with its strap detailing at the front and sides. It's another one-piece that could take you from beach to bar, though the coverage is pretty minimal over the chest, so size up if you have a bigger bust. The striking floral print also comes in two bikini styles.

Tide + Seek's summery swimwear is made entirely from recycled plastic waste, with each swimsuit keeping five plastic bottles out of landfill. Earthy tones have been banished in favour of pretty, playful prints in purples, pinks and blues for their new 30-piece range, handmade in Bali. It's stereotypically girly, with "undercover mermaid" and "sea sparkle" among the designs, but oh so Instagram-friendly. There are plenty of different styles to choose from, including high leg cozzies and triangle bikinis, but this Cornish brand isn't size inclusive; its bottoms only go up to a size 12.
IndyBest pick: Undercover mermaid surf bralette: £35; classic cut bikini bottoms: £32, Tide + Seek
Sportier beach babes will appreciate the adjustable, criss-crossed back straps of Tide + Seek's bralettes, which help you find the best fit and support up top. For decent coverage over your bum, opt for the classic bottom cut; the cheeky cut is more daring. The price for the set is more affordable at under £70.

Paper London's sustainable swimwear range pays tribute to Mother Nature and the "pure, majestic beauty of our oceans". Each piece is made, at least partly, from recycled fishing nets and production waste, but this award-winning British brand knows its clothing has to look good too. These bold and bright designs could never be described as boring - think ombre, ruffles and rainbows. It's unsurprising that this brand has a place in Taylor Swift's wardrobe. Once again though, the limited 4 to 14 sizing is disappointing, and you'll need a big budget.
IndyBest pick: Copacabana swimsuit in coral coast: £165, Paper London
This one's a work of art. The delightfully named copacabana cozzie plays into the colour-blocking trend with ivory, coral and turquoise. Double lined, it wraps around the low back and ties in a glamourous bow at the side, while offering plenty of bum coverage.

Ocean lovers Natalie and Zanna launched their eco-friendly swimwear brand in 2018 after realising the scale of the plastic pollution problem and determining to make a difference. Every element of every London-made piece is sustainable -like the fabric, the embroidery thread used which was originally a plastic bottle; the biodegradable hygiene liners and the packing which is both recycled and recyclable. The "sports luxe" style swimsuits and bikinis are designed for different body shapes, with sizes 6 to 18 available.
IndyBest pick: Nomad bikini top and bottoms: £70 each, Stay Wild Swim
Stay Wild Swim's new colour palette was chosen with the help of their social media followers. This activewear-inspired coral bikini offers reliable support thanks to thick straps and an elastic under band, making it a smart choice for bigger-busted women, while the retro high waist is on trend.

Nylon isn't only non-biodegradable, but the process of creating it is also highly polluting, which is why hardy British outdoors brand Finisterre has committed to using ECONYL for its swimwear and jackets. Single-use plastic has been banned from its packaging and you can peek inside the factories it uses on its website. There's currently a buy two save £10 deal running on its separates but there aren't many designs to choose from.
IndyBest pick: Ostrea bikini top: £50; ostrea bikini bottoms: £45, Finisterre
Navy, mustard and coral blend beautifully in this colourblock bikini for surfing, swimming and sunbathing. The top has a triangle shape, removable padding and adjustable straps that can also be worn cross-back if preferred. The bottoms are low-rise with no ties to interfere with a wetsuit. The swimsuit is £95.

Designed for women by women, Deakin + Blue long-lasting ECONYL swimwear is made in a small London factory and packaging is fully reusable and recyclable. Its body positive sizing model fits and flatter a range of shapes. Simply pick your usual dress size from 8 to 20 then choose from one of three styles based on bra size. The brand is willing to bring out more sizes in response to demand. We also like that these swimsuits come with CoppaFeel! labels reminding customers to check for signs of breast cancer.
IndyBest pick: Swimbra bikini top: £65; regular bikini bottoms: £35, Deakin + Blue
The bestselling Swimbra set is a great choice if you want swimwear you can be active in, without worrying about flashing the beach. The top has built-in bust support and is low-cut under the arms to minimise chafing.

The verdict: Sustainable swimwear brands

Davy J is a popular choice among sustainable shoppers for a reason; its swimwear is durable, beautifully-made and their little black swimsuit will become your holiday staple. Batoko's bright swimsuits with their affordable price tag get our thumbs up too and we loved Finisterre 's sporty strea bikini that perfectly balances practical and pretty.
IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.

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10 best sustainable swimwear brands that will be your summer go-to's

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The fashion industry may be a leading contributor to our planet's pollution problem - but as shoppers become increasingly eco-aware, brands are being forced to revisit their manufacturing processes and make them more sustainable. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be a greater volume of plastic than fish in the ocean, with 1.4 billion tons of waste entering our seas every year.

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Sustainability has rocketed up the fashion agenda over recent months, as brands and retailers come under pressure from all sides - from consumers to MPs - to reduce their impact on the environment.

There is now a clear commercial imperative to become more sustainable. To support the industry in meeting this goal, we launched a survey to find out how you are approaching sustainability today, what barriers you are up against, and what you think is needed to achieve real change.

Following on from the environmental audit committee's (EAC) report, Fixing Fashion, published in February, we wanted to explore how companies across this complex, interconnected industry are tackling the issue of sustainability. The survey was open to companies of all sizes - from smaller brands, retailers, manufacturers and suppliers, to those with a £500m-plus annual turnover - and attracted more than 370 responses.

If companies will not change voluntarily, the government must act to help fix fashion

Mary Creagh, chair of the environmental audit committee

Most - 91.6% - agreed that their customers are showing a growing interest in environmental issues. However, many complained that shoppers are not willing to pay more for sustainable product. Several respondents are producing sustainable collections and using recycled fabrics and packaging, but by no means the majority. Less than half (42.6%) of the fashion brands and retailers that responded said they have a sustainable range, while 53.7% said they use recycled materials in their product.

Asked what the main barriers are to becoming more sustainable, the most common reason - cited by 60.3% of respondents - was that it is drives up costs. This was followed by lack of consumer demand - including an unwillingness to pay for sustainable fashion - at 36.2%, and a lack of the required knowledge and skills in the business (34%).

Encouragingly, however, four out of five (80.5%) agreed that sustainability was important to their senior leadership team, and more than half (59.6%) said their firm is investing more in sustainability this year, compared with 2018.

Many respondents did not know how their company measured sustainability, while others pointed out that it was difficult to measure as there are so many different elements to factor in. This is something Drapers will look at in more detail over the coming months.

The fashion industry agrees that the government must do more to support and enforce change

We also put some of the EAC's key recommendations to you through our survey. The EAC called on the government to change the fashion system to end the culture of throwaway fashion through a series of legislative changes and new taxes. The government has yet to publish a response.

Our survey shows overwhelming support for many of these recommendations. The fashion industry agrees that the government must do more to support and enforce change.

Responding to Drapers' findings, Mary Creagh, Labour MP and chair of the EAC, said: "We were clear in our report that fashion retailers must take responsibility for the clothes they produce. Brands, manufacturers, retailers and suppliers recognise that customers want fashion to be sustainable, yet the evidence that they are delivering on targets is much lower - [Drapers' survey shows] only 40% of companies re-use or recycle unsold stock and 12% offer in-store take-back schemes.

"This has to change. If companies will not change voluntarily, the government must act to help fix fashion and set the industry on a net-zero path to 2050 [achieving carbon neutrality by balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal or offsetting, or eliminating emissions altogether]."

Join the world's leaders in the field at Drapers Sustainable Fashion 2020 in London on 11 March.

The event is for fashion brands and retailers, clothes manufacturers, supply chain experts, innovators and anybody for whom sustainability matters. We are creating a programme of hard-hitting talks, projects showcasing sustainability in action, and start-up innovation that is pushing the boundaries of the possible.

Sustainability in fashion today

Of the brands, retailers, suppliers and manufacturers that responded:

55.6% use recycled materials in their packaging

53.7% use recycled materials in their product

51.9% use organic or sustainable cotton

42.6% have a sustainable range

40.7% re-use or recycle unsold stock

35.2% source in the UK (thus lowering their carbon footprint)

12% offer an in-store take back scheme or textile banks

Shoppers want sustainable fashion

Supportive leadership

Measuring sustainability

Many respondents do not know how their company measures sustainability, while others point out that the complexity of the subject makes it difficult to assess. However, we can pull out some examples of how fashion companies are monitoring their environmental impact:

Measuring the proportion of styles made with sustainable or recycled fibres/fabrics

Working out the difference in carbon and greenhouse gas emissions between the use of different fabrics, and choosing the lowest

Assessing the company's carbon footprint, including collecting information linked to air shipping of products from various sourcing countries

Measuring energy and water usage across different parts of the business

Looking at the proportion of packaging that is recycled

It is very difficult to measure sustainability. It is a huge and diverse subject. Every day, we try to do better than yesterday. However, we are able to measure the amount of styles being made in more sustainable fibres.
[Survey respondent]

We don't measure it, we just do what we can.
[Survey respondent]

We make sure we can say we have switched to a commonly accepted sustainable alternative at every touch point of the business, from packaging to product, to electricity supply, to logistics.
[Survey respondent]

Case study: Fat Face

"We have had a responsible sourcing team in place since 2015, which consists of two full-time employees. It is effective because of the engagement of all the other teams, such as buying, design and sourcing.

"We worked to achieve an agreed, business-wide strategy that improves our performance and customers' perception of our sustainability, making a meaningful impact on the issues that we care about. To do this we focused on making the most sustainable choices for our business; communicating our goals and achievements with crew and customers; always considering the customer and how they perceive our brand; owning our goals and the actions we take to achieve them; and measuring the impact of our actions.

"A focus of the strategy creation was ensuring we set SMART [specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound] goals. We weren't comfortable with setting goals that couldn't be measured.

"When it comes to measurement, we make the most of existing data and systems rather than reinvent the wheel, and make sure that any work we do in collaboration with either suppliers or external partners has data and measurement built in from the start. "
Barriers to becoming sustainable
Asked what the main barriers are to becoming more sustainable are, the most common reason (cited by 60.3% of respondents) is that it is too expensive/drives up costs. This is followed by lack of consumer demand - including an unwillingness to pay for sustainable fashion - at 36.2%, and a lack of the required knowledge/skills in the business ( 34%).
Investment in sustainability is rising Top priorities
Respondents were asked to name their top three priorities when it comes to sustainability in 2019. By far the most popular response or was some form of recycling - whether to use more recycled fabrics, recycle more unsold stock or encourage recycling of used clothing. This was followed by the use of more sustainable fabrics and fibres (including cotton), improving packaging, eradicating unnecessary/single use plastic, and reducing textile waste.

The top 10:

Re-use, recycling and repair initiatives, including using more recycled materials, and introducing take-back schemes

Technology
Respondents are using a range of technologies to support their sustainable objectives, including: 3D design to cut down sampling waste and the need to travel; electric delivery vans; blockchain to improve traceability; fabric and fibre innovations; returns management software to reduce carbon footprint; new packaging materials; robots and artificial intelligence; microfibre filtration.
Government intervention is needed
85% said the government is not doing enough to the help the fashion industry to become more sustainable.

However, our respondents broadly supported the recent recommendations from the environmental audit committee. The only recommendation that did not receive strong support was the 1p charge per garment on producers of fashion ( 68.7% somewhat or strongly agreed with this recommendation, and 31.8% disagreed - whereas the others had around 90% agreement).

Recommendation

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

Respondents called on the government to do more, including:

Investing in recycling infrastructure

Proving grants to help businesses become more sustainable

Making certain unsustainable practices illegal

Working on ways to educate the consumer about sustainability

About the survey

Carried out online between 19 March and 26 April 2019

372 respondents

52.7% run or work for a fashion or footwear brand/retailer, 19.9% work for an academic organisation, and the rest were a mix of suppliers, manufacturers and agents.

The size of business varied: 45.8% said their organisation had an annual turnover of up to £36m, but 21.9% said it was £500m-plus.

48.4% of respondents classed themselves as managers, including 41 CEOs, 17 owner/proprietors, and 11 managing directors.

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Drapers research: how sustainable is the fashion industry?

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Sustainability has rocketed up the fashion agenda over recent months, as brands and retailers come under pressure from all sides - from consumers to MPs - to reduce their impact on the environment. There is now a clear commercial imperative to become more sustainable.

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WGSN | Creating Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics

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Log in to WGSN's suite of industry-leading trend forecasting, analytics and consumer intelligence tools to remove risk and start empowering your decisions.

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https://app.edited.com/#retail/article/women-retail-tw-onoff-color-050619
Report of what colours are emerging with core retailers and online in the current market. Key colours coming up are sunset hues,  vegetal tones, bold and bright tones of red, fuschia, hot pink and emerald green and soft vintage, shades of peach, cornflower blue, pink, lemon and green. Also going into detail as to how these colours are being used within the market , seeing a lot of colour blocking and as print bases. I will use this following my inspiration to make colour choices for my range.

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Report analysing commercial styles swimwear market for women & young women, updated later on in planning with key cuts intended to drive volume. Important to consider when building my range. Styles include the bandeau bikini (a style seen in previous reports) and underwire biking (a recently up trending style) Bandeau is a style that seems to be trending across the swim styles. Data

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Report showcasing the key items in the swim category. This report was done later on in the season planning, at the end of April, analysing any changes in the market from initial analysis. I will combine all of this information to make decisions to make sure my range is commercial and in keeping with the style of the brand. The report is showing an increase popularity in all in one pieces and looks at trending cover up styles as well. Styles include Split Style Swimsuit, Wrap Swimsuit, Front Clasp Bikini, Collar Piece Bikini and  Crochet. Seeing a follow on from the start of season planning report with pieces developed and adapted.

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Collection Review: Women's Key Details & Trims

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Collection Review: Women's Key Details & Trims

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Reviewing key details and trims for the SS20 season, ranging from areas for retailers test to the details&trims that retailers can expect to be commercial with investment. I will take these to influence my range, I am able to consider test but need to ensure that any details will be commercial, especially considering Reiss.

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Forecasting into design development for SS20 swimwear; styles expected to be commercial for the season. I will use this report to build my range considering Reiss and what would be commercial for the brand. Styles included; bandeau swimsuit and bikini, high apex triangle, box pleat swimsuit, asymmetric style combined with peek-a-boo, crop top bikini, string, Figure-Hugging Swimsuit,

Softened Sports Set, Tie-Front Swimsuit, Strappy Bikini and in terms of cover ups

Floor-Skimming Kaftan and Twisted-Strap Cover-Up. This report was compiled in August last year so I looking at the very beginning trends emerging on a large scale from trade shows and catwalk shows for the season at the early adaptors stage. Seeing a lot of swimsuits
https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/80331/page/1

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In the survey of 17,000 people across 24 countries, 36% of all respondents agreed with the statement about their own country, Sky News reports. Britain and Sweden were the two nations most likely to say a country's human rights record should be considered before trading is agreed.

While 10% believe Britain uses its global influence for bad purposes, 27% disagreed, and said it was mostly used for good. At the other end of the scale, 22% believed the US uses its position badly, 24% think the same of Israel, and 25% for both Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Former foreign secretary David Miliband unveiled the figures in his lecture, The New "Arrogance of Power": Global Politics in an Age of Impunity, at the University of Edinburgh.

He said: "The poll shows that around the world large numbers of people are looking for commitment to human rights and global engagement."

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Britons value human rights in international trade

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In the survey of 17,000 people across 24 countries, 36% of all respondents agreed with the statement about their own country, Sky News reports. Britain and Sweden were the two nations most likely to say a country's human rights record should be considered before trading is agreed.

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Sustainable brands that are storming the market in regards to ethical swimwear. Used these brands to research the types of fabrics that are pioneering as well as countries used for sourcing.

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Whether you're taking a holiday to a tropical destination, booking a weekend beach getaway or attending a pool party, we know that finding the perfect-fitting swimwear to make you look fabulous from all angles seems a daunting task. Add to the priority list that the swimwear be ethically-made and as eco-friendly as possibly and it might seem downright impossible to find what you're after.

Thankfully with the rising eco-consciousness, there are more swimwear brands taking on this challenge, creating functional bikinis and bathing suits that make women feel beautiful and confident, while causing minimal harm to communities and to our natural environment.

In no particular order, here are the sustainable swimwear brands we think you'll love.

New Zealand based brand Aurai creates collections reflecting a carefree, fun and healthy lifestyle. The name "Aurai" coming from the term in Greek mythology in which the Aurai are the winged nymphs of the breezes that travelled the world through the sea carrying messages for the gods. The brand believes they too are carrying an important message like the Greek Aurai - one of sustainability. Each piece is made with high quality materials and exclusive prints into surf safe designs for all body types. Although Aurai is based in New Zealand, the manufacturing occurs in Natalia's hometown in southern Brazil where the pieces are handmade with locally sourced materials. To browse the beautiful swimwear range, visit the website here.

Koru is the New Zealand Maori word for "spiral", symbolic for new life, hope, spiritual growth, purity, and peace. Inspired by the love of the environment and relaxed attitude of the Kiwi lifestyle, Koru swimwear was designed to incorporate this into their earth-friendly apparel and swimwear. Fabric is sourced from Italian company Carvico who also shares a green vision. All fabric used is derived from 100% regenerated polyamide made by , who works in partnership with HealthySeas.org to use discarded fishing nets pulled from the ocean to make the regenerated yarn in the fabrics used. Koru Swimwear offers environmentally conscious women a combination of fashion and function. Check out their current collection here.

Shapes in the Sand is designed for authentic women of who embrace the natural world. An eco-conscious swimwear label that draws inspiration from different environments and the diversification of them, reminding anyone who looks at their pieces how precious their surroundings are.Each collection is designed and produced in the most environmentally friendly way possible using soft, regenerated fabrics and energetic prints. Handmade in Australia, Shapes in the Sand promises high quality and a long life garment. Browse the collection now.

This affordable sustainable fashion brand has just launched its own swimwear line. Vege Threads' new range of swimwear features five styles in different colours to suit your style. All garments are eco-friendly, made with sustainable fabrics such as recycled nylon. Vege Threads is designed and made in Australia. To support purchase eco swimwear from this beloved Aussie brand, visit the website here.
Have you purchased any of these swimwear labels? If so, we'd love to know how it looks, feels and lasts, so make sure to share your story in the comment section below and help other conscious shoppers make their decisions.

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13 Ethical and Sustainable Swimwear Brands to Look Out For

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Whether you're taking a holiday to a tropical destination, booking a weekend beach getaway or attending a pool party, we know that finding the perfect-fitting swimwear to make you look fabulous from all angles seems a daunting task.

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Researching other brands currently doing sustainable swimwear to get a better understanding of the market and which other brands are doing it well. Also researching the fabrics OUR SWIMWEAR IS MADE USING ECONYL® - A HIGHLY TECHNICAL AND SUSTAINABLE YARN. NYLON WASTE FROM LANDFILLS AND OCEANS AROUND THE WORLD IS COLLECTED, RECYCLED AND TRANSFORMED INTO ECONYL® REGENERATED NYLON YARN. THIS INCREDIBLE CLOTH ACHIEVES THE SAME STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE AS VIRGIN NYLON AND IS PERFECT FOR SWIMWEAR - STRONG AND QUICK-DRYING WITH EXCELLENT RESISTANCE TO CHLORINE, SALT WATER AND UV LIGHT. USING THIS METHOD, NYLON CAN BE RECYCLED, RECREATED AND REMOULDED

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CHÉ Studios - Modern + Sustainable Swimwear

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Discover CHÉ Studios, modern + sustainable swimwear. Shop the collection of men's swim shorts & shirts online today.

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Government rejects MPs’ sustainable fashion guidance

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Government rejects MPs’ sustainable fashion guidance

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Article introducing new swimwear brands that are emerging on in the market. Using it to get ideas for items for the range as well as price points and the types of brands that are emerging. It is important to keep up to date with movements in the market to make the correct decisions.

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Originally launched as Hunza in the 1980s, Georgiana Huddart revived the brand for a modern audience in 2014, rebranding as Hunza G. Since relaunch, the brand has become a cult sensation thanks to its flattering cuts and "crinkle" fabrics. The brand has 220 stockists worldwide, including Browns, Net-a-Porter and Mytheresa.
Wholesale prices ranges from £54 for a set to £58 for a swimsuit. 020 7631 1655 hunzag.com A chat with Georgiana Huddart, creative director and co-founder of Hunza G How would you describe the Hunza G aesthetic?
Sporty, flattering and sexy in an empowering way. I always hope and strive for women to put on Hunza G and just feel really great about their body, themselves and general life.

They are not meant to be too fussy or complicated, and you are definitely meant to be able to swim, run down a beach and not be too precious when wearing them.
How does your approach to the brand link to the previous Hunza aesthetic?
The [crinkle] fabric is really the key. I always liked the versatility and inclusiveness of it. It means you get a lot of different types of women wearing it.

We try to incorporate the heritage element of Hunza, while making it a bit more sophisticated and current than the 1980s aesthetic.

I love all the high-cut bright 1980s styles. However, they aren't necessarily right for the women of today. With the new designs and developments, I hope we appeal to a wider, more varied range of women.
Can you describe the "crinkle" fabrics you use on the swimsuits?
Texture adds impact to anything, whether it's jewellery, interiors or art. Done right, it is incredibly flattering. A smooth, flat fabric is far less forgiving than a texture.

The crinkle is made on a circular loom, so it is actually a knitted weave and can stretch from the size of what appears to look like a child's babygro to a size 16 swimsuit.

Without the texture you wouldn't have anywhere for excess fabric and thread to go when it stretches back - so it serves a purpose while actually looking really great at the same time.
What are your bestselling styles?
Currently, our very earthy, metallic tones in simple, sporty styles. Four years ago, when we started, people wanted the bright iconic styles and colours, but it has developed and it's more my own aesthetic.

It's a real joy to be able to design instinctively based on what you like and what one would choose to wear. Metallic moss, bronze, taupe, cocoa - these are the colours that everyone is after this summer. But, who knows? I am sure it won't be too long before everyone wants cobalt blue, neon pink and orange again.
You manufacture in London - why is this important for you?
It allows us great quality control and it means we are all part of one team. We can also do special bespoke pieces and the minimums are low.

It's really nice knowing the people you are working with and I think that inspires a great work ethic, as everyone feels part of the success. We are all in the same building.

One of the main seamstresses - Sati - has been at Hunza for 35 years. Varvara and Chris (seamstress and pattern cutter) are husband and wife, and Varvara's sister, Anitsa, is an overlocker.

It makes for a really nice environment. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Cover Swim
Initially launched in 2012, Cover Swim creates swimwear designed to protect the wearers from sun damage with more covered silhouettes than traditional bikinis and swimsuits. In addition to those seeking sun protection, the brand has recently gained fans in the booming market for modest fashion.

Highlights from the collection include long-sleeved one-piece maillots and high-neck swimsuit silhouettes in leopard and stripe prints.

The fabric used is made from recycled microfibres and blocks 98% of UV rays. The brand is currently stocked by Net-a-Porter, Neiman Marcus and Shopbop.
Wholesale prices range from £57 for a bikini to £170 for long-sleeved maillots. +1 214 7700368 coverswim.com Slo Active
SLO Active - SLO for "sustainable, luxury oceanwear" - is the latest women's swimwear brand seeking to clean up the oceans with its sustainable business approach.

Designs have a sporty style and are made from a plant-based neoprene alternative, with styles manufactured in a small factory in Italy.

Highlights from the seven-piece collection include a zip-front bikini top and high-waist bikini shorts.

The brand launched its direct-to-consumer website in May, and wholesale books open for spring 20.

In line with its sustainable focus, the brand will donate to an ocean charity partner every time a swimsuit is sold on its own website, and aims to donate 3% of all revenue to charity.
Wholesale prices to be confirmed. Riz Boardshorts 07595 003739 sloactive.com
London-based friends Riz Smith and Ali Murrell set up the men's swimwear brand Riz Boardshorts after coming up with the idea of creating a brand that was the "Savile Row of the Sea". As such, the brand adopted the moniker "The tailors of sunshine".

Alongside their tailored shape, the designs feature bold Hawaiian prints with florals and animal motifs key.

Styles are made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials, and the brand offers a recycling ("Rizcycling") service for customers that encourages them to donate old shorts for a 25% discount off future pairs.
Wholesale prices range from £38 for short styles to £43 for a longer pair. 07813 150855 rizboardshorts.com House of Holland x Speedo
The brand has 10 UK stockists, including Liberty and Browns, and 40 worldwide.

London-based womenswear brand House of Holland teamed up with Speedo for a spring 19 collaboration.

Comprising 10 pieces, ranging from bikinis and swimsuits to long-sleeve zipped suits and long-legged suits, the eclectic prints give the collection a bold and youthful aesthetic.

Tie-dye and textile prints are inspired by the House of Holland spring 19 collection, which was themed around the idea of global travellers.
Wholesale prices range from £30 for a bikini to £110 for a one-piece. 0345 850 8582 speedo.co.uk houseofholland.co.uk Boardies x Lois O'Hara
The collection went on sale at the end of May, stocked by Asos, Urban Outfitters and Browns.

British swim brand Boardies has teamed up with Brighton-based artist Lois O'Hara for its latest swimwear offering.

The collaboration, which will launch for autumn 19, features two of O'Hara's vibrant prints on Boardies' signature men's board shorts. The graphic, eye-catching prints are inspired by classic surf and basketball styles.
Wholesale prices range from £12 for childrens' shorts to £58 for women's swimwear. Aubade 020 3457 0365 boardiesapparel.com
In the past, Boardies has collaborated with artists and brands including menswear designer Daniel Fletcher.

French lingerie brand Aubade is relaunching its swimwear offer for the spring 20 season, with a refreshed, modern and feminine aesthetic.
Wholesale prices range from €6 (£5.27) for a top to €160 (£140.52) for a swimsuit. 07522 222848 aubade.co.uk Marané
Vibrant colours such as fuchsia and saffron yellow appear alongside more muted khaki and soft pink shades. Silhouettes are designed to be mix and match, and feature prints such as graphic florals and polka dots.

Highlights from the collection include a block-colour, one-shoulder swimsuit and a floral halter-neck swimsuit.

Marané campaign

With 20 high-profile stockists, including Matchesfashion and Lodenfrey Munich, Uruguayan men's swimwear brand Marané is building a loyal following for its minimal styles.

Inspired by fishing villages on the Atlantic Ocean, prints reflect the colours and landscapes of Uruguay, which are interpreted as watercolour designs.
Wholesale prices range from £52 for block-colour swim shorts to £72 for printed swim shorts. 07760 473071 marane.uy
Styles feature bonded seams, which are heat-pressed together for a smooth silhouette.

Alongside its wholesale business, the brand operates a store in the tiny village of Manantiales, on Uruguay's Atlantic coast. The wooden store also functions as an exhibition space and studio.

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Originally launched as Hunza in the 1980s, Georgiana Huddart revived the brand for a modern audience in 2014, rebranding as Hunza G. Since relaunch, the brand has become a cult sensation thanks to its flattering cuts and "crinkle" fabrics. The brand has 220 stockists worldwide, including Browns, Net-a-Porter and Mytheresa.

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Rosi Farrow hunts down the best swimwear from around the globe

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Rosi Farrow hunts down the best swimwear from around the globe

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Drapers report on swimwear brands that are at the forefront of the market at the moment.

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Rosi Farrow is the founder of fashion agency Studio Thirteen, which works with brands including Cecilie Copenhagen, and of resortwear etailer Beach Cafe. Beach Cafe stocks labels such as Seafolly, Cult Gaia, Hunza G and Varley, and is celebrating its 10th birthday this month.

To mark the occasion, it is launching a capsule collection of exclusive pieces from designers Loveshackfancy, Juliet Dunn and Melissa Odabash, among others. Prices for swimsuits range from £67 for Seafolly to £370 for Marysia, and bikini prices are similar.
What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
I walk for half an hour to prepare myself for the day ahead.
What was your first job?
I worked as a sales assistant in a luxury boutique in W1, London.
How would you describe Beach Cafe in one sentence?
Beach Cafe is a luxury, on-trend resortwear boutique appealing to a wide age group.
What's your coffee order?
Strong and black.
Where are your favourite places to shop?
I shop when I travel. I love [concept stores] L'Eclaireur in Paris and Kirna Zabête in New York. I also like luxury lifestyle brand Eden Being at the Eden Rock Hotel Saint Barths.
Last fashion purchase?
The Paco Rabanne Iconic 1969 bag - it's made from silver metal and very shimmery!
Emails or phone calls?
Both.
Most important lesson you've learned during your career?
Focus and take more time in order to achieve better results.
What would be your ideal office/meeting space?
My showroom in Notting Hill, west London.
What is your favourite part of the creative process?
Researching new brands from all over the globe in order to keep an international spirit.
What has been your proudest moment since you launched the brand?
When friends of mine admire our selection and shop with us!
What's the last book you read?
The Binding by Bridget Collins.
Last holiday?
I was in Saint Barths earlier this year. I'm planning to visit China and Cartagena, Colombia, later this year.
Who in the fashion industry inspires you?
Stella McCartney. I really admire her buying back her company and taking it back to its original design DNA, which is strong and powerful but retains its femininity.
What is the biggest challenge facing fashion today?
Keeping the product innovative and exciting, but at the same time affordable. That will prove a challenge if import duties kick in after Brexit!
One piece of advice would you give your younger self?
Go with your gut feeling - don't let others' advice sway you.
Who do you turn to when you need advice?
My husband.
What would we find you doing at the weekend?
Playing tennis and catching up with friends over dinner and a margarita.
What are you looking forward to most in the year ahead?
The launch of the exclusive 10th birthday collection at Beach Cafe and facing new challenges.

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Rosi Farrow hunts down the best swimwear from around the globe

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Rosi Farrow is the founder of fashion agency Studio Thirteen, which works with brands including Cecilie Copenhagen, and of resortwear etailer Beach Cafe. Beach Cafe stocks labels such as Seafolly, Cult Gaia, Hunza G and Varley, and is celebrating its 10th birthday this month.

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MPs call for green levy of 1p per garment

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MPs call for green levy of 1p per garment

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The environmental audit committee made the comments in its final report on the sustainability of the fashion industry, released today. It said a charge of 1p per garment as part of a new extended producer responsibility scheme could raise £35m for investment in better clothing collection and recycling in the UK.

The committee also said taxation should be reformed to reward companies that offer clothing repairs and reduce the environmental footprint of their products.

Committee chair Mary Creagh said: "Fashion shouldn't cost the earth. Our insatiable appetite for clothes comes with a huge social and environmental price tag: carbon emissions, water use, chemical and plastic pollution are all destroying our environment.

"In the UK we buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe. 'Fast fashion' means we overconsume and under use clothes. As a result, we get rid of more than a million tonnes of clothes, with £140m worth going to landfill, every year.

"Fashion retailers must take responsibility for the clothes they produce. That means asking producers to consider and pay for the end-of-life process for their products through a new extended producer responsibility scheme. The government must act to end the era of throwaway fashion by incentivising companies that offer sustainable designs and repair services. Children should be taught the joy of making and mending clothes in school as an antidote to anxiety and the mental health crisis in teenagers. Consumers must play their part by buying less, mending, renting and sharing more."

The committee's key recommendations

* Mandatory environmental targets for fashion retailers with a turnover above £36m.

* A new extended producer responsibility scheme to reduce textile waste with a 1p charge per garment on producers.

* The scheme should reward fashion companies that design products with lower environmental impacts and penalise those that do not.

* The report calls on the government to use the tax system to shift the balance of incentives in favour of re-use, repair and recycling to support responsible fashion companies.

* The government should follow Sweden's lead and reduce VAT on repair services.

* Lessons on designing, creating, mending and repairing clothes should be in the school curriculum.

* The government should publish a publicly accessible list of retailers required to release a modern slavery statement. This should be supported by an appropriate penalty for those companies who fail to report and comply with the Modern Slavery Act.

* The fashion industry must come together to set out their blueprint for a net zero emissions world, reducing their carbon consumption back to 1990 levels.

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MPs call for green levy of 1p per garment

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The environmental audit committee made the comments in its final report on the sustainability of the fashion industry, released today. It said a charge of 1p per garment as part of a new extended producer responsibility scheme could raise £35m for investment in better clothing collection and recycling in the UK.

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My idea of doing a pop-up event for the launch of the collection; as the article states pop-ups are creating a buzz on the high street during a difficult time. Although Reiss trade traditionally with bricks&mortar I believe the exclusivity of an event will appeal to a wider audience especially Gen Z

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Is Amazon the saviour of the high street?

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A shiny new shopfront appeared on Manchester's St Mary's Gate on 3 June. A sign on the windows reads "Clicks and Mortar", and is surrounded by cursor arrows - a somewhat crude indicator of what is inside. The pop-up shop stocks brands that were previously only found online, selling anything from smartphone accessories to fashion.

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A guide for swimwear across a global market. It is important to have an understanding of what is going on across the swim market globally to make choices for my range

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This Statement has been published in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and California Transparency in Supply Chains Act 2010. It sets out the steps taken by REISS LIMITED ("REISS") during financial year ending 2 February 2019 to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking in its business and supply chain.

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David Reiss interview about setting up the brand, the values that have survived as the brand has evolved and the changes to ensure Reiss stay relevant.

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"Even from an early age, I always had a clear focus and wanted to be successful," says David Reiss, as he reflects on the long journey from taking over his father's store in London's Bishopsgate to establishing Reiss as a household name with a portfolio of more than 160 stores in 15 countries.

It's been a successful year for the firm, which achieved its best performance ever for the 12 months to 31 January. Sales were up 11% year on year to £124m, and profit after tax up 68% to £13.5m. In April, US private equity firm Warburg Pincus agreed to take a majority stake in Reiss. The investment will underpin its plans for rapid international expansion.

I was 14 when I had my first three-button tonic suit made. I wanted to go out and conquer the world

The new partnership marks a significant change for the premium high-street chain and its ambitious founder. However, they share a long-term vision for the business. "[Warburg Pincus] are really serious players, so the fact they have invested highlights what a good job David has done," says one menswear industry veteran. "He is very astute to have taken a small business and created what Reiss is today."

Reiss, now in his seventies, maintains that he has always been driven, even as a child: "I loved sport, I was always out either playing in teams or running. I had tremendous energy." He also developed a love of clothes at an early age: "I was 14 when I had my first three-button tonic suit made. I just wanted to have that feel-good factor. I wanted to feel good in myself, and go out and conquer the world."

East Ender

He was educated at private boarding school Carmel College and enrolled on an estate management course but, at the age of 17, decided he was far too impatient to complete another four or five years of study before entering the world of work. He began helping out in his father's shop, learning the ropes and gaining the confidence and ability to relate to people that would stand him in good stead for the rest of his career. He also credits his father with teaching him how to run a business and deal with people. It is ingrained in him to pay bills on time and stay true to his word.

The shop, a traditional gentlemen's outfitter on the edge of the City, attracted a heady mix of City boys and East End traders. The father of the infamous Kray twins visited the barber at the back of the store every day for a shave. Reiss recalls serving the twins when they popped in from time to time.

After a couple of years, he became a sales agent for a few firms, selling knitwear and loungewear on commission, before deciding in his early twenties to manufacture his own line with a friend. Armed with a loan from his father, Reiss found a factory to rent in Wakefield and set about sourcing fabrics and designing a collection of shirts. His friend agreed to live close by to run the factory, while Reiss was in charge of product design and sales. Before long, the factory employed about 150 people."It was an extraordinary place to be, because there was a real community spirit. People lived by their wits - they were merchants and traders, real characters," he says.

But in 1970, Reiss's father died suddenly. His younger brother took on the running of the Bishopsgate shop, but it was only a temporary arrangement. Reiss knew it was time to return to retailing. Once in charge of the store, he began introducing some younger, more contemporary styles, such as tonic trousers and button-down shirts, which brought a fresh look and sold well.

After a few successful years of trading, Reiss heard about some industrial land for sale in Barnsley and managed to get a government grant to build a 50,000 sq ft factory. He closed it after a number of years to focus on retail, but the experience taught him some vital lessons.

People lived by their wits - they were merchants and traders, real characters

"By then I was on my third retail store, but it opened my eyes to opportunities generally, not just in retail," he explains. "It also gave me a great understanding of how garments are made, and made sure I had my eyes and ears to the ground."

Chelsea route

The first key turning point for the business came in the mid-1970s, when London retailer Village Gate went into receivership. Reiss made a successful bid for the firm's shop on the King's Road in Chelsea.

"The King's Road was probably the number-one fashion street in the world at that time,' he says, "and I said, 'Whatever happens, I must have that store.'

"That sent the competition into panic mode. They started contacting the factories in Italy and France, where I bought around 75% of my collections, to say, 'You can't supply Reiss.' What they didn't understand was the Italian mentally - they immediately thought, 'This guy must be someone we should do business with,'" he says with a smile.

Reiss attended his first Pitti Uomo trade show in Florence in 1979. While in Italy, he sourced premium brands for the King's Road shop. He put a number of Giorgio Armani samples in the window at cost price and filled the shelves with Sirio shirts. It made a statement that he had arrived, and it was a strategy that worked: "On a Saturday, we'd fill up the shelves with these shirts and by 6.30pm they'd be gone. When it came to 2pm, when the pubs closed, the store was absolutely heaving."

The King's Road in 1980 was phenomenal - and we became a player

He continues: "The King's Road in 1980 was phenomenal - it was like nothing I had ever seen before, and we became a player. We had one of the biggest shops on the King's Road. We were having all these fabulous collections brought in from abroad, which very few people had other than a few of our rivals, and we were making our own suits up, so we had a full collection.

"The traffic, the people, the buzz and the energy of that time was the experience of a lifetime. When you talk about those defining moments of the journey over the 45 years, that was definitely one."

By the end of the 1980s, Reiss had expanded his portfolio to 15 or so stores up and down the country. However, some of the rents had spiralled, owing to the demand for prime locations, particularly in London. Then, when the recession hit, turnover dropped by about 15%. "You talk about Brexit today, but I've been through four or five periods when it was like 'OK, this is the world we are in now. How am I going to deal with it?'"

Design time

As trading conditions worsened, he decided to focus on developing his own label, which had previously made up about 25% of total sales. He knew this would help with margin, as well as creating a unique identity for Reiss on the increasingly crowded high street.

He had a small warehouse behind the shop on the King's Road, which he turned into a design studio, and began putting together collections to be manufactured in Italy and France.

Throughout the 1990s, the appeal of Reiss's menswear collections grew and the business expanded. But he was constantly asked about womenswear."One thing I think you can see is that I'm a purist," he says, gesturing around his clean yet sumptuous head office at Picton Place in Marylebone, London. "I've never liked fashion for fashion's sake - I've always been about selling clothes that people really want to wear and that feel-good factor. You have to have a really clear vision of who you are, and what you are and I think that's been with me all the way through."

"A lot of women just like nice, clean fashion that suits them, as opposed to fashion for the sake of fashion and trends," he explains. "It's about making people feel a million dollars and timeless pieces - that's our brand ethos and the way the business is structured."

So, in 2000, Reiss decided to venture into womenswear, taking little heed of warnings that firms rarely managed to make a successful leap from menswear, and that womenswear was a different, entirely more temperamental beast. He recruited a head of womenswear to start forming a collection, and took premises next to the store on the King's Road to form the womenswear headquarters.

Reiss prides himself on his clear focus on product. However, he wanted to give the new designer autonomy to create the line without his interference. He had initial doubts when he called in to see the fabrics and colour palette she had selected but didn't want to micro-manage, so he backed off to let her continue.

"The big day arrived and it was going into 15 stores as a capsule collection, and by then we'd already taken on a pattern cutter and two or three designers, so we had a team. But it hit the stores and, lo and behold, it was a disaster. All my worst feelings were there," he says. "As soon as I saw it in stores, I knew it was not the vision I wanted it to be."

We became like a little secret. We were this respected menswear retailer that was playing at womenswear

The designer departed soon afterwards, and the team worked to rectify the situation. Within a year, it started gaining traction.

"We became like a little secret," he says. "We were this respected menswear retailer that was playing at womenswear, but was actually doing some decent stuff."

Womenswear now represents 60% of total sales. One of Reiss's proudest moments was gaining a Lycra British Style Award for best high street fashion retailer in 2003. It felt particularly satisfying to gain industry recognition following a shaky start for womenswear.

"We had to take Reiss international and think in a different way," he says. "We had to look at the product and the brand - every single aspect we had to move forward."Another was taking the chain to an international audience with its first store in SoHo in New York in 2005. Reiss agreed a lease on a 5,000 sq ft store. He then took a small team out to Tokyo, which he sees as the most inspirational city in the world, to gather ideas on how to elevate Reiss to a new level.

There, he also gained inspiration for the London headquarters. The building at Picton Place had once belonged to the London College of Fashion. Reiss added an impressive, Swiss-designed bespoke Perspex façade, and there is a large store underneath the office space. "You have to have aspirations and a belief in what you're doing. Opening the New York store and the headquarters was all part of that bigger picture to become a global brand."

It's about making people feel a million dollars and timeless pieces - that's our brand ethos

Warburg Pincus has ambitious plans for the retailer, and predicts it could become a billion-dollar business over the next three to four years, Reiss reveals. And he shows no signs of personally slowing down, having visited Toronto and New York for store openings the week before our interview, followed by one in Melbourne two weeks after. "They call me the male version of [travel show presenter] Judith Chalmers," he says, laughing.

Just before I arrived, he was apparently in a heated discussion about "something I'd spotted that wasn't right" and he claims to never miss a buying day, when he can "walk into a room and say, 'That's a winner, that's a chicken dinner. How many have you put down? Boom. Double that order.'"

This focus on work has helped him to deal with a difficult time in his personal life, after his daughter, Debra, died last year. He is now looking for ways to give back to the fashion industry, focused on helping the next generation of entrepreneurs to take their first steps. Details are yet to be confirmed but he'd like to help people with his experience, particularly in the art of trading.

It has been noted before that, when it comes to hiring and firing, Reiss is quick to decide whether he likes you or not. "It's true," he says with a shrug. "You'll be here either 20 minutes or 20 years." Passion, ownership, being hands-on and trust are what appeals but, if a person clicks with him, you can imagine Reiss being loyal for life.
Stuart trevor
"David and me" by Stuart Trevor, founder of AllSaints and Bolongaro Trevor

I joined David as his first designer and buyer in 1988, straight after doing a degree in fashion. He'd built a mini independent retail empire of 14 stores from one original store in Bishopsgate, mainly on his own, with a few of the staff assisting him with his buying.

I'd won the Smirnoff Menswear Fashion Award in 1987 and he called me at Nottingham Trent Poly several times, as he was determined to meet this "kid". He persuaded me to go and see him in London at his store on the King's Road. I was amazed when I arrived - I had never seen a busier shop in all my life. The customers could hardly move and there were 20 people queuing at the till.

He arrived, introduced himself, said hello to the staff, gave them a few pointers and took me upstairs to his office, where I showed him my Smirnoff outfit and two Paul Smith competition suits I'd made. I explained that Paul Smith had offered me a placement, so I couldn't come and work with him. But he persuaded me that afternoon to go with him to Pitti Uomo the following weekend, stay the week in Italy at the best hotels, visiting the best fabric mills, factories, shops and restaurants in the world. He said, if I didn't enjoy it, I could walk away and he'd accept that.

David is the most determined man I've ever met in my life - charming, persuasive, hard-working, with a vision and very funny. In Italy we had what was possibly the best week of my life. I agreed to work two days a week for him during my final year. He sealed the deal in Luisa Via Roma by buying me a red Jean Paul Gaultier blazer costing £795, so that I would have to continue working for him to pay it off!

From then on, we travelled the world together, putting collections together in England, Italy and Hong Kong. We sold them to all the best department stores and retailers around the world. He allowed me carte blanche, at 20 years old, to create virtually whatever I wanted to. He had unbelievable trust in me. He always had the final say, and we would argue and scream at each other.

But the heat was quickly forgotten as we moved on to the next idea. He allowed me to assist him in every creative aspect of the business, including store design and expansion. I will be eternally grateful for everything he taught me.

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The Drapers Interview: David Reiss's lifetime of achievement

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"Even from an early age, I always had a clear focus and wanted to be successful," says David Reiss, as he reflects on the long journey from taking over his father's store in London's Bishopsgate to establishing Reiss as a household name with a portfolio of more than 160 stores in 15 countries.

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Fashion retailer: Reiss | Drapersonline.com

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Read all the latest Reiss news, features and commentary at Drapersonline.com

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Reiss CEO Christos Angelides credited the results, in part, to a refreshed brand and product offer across stores and online.

Like-for-like sales for the period grew by 13.2%, and there was a strong performance over the Christmas season. Like-for-like sales in the eight weeks to 5 January 2019 rose by 19.1%

During the year, the business reduced its promotional activities to improve margins. It also invested in omnichannel infrastructure and operational capabilities, including the implementation of RFID (radio frequency identification) technology in UK stores to improve multi-channel stock transparency.

Commenting on the results, Angelides said: "The initiatives we put in place to refresh the brand and product offer, both in store and online, have resonated well with our customers.

"Last year, we continued a programme of investment across all areas of the business that specifically focused on upgrading the design and quality of the Reiss product offer. This, coupled with operational improvements, has delivered a step change in performance."

He noted that despite a strong start to the new year, with group sales for the 10 weeks to 13 April 2019 up by 27.9% to £36.5m, the retail environment remains a challenge.

"Early sales from the Spring Summer '19 collections have maintained the positive momentum that built towards the end of last year, reflecting our drive to unlock the brand's potential," he said. "However, I am conscious that the retail environment remains subdued and we will not be complacent as we continue in our work to create beautiful, timeless clothes for Reiss customers."

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Reiss CEO Christos Angelides credited the results, in part, to a refreshed brand and product offer across stores and online. Like-for-like sales for the period grew by 13.2%, and there was a strong performance over the Christmas season.

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https://app.edited.com/#retail/article/women-retail-tm-swim-may19-uk-300519
Most recent Edited report analysing the key swimwear trends in the retail market, including Shapes • Colors • Prints • Luxury Swim. Considering my range I will focus on shape and luxury swim, considering colour. Scoop neck, triangle, bandeau, high waisted and printed swimsuits.

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Distribution of products across retailers and brands, comparing Reiss to some of it's competitors Cos, Ted Baker and Karen Millen.
Currently Cos and Ted Baker have the most products that come under the category of swim with 38. Reiss currently only has 28, supporting my project idea, swim is an area that company have room to expand in. Generally luxury high street brands are expected to have a more condense range especially when it comes to swim, reflected in the analysis.

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Mix of colors and tones across the swim product for the brands. With the knowledge from colours trending in the season generally and swim specifically the range and colour choice is expected. Also taking into account the brands they are likely to go with colours that are commercial although swim collection are a good market to be more experimental in.

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Price range across swim product, showing entry, exit and average price points. Using this I can make more accurate decisions when it comes to pricing the products in the range. Cos had the lowest average pricing at £31 and Reiss' average is £57.14, looking closer the more highly priced items generally being swimsuits. This information gives me a good base to make range decisions, considering fabrics as well.

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Further price analysis. Spread of products by price point in intervals of £10. Reiss opinions are in the middle range in terms of price point when comparing to its competitors, although still at the higher end than items you can expect to find on the high street market.

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Average prices across individual product types.

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The product activity for products that fall under the swim category over the past 12 months for new in products. We can see the increased demand for swimwear also comparing to last year, backing up the growing market for swim due to travel, pool party and Instagram cause swimwear to become a more of a outfit and an area that peopler continuing to buy into.

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Evidence that higher end brands have a smaller ranger when in comes to swimwear. Fast fashion brands such as H&M and M&S have more width and depth for their collections.

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Key market analytics for Reiss and some of it's competitors, metrics aggregated across the retails

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Continued research for sustainable fabrics and ideas of what is currently available in the market in regards to sustainable swim. Econyl, which takes fishing nets and marine waste transforming them into a high-quality textile that you can wear repeatedly

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Finding the perfect swimwear can be even more troublesome than avoiding Line of Duty spoilers, right? There's so much to think about when it comes to swimsuits and bikinis: cut, coverage, colour. I s it boned? Exactly which straps come off? Do high-waisted briefs really make us look like a Baywatch-era Pammy? Now, with sustainability a much bigger - and vital - part of the fashion conversation, considering how, where and what your swimwear is made from is a key factor, too.

The good news is that there's a growing number of brands creating cool collections using a game-changing yarn, Econyl, which transforms fishing nets and marine waste into a high-quality textile that you can wear time after time. There's no compromise on style, either. Meet the five rising stars who've caught our eye with covetable designs and a dedication to making a positive change.

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The Coolest Swimwear Made From Recycled Fishing Nets & Plastic Bottles

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Finding the perfect swimwear can be even more troublesome than avoiding Line of Duty spoilers, right? There's so much to think about when it comes to swimsuits and bikinis: cut, coverage, colour. I s it boned? Exactly which straps come off? Do high-waisted briefs really make us look like a Baywatch-era Pammy?

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Product development cap-sleeve seeing replacing long sleeve and a good item to add versatility to a resort range, being a day-to-night transitional piece. A trend that has been on the rising. Think about ways to adapt this to make it commercial for my range.
https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/83821/page/1

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Weekday have had a recycled material swimwear range since 2017 made from recycled polyamide and/or recycled polyester, saving on raw materials and energy. The recycled polyester the brand uses is made primarily from PET bottles and the recycled polyamide is made from recycled waste, similar to the materials Monki uses. The brand want to prevent the waste from going to landfills. They collaborated with Reverse Resources when they first began testing using recycled materials.

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It took less than two weeks for Aerie's pink super scoop one piece swimsuit with the "high cut cheekier booty" to sell out after British model Iskra Lawrence posted a photo of herself in it to her millions of Instagram followers.

"Back in NYC & missing the sun," Lawrence wrote on the March 2017 post, punctuating her comment with the sun emoji. "Still way too obsessed with this @aerie #onepiece tho."

The super scoop, described on Aerie's website as "comfy, cute and designed with the right amount of scoop," remains one of the brand's hottest selling suits. Marketing executives at Aerie, which is owned by American Eagle Outfitters,say they can trace its dramatic spike in sales back to that specific posting.

Swimsuit sales have taken off in recent years, and not just during the summer. Instagram is an increasingly effective way for retailers to showcase, and sell, their latest trends. The photo-sharing platform provides users with a casual, playful forum to display their best beach shots hashtagged with whatever kind of #vibe they're feeling or #inspirationalquote they want to share.

The platform now has 1 billion monthly active users, up from 800 million users in September 2017, the company said in June. Digital sales have become one of the fastest-growing segments in retail, and a lot of those purchases are increasingly being generated directly from Instagram, executives said.

U.S. retail sales of swimwear were approximately $3.6 billion when Instagram launched in 2010. They rose to $4.6 billion last year - for an average annual growth rate of about 3.2 percent, according to the NPD Group's Consumer Tracking Service. The pace of growth has dramatically picked up just in the last few months with U.S. swimwear sales growing at an average annualized rate of 10 percent through May, the latest data available, according to the NPD.

Marketing executives and analysts say social media is increasingly fueling purchases, especially during the off-season when swimwear sales usually slow to a trickle. Summertime is year-round on Instagram where beach postings from Australia, South America and Africa take over news feeds when most of the U.S. is in a deep freeze. Purchases can just as easily come from a company's official account or from a customer's Instagram feed, analysts say.

"People go on vacation and they Instagram it," said Janine Stichter, an analyst at Jefferies, who also attributes the growth in swimwear to social media. "They want to have an on-trend swimsuit. Whereas it used to be something maybe you just bought one of and it didn't really matter what it looked like."

American Eagle Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch and Lululemon have taken social media advertising to the next level with teams of managers manning their accounts, each of which has more than 2.5 million Instagram followers. They've paid for celebrity endorsements and set up official brand ambassador programs for social media "influencers" that give users free swag and sometimes cash if they post photos in their clothes.

Smaller brands that have limited reach have also reaped the rewards. At Lumahai Swimwear, about 75 percent of sales traffic is generated through the company's Instagram account, according to co-founder Sofia Garreton. The California start-up has more than 23,000 followers on Instagram.

Swimwear at Aerie is "on fire," according to Jennifer Foyle, Aerie global brand president. Sales in the company's swim category have more than doubled in the last two years.

Organically driven sales on Instagram have increased 168 percent year-over-year, Foyle said.

The brands that have been the most successful in increasing sales are the ones that use social media as a tool to "elevate the level of communication" with the consumer, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor for retail at The NPD Group.

"The consumer is gravitating towards it because, frankly, where are you going to go?," Cohen said. "Unless you go to a swimwear specialty store, you're not getting service anywhere to help educate you. People rely on social media for that."

Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Fran Horowitz said Instagram has created a dialogue between the company and its customers, who often post back about what they're buying. The company, including subsidiary Hollister, have had similarly successful results from Instagram. The top two posts in terms of engagement, how many likes and comments they get, over the last year, were in swim, Horowitz said.

"Both brands for both genders are double-digit comping in swim, season to date," Horowitz said

Brand ambassadors - from professional models like Lawrence to social media influencers like Julia Nell - are blowing up the swimwear industry and turning Instagram into a virtual catalog for consumers to share style ideas and search for new ones across multiple labels.

Nell's Instagram account, @jem_touchdown, is strewn with beach and pool pictures from exotic locales. A string bikini in the Icon Hotel pool in Hong Kong, a one-piece thong in the Hotel de Crillon in Paris, just the bikini bottoms (with two coconuts covering other vital parts) on the beach in Tulum, Mexico.

"This is my side gig," she said of her Instagram account, which has more than 88,000 followers. She sometimes notes what she's wearing. One day it might be a San Lorenzo Bikini. The next she's in a Quintsoul thong. Then a top by Calvin Klein.

The Venice Beach, California app developer started chronicling her travels, which are mostly for her day job, on the site in 2011.

"Then people started contacting me," Nell recalled, including Nike in 2013. "I realized I could get things for free." The freebies include swimwear, dermatology appointments, discounts at hotels and anywhere from $500 to $2,500 for posting a photo on Instagram. While Nell won't specify how much each brands pays, she said the amount she saves on clothing and cosmetics by way of Instagram is "priceless."

Kristen Curtis of Chandler, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, uses her account @ipackedlite to score discounts. Companies give her between 30 percent and 50 percent off if she posts photos wearing the products.

Donna Calin, a manager at a recycling plant in Chicago, uses Instagram for ideas. She rotates between about 20 different swimsuits each season.

"I'm not stuck on any one brand. I use Instagram quite a bit for inspiration and to look at different clothing lines," said Calin, who uses the handle @blow_them_away on Instagram.

Los Angeles-based Strange Bikinis, which started using brand ambassadors in 2013, has seen growth from Instagram.

"There's also a lot more brands," said Ali Conway, who founded the company six years ago.

Designers have also rolled out more types of swimsuits, helping to further drive demand, Stichter said. In the past, women could choose between a bikini or a one piece. Now there are triangle bikinis, halter tops, high-waisted bottoms, thongs and even maternity suits, among other options. Choices in menswear have also increased.

Companies have made it easier to buy their products, providing links in their accounts that let customers shop on their phones. It also gives retailers precise data on where the purchase originated.

The fastest growing segment of Aerie's digital business stems from mobile purchases, and they aren't all through their paid spokeswomen. Average consumers have shared almost 50,000 posts using a hashtag promoted by the company, #AerieReal, which encourages women to post unfiltered photos of themselves on social media while wearing Aerie products.

The teen retailer has embraced the positive body image movement and steered away from using traditional models. Lawrence is one of four "role models," or paid spokeswomen, Aerie used to promote its clothing, including swimwear. Besides Lawrence, an outspoken advocate for the movement, singer Rachel Platten, actress Yara Shahidi and gold-medal gymnast Aly Raisman all represent Aerie. They have more than 9 million Instagram followers combined.

Lawrence has the most Instagram followers of the four women: 4.1 million. Her swim posts generate between 100,000 and 200,000 likes each - some nearly 400,000. Women often ask her in the comments section about what she's wearing and how it fits. Her first Aerie posting "went viral," she said, adding that she woke up to about 80,000 new followers.

Instagram is "a really wonderful way to find someone who you can relate to more and make you feel more diverse than what you might find in a magazine or online," Lawrence said. "You kind of seek out who you like and who you trust."

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Swimwear industry 'on fire' as Instagram's year-round summers fill feeds with string bikinis and exotic beach posts

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It took less than two weeks for Aerie's pink super scoop one piece swimsuit with the "high cut cheekier booty" to sell out after British model Iskra Lawrence posted a photo of herself in it to her millions of Instagram followers.

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Monki's sustainable swimwear range, all swimwear is made from recycled materials. Images from comp shop

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The swimwear in the 'Monki Cares' category is made from 80% recycled polyamide-  a material that has been recycled from waste. The raw material source for recycled can be old fishing nets and carpets, and also waste from manufacturing industry- a material that has been tested in the market for numerous years. The products are still made from 20% elastane, which is not recycled or sustainably sourced, my range will be made from 100% ethically sourced material. Researching the fabric other brands are using in their sustainable ranges and country of origin for sourcing. All of Monki's swimwear range is part of 'Monki Cares' unlike other brands.

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On the Monki website there is a separate page explaining what 'Monki Cares' means for the brand, they use 100% sustainable cotton for the garments in the range and use some recycled materials. Having a separate page on the website shows that Monki feel it is important for consumers and understand the growing concern when it comes to shopping choice

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The Monki website has a specific drop down tab on the home page where customers can find out more about 'Monki Cares' and also shop the range, fast tracking it for the conscious shopping.

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Weekday have swimwear made from recycled materials. The products are made from 80% recycled polyamide. All of the brands swimwear is made from recycled material, as 2017 they have been testing using leftover fabrics from textile industry, in collaboration with Reverse Resources The website also does not state the country of origin, so although the material is recycled it does not mean it has been sustainably sourced.

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The brand expanded their current sustainable swimwear range for SS19 by producing a full collection made from ECONYL regenerated nylon (nylon waste from landfills and oceans across the world such as recovered fishing nets).  ECONYL® has a far lesser impact on the environment than traditional nylon Its use reduces carbon emissions, the use of crude oil, and reclaims waste items littering our seas. When looking  at what other high street brands are using for material Arket were one of the few using ECONYL which is the same fabric i will be using for my range. The price points for the pieces will be lower but they Reiss customer is different and the collection will be produced from 100% ECONYL, unlike with Arket who just use the fabric to created a mixed garment, further justifying the price point.
It is good to know what the brand is going with the fabric and their price points to determine my range. They are very transparent with the fabric composition and sourcing, giving the country of origin.

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Weekday have a page dedicated to their efforts to improve sustainability of their garments and business. In the current market this is a good step for the brand portraying transparency and letting keep the consumer engaged

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Arket go into a lot of detail about ECONYL as a material; where it comes from and why they use it

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Page of GlobalData for Reiss ltd

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https://app.edited.com/#retail/article/women-swim-influencer-usuk-280619
edited retail report swimwear trends on Instagram supporting some of the choices I have made for the pieces in my range.

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Tagwalk analysis forecasting Resort trends for 2020. In regards to my range i will use the influence of safari colour palette, using earthy tones

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TAGWALK is a free fashion search engine which allows you to search for models, trends, accessories and fashion shows by keywords

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Miami capsule range from WGSN, basket bags will continue on from the popularity had in ss19, updating  by adding decorative features. Combining artisanal techniques to add statement design
https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/84112/page/4

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Margin guide for luxury brands. I can use this as a reference to help decide margins for the garments in the collection.

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Econyl is made out of recycled nylon; old fishing net and carpets are used

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We strive to create a product that is both ethical & sustainable. Here is a brief look at how we do so. ________ Healthy Seas From March 2019 1% of all orders will be donated to the Healthy Seas initiative.

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Guardian Article exploring brands using ECONYL as a new material for their products. How smaller brands using new materials having filtered through influencing bigger players in the industry.

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Rental jeans and recycled swimsuits – six revolutionary fashion brands  Fashion  The Guardian

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Blendspace page with interesting articles, helping with customer profiling and the best way to appeal to the Reiss customer

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Drapers article exploring the fashion industry in 2018. Changes and key findings, how customers are evolving and the industry as a whole.

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Textile Museum with one of the largest private collections of pre-Columbian textiles in Lima. I used primary images from a visit to the museum as research and to get a better understanding of the the techniques used in pre historic time. References include textiles tracing the development of the Chavín, Paracas, Nasca, Moche, Huari, Sihuas, Lambayeque, Chimú, Chancay, Chuquibamba, and Inca cultures. Pictures from visit Jan 2019.

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En el año 1964, Yoshitaro Amano abrió las puertas del Museo Amano. Hoy, 51 años después, re-abrimos con una nueva propuesta. ¡VEN Y CONÓCELA!

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Centre in Peru that is dedicated to preserving traditional textile techniques Traditional Peruvian textiles are made with extremely vibrant colors and striking designs give us a glimpse into the myths and arts of ancient Peru — and into an era when all textiles were imbued with meaning. Determined to revive their traditional textiles, this small group began to work together, using handspun yarn and natural fibers like alpaca, llama, and sheep’s wool as a first step toward restoring high-quality indigenous textiles.

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Encountering traditional Peruvian textiles can be an intense experience. Their vibrant colors and striking designs give us a glimpse into the myths and arts of ancient Peru - and into an era when all textiles were imbued with meaning.

Expanding on our earlier report about Peru's Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, contributor Anne-Laure Camilleri takes a longer look at the center and its founder, Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, exclusively for THE KINDCRAFT.

During the mighty Inca empire, feathered cloaks and fine handwoven fabrics displayed wealth and status. Textiles were so integral to their political, social and ritual life, in fact, that Inca rulers established textile centers to sustain the weaving of these beautiful cloths. The enigmatic appeal of Andean textiles has lived on through the centuries: Pre-Columbian weavings are known to have influenced 20 th century Bauhaus artists such as Paul Klee, Josef and Anni Albers, and American textile artist Sheila Hicks.

Located in the heart of Cusco, the capital city of the Inca empire, the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco ( CTTC) stands as a bridge between past and present Peruvian cultural identity. Established in 1996 by a group of Chinchero weavers, it's led by award-winning author and Quechua master weaver Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez.

Nina Callañaupa Alvarez

Alvarez learned her craft growing up in Chinchero, a small village located 30km northeast of Cusco. As a little girl, she says she spent her days looking after her parent's sheep flock in the majestic Chinchero Highlands. She learned to spin and weave from an elderly woman whose skills sparked her interest in fine handmade fabrics.

Intertwined throughout her life, she says, have been the threads of her academic education and her indigenous traditions. Weaving provided Alvarez a reliable source of income during her college years at Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco. After she graduated in 1986 (the first in her community to do so), she received a six month grant to study textile history in Berkeley, California. Returning home to evaluate her career options, Alvarez says she decided on a path which would combine her academic and traditional arts experiences - working with traditional Peruvian Textiles and traveling to North America to teach her art.

The Birth of CTTC

The idea of creating a group which would preserve Cusco's textile heritage had its origins during the mid-1970s. Some weavers in Chinchero (including Alvarez's own relatives) were deeply concerned that young people were turning away from weaving and that complex designs were being forgotten. Determined to revive their traditional textiles, this small group began to work together, using handspun yarn and natural fibers like alpaca, llama, and sheep's wool as a first step toward restoring high-quality indigenous textiles.

This informal cultural project ultimately developed into CTTC: In 1996, Alvarez and supporters from the USA joined these efforts and formed a non-profit organization with headquarters in Cusco. Envisioned as an educational and research center, the CTTC's primary mission is to preserve and to promote high-quality traditional Cusqueñan textiles. The group also provides direct support to the weavers through the sale of their products.

CTTC is proactively preserving hand-spinning and reviving intricate weaving techniques through its research, demonstrations, and workshops. Long-forgotten designs are being woven again and ancient textiles (like the Aksu Inca dress) can be reproduced with similar colors. Following years of research and lengthy testing, natural dyeing techniques were re-introduced in 1999 to replace the synthetic dyes widely used in the Andes for decades. Natural fibers react differently to natural dyes and all CTTC's weavers were trained to dye their yarn using dyes from flowers, leaves, vines, lichen, fungus, and cochineal.

"All of the un-dyed textiles they weave are in alpaca fiber as alpaca comes in many different natural tones," explains Sarah Lyon of CTTC's Education Department. "Sheep wool dyes much better than alpaca fiber. When you dye sheep wool, it comes out bright. When you dye alpaca, it comes out lighter - more like pastel colors." Weavers often prefer sheep yarn for the warp because they weave warp-faced textiles and use alpaca for the weft. The end result is a brightly-hued textile that is slightly softer due to the alpaca weft.

Peruvian Textiles - Techniques & Designs

All textiles are woven on a backstrap loom or on a four-post loom, a horizontal loom fixed to the ground with four stakes. CTTC is selling the perennial mantas or llicllas (women's carrying shawls), ponchos, chullos (knitted hat), and chuspas (traditional bag) - but has adjusted to recent market trends by transposing traditional Peruvian textiles into modern and functional items like pillow covers, placemats, handbags, table runners or backpacks.

Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez says that globalization has affected many traditional practices within the communities. "Today plastic bags are everywhere, replacing our traditional carrying cloths - but the Pitumarca community is still weaving traditional striped potato sacks using undyed llama wool."

She also says that the demands of the foreign markets drive additional changes. "We encourage the weavers to take advantage of the rich palettes of the natural dyes and, sometimes, we have our say in the color combinations or the size and styles of the textiles. But we never change the traditional patterns. This is something we have to respect totally. Some new items may not be typically traditional, but our members must weave at least two traditional pieces each year for their own use or for our store."

Warp-faced weaving is the most commonly used technique in the Andes. Complementary warp (pallay) and supplementary warp ( ley pallay) are two variations of this technique in which the warp creates the design and completely covers the weft. Wide textiles such as ponchos, blankets or bed throws are made with at least two handwoven pieces sewn together with ch'ukay, a traditional embroidery sewing stitch with a characteristic design.

"Ch'ukayare both functional and decorative," says Lyon. "While they are physically necessary to hold together the two sides of the poncho or blanket, they are also decorative, and each community has developed its own pattern. For example, in Chinchero the weavers sew a zig-zag seam called q'inqu while, in Mahuaypampa, weavers use a seam that represents petticoats. In Chahuaytire, weavers sew chaska (stars or roses)," she says .

Designs and skills have been handed down from generation to generation. However without any written records for thousands of years, this customary transmission of skills nearly disappeared during the 20 th century. CTTC is deeply committed to researching the extensive iconography of Peruvian textiles and has recovered over 110 ancient designs from antique textiles. Most designs reflect the weaver's natural environment, depicting animal and plants or special events and all are woven from memory.

Visiting Cusco's Weavers

Each village has its own patterns, unique weaving techniques, and styles of clothing which indicate indigenous identity and the wearer's community. CTTC has built a weaving center in several communities where the weavers meet once a week, working side by side and wearing traditional clothing distinctive to their village.

Chahuaytire

The village of Chahuaytireis located above the town of Pisac, 25 miles north of Cusco. Thirty-two weavers gather on Wednesdays in their large weaving center. They unroll their backstrap loom, tie it to a pole, and fasten the waist strap to the loom bar. Many men have learned to weave since the village partnered with CTTC and are known to work exceptionally fast.

Chahuaytire textiles are renowned for their stunning color combinations derived from naturally dyed yarn. The community produces double-faced textiles (complementary warp) in which the pattern is the same on both side but the colors opposite and some single-sided textiles (supplementary warp).

Chinchero

As the founders of CTTC, Chincheroweavers set an early example for other communities and remain the most famous weaving community of the Cusco area. The members offer free weaving, knitting, and natural dyeing demonstrations to visitors every day of the week. The characteristic features of Chinchero lliclla (blanket) is a plain-weave middle section in indigo blue or red cochineal with geometric designs on both sides.

Chinchero weavers have also created a tubular border patterned with eyes, called ñawi awapa. "Many other communities weave tubular borders similar to ñawi awapa," says Ms Lyon. "In Chahuaytire and Accha Alta, they weave the tubular border called chichilla which also produces an eye design while, in Patabamba, they weave a very simple tubular border called chinka chinka. "

Pitumarca

The small town of Pitumarca is a two-hour drive south of Cusco. Its weaving association is the only group to continue ticlla, a discontinuous warp and weft technique used by pre-Inca cultures such as the Paracas and Nazca. Elders within the community who had retained this technique are helping CTTC to revive it by training young members.

About 50 weavers of all generations gather on Saturdays in their weaving center. There, they practice their unique weaving skills - such as weft-faced tapestry weaves or the supplementary warp technique. Women and men learn to spin consistent yarn from a raw fleece at an early age using a pushka (drop spindle) and often spin throughout their entire lives. Weaving requires a good eyesight and beating the weft in place on a backstrap loom is physically taxing; older women and men who can no longer weave continue to spin, ply, and then sell or trade their yarn.

Santa Cruz de Sallac

Nestled at the end of a dirt road (and a slow 40-minute drive from the main road), the remote Santa Cruz de Sallacweaving center has a magnificent view of the valley below. About 45 adult weavers and 20 children are members of the weaving association supported by the CTTC since 2005. They meet on Saturdays, spinning, weaving, or knitting hats (called chullos) together.

The Santa Cruz de Sallac weaving community is known for practicing two unique Peruvian textile techniques: Watay can be traced back to the pre-Inca Nazca and Huari cultures; the weavers have revived this resist-dyeing technique with which they create the pattern of the Inca cross (called Chakana), a strong spiritual symbol of Peru. But perhaps their most characteristic skill is the hybrid weaving-embroidery technique. A plain-weave cloth is woven on a backstrap loom, then taken off the loom by the weaver who embroiders patterns onto it, using a needle and different color threads. The finished products look as though they were produced by a supplementary weft weaving technique.

Present Impact (And Future Plans)

Household incomes in the Andes are typically generated from a combination of weaving and livestock farming (and often mixing cash with the barter of goods). Through its purchase of artisan products, CTTC supports close to 600 people in the Cusco area. The group has established strong partnerships with ten Quechua-speaking weaving communities in the Cusco region and is currently working with 450 adult weavers in addition to elderly spinners and groups of children.

The CTTC museum also supports the community through its "Weaving Lives" exhibition, offering an educational journey through Andean past and present cultural identity. The exhibition describes the weaving processes and the origins of natural dyes, as well as showcasing the designs, styles, and the importance of woven textiles in both daily life and ceremonies.

Collecting high-quality vintage Peruvian textiles is another important mission and, through donations and purchases, CTTC has built a unique collection of ethnic Cusqueñan textiles. It currently includes nearly 1,500 pieces, with some rare items dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. CTTC also frequently shows pieces from this collection in temporary exhibits at other museums - but intends to open its own museum to exhibit their permanent collection once space and funds allow.

CTTC founder and director Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez says she has pledged herself to restoring community pride in these indigenous arts through the center's exhibitions and community education efforts. This may be a challenge for her: Cultural identities that were, in centuries past, quite literally woven into clothing have become looked down upon by young and urban people today,

Alvarez says, however, she believes minds are slowly changing: "Today, children wear their traditional clothing comfortably during festivals or celebrations. We have been educating in many ways, but we still have a lot to do - especially with city people."

To Learn More...

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Meet the Quechua Woman Reviving a Sacred Peruvian Tradition

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Encountering traditional Peruvian textiles can be an intense experience. Their vibrant colors and striking designs give us a glimpse into the myths and arts of ancient Peru - and into an era when all textiles were imbued with meaning.

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I wanted the collection to be one that was more than a traditional range, by taking influence from methods of textile making that have been used for centuries it is creating an awareness and in having some pieces made by people in the Andes it helps to generate income giving something back to a community. Consumers are being more conscious when shopping, changing the CSR of brands and retailers is essential in order to stay relevant in the difficult market.

Household incomes in the Andes are typically generated from a combination of weaving and livestock farming (and often mixing cash with the barter of goods). Through its purchase of artisan products, CTTC supports close to 600 people in the Cusco area. The group has established strong partnerships with ten Quechua-speaking weaving communities in the Cusco region and is currently working with 450 adult weavers in addition to elderly spinners and groups of children.

The CTTC museum also supports the community through its “Weaving Lives” exhibition, offering an educational journey through Andean past and present cultural identity. The exhibition describes the weaving processes and the origins of natural dyes, as well as showcasing the designs, styles, and the importance of woven textiles in both daily life and ceremonies.

Collecting high-quality vintage Peruvian textiles is another important mission and, through donations and purchases, CTTC has built a unique collection of ethnic Cusqueñan textiles. It currently includes nearly 1,500 pieces, with some rare items dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. CTTC also frequently shows pieces from this collection in temporary exhibits at other museums — but intends to open its own museum to exhibit their permanent collection once space and funds allow.

CTTC founder and director Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez says she has pledged herself to restoring community pride in these indigenous arts through the center’s exhibitions and community education efforts. This may be a challenge for her: Cultural identities that were, in centuries past, quite literally woven into clothing have become looked down upon by young and urban people today,

Alvarez says, however, she believes minds are slowly changing: “Today, children wear their traditional clothing comfortably during festivals or celebrations. We have been educating in many ways, but we still have a lot to do — especially with city people.”

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Encountering traditional Peruvian textiles can be an intense experience. Their vibrant colors and striking designs give us a glimpse into the myths and arts of ancient Peru - and into an era when all textiles were imbued with meaning.

Expanding on our earlier report about Peru's Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, contributor Anne-Laure Camilleri takes a longer look at the center and its founder, Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, exclusively for THE KINDCRAFT.

During the mighty Inca empire, feathered cloaks and fine handwoven fabrics displayed wealth and status. Textiles were so integral to their political, social and ritual life, in fact, that Inca rulers established textile centers to sustain the weaving of these beautiful cloths. The enigmatic appeal of Andean textiles has lived on through the centuries: Pre-Columbian weavings are known to have influenced 20 th century Bauhaus artists such as Paul Klee, Josef and Anni Albers, and American textile artist Sheila Hicks.

Located in the heart of Cusco, the capital city of the Inca empire, the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco ( CTTC) stands as a bridge between past and present Peruvian cultural identity. Established in 1996 by a group of Chinchero weavers, it's led by award-winning author and Quechua master weaver Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez.

Nina Callañaupa Alvarez

Alvarez learned her craft growing up in Chinchero, a small village located 30km northeast of Cusco. As a little girl, she says she spent her days looking after her parent's sheep flock in the majestic Chinchero Highlands. She learned to spin and weave from an elderly woman whose skills sparked her interest in fine handmade fabrics.

Intertwined throughout her life, she says, have been the threads of her academic education and her indigenous traditions. Weaving provided Alvarez a reliable source of income during her college years at Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco. After she graduated in 1986 (the first in her community to do so), she received a six month grant to study textile history in Berkeley, California. Returning home to evaluate her career options, Alvarez says she decided on a path which would combine her academic and traditional arts experiences - working with traditional Peruvian Textiles and traveling to North America to teach her art.

The Birth of CTTC

The idea of creating a group which would preserve Cusco's textile heritage had its origins during the mid-1970s. Some weavers in Chinchero (including Alvarez's own relatives) were deeply concerned that young people were turning away from weaving and that complex designs were being forgotten. Determined to revive their traditional textiles, this small group began to work together, using handspun yarn and natural fibers like alpaca, llama, and sheep's wool as a first step toward restoring high-quality indigenous textiles.

This informal cultural project ultimately developed into CTTC: In 1996, Alvarez and supporters from the USA joined these efforts and formed a non-profit organization with headquarters in Cusco. Envisioned as an educational and research center, the CTTC's primary mission is to preserve and to promote high-quality traditional Cusqueñan textiles. The group also provides direct support to the weavers through the sale of their products.

CTTC is proactively preserving hand-spinning and reviving intricate weaving techniques through its research, demonstrations, and workshops. Long-forgotten designs are being woven again and ancient textiles (like the Aksu Inca dress) can be reproduced with similar colors. Following years of research and lengthy testing, natural dyeing techniques were re-introduced in 1999 to replace the synthetic dyes widely used in the Andes for decades. Natural fibers react differently to natural dyes and all CTTC's weavers were trained to dye their yarn using dyes from flowers, leaves, vines, lichen, fungus, and cochineal.

"All of the un-dyed textiles they weave are in alpaca fiber as alpaca comes in many different natural tones," explains Sarah Lyon of CTTC's Education Department. "Sheep wool dyes much better than alpaca fiber. When you dye sheep wool, it comes out bright. When you dye alpaca, it comes out lighter - more like pastel colors." Weavers often prefer sheep yarn for the warp because they weave warp-faced textiles and use alpaca for the weft. The end result is a brightly-hued textile that is slightly softer due to the alpaca weft.

Peruvian Textiles - Techniques & Designs

All textiles are woven on a backstrap loom or on a four-post loom, a horizontal loom fixed to the ground with four stakes. CTTC is selling the perennial mantas or llicllas (women's carrying shawls), ponchos, chullos (knitted hat), and chuspas (traditional bag) - but has adjusted to recent market trends by transposing traditional Peruvian textiles into modern and functional items like pillow covers, placemats, handbags, table runners or backpacks.

Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez says that globalization has affected many traditional practices within the communities. "Today plastic bags are everywhere, replacing our traditional carrying cloths - but the Pitumarca community is still weaving traditional striped potato sacks using undyed llama wool."

She also says that the demands of the foreign markets drive additional changes. "We encourage the weavers to take advantage of the rich palettes of the natural dyes and, sometimes, we have our say in the color combinations or the size and styles of the textiles. But we never change the traditional patterns. This is something we have to respect totally. Some new items may not be typically traditional, but our members must weave at least two traditional pieces each year for their own use or for our store."

Warp-faced weaving is the most commonly used technique in the Andes. Complementary warp (pallay) and supplementary warp ( ley pallay) are two variations of this technique in which the warp creates the design and completely covers the weft. Wide textiles such as ponchos, blankets or bed throws are made with at least two handwoven pieces sewn together with ch'ukay, a traditional embroidery sewing stitch with a characteristic design.

"Ch'ukayare both functional and decorative," says Lyon. "While they are physically necessary to hold together the two sides of the poncho or blanket, they are also decorative, and each community has developed its own pattern. For example, in Chinchero the weavers sew a zig-zag seam called q'inqu while, in Mahuaypampa, weavers use a seam that represents petticoats. In Chahuaytire, weavers sew chaska (stars or roses)," she says .

Designs and skills have been handed down from generation to generation. However without any written records for thousands of years, this customary transmission of skills nearly disappeared during the 20 th century. CTTC is deeply committed to researching the extensive iconography of Peruvian textiles and has recovered over 110 ancient designs from antique textiles. Most designs reflect the weaver's natural environment, depicting animal and plants or special events and all are woven from memory.

Visiting Cusco's Weavers

Each village has its own patterns, unique weaving techniques, and styles of clothing which indicate indigenous identity and the wearer's community. CTTC has built a weaving center in several communities where the weavers meet once a week, working side by side and wearing traditional clothing distinctive to their village.

Chahuaytire

The village of Chahuaytireis located above the town of Pisac, 25 miles north of Cusco. Thirty-two weavers gather on Wednesdays in their large weaving center. They unroll their backstrap loom, tie it to a pole, and fasten the waist strap to the loom bar. Many men have learned to weave since the village partnered with CTTC and are known to work exceptionally fast.

Chahuaytire textiles are renowned for their stunning color combinations derived from naturally dyed yarn. The community produces double-faced textiles (complementary warp) in which the pattern is the same on both side but the colors opposite and some single-sided textiles (supplementary warp).

Chinchero

As the founders of CTTC, Chincheroweavers set an early example for other communities and remain the most famous weaving community of the Cusco area. The members offer free weaving, knitting, and natural dyeing demonstrations to visitors every day of the week. The characteristic features of Chinchero lliclla (blanket) is a plain-weave middle section in indigo blue or red cochineal with geometric designs on both sides.

Chinchero weavers have also created a tubular border patterned with eyes, called ñawi awapa. "Many other communities weave tubular borders similar to ñawi awapa," says Ms Lyon. "In Chahuaytire and Accha Alta, they weave the tubular border called chichilla which also produces an eye design while, in Patabamba, they weave a very simple tubular border called chinka chinka. "

Pitumarca

The small town of Pitumarca is a two-hour drive south of Cusco. Its weaving association is the only group to continue ticlla, a discontinuous warp and weft technique used by pre-Inca cultures such as the Paracas and Nazca. Elders within the community who had retained this technique are helping CTTC to revive it by training young members.

About 50 weavers of all generations gather on Saturdays in their weaving center. There, they practice their unique weaving skills - such as weft-faced tapestry weaves or the supplementary warp technique. Women and men learn to spin consistent yarn from a raw fleece at an early age using a pushka (drop spindle) and often spin throughout their entire lives. Weaving requires a good eyesight and beating the weft in place on a backstrap loom is physically taxing; older women and men who can no longer weave continue to spin, ply, and then sell or trade their yarn.

Santa Cruz de Sallac

Nestled at the end of a dirt road (and a slow 40-minute drive from the main road), the remote Santa Cruz de Sallacweaving center has a magnificent view of the valley below. About 45 adult weavers and 20 children are members of the weaving association supported by the CTTC since 2005. They meet on Saturdays, spinning, weaving, or knitting hats (called chullos) together.

The Santa Cruz de Sallac weaving community is known for practicing two unique Peruvian textile techniques: Watay can be traced back to the pre-Inca Nazca and Huari cultures; the weavers have revived this resist-dyeing technique with which they create the pattern of the Inca cross (called Chakana), a strong spiritual symbol of Peru. But perhaps their most characteristic skill is the hybrid weaving-embroidery technique. A plain-weave cloth is woven on a backstrap loom, then taken off the loom by the weaver who embroiders patterns onto it, using a needle and different color threads. The finished products look as though they were produced by a supplementary weft weaving technique.

Present Impact (And Future Plans)

Household incomes in the Andes are typically generated from a combination of weaving and livestock farming (and often mixing cash with the barter of goods). Through its purchase of artisan products, CTTC supports close to 600 people in the Cusco area. The group has established strong partnerships with ten Quechua-speaking weaving communities in the Cusco region and is currently working with 450 adult weavers in addition to elderly spinners and groups of children.

The CTTC museum also supports the community through its "Weaving Lives" exhibition, offering an educational journey through Andean past and present cultural identity. The exhibition describes the weaving processes and the origins of natural dyes, as well as showcasing the designs, styles, and the importance of woven textiles in both daily life and ceremonies.

Collecting high-quality vintage Peruvian textiles is another important mission and, through donations and purchases, CTTC has built a unique collection of ethnic Cusqueñan textiles. It currently includes nearly 1,500 pieces, with some rare items dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. CTTC also frequently shows pieces from this collection in temporary exhibits at other museums - but intends to open its own museum to exhibit their permanent collection once space and funds allow.

CTTC founder and director Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez says she has pledged herself to restoring community pride in these indigenous arts through the center's exhibitions and community education efforts. This may be a challenge for her: Cultural identities that were, in centuries past, quite literally woven into clothing have become looked down upon by young and urban people today,

Alvarez says, however, she believes minds are slowly changing: "Today, children wear their traditional clothing comfortably during festivals or celebrations. We have been educating in many ways, but we still have a lot to do - especially with city people."

To Learn More...

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Meet the Quechua Woman Reviving a Sacred Peruvian Tradition

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Encountering traditional Peruvian textiles can be an intense experience. Their vibrant colors and striking designs give us a glimpse into the myths and arts of ancient Peru - and into an era when all textiles were imbued with meaning.

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PERUVIAN TEXTILES – THEN AND NOW
Page explaining brief history of each stage in history of Peruvian Textiles. “Each piece of clothing has a storyline that can be traced back to the knitter who hand–wove it, the alpaca that gave up its coat, or even centuries back – to when these knitting traditions were born. Within each garment lies a story…and once worn, you become a part of it”

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" I have learned that each and every piece of cloth embodies the spirit, skill, and personal history of an individual weaver... It ties together with an endless thread the emotional life of my people. "

― Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez, Aracari specialist and Peruvian author of 'Weaving in the Peruvian Highlands: Dreaming Patterns, Weaving Memories'

Everywhere you go in Peru, you'll see textiles on sale. The markets are adorned with the vibrant warm hues of traditional blankets, ponchos, and the famous chullo hats ( read our blog here), woven with care from the finest alpaca wool. A perfect memento from your trip, and guaranteed to keep you warm through a North American or European winter.

With the growing popularity of their handiwork, artisans and textile businesses have extended their production beyond the traditional garments to appeal to the tastes of international tourists, and now table cloths, place mats, belts and bags are all available with the iconic patterns of the Andes. Even smaller trinkets and souvenirs like pens and fridge magnets are decked out in traditional patterns.

Pre-Inca beginnings

Peru is actually the country with the longest tradition of textile production, going back over 10,000 years, and predating pottery. The Chavin civilisation is generally credited with inventing the backstrap loom and many of the weaving techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. What began as a simple process of spinning fibers and moving them across nets and cords has developed into a highly technical and skilled craft.

Following the Chavin, the coastal Paracas and Nazca cultures made beautiful and intricate embroideries and tapestries. With the dry desert conditions, many of these were preserved in underground tombs, giving us many clues to understand their way of life, in the absence of any written records.

The warmongering Wari were the predecessors to the Inca, who created vivid abstract tapestries depicting deities and other cultural observations, and spread their craft to as they expanded throughout much of modern day Peru. If the patterns look familiar, it's because their abstract designs influenced the Bauhaus School and other early 20th century artists.

Incan Textiles

The Incas inherited a long and highly developed tradition of textiles. They dyed alpaca fiber and wove it into specific patterns and shapes, representing the area and family the weaver was from, and to demonstrate the wealth of the nobility. They also used their textiles to honor Pacamama, Mother Earth. Rather than abstract patterns, the shapes convey many layers of meaning and many designs feature flowers, rivers, the sun and the stars.

The Inca had no formal currency, and instead used textiles as part of a highly ritualised custom of gift giving to assert control over their subject groups. They set up large textile producing centres across the empire with highly skilled men and women creating huge quantities of textiles.

Colonial period: destruction and change

As the Spanish imposed their law and culture on the indigenous people of Peru, and the Incan empire was crushed, so was traditional textile production, as the Spanish did not want competition for their artisans in Europe. A new system was set up to produce European style cloth, introducing new materials from sheep, silk and metallic threads.

Although the Spanish attempted to stamp out the production of traditional textiles, they continued to be produced using alpaca and vicuña, and even evolved, embracing the exotic additions of metallic threads and silk.

Revival and preservation

Over the years many of the techniques and materials of traditional weaving have been eroded by synthetic fabrics and artificial dyes, with artisans favouring these alternatives as they are cheaper and less labour intensive.

However, there are a growing number of community led projects aiming to preserve traditional weaving techniques, and help artisans make their craft economically viable. One such organisation is the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cuzco. The CTTC is a non-profit organisation that promotes the empowerment of weavers through the sustainable practice of Peruvian ancestral textiles in the Cusco region. Through workshops, opportunities, and the promotion of their textile art, the CTTC enables weavers to maintain their identity and textile traditions while improving their quality of life. They run weaving demonstrations and classes for visitors, and Aracari can arrange special visits to their weaving groups.

Contemporary fashion

And now, besides ongoing traditional use, and filling the backpacks of tourists, Peruvian textiles are hitting the runways, and adorning the pages of high fashion magazines world-wide. In Peru, contemporary designers are paying homage to the traditional textiles, by using their techniques and patterns in their twenty-first century creations.

ESCUDO is one such fashion house with a commitment to the development and preservation of artisanal techniques and materials. Their manifesto is to combine a passion for design with Peru's vast cultural wealth. And they've taken their creations to runways around the world, including Miami and Copenhagen. Their philosophy echoes that of Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez at the beginning of this blog:
"Each piece of clothing has a storyline that can be traced back to the knitter who hand-wove it, the alpaca that gave up its coat, or even centuries back - to when these knitting traditions were born. Within each garment lies a story...and once worn, you become a part of it"
You can buy Peruvian textiles all over Peru, both in the local markets, and specialty shops in Lima and Cusco. We recommend the following:

LIMA

Artesanías Petit Thouars
Av. Petit Thouars 5321, Miraflores, Lima
Open daily: 10:30am-9pm
A great handicraft market with numerous stalls selling items from throughout Peru. Bargaining expected.

Kuna Alpaca
Larcomar Shopping Center, Miraflores, Lima (and various outlets in Lima)
Tel. 241-3484
Open daily: 10am-10pm
Fine Alpaca garments

Concept Store Cajamarca 219
Calle Cajamarca 219, Lima
Tel. 250-1742
Monday 1pm-6pm, Tuesday - Thursday, Sunday 9am-9pm,
Friday - Saturday 9am-11pm
Housed in a former casona, this combination showroom and café features hand-woven alpaca clothing and furniture made from vintage alpaca ponchos.

CUSCO

Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco
Av. El Sol 603
Tel. (084) 228-117 / 236-880
Monday - Friday: 8am-8pm; Saturday: 7:30am-8pm;
Sunday: 9am-8pm
CTTC is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 devoted to fostering traditional weaving techniques. The Center works with five communities situated in the valley around Cusco. The best place to buy high quality textiles in Cusco.

Josefina Olivera
Plaza de Armas - Portal Comercio 173
Tel. (084) 233-484 / 225-601
Open daily: 9am-12pm, 3pm-9pm
An impressive collection of unique and antique weavings and ponchos that is a museum as much as a store. A great place to find a one-of-a-kind textile.
If you're interested in scoping out the finest textiles while in Lima, we can arrange an exclusive shopping trip with one of our local 'friends in the city', an ex-model, fashion buyer, and all-round expert on sourcing Peru's finest products. Contact us now at travel@aracari.com Some of the information in this blog was taken from the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cuzco. If you're interested in reading more about the history and preservation of traditional textiles in Peru, have a look at their website.

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Peruvian Textiles - then and now - Aracari Travel

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" I have learned that each and every piece of cloth embodies the spirit, skill, and personal history of an individual weaver... It ties together with an endless thread the emotional life of my people. " ― Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez, Aracari specialist and Peruvian author of 'Weaving in the Peruvian Highlands: Dreaming Patterns, Weaving Memories' Everywhere you go in Peru, you'll see textiles on sale.

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Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco

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Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco

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Textiles in Peru were valued as the predominate art form as weavers developed original styles, designs and techniques, many of which are unique to these pre-Columbian cultures. Contemporary Andean weavers inherited this rich textile tradition and today proudly continue in the path of their ancestors as they adapt to the changes and opportunities of our modern age.

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By weavers, for weavers...

The Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (CTTC) is a non-profit organization that was established in 1996 by Andean weavers and their supporters. The mission of the Center is to aid in the survival of Cusqueñan textile traditions and to provide support to the indigenous people who create them. The Center works with ten weaving communities in the Cusco region of Peru on a fair-trade basis to help rescue traditions and promote the weavers and their work. Through community organization, workshops, educational opportunities and more the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco ensures that there is a future for Cusqueñan textile traditions.

In the Andes of South American textiles are omnipresent in the lives of the indigenous people who call this rugged mountain range their home. Textiles are both eminently practical as they protect from the harsh mountain climate, and stunningly beautiful as generations of weavers have applied their creativity to invent techniques and designs found nowhere else in the world. As it was in the past, textiles today form a powerful part of identity.

But this identity is at risk. Indigenous people still face racism on a daily basis. A globalized market economy that produces cheap, machine made products destroys respect and interest in the hand-made. Infringement on the intellectual rights of native peoples only makes this worst. Thread by thread, design by design, the weavers from Accha Alta and Acopia, Sallac, Patabamba and six other communities are battling to bring back their traditions from the brink of extinction. Through research and exhibits, the daily use of their textiles and more, the weavers are teaching the world not only why their textiles matter, but showing that they do not reside in the annals of history. Andean textiles are a living tradition.

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Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco

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By weavers, for weavers... The Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (CTTC) is a non-profit organization that was established in 1996 by Andean weavers and their supporters. The mission of the Center is to aid in the survival of Cusqueñan textile traditions and to provide support to the indigenous people who create them.

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New technologies in the mid to late 1800s brought changes to textiles around the world. In 1856 aniline dyes were invented, followed by synthetic fibers in the early 1880s. Synthetic yarn was not readily commercially available, however, until the invention of rayon yarn in the early 1900s. Rayon yarn is easy to work with and strong. Aniline dyes are easier to use than natural dyes. They do not fade as quickly, but have a tendency to run when washed. They are much brighter than natural dyes, which made them superior in the eyes of many indigenous weavers.[i]

Bright colors were an important part of Incan aesthetics and indigenous peoples continued to value very bright textiles. As a result, most weavers readily accepted aniline dyes in their quest for brighter colored textiles. Spinning natural fibers into yarn and dyeing it was a time-consuming task. Rayon yarn came already colored. By buying pre-spun and pre-dyed rayon yarn weavers saved valuable time while easily obtaining the bright colors they preferred.

This switch from natural dyes and fibers to aniline dyes and synthetic fibers is currently a contentious topic.

I have heard people talk to my mother about natural dyes, but in reality, the powder dyes (aniline dyes) of those times were good and easy to use, so I wasn't interested in knowing about natural dyes...[except for] indigo, which we used to have to process in fermented urine. The vendors used to bring indigo... Marcelina Callañaupa, Chinchero weaver

Some people see a loss of tradition, the abandonment of traditional materials and dyeing techniques passed down over thousands of years from pre-Incan ancestors in favor of cheap convenience. In other words, they see modern Western culture overwhelming and destroying indigenous culture. Others see indigenous peoples adapting to modern times and molding Western materials in creative and inventive ways to their own aesthetics. In this view, Andean people subvert elements of Western culture to enhance and continue a strong indigenous aesthetic and textile tradition.

Supporters of the second opinion often point out that despite the convenience of pre-spun and pre-dyed yarn, weavers still had to spend large amounts of time re-spinning acrylic yarn to make it strong enough to weave on the backstrap loom. Indigenous people took a Western product that did save some spinning time, but re-fashioned it through more work to make it of high enough quality for their own use. Indigenous artists also transformed other commercial items like ricrac, sequins and buttons into purposeful textile elements. Ricrac, sewn onto garments, represented qenqo, the zigzag designs found in nature. Weavers sewed sequins onto the surface of their textiles because they caught and reflected sunlight like the surface of a lake. While many textile designs represent lakes, Incan garments are also known for their use of small gold and silver plates that were sewn onto the surface of textiles. Like sequins, they may have been meant to catch and reflect the light as the wearer participated in rituals full of movement and dance. In a similar vein, weavers used to sew gold-colored buttons onto their jackets until they became unavailable in the market. They then switched to using the white buttons that were available.[iii]

If we put on the clothes of mestizo, almost no one can identify our origin. It is almost like we lose our identity. When we go to the big cities, this is what happens. But when we return, we wear our special clothing to incorporate ourselves back into the life of our community. Carmen Ylla, Chahuaytire weaver

All of these changes could be viewed as a loss of tradition and the abandonment of traditional materials. In a more understanding perspective, it is the shrewd adaptation to the opportunities and limitations that modern times and materials place on indigenous people. The problem with the first interpretation of cultural loss is that it sees indigenous culture as static, as an unchanging remnant left over from Incan times. In this view, any change in culture is negative and indigenous people almost helplessly look on as Western culture bombards them with change. The second argument sees indigenous people as active rather than passive, as important players in shaping their own culture which, like all cultures, is in a constant state of flux. They are not unchanged remnants of an Incan past, but a living culture that adapts to the times like all others.

Despite the debate about the use of materials, it is undeniably that we have lost much of our ability to understand Andean textiles. Racism against indigenous people created a backlash against traditional clothing and textiles. Rather than suffer the abuse that came with their expression of indigenous identity, people would don modern clothing when they went into the city. As men traveled to the city more often for business, women became the bastions of tradition. They were more likely to continue using traditional textiles and many continued to weave. Making traditional textiles, however, came to be seen as an antiquated, useless pursuit that did not augment the family income. Weavers stopped using, and eventually forgot, the more complicated designs and techniques. Textiles were reduced to a shallow shadow of their former glory.

Today various organizations, government entities and the weavers themselves are attempting to revive our understanding and appreciation of Andean textiles. Tourism has played an important role in this. As foreign visitors display their interest in indigenous culture and art, local people are beginning to reassess how they view and treat their own culture and traditions. The process of natural dying is being rediscovered, and work with community elders means that weavers are recovering the knowledge of ancient techniques and designs that were almost lost. While there is still a long way to go in regaining a better understanding of Andean textiles, one of the most important steps is already in motion. Only by recovering pride in themselves and their traditions, and by forging inter-cultural respect, will weavers and their supporters be better positioned to recover our knowledge of traditional textiles.

We no longer feel we have to accept these insults [about indigenous people]. If we hear some bad comment about us, we immediately tell the speakers that we are people and equal to them and that there is no difference between us...We can say that because of us, there are enough tourists in Cusco.

Twelve to fifteen years ago, when we began to work with the Center to restore our traditional clothing and agreed to wear it on our trips to the city, people looked at us as if we were foreigners. On the buses, people were put off by our skirts and tried to push us aside. But now, little by little, we are being accepted.

We like our clothing and put it on with pride. It is something personal that we made ourselves. If we hear negative comments, we defend ourselves. In the past, our parents did not protest and did not demand respect. Now things are changing, although slowly. Now, sometimes people in the government and educators ask us to go to meetings with our traditional clothing and we feel very proud. Few still feel ashamed...

Benita Ccana and Aquilina Castro, Pitumarca weavers

[i] Andrea M. Heckman, Woven Sotires: Andean Textiles and Rituals, ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003,) 23-5.

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Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco

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New technologies in the mid to late 1800s brought changes to textiles around the world. In 1856 aniline dyes were invented, followed by synthetic fibers in the early 1880s. Synthetic yarn was not readily commercially available, however, until the invention of rayon yarn in the early 1900s.

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Escudo is a Peruvian fashion house. ESCVDO combines their passion for design with Peru ́s vast cultural wealth. Our soulful, one of a kind pieces are inspired by ancestral traditions, as well as a commitment to the development of artisanal techniques, a deep admiration of folk art, and the responsability that comes with the utmost attention to detail.
http://www.escudo.pe

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Flexible solutions, creative minds and smart tech for successful digital marketing strategies

AdParlor's powerful technology has a proven track record of increasing performance by coupling smart tech with creative minds.

Leverage our expertise in paid social, display and video - in combination with creative minds and powerful tech - to drive meaningful results for your marketing campaigns

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AdParlor | Experts in Driving People-Based Marketing for Social & Display

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AdParlor blends Media Buying and Creative Services at Scale to enhance paid social and display campaigns for sophisticated advertisers. Social Media Advertising for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Advertising Campaign Management. Experts at people-base Marketing.

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SmartDraw is the Best Way to Make a Diagram Online

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SmartDraw is a full drawing application that runs on your browser. Make flowcharts, org charts, floor plans, and more.

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Used sketch up software to design layout for the area in-store, where the collection will feature. Had past experience using sketch up so wanted to build on this to create a professional looking floorpan where textures and colours can be added to suit exactly what is wanted. I also wanted to experiment with 3D

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Retail Smart Planogram software helps you to recreate all types of fixtures in minutes, a fraction of the time other applications take. Change planogram sizes, move bay positions, add shelves or pegboards in seconds, delivering efficient outputs for category analysis and space optimisation.

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Sketch up materials for layout.
To build a more realistic floorpan I used various different materials.

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SketchUp Materials, V-ray material, Free material for sketchup

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SketchUp Materials Browser contains icons representing each of the available color pickers. Switch between these color pickers by clicking one on of these icons. The controls available in the middle of the Materials Browser differ depending on the currently selected color picker.

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Website used to help create mock-up ad for marketing campaign; including Facebook ad/ Instagram/ email

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Create free ad mockups across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

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Marketing email to be send out to email subscribers of Reiss.com.
https://fashionretailacademy1.createsend.com/templates/design/preview/970e025fbde96e57
https://fashionretailacademy1.createsend.com/templates?ClientID=ECC292E28CA570E4

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Page showing brands that have focused on introducing sustainability to ranges as retailers designers are shifting towards sustainable sourcing and manufacturing methods, through various ways. Eco & Sustainable Product Retailing currently available on the market, seeing who in retail is already using techniques and fabrications featured on the runway. Helped inform my comp shop as I could see what other retailers are using sustainable methods currently and I what ways to help when deciding on fabrics for the collection.

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Millennials tagged page for articles/reports on drapers that involve information about Millennials, the Reiss customer. It is important that the collections and its surrounding are suitable for the customer.

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All Tag : millennials articles in Drapers

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website to help with writing executive summary; help with layout and content

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What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is the brief introduction to a business plan. It should describe your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.

What should an executive summary include?

Who you are. Start with your business's name, location, and contact information.

What you offer and the problem your business solves. Include a brief description of the product or service you offer and why it's necessary. Your business doesn't need to serve a larger social problem, but it should address a need or opportunity in the market.

Your target market. Sometimes the product itself defines the market, such as "Peoria's best Thai food," or "Mini Cooper dashboard accessory." If not, then a brief description of the target market.

Business plan purpose. Say whether you're seeking investment or trying to secure a bank loan. An executive summary is only really necessary when you are sharing your business plan with outsiders.

Size or scale. For example, with an existing company, that information might be as simple as adding recent annual sales or number of employees to the basic company information in the first bullet here. For a startup, it might be a brief description of aspirations, such as a sales goal for the next year or three years from now. I often recommend a simple highlights chart, a bar chart with sales and gross margin for the next three years.

Critical details. Mention any defining details that would matter to the person that will ultimately read the summary-like that the founders are all MBA students at the local university, or that your business has been awarded a prestigious development grant. Remember, some readers will only look at the summary of your business plan.

Does every business plan need an executive summary?

Not all plans need summaries. Before we continue, let's get this straight. The executive summary is essential in plans that are being written for outsiders. With business plans for internal use and Lean Plans, nobody expects one. It takes some effort to do a good summary. If you don't have a business use for the summary, don't do it.

Are you writing a business plan to show to investors or bankers? Then you need a good executive summary. Many people will read only the summary, no matter what. Others will read the summary first to decide whether or not they read the rest of the plan.

So, a good summary grabs your reader's attention and lets them know what it is you do and why they should read the rest of your business plan or proposal. But it has to cover some main points too. We'll show you how to write an executive summary that sets your business plan apart from the stack.

How to get started

Think of an executive summary as being a lot like a pitch, but with constraints. A good summary sells the rest of the plan, but it can't be just a hard sell-it has to actually summarize the plan. Readers expect it to cover your business, product, market, and financial highlights, at the very least (see below for more detail on this).

Of course you'll highlight what will most spark the reader's interest, to achieve this plan's immediate business objective. But your readers expect the key points covered. It's a summary, not just a pitch.

Write it last. Even though the executive summary is at the beginning of a finished business plan, many experienced entrepreneurs (including me) choose to write the executive summary after they've written everything else.

Ideally the executive summary is short-usually just a page or two, five at the outside-and highlights the points you've made elsewhere in your business plan, so if you save it for the end, it will be quick and easy.

Keep it short. I know experts who recommend a single page, just a page or two, no more than five, and sometimes even longer. I say less is more. Keep it as short as you can without missing any essentials. And-I can't resist, because I read hundreds of plans every year-one page is better than two, and two is better than five, and longer than five pages (my opinion here) is too long.

Keep it simple. Form follows function. Most executive summaries are short texts, often with bullets, broken into subheadings. Illustrations such as a picture of a product, or a bar chart showing financial highlights, are usually welcome.

Organize in order of importance. There is no set order of appearance of the different key items included. Quite the contrary, in fact-use the order to show emphasis.

Lead with what you want to get the most attention, and follow with items in the order of importance. I tend to like summaries that start with stating a problem, because that can add drama and urgency.

When it's finished, repurpose it as a summary memo. It's the first chapter of a formal plan, but you can also use it as a stand-alone "summary memo." Investors often ask startups to send a summary memo instead of a full business plan.

It might be a short document, often attached to an email, or simply a summary in an email. You can also use it again to fill in startup profiles on investment platforms such as Gust and AngelList or to apply for an incubator or a business plan competition.

Tips for using your executive summary to seek investment

Before you develop your executive summary for seeking investment, understand the relationship between business plan, executive summary as the first section of a business plan, and a stand-alone executive summary.

My views on this are taken from eight years as an active member in an angel investment group, and more than 10 actual angel investments, plus membership in the Angel Capital Association.

Investors screen opportunities using summaries, not full business plans. A well-prepared executive summary is useful for profiles for angel investment platforms like Gust, AngelList, and others. Introductions lead to requests for email summaries, not full business plans.

But, investors can't do due diligence without a full business plan. Your executive summary is the key to having your business plan reviewed. We've never invested in a business that didn't have a business plan. But the full reading of the complete business plan comes only later in the process, after we've screened summaries down to a very few that are interesting enough to do due diligence. Of the group I work with, for example, three fourths of us will read every executive summary submitted to us through Gust. All of us will read summaries for plans that pique group interest, and half of us will look at the rest of the plan only if we are still interested after reading the summary.

Mention previous startup experience, or special domain expertise. Let the investors know about it from the start because this makes a huge difference. Investors often say "bet on the jockey, not just the horse." Keep it brief, just a reference to more information to come later, but make sure it's there.

Say how much money you're trying to raise and what you're going to spend it on. It's a summary, so details will come later, but investors want to know quickly whether your startup is in their normal range of interest. The use of funds makes a difference, too. Spending to build inventory for existing orders, for example, is way less risky than spending to develop a product that is in design and prototyping. Valuation, in this context, is controversial. Valuation is what you say your company is worth, a number that determines how much ownership you give away for investment. Some investors want summaries to specify how much money at what valuation; others want to assign the valuation themselves and don't like startups pushing their number too early.

Mention your exit strategy. Leave the details for later, but investors want to know that you understand they don't make money unless you achieve an exit in a few years so they can sell shares to get their return. Too many founders think investors just want them to be successful, when in fact that means very little without an eventual exit.

Be persuasive, but focus on the facts. You want to make your prospective investor want to keep reading; convince them to invest in your startup. But do understand that the persuasion is in the facts, not in the wording. What keeps them interested is the content of the summary, not the tone. Facts that prove traction, potential market, or startup experience are infinitely more powerful than mere assertions of excellence.

Avoid obvious clichés. For example, never even mention the team's passion or commitment-they all have that, so it's irrelevant. If you say that your startup is disruptive, or game-changing, or the next Facebook or whatever, you lose. Instead, show that with facts. Let the investors say it, not you.

Tips for writing an executive summary for a bank loan

Contrary to the common misconception, bankers don't ever take risks on business plans. To get bankers to read on, the executive summary has to cover the six main points suggested in the beginning of this article, plus a few selected other points that highlight stability, assets on the balance sheet, and financial history, showing that the loan is not risky. With one notable exception, banking law forbids banks lending money to businesses that don't have enough assets to cover the full value of the loan, and then some. That's against banking regulations.

Good professional bankers ask for a business plan as part of a loan application because they legitimately want to know and understand your business. But they don't take risks. This summary isn't about persuading or selling, but rather reassuring and describing.

So what works for the executive summary for bankers is quite different from what works for the summary for investors.

Outline your personal net worth. Where investors want to see management team startup experience, bankers want to see personal net worth of business owners.

Be transparent about your financial history and bankable assets. Where investors want to see future potential growth, bankers want to see past financial history and bankable assets.

Give evidence of your potential stability and longevity. Where investors want to look at possible exits, bankers want their commercial borrowers to offer future stability.

I mentioned one notable exception to the rule that bankers don't take risks. In the U.S., the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) has programs that work with local business banks to guarantee some of the riskier small business loans to making borrowed money available to startups and small business.

SBA loans require a solid traditional business plan that includes a good executive summary covering the five main points suggested in the first list above.

Executive summaries for internal plans, operations plans, or strategic plans

As I mentioned above, a true Lean Plan doesn't need any summary. The classic executive summary is for plans going to outsiders. However, there are some kinds of internal plans --such as an annual operations plan or a strategic plan -that can use a summary to make the purpose of the plan clear, and make sure the highlights are covered. But for these plans, don't bother anybody with standard executive summary information that everybody already knows, like your contact information.

Download a template for your executive summary

If you'd like to start with a template, consider using a Lean Plan for your executive summary. It's available as a free download here on Bplans, and it covers everything you might want to include.

View hundreds of executive summary examples

Take advantage of Bplans' more than 500 examples of good business plans -all available online for free-to search for the sample plan that best fits your business's profile, and then use that plan's free example executive summary as a guide to help you through the process of writing your own.

More business planning resources

Sample business plans: Over 500 free sample business plans from various industries.

Business plan template: This fill-in-the-blank business plan template is in the format preferred by banks and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

How to start a business: An easy-to-follow six-step process for starting a new business.

LivePlan: Easy, cloud-based business planning software for everyone. This online software includes expert advice, built-in help, and more than 500 complete sample business plans.

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An executive summary is the brief introduction to a business plan. It should describe your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights. Who you are. Start with your business's name, location, and contact information. What you offer and the problem your business solves.

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Powerpoint to help with writing executive summary. Guidence on what to include, attract attention ect, ensure to add stats. Important to back up points and concept with figures. Add merch figures.
UPS include; sustainable, peruvian textile influnce (preserving heritage), reiss first, ECONYL, in-store exclusive.

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Website giving research points for executive summary. Ideas of imports why not points, back up choice.

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Layout inspiration ideas from swim collection Fenwick have in their Bond Street Store; simplicity, minimal, hanging.

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Arket sustainable swimwear range, only brand found on the high street who use ECONYL in swimwear, not 100%, Images from comp shop

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Cos swimwear range, style and quality. Images from comp shop

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Images from labelling/ swing tickets of Reiss swimwear garment. I used to help create garment tech pack; altering for piece in the collection.

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Comp shop images, specifically looking at swimwear collection and to get an idea of how the brand displays swim. The brand were in sale and so this many have changed how they would ideally display pieces.

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Images from Reiss Store in Exeter.
Inspiration for layout and display; although there will be a designated area for the Reiss x Peru collection, being in-store it needs to remain in keeping with the overall feel of the shop. Reflected in the layout and display of collection.

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https://create.piktochart.com/output/39585889-reiss-sourcing-strategy

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Used to add icons to sourcing strategy

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Free Icons and Stickers - Millions of images to download

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Download Free Icons and Stickers for your projects. Images made by and for designers in PNG, SVG, EPS, PSD and CSS formats