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Pretty Little Thing

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A privacy reminder from PrettyLittleThing Read more I agree

Did you know you can do your bit to prevent the unnecessary pile up of discarded clothing in landfills around the UK?
Introducing reGAIN, the app that allows you to turn your unwanted clothes into discounts to get cash off your next PrettyLittleThing purchase.

Here's what you need to do:

Step One
Download the reGAIN app.

Step Two
Bag or box up any old clothes, shoes and accessories you're not feeling anymore (we're talking unwanted garms from your entire hoard here, not just PLT).

Step Three
Using the free shipping label, leave your donation at a drop off point for collection.

Step Four
Those discount codes are ready to be unlocked so you can shop online at PrettyLittleThing for less!

Hit download on the reGAIN app now to do your bit!

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A privacy reminder from PrettyLittleThing Read more I agree Did you know you can do your bit to prevent the unnecessary pile up of discarded clothing in landfills around the UK? Introducing reGAIN, the app that allows you to turn your unwanted clothes into discounts to get cash off your next PrettyLittleThing purchase.

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Glamour

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If, like us, you've been searching for your wardrobe basics without breaking the bank and without compromising on your sustainability then you are in luck.

Pretty Little Thing is finally bringing out a collection made out of reworked materials, giving them (and your outfits) a new lease of life.

The online retailer is helping us all take a smaller step in the right direction (that is, a more planet-friendly direction) by using unwanted, worn out or repurposed materials and turning them into our new staple pieces.

The outfits are taking us back to basics with most pieces coming in muted tones, perfect for your inner minimalist. The collection is also available in plus sizes and includes bodysuits, co-ords and dresses.

The collection focuses on offering wardrobe staple pieces, rather than following trends that will come and go, and it is made from off-cuts from previously used materials and even plastic bottles. Meaning you can look great, without feeling guilty about the cost of your outfit on the Earth - result!

This new collection comes after the e-tailer joined clothes recycling app regain that allows users to donate unwanted clothes at pick-up points. In return, they receive a discount code to be used with one of their listed retail partners. This removes the likelihood that clothes end up in landfills.

We're applauding PLT for its major move towards sustainability, and hope one day their entire clothing range will follow suit! Take notes, fast-fashion brands!

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PrettyLittleThing has just launched an amazing recycled collection

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PrettyLittleThing has just launched a Recycled Collection, helping us take a step towards a more sustainable wardrobe.

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Essential Retail

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PrettyLittleThing and H&M-owned & Other Stories are among the growing number of fashion brands to use technology to deliver on their recycling and sustainability objectives.

PrettyLittleThing follows the likes of Missguided, New Look and Superdry in partnering with clothes recycling app Regain that allows users to donate unwanted clothes at pick-up points. In return they receive discount codes that can be used to purchase goods with Regain's retail partners.

"We've partnered with [Regain] to encourage you to send back your old clothes in return for some amazing PLT discounts...let's start making a difference together to protect our amazing planet," PrettyLittleThing co-founder Umar Kamani stated.

This will certainly be seen as a positive move from PrettyLittleThing parent company Boohoo that has been questioned recently about its sustainability commitments by the Commons Environmental Audit Committee.

Meanwhile, & Other Stories this week began testing a new project in Sweden with second-hand platform Sellpy whereby pre-owned & Other Stories pieces being sold on the Sellpy site will be gathered under an & Other Stories shop-in-shop on the platform.

& Other Stories will be marketing the platform on its website and social media channels thereby encouraging its customers to use the service. All online activity will all be managed and operated by Sellpy.

Sanna Lindberg, managing director of & Other Stories, said: "We're exploring different ideas on how our long-lasting designs can find their way to new owners. With that in mind, we decided to do a small second-hand test project with Sellpy. For us it's such a compliment to see our pieces find new homes and get a second chapter."

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Fashion brands boost sustainability commitments

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PrettyLittleThing and H&M-owned & Other Stories are among the growing number of fashion brands to use technology to deliver on their recycling and sustainability objectives. PrettyLittleThing follows the likes of Missguided, New Look and Superdry in partnering with clothes recycling app Regain that allows users to donate unwanted clothes at pick-up points.

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Drapers

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The app, whose partners include Boohoo, Missguided, New Balance and Superdry, allows users to unlock discount codes by donating unwanted clothes at local pick-up points.

Announcing the partnership on Instagram, PrettyLittleThing co-founder Umar Kamani said: "UK we've partnered with [Regain] to encourage you to send back your old clothes in return for some amazing PLT discounts ... let's start making a difference together to protect our amazing planet."

PrettyLittleThing was among several fast fashion retailers called upon to give evidence before the environmental audit committee last year.

Chair of the committee Mary Creagh wrote letters to Asos, Amazon, Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and Missguided requesting information on staff wages, lifecycle of garments sold, and their strategies for the reduction of the environmental and social impact of their businesses.

PrettyLittleThing did not appear before the committee.

The retailer recently submitted plans to convert an abandoned warehouse into a new, 65,000 sq ft headquarters at Ancoats Works in Manchester.

The submitted details include plans for a conference and theatre facility, restaurant and gym in addition to open-plan offices, meeting rooms and social spaces. It is thought that the building will house 250 employees if the plans get the green light.

Environmental audit committee chair Mary Creagh was one of the speakers at the first Drapers Sustainable Fashion event. Read all the coverage here. And for sponsorship opportunities at next year's event, contact Paul Stewart, Drapers commercial director

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PrettyLittleThing partners with recycling app

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The app, whose partners include Boohoo, Missguided, New Balance and Superdry, allows users to unlock discount codes by donating unwanted clothes at local pick-up points. Announcing the partnership on Instagram, PrettyLittleThing co-founder Umar Kamani said: "UK we've partnered with [Regain] to encourage you to send back your old clothes in return for some amazing PLT discounts ...

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Facebook

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Used to really like plt, it was nice stuff for good prices. But the last few times the sizing has been way off or looks nothing like advertised.
Ordered a tracksuit, the trousers came up to my armpits absolutely ridiculous and were about 3 sizes too big! I will not be ordering again

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Used to really like plt, it was nice stuff for good prices. But the last few times the sizing has been way off or looks nothing like advertised. Ordered a tracksuit, the trousers came up to my armpits absolutely ridiculous and were about 3 sizes too big!

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Drapers

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The environmental audit committee is one of parliament's select committees. It was set up in 1997 to monitor the government's performance in progressing sustainable development and to look at wider policy areas. There are 16 of us and it is a cross-party committee.

We launch thematic inquires, such as looking into microplastics and microbeads. As a result of that work the government has now banned the production, manufacture and sale of microbeads in the UK.

Now we are looking at the social and environmental impact of the fashion industry. Fashion is a £32bn industry, so it's very important for "UK plc", but if its foundations aren't stable, then it's a house built on sand.

Everything that we wear comes from nature, but in a way we are kind of divorced from that - we have a kind of "me-centred" approach to clothing. Clothes just arrive on a shelf - there is no connection with the people that made them, the countries that grew the raw materials, or the animals they came from.

Big polluter

And there are many issues.

The carbon footprint of the fashion industry is bigger than international shipping and aviation put together.

Fashion is also a huge employer: more than 300 million people are employed in the global supply chain, including more than 60 million garment workers. But injustices such as child labour, slave labour and forced labour are endemic at every stage of the production process - even to some extent here in the UK's manufacturing hub in Leicester.

The question we have is: if the food industry can tell you where a melon comes from and the name of the farm, why can't the fashion industry do similar? What are the institutional barriers to transparency in the supply chain and what are the economic costs and consequences of chasing the cheap needle round the planet?

We asked 10 leading fashion businesses [Marks & Spencer, Primark, Next, Arcadia, Asda, TK Maxx and HomeSense, Tesco, JD Sports, Debenhams and Sports Direct] to submit evidence, and have heard from all but one so far.

We're also about to write to the likes of Boohoo, Missguided, Pretty Little Thing, Amazon and some of the other key online players.

If the food industry can tell you where a melon comes from and the name of the farm, why can't the fashion industry do similar?

At our first evidence hearing at the end of last month we learnt that we are consuming almost twice as much [clothing] as Italy every year per capita. We consume 27kg of clothes a year each, compared with 14kg in Italy. We're buying more than we need.

The absolute cost of clothing has also fallen over the last 20 years, and as the cost has come down, consumption has increased. Fashion has become disposable.

As a result, if you're buying something at pocket money prices, £5 a dress, that's not much more than a cup of coffee. And what do you do with a £3 coffee? You toss it. So now what do you do with the £5 dress? You just chuck it.

And there's no reflection on why that dress cost £5. Who is paying the price for that? You might be getting it at a great price, but someone else somewhere else is paying for it.

Be part of fashion's sustainable future

Join our star line-up of sustainability champions speaking at Drapers Sustainable Fashion - our unmissable new event that will bring together the most sustainable brands and retailers, trailblazers and unicorns, disruptors, progressive thinkers and pioneers to discuss what we can do and why change is not optional.

Join Drapers Sustainable Fashion in London on 14 March 2019

Also, what was interesting is that you can get "fast luxury", but your extra £5 doesn't guarantee the worker got paid properly. The workers will be stitching for luxury brands and volume brands in the same factory.

It is extraordinary in the digital age that the fashion supply chain has not yet got a grip. And it is extraordinary, especially given the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act, where you have to report on the risks of modern slavery in your supply chain, that the fashion industry is wide open to this risk as far as I can see.

Rubbish record

Another big challenge is that we get rid of 1.1 million tonnes of clothes a year. There are about 350,000 tonnes that are going in the bin - 80% of that goes to landfill and 20% is being burnt. When you think of the natural resources that went into making cotton, wool, cashmere, that's a real national scandal.

So we are looking at other countries that have an extended producer responsibly scheme, whereby if you put clothing on the market, you have to take clothing back at the end of its life. France has introduced one.

We cannot get to a stage in 20 years' time where the fashion industry accounts for a quarter of the world's carbon budget. Our consumption patterns and habits need to change in a radical way. I think the time has come to clean up fashion's dirty little secret.
The Environmental Audit Committee's second hearing will take place at London's V&A Museum on 13 November. It will then publish the results of its findings and recommendations to the industry and to government in early 2019.

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Mary Creagh: on a parliamentary mission to clean up fashion

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The environmental audit committee is one of parliament's select committees. It was set up in 1997 to monitor the government's performance in progressing sustainable development and to look at wider policy areas. There are 16 of us and it is a cross-party committee. We launch thematic inquires, such as looking into microplastics and microbeads.

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Boohoo

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Drapers

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Not-for-profit organisationLabour Behind the Label, which campaigns for workers' rights in the clothing industry, surveyed 32 leading fashion brands, including Arcadia, Asos, Boohoo, Inditex, New Look, Next, Marks & Spencer and Primark (full list below).

Apart from luxury Italian house Gucci, owned by Kering Group, every brand received the lowest possible grade - E - which means they can't show any evidence of a living wage being paid to any workers in their supply chain.

Gucci received a C, signifying that 25% or more of its workers earn a living wage.

An Asos spokesperson told Drapers: "There is no 'silver bullet' to solving these challenges, and we know there's a lot that needs to be done.

"We can't achieve this alone, so our ambition is to find long-term solutions to address the key human rights challenges in the garment supply chain through meaningful collaboration.

"To that end, we believe that Act [the industry initiative on living wages in the garment sector] is the most credible initiative with a genuine chance of increasing garment workers' wages and improving working conditions in a way that is scalable, sustainable and enforceable."

A spokesperson from M&S added: "W e believe it's vital that our clothes are ethically sourced and we have a very clear set of global sourcing principles that are a condition of working with us.

"We're committed to working in collaboration with our suppliers, and other retailers and organisations to improve workers' conditions, support processes to establish fair wages and ensure mature industrial relations in the garment industry."

Labour Behind the Label's Tailored Wages UK 2019: The state of pay in the global garment industry report sought to reveal the progress that leading clothing brands have made towards implementing a living wage for the workers producing their clothes.

Author Anna Bryher said: "Five years on from our previous survey on this topic, no brand was able to show any progress towards a living wage being paid. Poverty in the garment industry isn't improving, it's getting worse. This situation is urgent.

"Our message to the brands is that human rights can't wait and workers making the clothes sold on our high street must be paid enough to live with dignity."

Figures show that minimum wages in Bangladesh are less than a quarter of a living wage, and only a sixth of the amount needed to live on in Romania.
The brands surveyed include:

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Fashion brands fail to pay supply chain workers living wage

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Not-for-profit organisationLabour Behind the Label, which campaigns for workers' rights in the clothing industry, surveyed 32 leading fashion brands, including Arcadia, Asos, Boohoo, Inditex, New Look, Next, Marks & Spencer and Primark (full list below).

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Boohoo

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At boohoo group plc, we are guided by our values of passion, agility, creativity and teamwork. We pride ourselves on our inclusive culture and team spirit and we believe in operating in a fair and sustainable manner. It is important for us to run our business in a way that benefits all of our stakeholders and we seek to engage with them on a regular basis. We have a proactive programme for delivering our CSR policy which is regularly reviewed and reported upon to the Audit Committee.

The boohoo group acts responsibly to reduce energy consumption and to use energy more efficiently to reduce its environmental impact. We monitor and report on all wastage.

All of the cardboard and plastic waste from our warehouse is recycled.

For our Manchester site, we recycle all paper and plastic waste.

At the head office, we have a programme to replace lighting with efficient motion-activated LED panels, whilst in our warehouse and certain areas of the head office, lighting is activated by motion sensors.

Recycled materials are used in our outer plastic packaging and swing tickets.

Energy efficient storage heaters have been installed in offices unconnected to the wet system.

Solar panels are to be installed in one of the recently acquired head office buildings with a view to rolling this out across the various sites.

We expect our suppliers to comply with all relevant laws and regulations regarding the protection and preservation of the environment and as such all factories and raw material suppliers must adhere to the boohoo group Restricted Substances Policy, and all materials, components and finished products must comply with:

International law on the restriction of hazardous substances

REACH legislation

The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) Restricted Substances List

boohoo group requires verification from suppliers of compliance with REACH. Accepted forms of verification include:

Independent testing

Certification from suppliers of raw materials and trimmings

Declarations verified by independent audit

Suppliers should ensure that the appropriate verification is submitted to boohoo group before goods are shipped / delivered.

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The boohoo group acts responsibly to reduce energy consumption and to use energy more efficiently to reduce its environmental impact. We monitor and report on all wastage. All of the cardboard and plastic waste from our warehouse is recycled. For our Manchester site, we recycle all paper and plastic waste.

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At boohoo group plc, we are guided by our values of passion, agility, creativity and teamwork. We pride ourselves on our inclusive culture and team spirit and we believe in operating in a fair and sustainable manner. It is important for us to run our business in a way that benefits all of our stakeholders and we seek to engage with them on a regular basis. We have a proactive programme for delivering our CSR policy which is regularly reviewed and reported upon to the Audit Committee.

As a fast-growing responsible group, we recognise our duty of care to the people involved in the creation of our products. We therefore take our supply chain operations extremely seriously and have a demanding set of procedures and policies to which all suppliers must adhere. We are dedicated to working with our suppliers to help promote better working standards for the future and we hope to lead the way in encouraging an open and transparent supply chain.

The group is a member of SEDEX (the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange), a not-for-profit organisation that provides access to independent and comprehensive third-party audit reports on suppliers and their factories.

Our suppliers are required to undertake a SMETA (SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit) to assess the quality of their operations.

SMETA audits are supplemented by regular unannounced audits from our in-house Sourcing and Compliance team who help suppliers ensure they are compliant with law and regulations.

We have an in-house Quality Assurance Team whose remit is to ensure our products are compliant with consumer protection and product safety legislation, including REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals) regulations, and are consistent in size.

We require our suppliers to periodically sign compliance letters acknowledging their adherence to our standards and code of conduct. This document also asks for suppliers to ensure sub-contractors meet these requirements. This is periodically reviewed and updated as and when required and is part of Boohoo group's ongoing commitment to improving its supply chain for both 1st and 2nd tier suppliers.

We hold an annual supplier conference and all of our suppliers have access to our supplier manual via a portal to ensure they are aware of boohoo group's standards, policies and procedures.

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As a fast-growing responsible group, we recognise our duty of care to the people involved in the creation of our products. We therefore take our supply chain operations extremely seriously and have a demanding set of procedures and policies to which all suppliers must adhere.

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Founded in 2012 by Umar Kamani, the son of Boohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamani, PrettyLittleThing has had a meteoric rise. Sales in the six months to 31 August 2018 soared 132% to £168.6m at the fascia, from £72.7m for the same period in 2017, which in turn was an almost fourfold increase (289%) on the same six months in 2016.

Boohoo - the core fascia in the group - had sales of £209m for the six months to 31 August this year.

Analysts believe PrettyLittleThing has a hit a sweet spot in a crowded market.

"The brand has resonated fantastically with the right customer groups," says John Stevenson, a retail analyst at City broker Peel Hunt. "PrettyLittleThing started out as a relatively niche [accessories] brand in terms of its product base and the amount of options consumers have, whereas Boohoo is more broad. On the current trajectory, it looks like PrettyLittleThing will outgrow Boohoo in a couple of years."

This sentiment is echoed by Daniel Bobroff, chief executive at creative technology firm Coded Futures: "It has a strong understanding of who its customer is and that is vital. Few businesses have that degree of clarity. [The team] understood the DNA of companies like Asos and looked to mirror them with great effect.

"That follows through in their clear identity of who they serve. It sounds very obvious when you run through it, but few have done it so well."

On the current trajectory, it looks like PrettyLittleThing will outgrow Boohoo in a couple of years

John Stevenson, retail analyst at City broker Peel Hunt

He adds that the brand has focused on marketing mainly to a 16-to-34-year-old cohort of fashion-forward, digital-first, highly social, price-sensitive women.

Looking to the brand's infrastructure, some observed that PrettyLittleThing bypassed many of the teething problems start-up etailers often encounter as it was able to piggyback on Boohoo's established systems, leading to "unbridled growth".

"It had an adult infrastructure from the beginning," says Stevenson. "It's not uncommon for ecommerces to hit various roadblocks: the website might not be good enough, or there may be issues in the warehouse, or in getting things through the supply chain, or with carriers.

"Because PrettyLittleThing grew under the umbrella of Boohoo, it already had the systems, warehouse, playbook, everything. Clearly, though, you also have to grow the right brand, have the right influencers and build a customer base.

Warehouse hiccups

Yet PrettyLittleThing has not been immune to growing pains. In July it moved its warehouse to Sheffield. This led it to suspend next-day delivery for a couple of days to clear a backlog of orders.

Kamani admitted on Instagram: "We have regrettably had to turn off next-day delivery and certain discounts in order to catch up with our current orders getting sent out. This is a temporary backlog due to overwhelming demand. I have to apologise for any delay on anyone's orders."

Retail analyst Nick Bubb plays down the issues: "The recent warehouse move from Burnley to Sheffield has been a big focus in the City and there were rumours that it hadn't gone well, because of some delivery issues, but it was in fact a big success.

"Management deliberately tried to suppress order demand a bit, to avoid putting the distribution system under too much pressure during the transition, cutting back on next-day delivery. But demand stayed strong."

As the etailer builds its customer base, it is inevitably stealing market share from both traditional high street players, as well as its online-only rivals.

"Its growth has been at the expense of the traditional players such as Miss Selfridge, Primark and even Asos," says Bobroff.

Bubb agrees: " Topshop is obviously being hit hard by both Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing, but I get the impression that Missguided is also losing a lot of business to PrettyLittleThing."

Although its overall market share remains fairly small - 3.5% of a £55bn market, estimates Stevenson - the potential for further growth is massive. The latest Drapers Multichannel Insight report shows 41% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 55% of 25-to-34-year-olds shop online at least once a week (click here to access the report FOR FREE).

A strong social media presence - PrettyLittleThing has 9 million followers on Instagram, compared with 7.6 million and 5.8 million of Asos and Boohoo respectively - coupled with relevant celebrity collaborations, keep the etailer front of mind for its demanding customer base. Using the wider group's supply chain and systems enable speed to market, and a smooth customer experience.

As tough retail trading continues to bite in the UK, PrettyLittleThing is poised to carve itself an ever bigger slice of the young fashion market.

Industry insight

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Founded in 2012 by Umar Kamani, the son of Boohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamani, PrettyLittleThing has had a meteoric rise. Sales in the six months to 31 August 2018 soared 132% to £168.6m at the fascia, from £72.7m for the same period in 2017, which in turn was an almost fourfold increase (289%) on the same six months in 2016.

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ASOS

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Sustainable Sourcing Partnerships - ASOS plc

We've partnered with a number of working groups and organisations to help us measure, reduce and report on the environmental impacts of our products throughout their life cycle.

ASOS is committed to sharing what we learn in our own business, and to supporting cross-industry initiatives that will catalyse progress and minimise the burden on suppliers.

Tara Luckman
Senior Sustainability Manager, ASOS

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We've partnered with a number of working groups and organisations to help us measure, reduce and report on the environmental impacts of our products throughout their life cycle. ASOS is committed to sharing what we learn in our own business, and to supporting cross-industry initiatives that will catalyse progress and minimise the burden on suppliers.

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https://about.hm.com/news/general-news-2019/on-the-way-towards-using-100--sustainable-materials.html

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Presentation