MANO A MANO
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FASM 400 Fall 2015 A Company by: Olivia Brandt Christina Tai Corinne Syquia
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Table of Contents Introduction- Vision 5 About the Brand 6 Core Values- Mission 8 Code of Ethics 9 SWOT analysis 10 Customer 17 Competition 21 Collaboration 26 Product 29 Price 35 Innovation 37 Place 41 Promotion 43 Reference List 48
3 Image from WGSN
What is Mano a Mano?
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Mano a mano is the idea of bringing traditional, artisanal work to an urban environment in the most ethical way possible. From the hands of artisans to the hands of the consumer, it is a purchase that stands for quality, culture, and diversity.
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About the Brand “Mano a mano” - a Spanish term that literally translates to “hand to hand” - traditionally denotes hand to hand combat. However, we have taken the phrase and have turned it to something life giving. At Mano a Mano, we believe in the power of hands. Hands are used to create beautiful things - like the artisans that create our products for us. Hands are capable of giving life. We give life by utilizing the talents of our artisans, and transforming their products into beautiful, modern, and quality pieces that last. Our customers give life by buying their products and sustaining their livelihood. Because of this, we believe in passing things on: from artisan to consumer, and from generation to generation.
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Hands enable us to make a choice - like the choice to do the right thing. We hope to inspire others to make the choice towards positive change. In theory it’s simple: we help indigenous communities from all over the world earn a living by looking at their traditional crafts, reinventing them so they fit the tastes of the modern consumer, and selling their products. Also an additional portion of the sale goes to the livelihood and wellbeing of the respective communities.
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Core Values The core of our business is to promote and encourage practices that are in favor of quality, culture, and diversity. Through the practice of these values we hope to achieve a influential, ethical brand. Production based on order to prevent excessive waste Provide quality goods that last longer The use of cultural craftsmanship Close-loop System Transparency of production and material source Emotional connection between products and customers
Why Who How the product was made Education on cultures and practices through media and branding Profit and Acknowledgment for culture and community Eliminate the pressures of conforming to one body ideal by promoting culturally diverse models Acknowledge that beauty comes from all corners of the globe Your “flaws� are what make you unique
Products from culture of origin, building consumer connection
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Foster a body-positive culture among our consumers
Our Mission
Our mission at Mano A Mano is to create a brand that stands for the celebration of quality, culture, and diversity in a most transparent way. Through working with underdeveloped communities that have artisanal skill we hope to bring light to their craft and culture, offer high quality products that are made to order, and promote the purchases of our products through reflection of culture and diversity of models.
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Code of Ethics Proper representation of culture within brand and products sold Create slow fashion quality pieces that are made to order and made to last Celebrate the diversity of the modern world by using ethnically diverse models Through transparent business practices, educate the customer on the value of craftsmanship within each product Build strong customer relationships by educating them on quality culture and ethical values of products sold Bring customers and communities together through the story of the product
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Image from WGSN 11
SWOT Analysis
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Strengths Quality products through handmade practices
artisanal
Brand Story Bring awareness of culture to the customer Conscious consumers concerned about traceability (transparency) Strong social responsibility Contribution to the improvement of lifestyles of different cultures through furthering education and enrichment of craft as well as providing financial aids Use of culturally diverse models Ecommerce channel provides cost and time effective way to reach customers
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Weakness
Limited selection and quantities Logistics Price compared to fast fashion Keeping up with trends Consumers looking for instant gratification will not get it with the brand. Communication E-Commerce channels means that consumers may not want to buy the product due to not being able to interact with it.
Image from WGSN
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Opportunity
Branch out to other fashion categories and home/lifestyle Our website can become a selling channel for the communities used in the past that are now self sufficient Collaboration with ethical brands to bring awareness to different platforms in one campaign A travelling pop up shop could bring awareness and let the customers interact with the products Once established look into starting a charity Celebrity endorsement with the use of unconventional models
Image from WGSN
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Threats Timeliness of creating the goods Inability to oversee will affect guarantee of quality Ecommerce channel does not provide physical customer interaction Shipping and logistics from a global standpoint Political situations in the countries we source from could hinder business Taxes and tariffs may hike up the prices of the products in regards of where they are being exported Copying of traditional designs by fast fashion companies Consumers may be discouraged from purchasing due to the waiting time Bigger luxury brands that are already establishing ethical practices are more popular and have the funds to do more Skepticism of greenwashing Lack of transparency with collaborators could affect our brand image
Image from WGSN
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Culturally diverse models are in the process of becoming mainstream
Our Customer
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Psychographics Go against the current mainstream Are up on the latest fashions Love physical activity - sensation seeking See themselves as very sociable Believe friends are extremely important Are spontaneous Have a heightened sense of visual stimu lation.
(VALS, 2015)
Demographics Income: 60,000 - 120,000 USD Age: 28- 36 Target Gender: Female Location: Europe and United States
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Melissa Jones
After everyday of caring for employee and customer well being in the human resources department, Melissa and her 4 year old daughter like to attend art classes because thinking creatively are essential to her as a mother. On date nights, Melissa and her husband like to see what is in the local art galleries and Saturday mornings are dedicated to the farmers market. As a family they feel the responsibility to donate to charities that support underdeveloped communities when they can, if they can support themselves comfortably they can help others as well.
Age: 35 Occupation: HR
Operations Manager
Location: Chicago Relationship: Married, 1 Child
Income: 76,000 USD
(not including husbands salary) (Payscale, 2015)
Image from WGSN
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Age: 29 Occupation: Digital Marketing Manager
Location: London
Jenna Yee
Relationship: Single Income: 62,000 USD (Payscale, 2015)
Image from WGSN
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Jenna has grown up with the growth and empire of fast fashion. After finishing her graduate degree in Marketing with a focus in ethics she accepted a job in London. Her Saturdays are devoted to going to vintage shops in her rebellion against overconsumption. Besides enjoying the local music scene she attends events like Pure London to search for ethical innovations in fashion and to make connections.
Our Competitors
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Image from Santa Isla
Designer to Artisan to Consumer Hand Made Use of ethnically diverse models Santa Isla utilizes native practices of Colombian art by integrating ancient tribal craftsmanship with modern design of the Embera Chami people.
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Their work of urban design mixed with traditional culture gives the opportunity for consumers so become educated about the work. They are also advocating the use of diversity within all of their ad campaigns, challenging the norms of the fashion industry.
Originated from non-profit Focus on women empowerment Product packaging High end retailers
Dannijo was started by two sisters who taught themselves how to create jewelry as a childhood hobby. Later on they created a line of jewelry for one of the sisters non-profits L.W.A.L.A. After this they launched the brand and have found great success. They focus on women empowerment and sustainable economic opportunity in underdeveloped communities.
Image from Dannijo
Also their packaging is made by women in Africa in a ethically positive environment. Their products include jewelry, accessories, shoes, bags, and technology cases and are sold through high-end retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman.
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FolkVision
Focus on folk and tribal pieces Direct from artisan Similar to our first community collaboration
This company works directly with the Chinese Miao tribe to assist in selling their products and vintage pieces. They sell a variety of accessories, jewelry, clothing, textiles and childrenswear.
Image from Folk Vision 24
With their business philosophy “ offer incredible values on unique, quality items and give them to our customers at low prices� their focus on quality and differentiation through traditional cultures showcases an ethical approach to either company.
Permanent Employment - Collaboration - Handmade - Sustainability
The Made brand creates handmade accessories and jewelry. The artisans are a community of over 80 people in Kenya creating products with tradition features. They provide long-term employment, safe working environments and training for their craftsmen furthering their talents and quality of life.
The Made brand sees the social responsibility fashion needs to have and are always looking to keep moving in a positive direction. Their work with brands such as Louis Vuitton, ASOS, and TOPSHOP has allowed them to share their ethical practices and provide influence to better the industry.
Image from MADE
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Our Collaborations
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Film and Photography Mano A Mano aims to help and encourage cultures and traditional values nut we also want to help others in the creative fields to help us. Film is a powerful way of speaking to consumers without actually coming into physical contact. With our focus on transparency we want to create a mini series based on topics that are special t our brand. Videographers will document our processes as we enter and work with each of the communities we support, this will better the “hand to hand� understanding for our customer as well as building a brand identity. Another topic for our mini series will be looking into the lives of diverse models and how the fashion industry has affected them. We believe that hearing these models stories will further the respect, beauty, and opportunity for diversity. Below is a mini film we have done showing direct insight to the modeling industry and how it handles diversity. Scan the QR code to watch!
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Image from Ethical Fashion Initiative
Fashion Design and Fibers
With our focus on promoting culture and improving the communities we work with we want to bring in fashion designers and fibers professionals from the industry to create Tradition Re-imagined. This will be a program that brings the craftsmanship and tradition of the artisans together with urban designs, modern innovative textiles, and different techniques of creating products. We feel a social responsibility to educate the artisans in their craft beyond their normal practices, giving them knowledge that they do not have easy access to. Besides the benefit of education this program can give Mano A Mano the opportunity to do designer collaborations with the communities. With guest from the industry joining us on our journey we collaborate with creative minds and further the outcome of our product and the lives of the community.
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Our Products
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Miao Silver Jewelry The product line of Mano A Mano’s first collaboration with Miao community will be silver accessories. All of the products will be made by hand. The accessories will be made in mix of silver, copper and nickel, and the percentage of silver will be around 65%. Also, we will source the silver raw material ethically by using recycled silver. The product line will include necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. We will have various styles that are inspired by the traditional Miao silverware but designed with a modern taste. This collection will include both simple fashion staples and more complicated and unique pieces. The more complicated ones will be set on a higher price point and more limited in production.
Image from MDODM
Image from Toutiao
Image from Organic Jewlery
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Image from Pinterest
Image from Pinterest
Image from Wanelo
Image from Great Seed
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The Miao Community Miao is one of the largest ethnic minorities in southwest China. They are distributed across Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan, Sichuan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; also there are a small number that live on Hainan Island in Guangdong Province and in southwest Hubei Province. Most of the Miao community live on mountains or hills. Miao Culture includes rich and diverse handcrafts, including cross-stitch work, embroidery, weaving, batik, and silver-making. Silver is one of the most important elements in Miao Culture, it can be seen from headdresses, clothing to accessories. Silver not only serves an aesthetic function but also a symbol of wealth in Miao culture. Miao people also believe silver as amulets to ward off evil. The patterns on the silver ornaments includes ancient totems and historic legends. Thus, it was also known as a “Wearable History Book�. The technique of silver-makinghas been passed down generation by generation in Miao community, the artisans are mainly male. Some Miao villages have all of the men trained in silver-work.
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Technique
Image from Sina English
Miao silver jewelry-making involves several unique techniques that are only known by the Miao people. Miao silver jewelry-making requires a high level of craftsmanship and all of the jewelries are made by hand. A commonly used technique in Miao silverware is coiling thin silver wires to form shapes or patterns. The whole process needs to be done by hand. An artisan uses a mold with 52 holes of different diameters to process silver ingots into wires as thin as hairs, step by step. The procedure is difficult and detailed requiring patience and skill to keep the force even, and at the same time steadily controlling the temperature. This special technique enables the artisans to create silver pieces in detail, and also create intricate pattern and amazing texture that can hardly be seen on ordinary silver accessories.
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Image from ASOS
Image from WGSN
Future Products
Images from Santa Isla
Mano A Mano will work with a multitude of communities, with our first en-devour related to silver jewelry we hope to expand our category range. Future products will include beaded jewelry among other techniques, handbags, small leather goods, textiles and clothing as well as home goods and decor. 34
Our Price
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Image from Pachacuti
Lower End of the Premium Market 125 USD - 1,200 USD The price of our product is not only based in comparison with competitors but also the work it takes to produce the items. Our key focuses and reason behind our price is the following 4 attributes: The artisan labor Locally sourced supplies Support brand values, culture, and communities Cost of shipping from location to location 36
Innovations
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New Materials Since we are going to work with different communities around the world, there is going to be a wide variety of material involved in our product line. Thus, we can use innovative textiles and sustainable materials when it comes to sourcing. For apparel and textile products, we can consider recycled PET bottle fabric and recycled wool depending on the product type we are working on. Also, since there are more and more innovative sustainable fabrics that are made or extracted from natural resources, we can also consider these new technologies and use materials that are sourced locally to implement them. For example, Ioncell-F is a new type of fabric that is generated from wood chips. No trees were harmed in the making of the fabrics, all of the wood used can be scraps from timber workshops. We can source wood scraps from local timber workers and then turn them into beautiful fabrics for our products. Moreover, even tobacco, pineapple leaves and more plants are all possible to be sourced locally and be produced sustainably than the traditional fibres. Besides for the innovation on material source, the new function of the innovative material is also something we can consider. In Mano a Mano, we emphasize the importance of the value and quality of clothes; however, it is sometimes inevitable for garments to be ripped or ruined by accident. To solve this problem, researchers at SINTEF found a way to make the fabric self repair. The material is a polyurethane base coated with micro-capsules that contain a liquid sealant that acts as a kind of glue. If any damages occurs, the capsules break and the sealant is released. Once the liquid comes in contact with the air or water, it hardens, bonding the ripped fabric back together.
Images from Startup Fashion 38
Bio-filtering Waste Water The fashion industry is notorious for the chemical pollution that has been produced through production. Most of the time, the pollution occurs in a less developed country or area where the workers dye or put special treatment on the fabric. Since there are a lot of communities that make beautiful prints and dyed fabrics and there is a high possibility for us to work with them in the future, we definitely do not want to leave all the chemical and water pollution problems to the community. Thus, we have found an innovation called bio-filtering wastewater that can solve this problem. The process of filtering helps remove the most toxic textile dye components. Unlike traditional biological systems, this innovative treatment filter relies on microorganisms growing in aggregates. The wastewater is poured over the microorganisms, which processes pollutants. We can even apply the bio-filtering wastewater into a wastewater treatment system. After the first stage of filtering the wastewater, we will have a wetland cell that contains plants and microorganisms, they will help to reduce pollutants and remove odorous gases. We will also have a trickling filter with microbial organisms that remove ammonia, phosphorus, nitrogen and many other substances from the water. After a few circulations we will get clean water that can be reused in other places.
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Image from Livbit
Smart Tailoring
One of the ways we wish to expand as a brand is to add apparel to our product list. However, we know that the production of clothes can produce a lot of waste on the cutting room floor. As a slow fashion brand, we are concerned about the impact that we have on the environment from production to selling. Thus, we have tried to look for technological innovations that would aid our mission to lessen waste. Our search eventually led us to Smart Tailoring. Smart Tailoring - or Direct Panel on Loom - was developed by designer Siddhartha Upadhyaya with the aim to lessen textile waste at the production level. A computer is attached to a loom, and data such as color, pattern and size are put into the system. The DPOL then weaves the pattern pieces according to the data, which then only need to be stitched by hand. This technology not only cuts down on the production process and textile waste, it also saves energy and water by 70-80%, and reduces the amount of chemicals and dyes used. Using this technology we could educate one of the communities we will work with that specializes in garments, not only inmproving the craft in regards to sizing but also in a waste preventative way. 40
Place
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Website and Headquarters Our Website will be the main area where majority of our activities will take place. First, it will be instrumental in communicating our brand story, as well as our values and our beliefs. One of the ways we do this is through the “The Story So Far� section. This is essentially the blog section of the website, and in it we communicate through words and pictures the places we travel to and the stories of the communities we have set out to work with. The blog will also include short videos - mini documentaries and interviews with people who share the same concerns we have about the fashion industry. Most importantly, the website will be the main channel where we sell the products which the artisans have crafted. The website will not only be selling the products which we have asked our communities to create; it will act as a distribution channel for self-sufficient communities to sell their own products. In terms of warehousing, our headquarters will take place in the UK. Research shows us that the UK is the birthplace of many ethical organizations like the Ethical Fashion Forum, events like Pure London, and initiatives like Labour Behind the Label.
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Promotion
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Social Media The Instagram account will also serve as the bridge between the customer and the artisans in that it will provide an intimate and personal perspective of the communities and their lives.
A lot of our promotion will take place on social media. We feel that Instagram in particular will be incredibly important to our brand as a visual storytelling tool to further communicate our brand story and values to our consumers. In our Instagram account, we aim to feature things like behind-thescenes shots of our artisans, short previews of our vlogs interviews, teaser pictures of new products, and many other important announcements. 44
Pop Up Shop A travelling pop-up shop will help with promotion and bring awareness to our company and our artisans to different cities all over the world. As a travelling pop-up, it also helps tie together the idea that Mano A Mano is a global brand.
Since Mano A Mano’s products will be sold through an online channel, a pop up shop will be our opportunity to get customer closer to the products and our brand. The setting of the shop will be similar to our brand identity which is simple and stylish. Besides showcasing our products, we will also set the pop up shop into a mini exhibition with information of the community we are working with. And with the campaign of our products worn on culturally diverse models, we want to turn our pop up shop into an unique experience of culture and fashion. 45
Branding Since we are going to work with different cultures, we kept our brand’s visual identity minimalistic and simple. The colour palette will be monotone and red. Hands and a red thread will be the main element, which they will convey our brand identity to the customers. As for packaging, all of our packaging will use recycled paper with red thread from natural fibres. Every product will come with a booklet and on the cover will be the artisan who made that product. The booklet is our important step to connect the hand of our artisan to the hand of the customer, it is also the place to put our transparency policy into practice. The booklet will include the story of the artisan and the community, the process of making the product, the culture we are collaborating with and all the sourcing and manufacturing details. In the end of the book we will have a thank you note with words from the artisans.
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References Breyer, M. (2012). 10 awesome innovations changing the future of fashion. TreeHugger. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/10-awesome-innovations-changing-future-fashion.html Bucci, J. (2012). Wooden Fabric: Elisa Strozyk. StartUp FASHION. Retrieved 11 November 2015, from http://startupfashion.com/wooden-fabric-elisa-strozyk Bucci, J. (2013). Self-Repairing Fabric in Fashion. StartUp FASHION. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from http://startupfashion.com/self-repairing-fabric China.org.cn,. (2015). The Miao ethnic minority. Retrieved 11 November 2015, from http://www.china. org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/shao-2-miao.htm Chinaodysseytours,. (2015). Miao’s Silver Culture. Retrieved 10 November 2015, from http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/special-topic-about-china/the-silver-accessory-culture-of-miao.html Chua, J. (2015). Ploughboy Organics Turns Tobacco Waste Into Nontoxic Textiles, Dyes. Ecouterre. com. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from http://www.ecouterre.com/ploughboy-organics-turns-tobacco-waste-into-nontoxic-textiles-dyes/ English, E., Ferarro, T., Long, T., Hartke, D., & Valentine, J. (2013). Water Purification (1st ed., pp. 8-27). Rodale Institute. Retrieved from http://rodaleinstitute.org/assets/waterPurification.pdf Lotito, A., Di Iaconi, C., Fratino, U., Mancini, A., & Bergna, G. (2011). Sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor for textile wastewater treatment. New Biotechnology, 29(1), 9-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. nbt.2011.04.008 MADE. (2015). About Us. Made UK. Retrieved from http://www.made.uk.com Payscale. (2015). Salary Data and Career Research Center. Payscale. Retrieved from http://www. payscale.com/research/US/Country=United_States/Salary Santa Isla. (2015). About Santa Isla. Santa Isla. Retrieved from http://www.santaisla.com/4hmx47bx9y6n9mqchk277of2103ube Science Museum. (2010) DPOL, The eco-friendly and smarter way of garment manufacturing. Retrieved from http://www.livbit.com/article/2010/08/03/dpol-the-eco-friendly-and-smarter-way-of-garment-manufacturing/ Sixta, H. IONCELL-F, a novel Man-made Cellulosic Fiber. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from http://puu. aalto.fi/en/midcom-serveattachmentguid-1e44f95c44218204f9511e4a12b01d1437b57775777/ regeneroidut_kuidut.pdf Strategic Business Insights. (2015). VALS Survey. Retrieved from http://www.strategicbusinessinsights. com/vals/presurvey.shtml The Miao Ethnic Group. (2015) (1st ed., pp. 1 - 4). Retrieved from http://www.msdchina.org/userfiles/ file/pdf/miao.pdf Traditions.cultural-china.com,. (2015). Miao silver: a poem written with silver - China culture. Retrieved 10 November 2015, from http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/116Traditions3921.html YouTube,. (2015). Eco-Friendly Wastewater Treatment System. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXaXjzbccPo
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