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This assignment I had to research some of Tommy Hilfiger competitors and then go to their flagships stores on Regent Street and find different trends and compare them to each other.

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In the brand report assignment I explore Tommy Hilfigers current positions within the retail market, I performed a SWOT and PEST analysis on the brand and looked at TH 5 Ps.

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I had to break this assignment up into two pieces as it was too big to upload

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This Document is the excel calculations for my range plan and it shows the different categories and margins I would obtain from my range.

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WC 2nd march COMPANY BEST SELLERS - STUDENT (1)

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Merch calculations exercise sheet - STUDENT (1)

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Me and my partner had to create a job description for a BAA and include what we thought was important information such as daily tasks and responsibilities.

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This is the SWOT  that I did for Arcadia and the information that I used was from Global Data.
https://retail.globaldata.com/Company/Swot/arcadia-group-limited?swot

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In this task as a group we looked at three different online retailers Boohoo, ASOS and PLT and we compared their Christmas jumpers the they had in stock. The comparisons was based on style, colour, price and strategies.

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This Group task was to crate our own pop up store in Carnaby Street, we went for a unisex store that would stock big unisex named brands such as Collusion and NicoPanda. we had created a mini VM design and mentioned marketing aspects and who we thought our competitors would be.

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This Assignment was about a specific subculture that was more present than ever and are within the 70's

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This assignment is about platform shoes over time, I talk about how they have changed over timer and what stayed the same. How platform shoes are now being more sustainable.

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I selected a pair of paperbag waist trousers from my range plan for this assignment and I had measured them fro the spec sheets and shown my research on why I had chosen to do this garment.

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This was a group assignment and we talked about GAP and how they are working responsibly to be more sustainable. I focused more on their competitors such as TH and Everlane.

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In this assignment I had to create a full range for Tommy Hilfiger and I had decided to go with the Gothic Trend that I had created from my trend report.

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In this assignment I used all the digital skills I have learned for photoshop and indesign and put together a trend report with my research coming from Edited and WGSN

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This was my first Moodboard as you can tell.

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ryan &melodie

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This task is what we did to see if our retailer had any current trends within their online stores and I used Edited trend patterns to see what was trending at the time.

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The Infographics assignment I had done research and found out Tommy Hilfiger sources a lot from China and Vietnam so I decided to go with chunky trainers sourced from China.

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Best and worst sellers for Tommy Hilfiger 19/11/19

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Best and worst sellers for Tommy Hilfiger 19/11/19

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I went through Tommy Hilfiger website and found trending pieces to identify them as best sellers. The worst sellers were the garments that were either on sale with all sizes left or the garments that were out of season.

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The brand values I used TH website where they talk about on the road to  a sustainable future, about being in the BCI and much more which was included.
https://global.tommy.com/en_int/about-us
https://www.pvh.com/brands/tommy-hilfiger

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Eastern Europe sourcing

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Turkey sourcing

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This was a group assignment the main role I had for this group work was collecting the fabric samples after researching the nest ones an takin about the past/present of evening wear.

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Horace Greeley, the famous early American newspaper editor and founder of the New York Tribune in the mid-1800s, famously responded to the question of how to become rich with the statement "Go West, young man!" The same advice is often slightly reformulated and given today as "Go East, young entrepreneur!" Although people today can argue about the correct direction to go to China from the United States, the essence of the statement still holds true today!

Many people predict that China will be the largest economy in the world in the 21st century and will soon surpass the United States. Although the relative cost of manufacturing in China has risen in recent years, the country is still often the cheapest location for American retailers and manufacturers to source goods or parts.

This article is first in a series exploring how U.S. companies can source goods in China, and it focuses on how those companies that cannot afford to establish overseas offices or manufacturing operations can effectively and efficiently source suppliers in China. We will focus on how a smaller U.S. company can and should go about locating suppliers in China.
Internet Search
The easiest and most cost-effective place to start a search for suppliers in China is on the Internet via search engines such as Bing or Google, and B2B sourcing platforms like Alibaba, Global Sources, and Made-in-China.com. Thousands of suppliers are listed on these sites, and you can streamline your search and increase the number of legitimate sources by filtering results for only those entries labeled as "gold member," "verified supplier," "onsite supplier," or "accredited supplier." Good reviews offer some indication that the supplier is legitimate. Some B2B sourcing platforms have endorsed service provider lists and supplier blacklists. For example, Alibaba has a list of banned members.

Some sites also offer special services to further protect buyers. For example, Global Sources has credit-check services and supplier-capability-assessment services that will provide suppliers' key business information including company status, production capabilities, and product quality.

Be aware that verified suppliers at these sites may only mean that the companies are verified to exist; it does not necessarily mean that their reputation, production capability, or quality have been verified (for example, a gold member at Alibaba is a paid status). Further, while these sites have large directories of "suppliers," some are simply traders or wholesalers, not manufacturers. You won't get the best price from traders or wholesalers, so you need to do your own diligence on potential suppliers.

It is worth mentioning that Global Sources also has China Sourcing Reports (CSRs) that have in-depth studies focused on specific sourcing industries in China. In the CSR, you can find qualified suppliers and their verified contact information. This report also provides industry overviews, top-selling products, and other pricing and market information, although such information may not always be up-to-date.
Social Media
Social media is not necessarily an ideal platform to identify suppliers. Only some suppliers have a social media presence, but they can be a good source for feedback or reviews of potential suppliers. Therefore, be cautious when relying on such platforms and remember to do your own due diligence as the information provided is often unverified, reviews are often anecdotal, and sample sizes may be small.

Also, there are now many professional LinkedIn groups focused on sourcing in China:

In addition, some forums such as the Alibaba forum, Smart China Sourcing at Global Sources, and China Sourcing Blog offer good tips. Finally, be sure to check on any complaints other people may have shared at Ripoff Report.
More AllBusiness: The Top 25 Home-Based Business Ideas 10 Websites Where You Should Have Your Company Profile Listed 25 Frequently Asked Questions on Starting a Business The 10 Most Creative New Business Ideas Out There Trade Shows
Trade shows are another way to find legitimate suppliers. By attending trade shows, you have the opportunity to talk to potential suppliers face to face about their companies, products, production capacity, quality-control procedures, and other key business areas. Such direct interaction can help you evaluate suppliers and verify their abilities.

Two trade shows in China are worth mentioning. The Canton Fair is the largest trade fair in China and is held twice a year in Guangzhou, located near Hong Kong in southern China. The Canton Fair attracts thousands of attendees with a huge variety of products. The East China Fair is the largest regional trade fair in China, and is held once a year in Shanghai. There are other regional trade fairs in China that are usually industry-specific. Search China Sourcing Fairs for specific industries.

If you want to avoid the headache of traveling internationally, there are also trade shows in the U.S. that have a significant Chinese presence. These trade shows are generally industry-specific. For example, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has many Chinese participants. The downside of such shows is that you may be limited to a small pool of potential Chinese suppliers because many of them will not attend these trade shows, and therefore you may not get the best deal possible. Also, you may be out of luck if the product you are sourcing is not covered at one of these domestic trade shows.

Effective communication is very important when attending trade shows. The good news is that most exhibitors have handouts in English, and many speak English. The bad news is that many have limited spoken English skills. Consequently, if you decide to pursue a transaction with a Chinese company, you will have to retain a translator later on in the diligence and negotiation process. Finally, be aware that not all suppliers at these trade shows are manufacturers (some are traders or wholesalers), so be sure to ask them about this directly.
Verify Suppliers
It is essential to perform adequate diligence on potential suppliers. The information provided by a potential supplier on its website and other media channels is a good start, but you need to verify whether a supplier in fact exists and is what it claims to be.

This verification can be done in a number of ways. Arrange a visit to the relevant local government agency to check the company's registration. You need to know whether the supplier has the necessary production capability, certificates, and communication and technology skills to meet your expectations in terms of quality, quantity, and delivery times. You also need to confirm in some fashion the supplier's financial statements by, for example, requesting audited statements from the supplier, or at least requesting statements prepared by a reputable Chinese accounting firm, in order to get a sense of the potential supplier's assets and capital base to estimate whether you would be able to recover any loss should a contractual dispute arise.
Buying Directly from Suppliers
Once you are able to identify, verify, and vet a potential supplier, you can buy products directly from them or through a B2B sourcing platform. Buying directly from suppliers can save you money if everything goes smoothly, but it also leaves you open to the risk of being scammed or not getting your money back if the products turn out to be of poor quality.

Another important issue is the type of payment. Safer payment options include paying through a bank letter of credit issued by your bank or an escrow with a reputable third party. Other higher-risk payment options such as credit cards, wire transfers, or similar payment methods can also be used, but many of these methods do not always provide reliable dispute mechanisms to recover payments when fraud or other contractual problems arise.
Commission-Based Sourcing Agent
If buying directly from a supplier sounds like too much trouble and risk, you can seek help from a commission-based China sourcing agent who has sourcing experience. These agents can help identify and verify suppliers and facilitate communications. Their fees can range from 3 to 10 percent of the purchase price.

While sourcing agents may do some of the "heavy lifting," including identifying and verifying suppliers, you still need to stay closely involved with the purchase transactions. Often, commission-based sourcing agents are not equipped or sophisticated enough to manage production and quality control effectively or to make sure transactions are done cost-effectively. Be aware that there might also be hidden commissions between sourcing agents and Chinese manufacturers. The good news is, after working with sourcing agents a few times and familiarizing yourself with the process, you can eventually manage your own deals without their help.
Sourcing Service Provider
If you want someone who can help you with the entire sourcing process from end-to-end, hire a sourcing service provider, which can provide a wide range of services: supplier identification, price negotiation, supply management, quality control management, logistics and shipment management, and other sourcing matters.

Sourcing service providers charge certain fees for managing purchase transactions, but there are pluses and minuses to consider. On the plus side, a sourcing service provider can relieve you of the hassle of identifying and verifying suppliers, production inspection, product quality control, and logistics arrangement. However, using such a service denies you the opportunity to learn about the Chinese markets. Also, the cost of using a sourcing service provider runs higher than using a commission-based sourcing agent, so expect more upfront costs at the beginning of the transaction.
Trading Company
A trading company may be a good option if you want to buy a small amount of products and don't wish to deal with all the complexities of sourcing in China. The trade-off is that your costs will generally be higher, as a trading company will make a margin on the goods being sourced. You will also find it hard to discover information about the supply chain, and you will still need to be on the lookout for product quality issues.

Sourcing goods in China poses many risks for U.S. companies, ranging from poor quality goods to fraud to difficulty in enforcing contracts. Of course, all of these risks are not unique to China but because it is still a developing country, the potential for such risks are often much greater than in developed countries. However, the potential for significant cost reductions may make this risk worth it as long as you do your research beforehand and proceed with caution. In our next article, we will address common mistakes U.S. companies make when sourcing suppliers in China.
Charlotte Zhanghaixia Westfall is a corporate and securities attorney based in San Francisco with both U.S. and Chinese legal training, who advises U.S. and Chinese clients on cross-border business strategies and related legal issues. Read all of Rick Frasch's articles on AllBusiness.com. Related Articles on AllBusiness: How to Plan Your First Business Trip to China How to Use Currency Hedging to Protect Your Import or Export Business Small Businesses Grow by Exporting to Mexico Why Your Business Should Start Exporting in 2014 For more great small business articles such as The Top 25 Home-Based Business Ideas and Keeping Your Business Ideas Confidential, visit AllBusiness.com and AllBusiness Experts. For local business information on 15 million businesses, be sure to check out InBusiness.com.

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Sourcing Goods And Suppliers In China: A How-To Guide For Small Businesses

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By Richard N. Frasch and Charlotte Zhanghaixia Westfall Horace Greeley, the famous early American newspaper editor and founder of the New York Tribune in the mid-1800s, famously responded to the question of how to become rich with the statement "Go West, young man!" The same advice is often slightly reformulated and [...]

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Historical inaccuracies aside, the 2013 Great Gatsby movie's depiction of the infamous party at Gatsby's mansion was a showcase of everything glamorous about the roaring twenties. All of the simplicity and girlish styles of 1920s day and afternoon dresses disappeared on women's 1920s evening dresses. Glitz and glam, rich and flashy, were the only rules governing party dresses. Whatever a woman could afford, she wore with great expense when she dressed up for a night on the town. Perhaps dinner and dancing at a swanky night club followed by a risky nightcap at the local speakeasy, or for the moral citizens a night at the opera, ballet or theater would be the occasion. Special occasions called for the best evening gowns and fanciest accessories.

1920s Evening Dresses Go Bare

In general, evening gowns separated themselves from formal afternoon dresses by going sleeveless. Bare arms were wrapped in silk shawls, furs, caplets, and the hands of a special gentleman for the night. Dresses were designed to be as loose as day dresses, but were made with the most expensive fabric and trimming a woman could afford.

Beading was all the rage for the entire decade. At first, beads were placed in small clusters to accent the hip, bust, shoulder, or hem. Pretty soon all-over glass beading on net created the "fabric" with elaborate Art Deco designs. These gowns are what you probably think of as flapper dresses and rightly so. Handmade in Paris, they were extremely expensive to own. Only the wealthiest of flappers could afford one.

The majority of '20s formal dresse s were made of layers of light pastel chiffon or heavy velvet in winter. Clusters of crystals and beads accented the layers. Gold or silver metal embroidery created the illusion of beadwork, especially in the later years. Designers from Callot Soeurs loved using metal sequins (also called spangles) on their designs. When "gold sequin-like disks" were discovered on clothing in King Tuts Tomb in 1922, the sequin industry boomed. Metal bits all over a dress made them heavy, so they were only used sparingly. If metal sequins and thread were too expensive to purchase, a shiny taffeta dress homemade with large silk flowers acted as luxury bits for lower class party dresses.

Bare arms weren't the only source of skin exposure. Evening gowns grew shorter into dance dresses copied after sporty day dresses. Long gowns persisted in the winter months, but they, too, were not modest. The front round or square neckline remained high but the backs? Forget it. They plunged lower and lower, reaching the waist by the 1930s. Needless to say, formal dresses did not need any bras or undergarments. Even stockings attempted to reveal as much skin as possible. Very sheer, nude colored tights were worn along with sheer pastel peach or apricot colors.

Evening accessories were just as elaborate as the dresses. Beaded or metal mesh handbags, bejeweled cigarette holders, crystal headdresses and hair ornaments, and lavish shawls were all part of the party dress. In 1922, the evening turban and beaded skull caps became one of the few headwear items made especially for evening wear.

1920s Formal Dress Styles

This series illustrates the development of evening dress styles over the decade.

Even more pictures of 1920s dresses can be found on this pinboard.

It is sometimes difficult to date a specific '20s formal dress because most styles lasted the entire decade. If a Paris designer came out with something new, it took 6 months to 3 years to become mainstream, and then it stayed in fashion for a few more years after that. That said, Vogue magazine tracked the major trends in 1920s evening dresses through each season and year. Here is what they said:

Timeline of Designer 1920s Evening Gowns

1920-1921 The full skirt or pannier hip flounces remained popular through the next year or two. Lavin spearheaded the Robe de Style gowns which were copied by other designs. Lanvin continued the style, while other designers preferred the straight line, long, and fully beaded dress.

1922-1923 The straight line, almost no defined waist, 'chemise' dress remained popular. They were very long, and even when the day trend was to go shorter, evening gowns kept their length. Round boat Bateau necks were the most common shape of formal wear. Dresses that had some kind of waist were accented with oversized bows on the center-low back or to one side of the hips. Turbans and beaded headdresses were all the rage in 1923.

1924 Designer Chanel insisted on cutting the length of evening gowns and turned them into shorter more danceable 'dance frocks.' The torso of the dress was quite long with very low necklines, bare backs and heavy decorations of gold embroidery and dangling crystal gems. Lace and chiffon were the preferred summer fabrics, while velvet in beige, black or green were the favored colors in winter. Many dresses started to have some kind of skirt effect with flounced or feather hemlines. Chiffon 'capes' flowed down the back of dresses or off the sleeves creating points on either side of the skirt. It was a big year for formal wear designers.

1925 Low low backs were still on-trend. Skirts featured layers, tiers, flounces, and the first sighting of fringe. Fringe was used as an accent on silk dresses, not to cover the entire gown. A few heavily fringed dresses were adopted by dancing showgirls. They liked the movement fringe or feathers gave while dancing. Unfortunately, the fringed dress has become the stereotype for "flapper dress," when in reality they were worn only by a few performers.

1926 The styles were still in line with the past two years. Backs continued to be bare with front necklines dropping ever so slightly, too. Heavy beading also continued on an assortment of pastel lace, crepe, chiffon, satin, and taffeta. Hemlines were straight or uneven with even bigger puffy bows at the back, side, or front hip.

1927 Dresses were straight on top with a fuller skirt on the bottom. Necklines now strayed away from just round, or oval, V-neck, or square. Hip flounces, flying back and side panels, and a bustle effect on the back called attention to the open backs yet again. New bright colors were in favor: black and white, yellow, lavender blue, turquoise, pale green, terracotta, and Chanel's favorite: lipstick red.

1928 Short was in. Evening and day dresses started to be built from the same patterns with only the material and beading to set them apart. New colors were seen for winter: burgundy, midnight blue and autumn red. The handkerchief hem was especially popular with multi-points on the bottom hem. It allowed dresses to appear long while standing still but flashed a lot of leg while dancing or sitting.

1929 Finally, some sleeves were added back onto formal gowns (with much relief to most women). Long sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, or cap sleeves were all added to gowns. The first "hi-low" hem was seen, meaning the back of the gown trailed on the floor while the front hung around the mid-shin. There was some shape and definition to the figure as well. These were the more feminine gowns that were to be in vogue in the 1920s and epitomized during Hollywood's Golden years.
This concludes our history of dresses in the 1920s. In the next series post, I will take you shopping for '20s vintage, reproduction, and inspired dresses:

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1920s Evening Gowns & Dresses History by Year

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Historical inaccuracies aside, the 2013 Great Gatsby movie's depiction of the infamous party at Gatsby's mansion was a showcase of everything glamorous about the roaring twenties. All of the simplicity and girlish styles of 1920s day and afternoon dresses disappeared on women's 1920s evening dresses.

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SS 2020,

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This group task was to explore different stores such as Harrods, Prada and Tommy Hilfiger and find answers to the questions that was provided.

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In this task as a group we looked at fashion designers, icons, films and more that was present in the 40's.

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Before the ugly-shoe flatform came the Spice Girls. And before them, disco. And before disco was Salvatore Ferragamo. And before him? About 2,000 years of people always wanting to be a little taller than they actually are. The history of the platform shoe is long and storied...and it hasn't always been about fashion. The sky-high shoe assisted royals in dodging Medieval muck, gave Greek thespians a much-needed boost on stage, and was actually outlawed at a certain point (in 1670, British Parliament outlawed many accoutrements for married women, including makeup, artificial teeth, false hair, bolstered hips, and platform shoes as punishable by death) . Take a little trip with us as we walk (and hobble) through all the forms the platform shoe has taken on. Trust - you might actually want to hold onto your retired Litas - you've got yourself a piece of history right there.

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The History Of The Platform Shoe- 70s, 90s, And Today

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Before the ugly-shoe flatform came the Spice Girls. And before them, disco. And before disco was Salvatore Ferragamo. And before him? About 2,000 years of people always wanting to be a little taller than they actually are. The history of the platform shoe is long and storied...and it hasn't always been about fashion.

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In this activity which was the industry project we had to work in groups and review LK Bennet as a whole and point out what we believed they was doing well and where they could improve. I mainly worked on the diversity idea and the comp shops , brand positioning and contributed to everything else as a whole.

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L.K.Bennett Final Presentation Part One 

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Due to not being provided with the full version of padlet I have had to break some presentations into different parts.

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L.K.Bennett Final Presentation Part Two 

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L.K.Bennett Final Presentation Part Three 