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First-class return Aquascutum makes a comeback with its new London store

REVIEW OF THE YEAR

A look back at the big stories of 2013 / P12

THE DRAPERS INTERVIEW

Frank Lyman on his loyalty to indies / P14

HIGH STREET PREVIEW

The final part of our look at spring 14 / P20

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Hopes hang on last-minute gifts

Retailers are expecting spending in the days before Christmas to make up for flagging footfall

By Jill Geoghegan & Ben Cooper

retailers are poised for a late surge in festive sales over the next few days, with analysts predicting the best christmas since 2007.

Overall retail spend in the UK is tipped to increase by 2.2% year on year to £88.4bn for the three months to December 31, the strongest growth experienced since before the economic downturn. The fashion sector will grow by 3.15% to £15.4bn this quarter, according to analysts Verdict retail.

Verdict senior analyst Honor Westnedge said retailers are using discounting to drive footfall this christmas. She added: “Footfall may have fallen back but more people are transferring their spend online.”

Deborah mcminn, group merchandising director of Tudor Williams Holdings, said people are being more selective but spending more. “Footfall is down this christmas compared with last year, but we’ve been able to convert more into sales and transactions have been higher.”

Shoppers are expected to take advantage of christmas falling midweek this year, with many holding out for further discounting on the high street.

Christmas rush: shopping destinations are expecting footfall to increase next week

Financial company Visa has pinpointed monday December 23 as the busiest shopping day of the year, predicting a £1.2bn spend on its cards in a last-minute dash to buy gifts ahead of christmas Day. Simon Poole, managing director of men’s young fashion brand and retailer Luke roper, said trade had been “up and down” in the run-up to christmas. However, he added: “We’re expecting monday and

Tuesday next week to be very busy as last-minute shoppers wait for Sales and discounts. but we won’t be breaking rank, we’ll hold fast until christmas eve as usual for our Sale.”

Anita Kane, owner of independent lingerie store Sheen Uncovered and womenswear shop ruby blue in east Sheen, London, said: “christmas shopping has got later and later, it’s been the same for the last three years. It’s been slow compared with

last year but that’s not necessarily concerning us. It’s partly because of the way christmas has fallen this year; I think there will be a lot of shopping done last minute.”

Geoff Quinn, chief executive of Tm Lewin, agreed customers have done their christmas shopping later than ever this year. He added: “We assumed the spending spree would kick off in November but it was the first two weeks of December that we saw uplift in sales. “momentum is building and looking at the sales figures I’m quietly optimistic that 2103 will be a really good christmas for us.”

However, some retailers warned that despite a more buoyant economy, consumers are still spending cautiously.

Phil Whittle, head of store operations at Schuh, said the retailer was keeping its expectations “contained” for festive trading.

“Footwear is finding it tough at the moment and matching last year’s figures will be a challenge,” he said.

Andy Hewat, UK and Ireland country manager at lifestyle brand Timberland, said: “A lot of retailers are chasing big comparables from last year and consumers are still being careful with their spend.”

Galeries Lafayette in talks to buy House of Fraser

COVER imagE: aquasCutum

By Eric Musgrave

House of Fraser (HoF) is continuing to develop plans for an IPO in the spring despite the news that it is in advanced talks with Groupe Galeries Lafayette (GGL), the French retail business that is looking to acquire other department store groups.

Observers of the situation suspect that the negotiations may reawaken interest in HoF from rumoured suitors such as Sports Direct boss mike Ashley and Qatari Holdings, the owners of Harrods. both were

reported to have made overtures to HoF earlier this year.

Stumbling blocks to any trade sale are the HoF pension deficit, which is thought to be between £100m and £120m, and the long and onerous leases on a large number of HoF’s 61 stores. The IPO, which is being handled by investment bank rothschild, is still seen by many as chairman Don mccarthy’s best option for resolving the complicated shareholding arrangements of the group, which

date back to when it was part of the baugur retail empire.

In contrast to HoF’s structure, GGL has been controlled by the same family since it was founded in 1894. In 2012 it sold a stake in the French grocery chain monoprix for €1.18bn (£990m) and is looking to grow through acquisition. It has attempted to buy its rival French store group Printemps.

A source close to the situation said: “GGL could be attracted to HoF because it has a similar number of

stores – 65 – but is not as advanced with ecommerce as the british group.

HoF’s own-label expertise would be of interest and the HoF name could be more ‘exportable’ to emerging markets.” both HoF and GGL declined to comment on the news.

Philippe Houzé, chairman of the French group’s executive board, has said he wants to overhaul the domestic business while expanding abroad. In march he said: “The department store is dead. Long live the multi-specialist lifestyle retailer.”

December 21 2013 /

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News

Register for Next Generation 2014 Applications to enter Drapers’ Next Generation Academy in April 2014 are now open.

The all-day event, which takes place on April 10 in London, features keynote speakers, question and answer sessions and panel discussions with industry leaders.

Speakers at past academies have included Primark chief executive Paul marchant, designer matthew Williamson, Whistles chief executive Jane Shepherdson and Pentland brands chief executive Andy rubin, among others.

The event, which aims to nurture the next generation of leaders in the industry, is open to those at the start of their careers, in their first, second or third jobs, across all fashion disciplines. It is sponsored by Oasis, Warehouse, coast and matalan.

To secure your free place at the Academy send an email to next. generation@emap.com telling us in no more than 100 words why you should attend by Friday February 28.

Former Aldo boss launches shoe line Footwear veteran claire burrows is launching a premium brand “made beautiful for busy feet” to enter stores for autumn 14. burrows, who has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years and was most recently UK managing director of Aldo, will debut Air & Grace at trade shows in January.

Initially the brand will be made up of a range of four ballet pump styles with 30 options, including metallic, leather, suede, animal print, classic nudes and encrusted diamante. burrows worked with technicians she met during her time as head of product development at footwear brand FitFlop to create a cushioned shoe with “wiggle room” at the toe and “a bit of lift” at the heel. She shied away from describing the range as comfort, saying the shoes are for stylish working women, and positioned the brand in the same league as Whistles and matches.

Wholesale prices for Air & Grace range from £44.50 for the basic line to £59.25 for a shoe with a brooch attached.

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Drapers / December 21 2013

A new stAr for oxford street

G-Star Raw this week threw open the doors on its Oxford Street flagship store, which debuts its new retail concept. The use of unfinished concrete and steel details gives the 5,059 sq ft two-storey shop an industrial feel.

Menswear occupies the ground floor with womenswear in the basement.

Suppliers outraged as Debenhams demands pre-Christmas discount

By Victoria Gallagher

Debenhams clothing suppliers have slammed the department store retailer’s “audacious” discount demands.

This week Debenhams wrote to suppliers asking for a 2.5% discount as part of a “contribution” to help fund the retailer’s continued expansion. The retailer explained the funds would “support its commitment to ongoing investment” and said both parties will “mutually benefit” from the growth of Debenhams.

However, one supplier, who did not want to be named, said the retailer should have asked its shareholders for money rather than suppliers.

He said: “The thing that really gets me is the pure audacity of the whole thing. They don’t care.”

However, he explained that suppliers would find this demand difficult to refuse because Debenhams is a key customer for many of them.

Another supplier added: “When a retailer decides it is going to do something that isn’t to your liking then what can you do? How will you pay your rent next month?”

Empire refresh: Debenhams unveiled its refurbished Oxford Street store this month

In the letter seen by Drapers, the chain stated that contributions will be based on each supplier’s current business with Debenhams in two ways. The first will take the form of a single discount of 2.5% on all outstanding payments on suppliers’ accounts at the end of the day on December 17. The retailer also demanded a discount of 2.5% on all open orders at the end of the day on December 17. Debenhams said these would be one-off contributions and not a permanent amendment to trading terms.

Another supplier said: “This has become a common practice with Debenhams over the last few years and we’re fed up with it now.”

The chief executive of one high street retailer said Debenhams had made the demand due to poor trading: “everybody is doing badly and discounting heavily this season, so Debenhams’ usual cuts don’t stand out. A woman would rather buy something discounted at Hobbs rather than at Debenhams.”

Debenhams declined to comment.

Brands debate BBB’s plan to open to public By eric Musgrave in Berlin

reaction to bread & butter berlin’s (bbb) plans to extend its show from July 2014 to include two days open to the public have ranged from enthusiastic to sceptical.

The berlin trade show’s founder Karl-Heinz müller, who unveiled his new vision on monday, has begun fine-tuning his proposal to have July 8 dedicated to press, July 9 and 10 to buyers and press and July 11 and 12 to the public. However, exhibiting brands have expressed mixed feelings about the move. mark maidment, chief executive of ben Sherman, said: “my reaction was that the public don’t belong at a wholesale trade fair, but if the idea is to have two days as a festival of fashion, then I can see that it could be interesting to us.

“We dropped out of bbb for a couple of seasons but then returned as it’s very important to us. It works well just as it is, but Karl-Heinz is a bit of a visionary spirit and it’s good that he’s mixing it up again.”

Julian Dunkerton, chief executive of Superdry, which will not be present at bbb’s January edition, took a different view. “Karl-Heinz is the best operator in europe, but this idea is conceptually wrong. Trade shows are not as important as they were and all the shows in europe need to be consolidated into one big show. He should do that,” he said.

Cocosa in talks with buyer Luxury private sales site Cocosa is understood to be in advanced talks with a buyer following owner Mohamed Al-Fayed’s decision to close the business in October. Drapers understands the new owner will absorb the six-figure sum owed to creditors. Industry insiders say interested parties include owners of Zalando Oliver, Alexander and Marc Samwer, BrandAlley and Achica.

Pavers makes bid for Barratts Footwear chain Pavers has reportedly stepped in to buy Barratts, putting in a bid of more than £5m. The news comes as a further 11 stores closed their doors this week, bringing the total number of store closures to 30. Pavers declined to comment.

Festival feel: Bread & Butter founder Müller wants to add entertainment to the show

“Also, protecting intellectual property is the most significant thing to us – why would I show my designs to the public six months before they are in the stores?” müller said he expected brands to offer something different to each of the three audiences, but said how they did it would be up to individuals.

Jason Denham of Amsterdambased Denham the Jeanmaker said: “The concept is similar to what happens at events like Art basel or the milan Furniture Fair, which as a consumer I really love. but our industry should do it even better.

“Splitting the press and buyer days is good as we often fail to serve both at present. As a brand we want to get closer to our end-consumers, so this is interesting. It will make us think differently.” ricardo meyer, managing director for Dutch young fashion brand Gsus Sindustries in Germany, added: “I like this idea. Today no retailers are going for anything new or crazy. by meeting consumers, smaller brands like us can encourage them to put pressure on retailers to stock us.”

See Editor’s Comment for more reaction to BBB’s plans, p9

Aftershock Wholesale in liquidation

Outside influences: Aftershock had concessions in collapsed chain A-Wear

News in brief

Women’s occasionwear label Aftershock Wholesale has gone into liquidation, owing creditors almost £500,000.

Aftershock Wholesale, which has 303 stockists including House of Fraser, New Look and independent chardonnay boutique in Great Dunmow, essex, owes £498,603 to 51 creditors, including two international clothing suppliers who are owed about £300,000.

Nedim Ailyan, director at Aftershock Wholesale liquidator

Abbott Fielding, blamed the company’s demise on the tough independent sector.

He said five years ago the brand had 1,200 stockists but this had dropped to 303 due to many indies collapsing in the past few years.

Aftershock Wholesale boss Hiro Harjani told Drapers the brand had been impacted by the collapse of womenswear chain A-Wear, where it had concessions, and its bankers reducing its facility.

Sports Direct profits surge Sports Direct reported a 16.9% rise in underlying pre-tax profit to £146.2m for the six months to October 27. The sportswear giant said it performed ahead of management’s expectations.

Group revenues rose 23.5% to £1.35bn.

Paul Weller launches men’s line Musician Paul Weller is launching a menswear collection for autumn 14. Real Stars Are Rare is inspired by Weller’s childhood from 1966 to 1972 and includes outerwear, shirting, knitwear and tailoring. Wholesale prices for the 12-piece collection range from £28 for jersey tops to £170 for coats, with a mark-up of 2.75. It is being sold by agency Index London.

Fenwick scoops etail buyer My-Wardrobe.com assistant buyer for women’s contemporary Alexandra Gordon has left the etailer to join Fenwick. Gordon joined My-Wardrobe in March from Selfridges. It is understood she will be a buyer for the contemporary fourth floor of Fenwick’s Bond Street store.

Our last issue of the year This is the final issue of Drapers for 2013. Our first edition of 2014 will be out on January 11, but Drapersonline.com will be updated daily during our break.

December 21 2013 /

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NEWS

Superdry takes step into footwear shows

By Suzanne Bearne

Fresh face: Lyle & Scott spring 14

Lyle & Scott hires novice as boss Young fashion brand Lyle & Scott has hired a fashion novice as its new chief executive after turning to social media to recruit for the position.

Philip Oldham clinched the £250,000-a-year role after submitting a video application that owner Sue Watson said had her “engaged from the first minute”. He was responding to a social media campaign carried out in partnership with headhunter Beringer Tame that kicked off with the tweet “Wanted: #CEO for our iconic British fashion brand. £250k basic salary. Corporate Journeymen need not apply.”

It is thought to be the first time Lyle & Scott has had a chief executive, although Oldham effectively replaces managing director Derrick Campbell, who left in April after eight years in the role.

Oldham joins from the pharmaceutical sector, most recently leading the manufacturing, marketing and sales teams at AstraZeneca. Prior to that he worked at personal hygiene products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark.

Watson said: “I was looking for someone who could bring a great leadership style to Lyle & Scott and I believe that I have found that person in Philip.”

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Drapers / DECEMBER 21 2013

Superdry will show at a dedicated footwear show for the first time next year as the young fashion brand plans to ramp up its wholesaling.

Superdry, whose owner SuperGroup last week reported a 21.8% rise in underlying pre-tax profits to £17.9m in the 26 weeks to October 27, will exhibit its range of footwear at the Micam trade show in Milan from March 2 to 5, 2014.

The brand will offer 24 men’s styles in 56 SKUs and 18 women’s styles in 45 SKUs for autumn 14.

Superdry is also seeking to appoint specialist footwear distributors to drive sales.

Julian Dunkerton, chief executive of SuperGroup, said: “We’re feeling increasingly confident in all aspects of our brand, including footwear.

There’s a huge opportunity for footwear to do well in our stores.

We don’t fully exploit it at wholesale and internationally but we should.”

Superdry’s Micam news comes as Drapers revealed last month that the business had decided to pull out of the next edition of Berlin-based trade show Bread & Butter.

Girls on top: womenswear is doing well

Dunkerton said there were too many clothing trade shows to attend.

“Personally I think there needs to be just one European show. It’s too fragmented, even in Berlin there are so many shows. There needs to be once centre of excellence – one show – with one set of dates.”

He added that womenswear had performed well in the 26 weeks to October 27. The brand hired Christina Lundberg as head of womenswear design in June and Dunkerton said her presence would be felt in a small part of the spring range but mainly in the autumn line.

Littlewoods pulls jumper amid row Online retailer Littlewoods has stopped selling a Christmas jumper that has become the centre of a legal wrangle with an Irish etailer.

Zatori Results, which sells clothing, trophies, costumes, pet products, marine equipment and mobility aids through a range of websites, is suing Littlewoods for allegedly copying a design on a Christmas jumper featuring a snowman and trees.

Zatori claims that Littlewoods has breached its intellectual property rights by selling a Christmas jumper with an almost identical design to one Zatori first started selling last year. Zatori said the alleged copying has led to sales of its jumper diving by 75% compared with last year.

The jumper has now been removed from Littlewoods’ website.

Zatori is also said to be claiming damages for alleged infringement of its unregistered design rights.

The etailer has launched High Court proceedings against Shop Direct Ireland, which trades as Littlewoods Ireland, and its UK-based parent Shop Direct UK. Shop Direct Ireland declined to comment. Zatori was unavailable for comment.

TM LEWIN LOOKS TO ASIA AND US AFTER SALE

TM Lewin plans to expand into China, Japan and the US following the expected sale of the company in the first half of 2014. Chief executive Geoff Quinn said the chain will choose an investor able to help the shirting retailer open concessions and stores in these markets. The business will open at least one concession or store globally each week for the next three years.

Gieves & Hawkes goes back into wholesale

By Catherine Neilan

Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes is launching a wholesale arm, more than a decade after its last venture into supplying.

The business opened its wholesale room at Gieves & Hawkes’ No 1 Savile Row address last week to offer “pre-launch walk-throughs”, and will start to sell the range in January for autumn 14.

Head of sales James Shepherd said the range comprised “exactly what you see in our retail stores and concessions”, including its premium British-made line – which carries three royal warrants, from the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales – as well as its European collection and an entry-level range. Wholesale prices have not been finalised, but retail prices for a two-piece suit from each of the lines are £2,800, £1,700 and £895 respectively.

As well as suits, the range includes casual items such as soft-shouldered jackets and casual shirts.

Shepherd said: “We have a very

Dapper gents: Gieves & Hawkes is seeking wholesale partners

strategic wholesale map of where we want to be. We want to work with the correct partners from the outset – the right partners for a Savile Row label.”

Interest has so far come from retailers based on the Continent, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Japan, Australia and “the big American players like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman”, Shepherd said.

Gieves & Hawkes will also have a

static presentation at London Collections: Men next year.

“We want it to be a global brand,” Shepherd added. “We have nine stores in the UK and 100 in China but we want to fill that gap with the right partners along the way.”

Founded in 1771, Gieves & Hawkes was acquired in 2012 in a deal worth £60m by conglomerate Trinity, part of Li & Fung Group, from a subsidiary of Hong Kongbased Wing Tai Properties.

Treds plots stores in university towns

By Jill Geoghegan

Footwear retailer Treds has bolstered its store expansion plans following a £2.5m funding package from HSBC. The company, which opened its first outlet in Weymouth in 1996, plans to increase its property portfolio from 33 to 40 shops in 2014 as a result of the investment.

The business forecasts that the planned expansion will increase turnover by 25% from the current £14.4m to approximately £20m a year. For the year to March 31, 2013, the company recorded an operating profit of £496,430. Like-for-like sales across its stores are up 5% year on year so far in 2013.

Managing director and owner of Treds, Stephen Kavanagh, told Drapers the company is scouting

Staff boost: Treds is looking to recruit 80 employees as part of its expansion

potential locations in smaller towns or cities that aren’t saturated by high street footwear chains.

“We are looking for underexposed areas that are not flooded by our

competitors or places that are not having their footwear needs served.

The local demographic is important – if there are young people or a university nearby that helps,” he said.

Treds has recently opened new stores in Cwmbran in Wales and Basildon in Essex and its existing store network is concentrated in the Southwest, the Midlands and the south coast, with its most northern store located in Nottingham.

Employee numbers are expected to grow from 260 to 340 at Treds as a result of the expansion, with the majority of roles being created for shop floor staff and management.

The company also plans to invest in its website, which currently makes up 12% of sales. In some stores and online, Treds also sells clothes and accessories.

News in brief American Eagle to launch in UK US young fashion chain American Eagle is set to sign for three London stores as part of its launch into the UK market.

The retailer, which has more than 1,000 stores in the US, has shops under offer in Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City and Bluewater, which could open as early as next summer.

Major retailers to ban angora Asos, Whistles, Next and Ted Baker have pledged to ban the sale of angora fur products after animal rights campaigners PETA revealed videos of rabbits being abused in Chinese angora farms.

Since the videos of Chinese workers plucking fur from live rabbits emerged, retailers including Arcadia, Oasis, Warehouse, Coast, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Primark have pledged to stop the production of angora fur items pending further investigations. Angora yarn from goats is not related to angora fur.

Olsen appoints new boss VeldhovenGroup has appointed Michael Simon as managing director of its womenswear brand, Olsen. Simon has held top positions at fashion brands Gelco, S.Oliver and Gardeur.

Simon will become a member of the VeldhovenGroup board of directors.

Enter the UK fashion awards The NatWest UK Fashion & Textile Awards 2014 will take place on May 22 at East London’s Tobacco Dock. The event recognises creativity, innovation and success in British fashion and textile manufacturing.

The awards can be entered at www.ukftawards.org before February 28.

Newton-Jones weighs anchor Former Shop Direct Group boss Mark Newton-Jones has reached dry land after sailing 3,006 nautical miles across the Atlantic in 18 days, 23 hours and 19 minutes. Crewing on a yacht, he has raised more than £31,000 for charities Children with Cancer UK and Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust, with money still coming in for the causes.

DECEMBER 21 2013 /

Drapers

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HERE & THERE

FESTIVE SELFIES AT ST CHRISTOPHER’S PLACE

TOPMAN AND YR STORE GET CREATIVE Print specialist Yr Store held an event at Topman’s Oxford Circus shop to celebrate the launch of its customisable range. Tequila cocktails helped guests to unleash their inner creativity and design their own Christmas-themed T-shirts and accessories.

St Christopher’s Place in London launched its Festive 489 campaign, which refers to the 489 strides it takes to navigate the shopping area’s 34 stores. A competition was launched to win £500 to spend in one of the shops, with entrants asked to take a selfie with one of the destination’s bell boys and tweet it with the hashtag #festive489.

E H T F F O D R O ReEDrC hirl apers social w Th

SHOOTING AUTUMN 14 Drapers’ fashion team started work on our autumn 14 specials with a menswear shoot last week. Streetwear is next on the agenda. The menswear special is published on January 18.

FASHION SUITS UP FOR CHARITY Well done to the 35 runners from the Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust who participated in the annual Santa Run in London’s Victoria Park for the second year in a row. The team (pictured) raised more than £3,500 for the trade charity.

AN UPLIFTING NIGHT FOR LINGERIE BRANDS CELEBRATING YOUNG FASHION TALENT Design school Istituto Marangoni celebrated its London fashion campus’s 10th anniversary with the UK launch of its Bravo Portraits exhibition, which features the school’s final-year fashion and design students. The evening was attended by designer Henry Holland (pictured with Istituto Marangoni students) who performed a DJ set.

The UK Lingerie Awards 2013 took place at the Freemasons’ Hall in London earlier this month, with winners including Gossard for The UK’s Favourite Lingerie Brand of the Year award (pictured). The UK’s Favourite Lingerie Retailer of the Year went to Debenhams, while Spanx, Rigby & Peller, Selfridges and Figleaves also took home prizes on the night.

GOING TO A GOOD PARTY? Send your photos and gossip to our associate fashion editor graeme.moran@emap.com DECEMBER 21 2013 /

Drapers

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OPINION

Talking Shop

Drapersonline.com stories this week MOST READ Topshop to halt angora sourcing TK Maxx accused of misleading shoppers with discounts Fat Face hires adviser ahead of possible IPO Barratts boss Michael Ziff fired as potential buyers circle Drapers Top 100 2013

MOST COMMENTED TK Maxx accused of misleading shoppers with discounts Bread & Butter to be open to consumers Topshop to halt angora sourcing Pantone’s Colour of the Year wouldn’t be my first choice...

Comments from Drapersonline.com ‘TK Maxx accused of misleading shoppers with discounts’ – Actually it’s not price fixing and is not governed by the 28-day rule because TK Maxx shows the savings made on the recommend retail price, as set by the brand itself. Last month I bought a stylish Rag & Bone hooded coat for £130 which showed an RRP of £495.

Looking on the R&B website that seems about right with a fab saving.

Ezekiel Sweiry ‘Bread & Butter to be open to consumers‘ – This doesn’t sound workable to me. The public will receive confusing messages if they see both autumn 14 and spring 15 collections. And will those collections still excite them when they go into store if they’ve already had sight of them? I will concede, however, it could work for labels if the consumer sees them at Bread & Butter and then demands them from their local stores.

Anonymous ‘Bread & Butter to be open to consumers ‘ – I think this is potentially a great idea for brands to connect directly with their consumers. However, how is Bread & Butter going to determine who is a consumer (paying £21.13) and who is a supplier/non-exhibitor (£422.67)?

Anonymous

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Drapers / DECEMBER 21 2013

‘The Christmas jumper curveball’

D

own here in west Wales, we did get word of the Christmas jumper trend last year but, to be honest, we didn’t think it was one that would travel (or survive). So, they certainly didn’t play any part whatsoever in our range planning and budgeting last January.

But now they are everywhere.

And we have some – actually quite a lot. We have heard that there are some tasteful ones out there, but that is not a road we have chosen to go down. Ours are displayed in all their acrylic glory – a superb selection of penguins, Santas and incredibly goofylooking reindeer in a startling assortment of unnatural and unflattering colours.

They are sitting happily alongside our range of extremely tasteful, carefully selected and

Elaine Black

Co-owner of Welsh independent womenswear retailer Tom Hughes

lovingly merchandised stock, looking entirely out of place, as if they had landed from another planet.

But we just keep on reordering them. Our usually impeccably dressed customers are falling over themselves to get their hands on one. We like to think they are being bought with a sense of irony, but we can’t swear to it. My husband excelled himself

when he managed to sell one to the driver who was dropping off the latest delivery of them, then five minutes later another to our solicitor.

They’re making people smile, which is wonderful. We’ve had years of bad news and gloom, and, if anything, things are going to get worse in our part of the world before they get better. But you look at these jumpers, and for a few minutes you just can’t take life too seriously.

And for a retailer they’re a great reminder of however professionally you approach your business, however hard you work at it, however much you agonise over every single and minute buying decision, in the end you just cannot second guess the customer.

And, in this case, why would you even want to ?

Talking Business

‘Wishing you all a prosperous 2014’

W

e’d barely cleared the New Year’s party streamers when the bad news began – the collapses of Jessops, Blockbuster and HMV created a nasty sense of déjà vu for the retail world. It felt like the doldrums of the previous few years was a dark cloud loitering.

The weather wasn’t helping either, as one of the longest, bleakest winters in recent history dampened spirits. It also dented sales of spring 13 ranges as we opted to remain in knitwear instead of spending on the spring florals the shops were filling with.

However, Britain got a much needed fillip when – finally – Andy Murray got to lift the trophy at Wimbledon. Then we celebrated the arrival of Prince George. After months of maternitywear-watch – where mum-to-be brand

Mary Anderson-Ford Managing director of recruitment firm Aquaretail

Séraphine saw a 400% uplift in sales – we moved on and started analysing baby grows, blankets and moses baskets. It was estimated that the future king’s arrival boosted UK retail to the tune of £243m.

But best of all, we enjoyed the hottest, driest and sunniest summer since 2006, which allowed fashion to flourish.

Ecommerce and m-commerce sales broke record after record,

and retailers introduced yet more innovative shopping channels such as click-and-collect and same-day delivery. Retail was alive once more.

While the tills were ringing, the wider economic picture was becoming brighter too. Many key industries reported a huge uplift in performance, and the UK was said to be returning to growth at a rate faster than any other country.

As the year draws to a close, we also are still experiencing the ‘correct’ weather – the autumn was autumnal, and winter is wintry. Everything bodes well for a successful season for retailers.

After what has been a hugely challenging few years, it is refreshing for retailers, suppliers and consumers alike to go into the new year in such high spirits. And long may it continue. Wishing you all a prosperous 2014.

EDITOR’S COMMENT

‘A public Bread & Butter will benefit brands’

C

hristmas parties are often a lot of fun but they are rarely humbling and uplifting at the same time. Those were the emotions I experienced, however, last week when I looked in at the celebration organised by Jermyn Street shirtmaker Emma Willis for former members of the armed forces and their families. Through her charity Style for Soldiers this engaging entrepreneur makes bespoke shirts for ex-servicemen and women who have been injured, often very badly, in combat, mainly in Afghanistan.

Dressing smartly is part of the military ethos. The often specially adapted clothes that Emma makes go a long way to restoring some of the pride of the brave souls who have lost one or more limbs and find it hard to dress as they would like. The thank you letters she receives from the recipients are very moving.

To meet these young people, some barely out of their teens, who are facing the future without hands, arms, legs, and eyes is humbling. The main message of the evening, however, was not about sympathy or pride, but more about the fact that these welltrained and intelligent ex-service people require employment. A liaison officer, Mark Schorah, reminded us that, although physically disadvantaged, these impressive characters make excellent employees – they just need to be given the chance. Email MSchorah@recoverycareerservices.org.uk to learn how you can help.

On Monday bright sunshine greeted me as I arrived in Berlin for the press conference at which Karl-Heinz Müller revealed his plans

Eric Musgrave Editorial director, Drapers eric.musgrave@emap.com

to reinvigorate the Bread & Butter Berlin (BBB) trade show. As Drapers reported online on Monday and on p3 of this issue, Müller’s radical proposal is that from July 2014 BBB should devote its first day to the press, then have two days for buyers and press and then run for two days on which the public would be admitted on the purchase of a €25 ticket.

All the details have yet to be worked out, but Müller was insistent that no direct selling to the public should take place at the show. He suggested that the public days could turn into a festival of fashion, featuring bands or a vintage flea market and other entertainments.

Müller pointed out that a significant number of trade events also successfully welcome the public, such as the BaselWorld watch fair, the Frankfurt Book Fair, various motor shows, the Milan Furniture Fair, Art Basel and so on. Not everyone is convinced.

The usually staid and respectable TextilWirtschaft, the Drapers of Germany, previewed the press conference with a highly

sceptical piece entitled “Has he gone crazy?” or words to that effect. There were naysayers among the 200 or so press, brands, agents and others gathered at the launch. One representative of a huge US footwear brand, who asked not to be named, told me he thought the entire idea of inviting in the public was “rather pointless”. “We have 4,000 points of sale in the German-speaking countries and probably 15,000 across Europe, so we have plenty of contact with our end-consumers already,” he argued.

But that misses the point, I believe.

Although the strategy is not fully formed, I can see that this idea would provide a platform from which brands can communicate directly with the buying public in a celebratory, yet controlled, manner. I can see that plenty of questions need to be answered, such as whether in July 14 a brand would show the upcoming autumn 14 collection or the spring 15 ranges that are aimed at the trade buyers, but let’s not forget that Müller is one of the industry’s visionaries. People said he was crazy to move in 2003 from Cologne to Berlin after just three shows. They said the same when he shifted to Barcelona for eight seasons from July 2005 and questions were asked when he returned to the German capital in July 2009. He proved the sceptics wrong and I suspect he may be about to do it again.

So, wishing you all a good Christmas period and a happy, healthy, prosperous and fulfilling 2014, the Drapers team is taking some time off.

Your next issue will be dated January 11. I hope you like the changes to the magazine and website we have instigated for the new year.

I am looking forward to it already.

Drapers is based at Telephone House, 69-77 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NQ Tel: 020 3033 2600 Email: drapers@emap.com. All Drapers emails follow the style of firstname.surname@emap.com.

All Drapers telephone numbers begin with 020 3033 followed by the extension number shown here. EDITORIAL Editorial Director Eric Musgrave, 2759 Deputy Editor Ana Santi, 2760 News Editor Catherine Neilan, 2771 Senior News Reporter Victoria Gallagher, 2767 Reporter Jill Geoghegan, 2861 Features Editor James Knowles, 2761 Associate Fashion Editor Graeme Moran, 2768 Fashion Writer Emily Norval, 2914 Online Editor Keely Stocker, 2762 Deputy Special Projects Editor David Brooks, 2846 Group Art Director Alison Fisher, 2764 Group Production Editor Steve Draper, 2765 Deputy Production Editor Digby Bodenham, 4235 Senior Sub-Editor Alice Hall, 4268 Supplements Production Editor Tracey Gardner, 2769 Editorial Administrator Nadine McKen, 2770 Contributors Simon Adamson COMMERCIAL Group Commercial Director James MacLeod, 2939 Advertising Manager Julia Jones-Collins, 2952 Senior Account Manager Rebecca Soni, 2958 Account Managers Elizabeth Harris, 2994, Natalie Hill, 4305 Sales Executive Daniel May, 2956 Head of Client Solutions & Events Victoria Hart, 2961 Event Manager Katie Marcel, 2962 Event Executive Rosie Birchenough, 2964 Classified Sales Executive Dawn O’Brien, 2959 Sales Administrator Lizzie Fuller, 2696 Production Manager Jo Lambert, 2677 Recruitment Advertising Account Director Peter Bruce-Smythe, 2985 Recruitment Sales Executives Freya Lucas, 2669, Rebecca Tonkinson, 2991 Senior Campaign Marketing Executive Kam Sohi, 2870 Head of Brand Hayley Ward, 4276 Production Controller David Ly, 2687 PUBLISHING Managing Director, Architecture, Fashion & Building Services Richard Breeden, 2683 Chief Executive of EMAP Natasha Christie-Miller, 2691 PA to Chief Executive of EMAP Clair Sabel, 2692 Subscriptions UK £249, UK independent retailers £195.

Europe (by airmail) £342, worldwide airmail £356. EMAP Publishing Ltd. For UK subscription queries please call 0844 848 8858. For all other subscription queries please call 01604 828705. Newstrade Distribution Seymour Distribution Ltd. Tel: 020 7396 8095. Origination by F1 Colour, Copperfield St, London SE1. Printed and bound by Headley Brothers, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8HH. ISSN Number: 1479–1617. Drapers is published by EMAP, part of Top Right Group Ltd. © EMAP 2013

DECEMBER 21 2013 /

Drapers

9

FASHION INDEX

Dan Coen

Director, corporate advisory firm Zolfo Cooper

I

t seems fashion and online were the retail sector’s biggest success stories last month, as sales in the UK edged up 2.3% on last year.

By and large, the retailers responsible for these gains are those that understand the fact that they simply can’t afford to stand still in today’s market.

With customer expectations climbing as quickly as the number of people sharing their experiences on Twitter, this year’s leading fashion retailers understand the need to innovate and engage with customers in order to satisfy their ever-changing needs.

Primark offers a good example of how this works in practice. It used to be known for good value basics, but the retailer has become much more fashion-focused over the past year, with fast-turning stock and a nod towards the latest trends.

As a result, Primark has been able to offer low-cost fast fashion at a time when most consumers are keeping a careful eye on their spending.

Likewise, Tesco is hoping its F&F range, which is sold in 450 UK Tesco shops and 16 countries worldwide, will provide some stiff competition in this market by bolstering the brand’s physical presence in-store and attracting new online customers at the same time.

The company is already making great strides in this regard. Its first dedicated F&F womenswear shop-in-shop now offers a combination of high-street convenience with upmarket branding and imagery that sets it apart from the competition.

Last but not least is the much-adored John Lewis, which has provided other UK retailers with a masterclass in how to use bricks-and-mortar stores as an experiential retail platform. John Lewis managed to stay at the top of its game in 2013 by offering a memorable, meaningful, real-world shopping experience. This is supported by well-trained staff, high-quality merchandise, faultless merchandising and a robust omnichannel platform that reinforces the brand’s core values in a consistent and tangible way.

Retailers that learn these important lessons – and act on them – are those that will have reasons to be cheerful in 2014. However, they will need to begin the new year by thinking about how they can offer this kind of customer experience, rather than desirable clothing alone.

Retailers that can achieve this goal will have a golden opportunity to boost their sales, not only in store, but also via mobile and online – which will make for a happy New Year indeed.

10

Drapers / DECEMBER 21 2013

WEEKLY FOOTFALL RETAIL INDEX National UK footfall figures Week 50 – December 9 to December 15, 2013

+10.1%

-3.3% YEAR-ON-YEAR CHANGE

WEEK-ON-WEEK CHANGE

The Experian FootFall National Retail Index reported a bumper 10.1% increase in shopper activity last week. This is the fifth consecutive week to see an uplift week on week. Thursday in particular had a 20.8% increase week on week, due to poor weather on the same day the week before. The year on year result equates to a 3.3% decline in footfall compared to the same week last year.

Friday was the only day to see an increase in the year on year results, of 2.6%.

HIGH STREET SALES TRACKER

Like-for-like sales figures across the high street Week ending December 15, 2013

-3.06% -3.3%

Clothing

Total fashion

-3.64% Footwear

Even from a poor base last year, fashion sales remained repressed, but there was an improvement from the previous week as some retailers chose to delay discounting. Clothing sales are likely to be impacted by the extra shopping weekend this year. For more information, email don.williams@bdo.co.uk

DRAPERSJOBS.COM

The UK’s employment hot spot and the most popular roles

The most applied for jobs NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE 48.37%

1. Design 6.8% 2. Production 6.8% 3. Sales 6.2% 4. Merchandising 6.1%

Highest growth location (defined by % increase in traffic to DrapersJobs week on week)

5. Buying 3.9%

ILLUSTRATIONS BY NATHALIE LEES

‘Smart retailers face a happy New Year ’

INDICATOR

Young Fashion What’s selling now?

WOMEN’S

MEN’S

Robert Watson Owner, Classic Urbanwear in Omagh, Northern Ireland

Simon Powell Co-owner, Brilliant Disguise in Stroud, Gloucestershire

“Tommy Hilfiger Puffa-style jackets are doing well at the moment (£150 to £190 at retail).

French Connection dresses are also strong sellers.

These range from simple day dresses to party dresses, which are priced from £100 to £130.

Rant and Rave has very competitive prices so is always in demand.”

“Superdry has been working for us. The brand’s Fairisle Crew knitwear range (£55) has been selling across quite a few of the colours. The Retro Hooded gilet (£65) has been another piece performing strongly. We’re also finding that it’s the pieces with less branding that are working better.”

Danny Shiers Owner, Cube Clothes in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire

Paul Woods Owner, Encore in Liverpool “Tops (£35 to £69) and scarves (£25) from Soaked in Luxury are our strongest sellers. This is a stylish reasonably priced brand and the clothes are good quality. The dresses (£135) from the Pretty Dress Company are also in high demand.”

“Replay is selling well. It has just sponsored FC Barcelona and we’ve seen a lot of the brand’s Waitom jeans (£115) sell as a result.

It’s a great partnership. We’ve also sold a lot of Duck and Cover knitwear (£60 to £80) and denim (£60 to £80).”

Superdry

Alison Riley Owner, Alive in Leek, Staffordshire

Johnny Shadforth Assistant manager, Yakuza in Sunderland

“Only’s knitwear is very popular (£18 to £35). It’s cheap so sells quickly. We have a range of things in from French Connection, but the dresses do especially well, particularly as it’s party season at the moment. The bodycon dresses are really popular and range from £60 to £90.”

“Everything has gone a lot more streetwearfocused for us. Crooks & Castles has been doing very well. Believe it or not, it’s the T-shirt range (£30) that has been selling strongly. It has a strong print and a great price. We’ve also seen the hoodies (£75 to £95) selling strongly.”

Adrian Hensler Partner, Gas Station in Sevenoaks, Kent

Darren Comerford Managing director, Fallen Hero in Scunthorpe

“About 80% of the products we sell are Superdry.

The hoodie (£45 to £75) and knitwear (£50 to £80) ranges are the main best-sellers. The jeans range from Diesel (£95 to £130) is also in high demand for women.”

Rhowen Yoki Owner, Fusion in Wadebridge, Cornwall

Religion

Duck and Cover

“Religion has been going well. People are after its graphic T-shirts (£35). The brand has a unique look and a cult following. We’re also finding Replay very strong. We’re selling a lot of its jeans (£90 to £130) and denim shirts (£85 to £105).”

Keiron Clarke Co-owner, Ashes Menswear in Bournemouth

“Vero Moda is selling extremely well, mainly with outerwear. The Great Parka (£65) has done incredibly well, along with the Verve jacket (£90).

The Rice jumper (£22) is another popular product from this brand. Dresses from Glamorous are also in demand. We have a long sleeved black sequin number that is £45.”

“Guide London shirting has been a bit of a phenomenon. We’ve been doing very well with both the basic triple button collar (£59.99) and the double collar (£64.99). They fly out because people love the detailing.“

Stuart Smith Owner, Zebra Menswear in Chesterfield

Elaine Edwards Ladieswear and accessories buyer, Barbours in Dumfries “Tunic dresses from Vero Moda are another good seller. These are nice dresses that could be worn to a Christmas party, and they’re only £35 so as you can imagine they are very popular.”

“The younger guys are buying Stone Island.

The brand has really broadened its appeal, it’s a great product. The sweatshirts (£135 to £185), three button collar shirts (£150) and hoodies (£140 to £210) are all selling strongly.”

Jane Abbot Owner, Atom Heart in Pwllheli, Wales

Mal Searle Buyer, Changes Menswear in Cleveland, Middlesbrough

“Criminal Damage skinny jeans are a good seller.

They provide an alternative look but are also quite cheap at £29.99. Iron Fist T-shirts are also in demand, although these are a bit more expensive (around £28 to £35). They’re quite elaborate, with a few skull designs.”

“We’re finding that younger customers are going for a smarter look at the moment. The Luke Roper range has a dressier look with more refined detailing. We’re doing well with the brand’s fitted shirts (£80) and the knitwear range (£85).

Customers are definitely looking for fine details.”

Glamorous

DECEMBER 21 2013 /

Drapers

11

REVIEW OF THE YEAR

2013’s hot From high-profile launches to headline-grabbing job

JANUARY

In January, French luxury group PPR – now called Kering – acquired a 51% stake in UK designer brand Christopher Kane (spring 13 pictured). At the time the group said the partnership aimed to take the brand “to the next level”.

John Lewis announced it would launch a new own-label lifestyle range called Kin. The range spans womenswear, menswear and kidswear and premiered in February.

At accessories brand Radley, Xavier Simonet joined as chief executive a year after the departure of former boss Sven Gaede.

MARCH

Former Marks & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose joined Fat Face as chairman, taking over from Alan Giles, who left the business in July.

March saw womenswear group Aurora Fashions restructure, splitting Coast from Oasis (pictured) and Warehouse and housing the pair under new name Fresh Channel, with former Oasis boss Liz Evans at the helm as chief executive.

Land Securities’ 1 million sq ft shopping centre Trinity Leeds opened on March 21.

Words by JAMES KNOWLES

FEBRUARY

APRIL

Footwear retailer Schuh (pictured) beat rivals Aldo and Clarks to the top gong at the Drapers Footwear and Accessories Awards, taking home the Multiple Footwear Retailer of the Year award.

On April 24 the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, which housed clothing factories supplying Primark and Mango among others, collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people. Primark later became one of the first retailers to sign up to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, as well as paying compensation to victims’ families.

12

Drapers / DECEMBER 21 2013

MAY

JD Sports Fashion emerged triumphant in the bidding war for footwear etailer Cloggs, which it returned to the high street with a store in Shrewsbury in December, with plans to grow its estate to 20 over five years.

Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massenet launched her first London Fashion Week as chairman of the British Fashion Council by unveiling an ambitious plan to boost the UK’s fashion sector, focused on five pillars: investment, education, innovation, digital and reputation.

Young fashion chain Republic collapsed into administration and was bought out by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal Ashley gained 116 Republic stores, all of its stock, its website and own-brands including SoulCal and Fabric.

York independent Coggles (above) entered administration at the beginning of May after talks to secure further investment fell through. Etailer The Hut Group bought Coggles in June, purchasing assets including stock and intellectual property, but closing its shops and making staff redundant.

Marks & Spencer’s make-or-break autumn 13 collection – the first under style director Belinda Earl – received positive reviews from the fashion press and bought chief executive Marc Bolland some time for a turnaround.

JUNE

In June, Topshop opened a 14,000 sq ft flagship in Hong Kong.

Further locations are planned in mainland China, with managing director Mary Homer citing Beijing and Shanghai.

New Look announced plans to axe 90 stores to focus on larger sites as part of a turnaround plan.

Burberry’s menswear show returned to London for London Collections: Men after 10 years in Milan.

John Lewis made its debut at the show.

Primark launched on Asos with a selection of product but ended the partnership in September.

stories

moves, it has been a year to remember AUGUST

Primark announced plans to take more than 233,000 sq ft of retail space in France over the following 12 months, identifying five stores that will open between this December and next June. The value retailer made its French debut in Marseille just before Christmas with a 62,800 sq ft flagship in the Grand Littoral shopping centre.

Marks & Spencer’s autumn 13 ‘Leading Ladies’ campaign (below) – shot by US photographer Annie Leibovitz and featuring actress Helen Mirren and US Vogue creative director Grace Coddington among others – was unveiled to a mixed response from the industry.

JULY

Luxury label Nicole Farhi (pictured right) went into administration, only to be bought later in the month by fashion entrepreneur Maxine Hargreaves-Adams, daughter of Matalan founder John Hargreaves.

John Lewis buying and brand director Peter Ruis announced he would leave the store group after nine years to join womenswear chain Jigsaw as chief executive in September.

NOVEMBER

Asos launched its Chinese site Asos.com/cn, taking the etail giant to its eighth locallanguage site.

Marks & Spencer revealed half-year results that showed a 1.5% drop in general merchandise like-for-likes in the 26 weeks to September 28 – its ninth consecutive quarter of decline.

The retailer has since unveiled a colourful spring 14 line (left and below).

Bonmarché launched on the London stock exchange on November 20 with a £40m share issue, while department store House of Fraser appointed investment bank Rothschild to advise on its impending IPO, due to take place next spring.

Primark and John Lewis were both double winners at the Drapers Awards 2013. Primark scooped Fashion Retail Business of the Year (over £125m turnover) and International Fashion Retailer of the Year, while John Lewis won the Department Store Business of the Year category and also took the Best Store Design trophy for its Exeter branch.

My-Wardrobe.com chief executive David Worby left the business in the wake of a pre-pack administration.

Footwear retailer Barratts also entered administration, blaming “difficult trading conditions” in the sector for its demise.

SEPTEMBER

Mary Portas (pictured) was grilled at a select committee hearing where she admitted frustration with the Government and a sense that the future of the high street is not a top priority.

September saw arguably the biggest job move of the year when it was announced Marigay McKee would leave her role as chief merchant at Harrods to join New York department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue as president in January. Her role has since been split into two, with Helen David as fashion director of womenswear, accessories, fine jewellery and kidswear, while Jason Broderick holds the same role for menswear, sports and watches.

DECEMBER

Primark chief executive Paul Marchant (left) was named as the UK fashion industry’s most influential person in Drapers’ annual Top 100 list.

My-Wardrobe.com co-founder Sarah Curran resurfaced at Shop Direct as a director, where she will woo luxury brands to work with the business.

OCTOBER

Designer Marc Jacobs left Louis Vuitton after 16 years at the brand to focus on his own label as it heads towards an IPO. Kate Moss (above) returned to Topshop for her first collection in three years, which is due to be unveiled next April.

Chancellor George Osborne announced a pilot scheme in which visa applications for Chinese visitors entering the UK would be simplified, much to the delight of UK retailers.

US brand J Crew arrived in the UK with its first store, a men’s shop on Lambs Conduit Street in central London.

A women’s store followed three weeks later, and a Regent Street flagship opened on November 8 (pictured below).

Harvey Nichols fashion director Paula Reed departed after just one year in her role.

Burberry announced that chief executive Angela Ahrendts is to step down next year to join technology firm Apple as senior vice president, with chief creative officer Christopher Bailey taking over the reins at Burberry.

Shop Direct, parent company of Very, Littlewoods and Isme, among others, reported its first pre-tax profit in 10 years, netting £6.6m over the 12 months to June 30, up from a £57.7m loss last year.

DECEMBER 21 2013 /

Drapers

13

The Drapers inTerview I Frank lyman

Let’s be Frank

Womenswear veteran Frank Lyman is building a huge new office for his brand, but he has not forgotten the importance of independents and still gets excited by sales Words by Victoria GallaGher Photography by ian Macaulay

H

e may have been in the industry for more than 40 years, but canadian Frank lyman shows no signs of slowing down.

In fact, the founder of mainstream womenswear brand Frank lyman Design has a busy 2014 ahead. Firstly, a 177,605 sq ft building in montreal, canada, is currently under construction to become the brand’s new head office and will take the business to “the next level”, says lyman.

It includes a state-of-the-art automated receiving and shipping system along with modern showrooms. The office, which is due to open in the spring, is located close to montréal– Trudeau airport to help ease access for visitors to Frank lyman Design’s headquarters.

However, at the heart of the business is its product, which is a favourite among mainstream womenswear independents in the Uk. lyman explains that the brand continuously works to update its offering and for spring 14 has launched a new capsule collection of cocktail dresses and floor-length gowns to provide its stockists with a strong range of “extra special” pieces. Johanne baron, vice-president of design and a long-time associate of lyman, is responsible for the look of the range.

The 39-piece evening dress collection, lyman

by Frank lyman, includes knee-length bandagestyle dresses and one-shoulder frocks. Wholesale prices range from £80 for a knee-length dress to £110 for a floor-length gown. across both the mainline and the new capsule collection lyman says the fabric, fit and style of a garment are all hugely important, but that pieces need to have “the wow factor”. He adds: “Personal customers email me around 10 to 15 times a day to say thank you very much for your styling, we love it. That, to me, is better than money.”

The brand now has 3,000 wholesale accounts worldwide including more than 250 Uk stockists such as independent womenswear retailers Gilly’s of burnham market in norfolk and catherines of Partick in Glasgow.

“We are very happy with that number of stockists,” says michael black, managing director of Premier Fashions, Frank lyman Design’s Uk agent. “We don’t want to flood the market.”

14

Drapers / December 21 2013

He adds: “We’ve been working with Frank lyman for eight or nine years now and what gives the brand the edge is that it goes that extra mile.

We support the independents and the brand is supporting us.”

Frank lyman’s success among its stockists was recognised this year when the label was shortlisted for Womenswear brand of the year at the Drapers Independents awards 2013 in november, something which lyman says he was hugely proud of. “It’s great to be nominated as competition is fierce,” he says. However, the brand was pipped to the post on the day by competitor Joseph ribkoff – the company where lyman spent part of his career.

The brand is a mainstay for independents, a sector that lyman is firmly committed to. He says it is down to brands to create products consumers will love in order to help retailers survive the tough times. “you’ve got to make goods that are going to sell,” he says. “you’ve got to work at it.

It is very important that these independents make money and I just hope all our competitors think in the same way, as it’s better for everybody. a lot of people only want to help themselves, but if independents sell coats then it helps me, as it helps them pay their bills. If people don’t help independents make money then there aren’t going to be any independents eventually.

When somebody tells me they didn’t do well with something it really kills me.”

The brand certainly seems to be impressing its indie stockists. megan clappison, sales and marketing assistant at women’s occasionwear indie Wat’s On in Hull, says Frank lyman Design “ticks all the boxes”, with pieces “designed cleverly” to hide problem areas.

“Once ladies try on the brand’s dresses their figures are often transformed,” she explains.

“Hips, stomachs and bingo wings are hidden and covered with the clever designs and waists appear to look twice as small with cummerbunds and such details.”

Stockists praise the brand for its dedication to moving with the times and creating pieces that are both trend-led but also mindful of the needs of their target customer. and after four decades in the industry it is clear lyman’s love of the industry is still as strong

as ever. “Passion is the number one thing in the fashion industry,” he says. “If you don’t have the passion for the fashion you’re not in the right business. When the office calls and they say we just got a reorder of 12 pieces or 24 pieces that gets me excited. everything else is dull; the part where they sell stuff is the part that I love.” lyman started in the industry aged just 18 as a salesman selling products from the back of a van. “We used to do it all through the year, about 48 weeks a year,” he says. “It was fun and all of a sudden I realised I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning, and I decided this was the industry I wanted to be in. The rest is history.”

Quebec-based lyman doesn’t believe there have been many drastic changes during his time in the industry. He says: “It has changed a bit, but I don’t find there has been too much of a difference. It’s just getting a little faster, with the technology there are emails coming in and people are all over you. “retailers want their fashion faster because they are getting pushed by their customers. The customer used to go into a shop and be told they could have a piece in three weeks, but now they say they need it tomorrow.”

One clear change in the industry has been the emergence of ecommerce. The brand has a website but it is not transactional and directs shoppers to their nearest Frank lyman Design stockist. lyman says: “We don’t want to do the other [ecommerce] because it will be intervening with our retail customers. but as things are getting faster and faster who knows what will happen?

Who would have thought people would be reading their morning paper on the internet?”

The team has a host of new ventures planned, although lyman is not able to disclose them as yet. “We are in the midst of creating our new head office and we also launched a perfume [last year]. We are getting into accessories too, and introduced handbags two and a half years ago.

We are like a one-stop shop now. We have work to do, but as long as we have work we’re Ok.” lyman believes that people must work hard to constantly better themselves. He also only employs people who have a genuine passion for the trade and care about the business.

“In our organisation we want people who love the customers and take it into their hearts.”

AquAscutum I Shopwatch

Back on the West End stage

A year after it was bought out of administration, Aquascutum has returned to central London

A

Words by CATHERINE NEILAN

quascutum has made a grand return to London’s West end with a new store on Great marlborough street, directly opposite Liberty. eight weeks before the official November 19 opening, the store concept was still being decided on, but when Drapers visited at the beginning of December it looked anything but thrown-together.

Light wooden flooring and fixtures, glass counters, couches and floor-to-ceiling photography give the 4,546 sq ft space a light and modern feel, while still allowing the British brand to push its heritage credentials.

Designed by AmD Interior Architecture, which says the idea was to “evoke the feeling of moving through different rooms of a grand house”, the store incorporates several elements sourced from British designers such as tom Kirk, who designed bespoke chandeliers, or items manufactured domestically, including rugs created

by Ayrshire-based specialist turnberry Rug Works. the layout is commercially savvy – womenswear and the newly launched kidswear range are on the ground floor, showcasing these collections to the more casual browsers, with the more dominant menswear division upstairs.

Product quality is also being improved, meaning the business plans to stretch its price points for the next few seasons in its new home. classic jersey polos will remain at £65, but exit prices will move from the current £1,400 for a camel Burlington coat to more than £2,000 for a double-faced Italian cashmere overcoat.

Raincoats range from £650 to £900 for both men and women, while a child’s trench is £225. the junior range, which launched for autumn 13, starts at £65 for a cotton long-sleeved shirt.

One of the reasons for the store’s fast-track launch was to catch the christmas shopper, but Aquascutum is very much considering the long game, treating the launch as the brand’s first step in a bid to a return to its former glory. According to chief operating officer mark taylor: “We’ve got a huge, loyal customer base that was disappointed not to have a West end store. since we started trading, people have been walking past and going ‘wow, Aquascutum is back’.”

Parent company YGm trading has invested £800,000 into the new store, demonstrating its plans for Aquascutum’s future. Hong Kong-based YGm, which also owns J Lindeberg, Guy Laroche and golfing brand Ashworth, bought the company out of administration in may 2012 for £15m.

Although taylor won’t go into details, he says money is being ploughed in to get the business back on track. that means rebuilding its reputation as well as fundamentals such as quality, design and a physical presence. With YGm’s financial backing, taylor plans to bring Aquascutum’s other uK stores, at Westfield London, Windsor and canary Wharf, “up to this level”. “there is work to do at Westfield, definitely, to get it to what it should be, but hopefully by march next year you will walk in and it will feel like this,” he says. “We want to bring the customer experience up to the level that Aquascutum should be providing.” this is on top of taylor’s expansion plans – he is looking for more sites in London’s Brompton Road, Bond street and covent Garden for openings in the next couple of years – and although the Great marlborough street store has the feel of a flagship, it will be one of these new locations that will become the brand’s focal point. the bricks-and-mortar launch follows the relaunch of Aquascutum’s website in August, and its social media accounts were turned back on after being shut for six months “because the message we were sending out was very wrong”.

“We’ve been quiet for too long and we have got to invest, and we are investing,” taylor adds. “this is the first time the brand has had the three critical elements it needs to make it successful – funding, belief and the right resources. YGm trading believes in the brand, they are willing to invest and the product is getting stronger each season.”

Aquascutum will benefit from making its grand return just off Regent street because of the kudos the brand has with international consumers as well as domestic ones. With some 1,200 points of sale in mainland china, the company has recognised the importance of having a central London base, allowing it to wear its Great British credentials with pride.

DecemBeR 21 2013 /

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ECOMMERCE

Multichannel focus Venda takes payments international; etailers are stuck in the slow lane; using the right form Words by KEELY STOCKER

Venda creates a global online payment system

RETAILERS FAIL TO GET THEIR SITES UP TO SPEED Retailers could be losing out on sales due to slow loading of their websites, according to a survey.

Ecommerce consultancy Summit said the industry benchmark for page load time is three seconds, but during peak times 61% of fashion retailers’ websites took more than three seconds to load, with an average speed of 4.63 seconds for their entire sites, according to its survey.

While the average load time was quickest for the home page of sites, when breaking the times down to category and product pages, the loading speeds were slower. The survey showed the average load time for category pages was 4.12 seconds and for product pages it was 5.08 seconds.

In the report, Summit refers to studies by Aberdeen Research Group, which show that a one-second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions, an 11% reduction in the number of pages viewed and a 16% decline in reported customer satisfaction.

Summit also notes that Google states that a page is considered “slow” if it takes longer than 1.5 seconds to load, which can have an incremental impact on search engine optimisation .

18

Drapers / DECEMBER 21 2013

Ecommerce solutions provider Venda has launched a payment system that aims to help retailers with their international expansion.

VendaPay, which has launched exclusively with London luxury retailer LN-CC (pictured), offers a suite of interchangeable payment options, such as omnichannel solutions and a ‘pay later’ function. The system gives global customers a localised payment option to allow them to make a purchase in their preferred method and currency.

David Hobson, ecommerce director at LN-CC, said: “Online payments are handled differently across the world and as a retailer with international growth plans, we need to understand these country differences and offer the relevant payment options to our customers.

By not offering a certain type of solution, we are needlessly missing out on sales and revenue.”

With support from Danish payment firm Pensio, VendaPay aims to simplify the process. It offers assistance to retailers working with international banks and puts in place fraud prevention measures.

It also gives retailers access to an automated real-time analytics platform from which they can see integrated transaction and payment data from a range of sources such as merchant websites, payment gateways and banks.

Hobson says: “VendaPay offers

us a single customisable solution that takes care of the arduous reporting and reconciliation processes that span international markets. Ultimately, it allows us to focus on our business, while offering local solutions in the regions we want to target.”

MAKE SURE FORM-FILLING DOESN’T MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS SWITCH OFF ● Forms are a vital part of the online buying process, but can often be too long and difficult to complete. ● Research that TOM NEW Marketing tracked 700,000 director at web form views found that analytics firm 81% of people who Formisimo started filling out a form failed to complete it. This poses a significant problem for online retailers and demonstrates that customers tire of online forms very easily.

● This figure is even higher on mobile devices and rises to almost 90% abandonment on tablets, so it’s imperative for fashion etailers to ensure their forms work easily on mobile devices. This year, purchases on mobiles will reach an all-time high. ● Don’t make people register before checking out – one study found that more than a quarter of customers would abandon a purchase if they were forced to register first. ● Shorter forms take less time to fill in and are easier to complete, so think about which fields you can cut out.

‘County’ is often asked for in online forms, but this information has not been used by Royal Mail to deliver parcels since 1996 – the same applies for couriers. Postcode and street address details are sufficient. ● Delivery costs are also important to online shoppers. One study found that 73% of customers want free shipping options and 50% would leave a checkout process if faced with unsatisfactory delivery options. Be clear about costs, and offer a free delivery option if possible, even if it takes longer to reach your customer.

PRODUCT NEWS

‘Get your last-minute buys in now’ Emily Norval Fashion writer, Drapers emily.norval@emap.com

A

s the year draws to a close, we’re already well into the autumn 14 season at Drapers, with our special shoots currently taking place and our fashion cupboard stocked with shiny new product to unveil in January.

But if there is one thing you learn quickly in fashion, it is how to operate in various seasons at the same time.

As you can see from the fourth instalment of our high street preview (p20), multiples have unveiled the spring 14 trends they are banking on. While buying forwardorder product for spring might feel like a distant memory at this point in the year, it’s a great time to have a look at your short-order budget. As we’ve seen this week, there’s so much going on, and now everyone’s spring cards are on the table, it’s a smart move to make a last-minute buy into the key trends mentioned.

So what are the key looks on the high street, and more importantly will they pay off ? It is an eclectic season to be sure, with a cacophony of textures (mesh, sheer, leather, jacquard), prints (florals, oriental, animal) and stand-out hero pieces (mid-length skirts, bombers, jumpsuits). Retailers are experimenting with edgier directions, some of which, like the all-white and sheer trends, I’ve been dubious about when it comes to mainstream names such as Marks & Spencer and F&F, but others, such as Karen Millen and Matalan, have made them work for their customers.

Even if not everything works, it’s nice to see so much diverse product on offer this season, and here’s hoping the trend for innovation will kick through to autumn 14.

BIONDI DIVES INTO OWN RANGE

Chelsea designer swimwear boutique Biondi is launching its own collection for spring 14, with wholesale books open for orders. The 21-piece range, which includes tops, cover-ups and swimwear, is the brainchild of Biondi founder Claudine Davies. Wholesale prices range from £28.50 to £54 for bikini separates, to £67 to £88 for swimsuits and £35 to £106 for cover-ups.

Contact: 020 7349 0430 www.biondicouture.com

Ida expands into tees with capsule range Ida, the denim brand of the eponymous independent store owner Donna Ida, has expanded its offer for spring 14 to include a capsule collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts for the first time. It has been created in collaboration with designer Simeon Farrar, who also recently worked with ethical brand People Tree. The four-piece range incorporates quirky slogans such as ‘Chihuahua Power’ and is still available to buy now for a February/ March delivery. The collaboration will continue next season.

Wholesale prices range from £24 for a vest, to £28 for a T-shirt and £35 for a sweatshirt.

Fall for Love Short-order label Love has debuted its spring 14 range, which hits all of the key trends for the season, including florals, pastel shades and the all-important jumpsuit. Tied together under an oriental theme, the collection gives emphasis to draped, silky fabrics and kimono-style silhouettes. Wholesale prices range from £10 for tops and skirts to £18 for knits and jumpsuits.

Contact: 020 7253 2614 www.inlovewithfashion.com

Contact: 020 7486 4800 www.donnaida.com

FIRST LOOK AT BARACUTA COLLECTION

Here’s a sneak peek of the debut Baracuta Blue Label collection designed by new creative director Jeff Griffin, exclusively revealed to Drapers ahead of the full unveil at the Pitti Uomo trade show from January 7 to 10. Blue Label, the premium line of the menswear brand, will continue to focus on UK manufacturing under Griffin, using fabrics from some of the designer’s favourite sources, including Harris Tweed and Utexbel. Turn to p32 for an exclusive interview with Jeff Griffin.

EXCLUSIVE

Contact: 07773 775092 www.baracuta.com DECEMBER 21 2013 /

Drapers

19

SPRING 14 COLLECTIONS

PART FOUR

Highlights of the high street

Our round-up of multiples’ spring 14 offers concludes with some striking footwear and eclectic clothing Words by EMILY NORVAL

River Island men’s

River Island women’s

Matching its womenswear offer (see right) for innovation, spring 14 menswear at River Island is bright and outlandish, with an emphasis on sporty fabrics and shapes. Mesh bombers, colour-blocked windbreakers and cropped macs come in bold prints, including oversized florals, and leopard print, while graphic-print T-shirts and shorts complete the look.

Smarter pieces come in blacks and greys, including Prince of Wales check trousers and a neat leather-collar blazer.

River Island’s womenswear collection is particularly striking this season, with key pieces standing out due to unexpected elements. A slouchy polo shirt is covered in sequins, for example, while baggy boyfriend jeans are patched with delicate foil. Formal tapered trousers are paired with a matching long-length biker jacket, both in pastel pink, to form a quirky pseudo-suit. As at many other retailers, white also plays a key role this season.

20

Drapers / December 21 2013

New Look women’s

Kurt Geiger women’s

Hitting all the key trends for spring, New Look’s womenswear blends modern textures with vintage silhouettes. Skirts are mid-length, with lace details and embroidered sheer overlays, and jackets and crop tops come in silky fabrics with beaded trims. Lingerie-inspired dresses, high-waisted acid-wash jeans and cropped sleeveless denim jackets hark back to 1990s grunge, while sporty mesh details round off the theme.

Easy-to-wear styles form the basis of Kurt Geiger’s women’s range, led by sandals, flatforms and cut-out court shoes designed to be worn with fun socks. Colour is prominent, with bold orange, yellow, leopard and python prints for footwear and bold blue for accessories. Metallic highlights are also a key feature, particularly for heels, ranging from kitten to stiletto styles in the signature pencil-thin heel as well as chunkier designs.

New Look men’s

Kurt Geiger men’s

New Look offers an eclectic menswear range, with a skatewear theme for its casual collection and sharp spring tailoring for its formal styles. Hawaiian prints work across jersey sweaters, shorts and bombers, although the feminine print is offset by chunky black trims. Bleached-out marl hoodies and stonewashed jeans add to the casual aesthetic. Tailoring is fun, with shorts suits in pastels and pin-dotted cotton updating classic single-breasted blazers.

Colour is a strong theme for Kurt Geiger’s men’s footwear, with primary classics such as red, blue and green splashed across plimsolls and leather hi-tops in the casual range. In formal styles, pebble-grain leather boots and coloured patent-leather sandals offer a fresh take on more traditional styles. Elsewhere, loafers and slip-ons feature in deep shades of burgundy and brown.

December 21 2013 /

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L FA S H I O N T R A D E S H O W F a l l— W i n t e r 2 0 14 / 15

Ja n ua ry S T A T I O N – B E R L I N w w w . p r e m i u m e x h i b i t i o n s . c o m

14 —16

THE STYLE COUNCIL

Q

What has been your fashion highlight of 2013?

The panel

KAT MACONIE Founder of the eponymous women’s footwear brand

Laura Southern Black on black on black. This is my highlight because, at last, I looked like I was on trend.

I wear black every day, so to see it dominate menswear was a joy (Topman spring 14, pictured). It’s been a real treat to see on London’s streets a black varsity jacket, layered over an oversized black T-shirt, paired with black Vans.

LAURA SOUTHERN Buyer at Topman

LIAN MICHELSON Founder of premium etailer Thenandnowshop.com

p Kate Walton The highlight for us was Havetolove (pictured) launching our own clothing and jewellery lines. We released our range of cashmere jumpers in January, and then in September started selling our jewellery collection, including our Havetohelp necklace, of which half the profits go to charity. We had been building up to it for a while and it took a long time to source everything, so it was great to have such a strong reaction to it.

q Kat Maconie A highlight for me was when French luxury group LVMH acquired a stake in British footwear label Nicholas Kirkwood (pictured).

LVMH is home to the most celebrated brands in the world and it’s great that one of the world’s most influential luxury groups has recognised true British talent and entrepreneurship at its best.

KATE WALTON Owner of contemporary womenswear retailer Havetolove in Newcastle

t Lian Michelson My most memorable moment from 2013 was the news that Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts (pictured) is moving to Apple.

It represented the respect Apple has for the knowledge of fashion and luxury brands, and coming from a company that almost monopolises the tablet market, it was a big gesture.

WANT TO BE PART OF THE STYLE COUNCIL? Visit www.drapersonline.com/stylecouncil to tell us your thoughts on this week’s question

DECEMBER 21 2013 /

Drapers

23

ph. Aldo Fallai

we say bravo Istituto Marangoni’s students firmly believe in their future as fashion professionals, and so do we. The Fashion School of London offers prestigious programmes in Fashion Design, Fashion Styling and Fashion Business. With us their dreams today will become their brilliant career tomorrow.

At Istituto Marangoni We say bravo.

Istituto Marangoni 30 Fashion Street • London E1 6PX | t. +44 (0)20 7377 9347 london@istitutomarangoni.com

Marco Grigoli, Yu Lee, Sofia Castegren, Istituto Marangoni students.

marangonischool

|

istitutomarangoni.com

With

careers

How I got here

Siobhan McDonagh Lingerie brand Triumph’s digital marketing executive is a self-confessed Jack of all trades Interview by JAMES KNOWLES

What does your diary look like today? I’m back-to-back with meetings as we’re just about to launch several digital initiatives for the christmas season – one is a new app, another an integrated retail and digital event – as well as meeting lots of exciting people to get our spring 14 project underway.

This is one of the busiest times of the year for us but also one of the most exciting. It’s great to look back at all the success we’ve had this year and examine how we can really push for something even better next year.

What meeting are you most looking forward to today?

Definitely all the spring 14 meetings. We’re just in planning mode at the moment but there are big things in store for next year.

What task do you wish you could postpone? booking my travel to Vienna next month for a work trip.

I’m going to miss one of my best friend’s 30th birthday. Ordinarily I love to travel.

How did you get to where you are today? I really love what I do and always endeavour to ensure that comes across not only in the work I do but in the relationships I build at work. The old saying ‘work hard and be nice to people’ was instilled in me very early on in my career. At the London college of Fashion (LcF), my course tutors really made us work at this, making sure we all interned at every opportunity and kept good relationships with the contacts we made, and the course was structured so there was a lot of group work. I’ve had so many colleagues and peers over the years tell me about missed opportunities

because of a grudge or something silly in the past.

What has been your career highlight? Leading the bluewater store opening at Ted baker. It was one of the last offline projects I worked on but we did so many cool things for the opening, as it’s a flagship and concept store. There were meat cakes by experimental cake maker Lily Vanilli, a bespoke village newspaper for the opening – complete with paper boys handing it out – and an amazing time-lapse video of the store being built.

If you could change one thing about your career path, what would it be? Sometimes I feel like I’ve chopped and changed on my path to do things. I started out in journalism, then styling, then Pr, then thought I wanted to be a graphic designer for a bit, before settling in marketing. Strangely, I’m glad I’ve been a bit of a Jack of all trades up to this point. I feel I have a respect for people I know and work with in the industry because I understand a lot of different disciplines.

Who is your mentor? I’ve had several mentors throughout my career, but I’ve always looked up to the strong women I’ve worked with.

They founded their own businesses.

In particular, Sacha Lynch-robinson [founder of Marmalade magazine]; Liz matthews [founder of the

cV 2012

Digital marketing executive, triumph international

2012

Planner, Dare

2010

Marketing executive, ted Baker

2009

Online assistant, Beyond the Valley

2009

PR assistant, Liz Matthews PR

eponymous Pr agency]; and Kristjana Williams and Kate Harwood bonhôte [founders of London womenswear boutique beyond the Valley, which closed in February last year].

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? early on, I was taught to be a true brand

I feel I have a respect for people I know and work with in the industry because I understand a lot of different disciplines

ambassador. To live and breathe the brands you work for or with, to really achieve the greatest results. This is something I was taught by my LcF tutor Sacha Lynch-robinson, and then Urban Outfitters’ head of press and communications Sophie barrett.

How do you see your career progressing? my passion is storytelling through digital. I’d love to pursue something more specialist in content – either agency or client-side. I’d like to add more strings to my bow by working with a beauty or luxury brand at some point – I’ve got a lot of apparel and now lingerie experience.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps? Try lots of things; work out exactly what you want to do. make sure you’re doing what you love. You have to do it every day and in this competitive industry it shows when you’re anything less than passionate.

Salaries for this position range from £26,000 at entry level up to £34,000 for an established senior executive (estimate by Success Digital) If you want to be featured on the Drapers Jobs page, email james.knowles@emap.com December 21 2013 /

Drapers

25

APPOINTMENTS TO ADVERTISE CONTACT: Rebecca Tonkinson 0203 033 2991 rebecca.tonkinson@EMAP.com Freya Lucas 0203 033 2669 freya.lucas@EMAP.com DEADLINES: 4 days prior to publication. Cancellation 1 week prior

International Sales

Ladies Footwear £75k including incentives + Benefits Multi Lingual The Company The prospects for the role are excellent. With over 70 employees and 100+ customers throughout the world the company offers many opportunities in many areas. The business with almost 60 years of history is established globally and looking to grow internationally particularly in developing and emerging markets.

Without doubt, this role is a demanding but exciting position that offers both shortterm challenges and excellent long-term prospects.

The Role This newly created role reflects the exciting time in terms of approach and growth for the business. The role requires someone to grow existing and new markets, developing a network of international customers. The successful candidate will have a proven track record in international sales at a high level.

Although the role will be based in London, regular travel will also be necessary in order to nurture key relationships and represent the company in a face-to-face environment.

Your Profile You will be self-motivated, possess excellent multi language skills, be innovative and display imagination. Strong sales experience is paramount, also a healthy interest in the footwear market is essential. You will have exceptional sales skills and the ability to deliver results consistently along with a proven record of hitting targets and delivering consistent repeat business.

The ability to immerse yourself in a chosen market, absorb the industry, its issues and players, and apply that knowledge strategically and tactically is a key element to the profile of the successful candidate.

Application All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Please apply by email in the first instance to attilak@gina.com. If you haven’t heard from us by January 15th, please consider your application unsuccessful.

SPECIALISTS IN TECHNICAL ROLES FOR THE CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR INDUSTRIES Active Apparel Recruitment is a niche recruitment consultancy specialising in technical roles within the clothing and footwear industries.

Our mission is to provide a honest, open and professional service, helping our candidates to secure the best next step in their career and our clients with the very best fit of candidate.

Pattern Cutters- European fashion retailer is looking to recruit talented Pattern Cutters who are specialists in ladieswear, menswear, or childrenswear, to help the technical team push forward with continuing improvements to the fit and quality of their clothing ranges. Excellent salary / benefits / relocation package.

Footwear Technologist - This unique urban brand is looking for an experienced Footwear Technologist to join the team working across mens and womens footwear. A great opportunity to progress you career within this hugely successful and continually growing organisation.

Garment Technologists- We are currently recruiting for a number of Garment Tech roles with brands and retailers in the UK and Europe. Please get in touch as soon as possible for more information on roles across womenswear, menswear and childrenswear.

To find out more about these and our other current roles, please email with your CV to julia@activeapparelrecruitment.com or call 01422 845 945.

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Fashion Careers AustrAliA

ExEcutivE - CEO, COO, MD, GM and Director roles Buying - Head of Buying, Buying Management and Buying roles MErchandising - Head Of Merchandising, Merchandise Management and Merchandising roles dEsign - Head Of Design, Design Management and Design roles MarkEting - Head of Marketing, Marketing Management EcoMMErcE and digital - Head of Ecommerce and Digital, Ecommerce Management and Ecommerce teams including sEO, Content Managers, social Media etc sourcing and tEchnical - sourcing Management, technical Management, Production & Pattern Cutting roles rEtail - Head of retail Operations Management roles, international and National retail Management, Visual Merchandising

RetailJewellerjobs.com is the No. 1 site to start your search for the perfect job in jewellery. Whether you are just starting your career or are an experienced jewellery professional, we will have the right jewellery job for you.

Please visit www.retailjewellerjobs.com for the latest opportunities in the Jewellery and watch industries.

Matching Exceptional Candidates to Ultimate Careers

To advertise in this section please CONTACT: Rebecca Tonkinson 0203 033 2991 rebecca.tonkinson@EMAP.com 26

Drapers / DECEMBER 21 2013

JOIN US 1976. LONDON Warehouse opened its first store on London’s Duke Street.

2014. OXFORD STREET Next February our iconic brand will be opening the ultimate flagship store in London’s fashion heartland.

We are looking for dynamic, ambitious, fashion fanatics to become part of this groundbreaking new store team as well as some of our amazing existing London stores.

We are currently recruiting Deputy Managers, Supervisors, Personal Stylists and Sales Advisors.

To find out more go to warehouse.co.uk/oxfordstreetcareers

SERVICES DIRECTORY TO ADVERTISE CONTACT: Dawn O’Brien 0203 033 2959 dawn.obrien@emap.com DEADLINES: 4 DAYS PRIOR TO PUBLICATION. CANCELLATION 1 WEEK PRIOR

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etailPR

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29

SERVICES DIRECTORY TO ADVERTISE CONTACT: Dawn O’Brien 0203 033 2959 dawn.obrien@emap.com DEADLINES: 4 DAYS PRIOR TO PUBLICATION. CANCELLATION 1 WEEK PRIOR

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Fabric sourcing and design services available. email: info@sirioustextile.bg’

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e-mail: sales@adastralabels.com www.adastralabels.com 30

Drapers / DECEMBER 21 2013

We have full capabilities of pattern making and grading design cut make and trim in house facilities for embroidery and printing. Please call for details on 07887 643 377.

High quality British manufacturer has spare capacity, experienced in patterns and development for top designers. Jersey garments our speciality. Well equipped factory. Tel 07779 961217

Huntley International

Myanmar/Burma granted duty free status by the EU Looking for manufacturing services and would like to take advantage of this new duty free status?

Huntley International are a manufacturing company with offices in London, New York, Seoul, Hong Kong and a factory in Myanmar producing ladies/men’s outerwear, suiting and casualwear for major retail companies.

Utilising Huntley International will allow you to benefit from these duty free rates, significantly reducing your manufacturing costs.

For more information please contact Howard Lipman or Ronnie Poole: howard@huntley-international.com, ronnie1224@me.com, Tel 0207 739 0551

PRIVATE LABEL & MTM SHIRTS Are you a high-end menswear retailer looking to provide a more tailor-made service?

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Fabric & Accessories FASHION FABRICS

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Importers, Exporters & Wholesalers of Textile Fabrics For Ladies Fashion Industry.

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EMPEE SILK FABRICS LTD, we carry one of the largest selections of fabric in the UK. We carry a huge range of plain and printed Satin, Lace, Organza, Velvet, Foil, Cotton, P/C, Fun fur and many more. All under one roof; 31 Commercial Road, Edmonton, London N18 1TP. Tel: 020 8887 6000 Fax: 020 8887 6045. Email: empee@wholesalefabrics.co.uk Web: www.wholesalefabrics.co.uk Redundant stocks bought for cash.

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A fantastic range of over 12,000 items: Braids, buttons, cords, fringes,ORDER fringe curtains, feathers, flowers, insertions, elastics, lace, ribbons, personalised printed ribbons, ric-rac, rigilene, diamanté, pearl & sequin trims, tie-backs, tubular crin, Velcro, bridal trims, millinery supplies and much, much more. If we don’t have it, we can source it!

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To MESSRS

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ORDER No.

A/C No.

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DECEMBER 21 2013

Drapers \

31

MY FASHION LIFE

Jeff Griffin

Baracuta Blue Label’s new creative director celebrates British heritage with his first collection for the brand

Y

Words by Graeme moran

ou are the new creative director of Baracuta’s Blue Label. Why did you decide to take the role? I’ve known the brand for many years and collaborated with baracuta in the past with my menswear label Griffin, so I knew the history and loved the iconic Harrington G9 jacket. I had always known of [baracuta owner] WP Lavori in corso, Italy, with outerwear brands such as Woolrich [which it has the global licence for] and barbour [which it distributes], so I’d always wanted to work with it. It has a real vision looking at protecting the made in england core icons, but with the blue Label it is also looking to the future to build new icons and to innovate.

32

Drapers / December 21 2013

What will you bring to the brand? I think innovation, with a bold progression of the brand’s values, a devotion to britishness, quality, and classic military features with a masculine silhouette, bringing them together to create a wearable and contemporary look.

Tell us about the autumn 14 collection.

The brief was great: five pieces to look at future icon styles and five pieces as a collaboration, with a strong Griffin style. I started with the youth culture of the mod generation. I loved the link to US military supplies, the fishtail parka, the 1950s US Arctic parka. Adding to the mix, I went on a road trip researching british fabrics and manufacturing.

What’s your favourite piece and why?

I’ve done a snorkel down parka, made with Harris

Tweed and an Italian military nylon; it’s such a unique mix of two great fabrics. maybe it will be the first winter baracuta icon. Only time will tell. I love it.

You are concerned with British manufacturing and using British mills.

Why is this? There are two reasons. First, our government needs to think more about our future and being more sustainable in manufacturing, because we need skills and employment. I’ve watched our manufacturing die over the years without any investment or plan from our leaders. even the factories still running are Best of both: the autumn nothing like what I see 14 Blue Label jackets mix abroad. Second, I always British and Italian fabrics try to work with the best for quality and that’s why I use a lot of british and Italian fabrics. I don’t manufacture Griffin in england and I’m very clear about that, because I need high-tech machinery, bonding and welding and I need the luxury touch; the Italian handwriting with my british style. but we are making our core G9 baracuta in three UK factories because they make it well. It’s like a Land rover, it’s strong and well made and never changes.

What other brands do you respect from this point of view? I respect any brand that loves quality, follows its DNA and doesn’t just follow a trend. It’s not just about who makes in england, it’s about innovation and ideas. but if I had to give some names I would say mackintosh, christopher raeburn, barbour, burberry, Nigel cabourn, and Spencer Hart. There is a lot of talent here, but I would also love to be able to say marks & Spencer; come on m&S, you could lead the way in rebuilding our infrastructure in manufacturing over here. The small companies can’t do this.

The trend for Made in the UK has been particularly popular over recent years – why do you think there has been this return to provenance? If it wasn’t for the Japanese wanting made in england there wouldn’t be anything here.

The Japanese have been demanding made in england for the past 20 years, while everyone in britain seemed obsessed with making in china.

There are a few reasons in menswear why it’s been a trend. First, there is a massive trend for buy local and artisan, which I feel started years ago in New York. In britain we were slow on this movement and still seemed focused on celebrity and cheap throwaway clothing. Of course there were the deep thinkers who were looking for something real, quality and value for money as it would last a lifetime. This was the start of the heritage trend, which linked to the manufacturing story.

To read an extended version of this interview, go to www.drapersonline.com

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