Drapersdigi 23nov2013 lr by Keely Stocker

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NOVEMBER 23 2013 £4.75 www.drapersonline.com

DRAPERS AWARDS 2013 WINNERS All the details inside this issue

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Stacey Cartwright set to take top position at Harvey Nichols After months of rumours, ex-Burberry financial chief looks sure to be the boss at luxury retailer By Catherine Neilan & Eric Musgrave

Stacey Cartwright is now the firm favourite to take the reins at Harvey Nichols as successor to Joseph Wan, Drapers understands. The former chief financial officer of Burberry was revealed by Drapers as one of the frontrunners for the position in September, and it now appears negotiations between the two parties are almost concluded. Sources in the luxury sector indicated that Cartwright’s appointment has already been communicated to Harvey Nichols’ top staff ahead of a wider announcement, which is expected imminently. Harvey Nichols declined to comment as Drapers went to press. Harvey Nichols owner and chairman Dickson Poon and chief executive Wan have conducted a global search for Wan’s replacement, who will take over when Wan retires next year after more than 20 years at the helm of the Knightsbridge-based business. Other names in the running for Harvey Nichols’ top job have

Boots to fill: Joseph Wan is retiring after more than 20 years running Harvey Nichols

included Marty Wikstrom, former chief executive of fashion and accessories at luxury brand group Richemont and a former managing director of Harrods. Cartwright left Burberry in July after nine years, receiving a £4m payoff as she departed. She is credited with much of Burberry’s recent success. Press speculation at the time suggested Cartwright left after the

arrival of former BBC Worldwide chief executive John Smith as Burberry chief operating officer thwarted her own ambitions for advancement at the company. Harvey Nichols, which has eight stores in the UK and seven overseas, is also in the midst of recruiting staff for a long-mooted private label division, which will see the creation of own-label clothing and other products.

It is not known whether the retailer will recruit a replacement for fashion director Paula Reed, who joined Harvey Nichols in a newly created role last year from fashion magazine Grazia but departed abruptly in October. The expected appointment of Cartwright has been interpreted by some observers as a strategic move by Poon, with some industry speculation suggesting the business could be put up for sale. One source said Cartwright’s anticipated arrival was “almost like putting the flag up that it’s for sale”. Several industry figures have suggested that Arcadia boss Sir Philip Green and US private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, which took a 25% stake in Topshop and Topman last year, had shown an interest. However, Harvey Nichols and Arcadia denied this was the case. In Harvey Nichols’ most recent results for the year to March 30, 2013, pre-tax profits fell from just over £13m the year before to £10.3m this year. Turnover rose 0.3% from £92.46m to £92.7m.

Aquascutum invests as it looks to grow sales COVER IMAGE: LOUIS VUITTON AT SELFRIDGES

By Catherine Neilan

Aquascutum is hoping to expand both its retail and wholesale arms as the company shakes off its recent “quiet” years. The business this week opened its new London store on Great Marlborough Street, opposite department store Liberty. Aquascutum chief operating officer Mark Taylor told Drapers he was actively looking for more sites in London’s Brompton Road, Bond Street and Covent Garden. He indicated he was looking for a unit bigger than the new 4,456 sq ft store. Aquascutum is also testing the waters in regional cities such as

Kitted out: designers Thomas Harvey and Andre Hackett at the store launch

Glasgow and Manchester through existing concession partners, with a view to opening standalone stores in the next three years. Taylor said: “We’ve been quiet for too long and we have got to

invest, and we are investing. “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. [Hong Kong-based parent company] YGM Trading believes in the brand, they are willing to invest and the product is getting stronger each season.” Aquascutum is also hoping to increase its number of UK wholesale stockists, with Taylor saying this was “key” to the future of the business. At present wholesale makes up 15% of sales but Taylor is aiming to grow that to 20% to 25%, although retail is also expected to grow significantly.

Accessories such as leather bags and small leather goods are being introduced next year. Women’s accessories will launch for spring 14, while men’s accessories are expected for autumn 14. Head of design for menswear Thomas Harvey said: “The brand has been very quiet for the past two years and now we are trying to build a bit of momentum. What wholesalers want from us hasn’t changed massively in the last two or three years [but] now we’re a lot more focused, and hopefully able to provide it.” YGM bought Aquascutum out of administration in May 2012 for £15m. NOVEMBER 23 2013 /

Drapers

NEWS

Primark and John Lewis top Drapers Awards list By Drapers reporters Chasing a deal: Eggleston and Duffy

Stitch in late bid to hold January show The organisers of Stitch are hoping to secure an 11th-hour deal for January’s edition of the streetwear show to go ahead – but past exhibitors have warned they may have left it too late to fit into the schedule. Founder Brian Duffy and his business partner Howard Eggleston, who bought a minority stake in the exhibition in July, told Drapers they were close to sign-off on the autumn 14 edition but that it is still yet to be confirmed. Last year’s venue, the Old Sorting Office in London, has no booking. Duffy told Drapers: “We’re close to finalising a deal this week. We were close to agreeing an event partner but it fell through. It has got to be right in order to proceed.” However, many previous Stitch exhibitors said it would be too late to factor the show into their diaries and budgets at this late stage. The owner of one streetwear brand said: “I don’t think we would attend next season. With the market being as difficult as it is, it’s too expensive to expect brands to make room in their budgets.” Another brand owner said: “We are planning on going to Jacket Required instead this season. We haven’t heard anything from Stitch so it’s too late for us now.”

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Drapers / NOVEMBER 23 2013

Primark and John Lewis each picked up two accolades at the Drapers Awards 2013 this week, as womenswear veteran Derek Lovelock received the Lifetime Achievement award for a career that dates back to 1972. An audience of more than 800 gathered for the black-tie awards dinner at Old Billingsgate in the City of London on Thursday. In a new format, these awards concentrated solely on larger fashion retailers and their suppliers and brands. Primark was named Fashion Retail Business of the Year (over £125m turnover) and added International Fashion Retailer of the Year to its haul. John Lewis won the Department Store Business of the Year category and also took the Best Store Design trophy for its Exeter branch. There was another winner with a John Lewis link – Peter Ruis, buying and brand director of the store group before his move to Jigsaw in

September, was named Fashion Retailing Personality of the Year, a new award. Hobbs won in the Fashion Retail Business of the Year (under £125m turnover) category, while River Island took home the Fashion Marketing Campaign of the Year award for its collaboration with pop star Rihanna. Asos was named Fashion Pure-Play Etailer of the Year to add to the two Drapers awards it won in 2012. There was good news for Marks & Spencer, which won the Fashion Retailer of the Year – Consumer Choice award, coming out top in a national survey of 2,000 shoppers commissioned by Drapers. In another new category, London-based CDI Studio, which was set up just four years ago, was named Fashion Supplier of the Year. In the wholesale categories, John Smedley won the Premium Brand of the Year award, Simon Carter scooped the Menswear Brand of the Year accolade, Seasalt was named

Womenswear Brand of the Year and Little Mistress took the Young Fashion Brand of the Year award for the second year running. It has been a good month for the partywear brand as earlier this month it won the Young Fashion Brand of the Year category in the separate Drapers Independents Awards. Executive chairman of Aurora Fashions Derek Lovelock picked up the Lifetime Achievement award following a career that started at C&A more than 40 years ago. Next April, Lovelock will take up a non-executive role across all Aurora businesses before moving on from the company. In an interview on page 51, however, Lovelock reveals that he still wishes to be involved in the fashion industry after Aurora. Full details of the victors and all this year’s finalists are listed in our Drapers Awards Winners’ Brochure in the centre of this issue. For full coverage of the evening, visit www.drapersonline.com

Rescued My-Wardrobe will focus on UK By Victoria Gallagher

My-Wardrobe.com is putting the UK back at the heart of its strategy and lowering its price points after being bought in a pre-pack administration deal. This week Alex Cadwallader and Neil Bennett, directors at insolvency company Leonard Curtis, were appointed joint administrators of the etailer before selling the business to Growth Capital Acquisitions. As revealed by Drapersonline.com this week, chief executive David Worby has left My-Wardrobe as part of a restructuring. Worby, who had been at the etailer since June 2012, and trading director Joanna Stevenson, who joined last November, left the business this week. My-Wardrobe co-founder Andrew Curran will take

Cheaper lines: My-Wardrobe is sticking with current brands such as Acne

over responsibilities from Worby with immediate effect. Curran, who rejoined the business six months ago, said it could “now face the future with confidence”. “We are refocusing our efforts on the UK,” he told Drapers. “There is

significant growth to be had in the UK and too much focus has been on markets further afield.” The business will also focus on digital marketing and “innovative shopping concepts”. Curran said he would look to address the pricing structure by buying lower-priced products from the etailer’s existing brands rather than switching to new names. “Our product offering has been slightly north of what it should be, as it was too expensive and too fashion forward,” he added. My-Wardrobe is in the process of merging its London and Nottingham offices, resulting in all but the buying team relocating and at least 18 departures. My-Wardrobe had more than 80 employees before the restructure.

Boss Simister exits Lacoste footwear

Big impression: Little Mistress won its second Drapers award this year for Young Fashion Brand

Lacoste footwear boss Andy Simister has left the business after 17 years as global president. Simister, who joined the Pentlandowned brand in 1996, has departed to explore new commercial opportunities. He will keep his role as non-executive director at footwear brand Hunter, in which Pentland is an investor. Lacoste footwear’s vice president of sales Richard Newcombe and chief financial officer Paul Webber will cover Simister’s responsibilities on an interim basis. Simister told Drapers the parting was amicable and although he was in “no rush” to find a new position, he was looking for a role within the fashion or footwear industry. He added: “I am looking forward to the final third of my career and new challenges ahead. I achieved phenomenal success at Lacoste, but it’s a family business and I’m not part of that family so it’s a chance for me to see what else I can achieve in future ventures.” Andy Rubin, chief executive of Pentland, said Simister had made a “tremendous contribution” to the business. Pentland has held the licence for Lacoste footwear since 1991.

Jack Wills cries fowl over HoF logo By Catherine Neilan

Jack Wills and House of Fraser are set to battle it out in the High Court early next year, with the preppy young fashion chain accusing the department store of copyright infringement and passing off. Jack Wills is looking to recover more than £25,000 from HoF through its claim, which was first filed in November 2012. However, HoF has entered a counterclaim and is seeking damages and costs as well as the “invalidity” of Jack Wills’ trademark. The trial starts in January. The case centres around two logos: Jack Wills’ company logo features a silhouette of a pheasant with a top hat and cane, while a logo used on HoF’s Linea range features a pigeon wearing a hat but not carrying a cane.

Disharmony: Jack Wills (main pic) says HoF’s logo (bottom) is like its own (top)

According to documents signed by Jack Wills sourcing director Glen Tinton, it believes HoF’s logo “is likely to cause confusion and to

deceive members of the public into believing the goods marked with the logo are the goods of or are goods connected with the claimant”. The statement said HoF’s use of the logo “takes unfair advantage of, or is detrimental to, the distinctive character or repute of [Jack Wills’] registered trademarks”. But in response, HoF asserted that “the widespread use” of logos of birds in human attire meant either that “consumers are able to sufficiently distinguish between the numerous bird marks or logos” or that Jack Wills’ logo was “indistinguishable from other similar marks”, in which case its trademark should be revoked. Both sides declined to comment on the case.

News in brief Bonmarché floats on AIM Bonmarché launched on the London Stock Exchange this week. The womenswear retailer listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) at 8am on November 20 under the ticker ‘BON’, with initial shares priced at 213.50p. The launch share price valued the business at £100m, lower than the £110m to £130m Bonmarché expected. Banks squeeze LK Bennett The owners of LK Bennett have been forced to pump millions of pounds into the business after a dispute with its bank. Lloyds Bank demanded a cash injection from the retailer’s two private-equity owners, Phoenix and Sirius, amid fears it was struggling with debts. The 114-store chain made a £10m pre-tax loss for 2012 despite a 15% rise in sales. LK Bennett declined to comment. Tie Rack to close UK stores Tie Rack is to close all its UK high street stores and some of its airport shops by the end of the year, putting 200 jobs at risk. Owner The Fingen Group began a closing down Sale in all 44 stores on Wednesday. In October, Drapers reported that investment from a new backer, understood to be primarily interested in the group’s Rolling Luggage fascia, had placed the retailer under threat. Lewis rape case dropped Crombie boss Alan Lewis will not be charged over allegations he raped a woman in the 1960s, with the Crown Prosecution Service dropping the case due to lack of evidence. Lewis, who always maintained his innocence, was arrested and bailed seven weeks ago. Scheme pushes ethical cotton The US and Australian cotton industries have teamed up to promote responsible fibre production. The Cotton Leads initiative, founded by an alliance of organisations in the two countries, aims to highlight the responsible and transparent way in which they grow their cotton, which combined accounts for 17% of global cotton production.

NOVEMBER 23 2013 /

Drapers

News

Chinese debut for strathberry Accessories brand Strathberry of Scotland is launching in China next year. The brand, which opened its first standalone store in edinburgh in July, will be stocked in two estate retail stores in Shanghai and beijing. estate retail specialises in british luxury products and Strathberry will go into the stores before the Chinese New Year on January 31. Strathberry of Scotland managing director Guy Hundleby said the move had “huge potential” for the brand but it would move cautiously. The edinburgh-based company, which was established in April 2012, produces Peeblesshire tweed and english bridle leather bags in Spain. bags retail from £150 to £600. Department store business estate retail, based in Qingdao, northern China, has 11 stores and is adding a further five in 2014. Strathberry has seven UK stockists and is “actively seeking” partners in the US.

McArthurGlen to expand in Ashford mcArthurGlen is hoping to almost double the size of its Ashford Designer outlet by 2016. The company will submit a planning application early next year to add an additional 150,000 sq ft of retail space, expanding the centre from 183,000 sq ft to 333,000 sq ft. Subject to approval, work will start late next year and the extra space will be scheduled to open at the end of 2016. It will follow the £35m relaunch of mcArthurGlen’s Swindon outlet, in which the centre will increase its retail space by nearly 50,000 sq ft to more than 250,000 sq ft. mcArthurGlen managing director for development Gary bond said: “We have been looking at expanding a number of our designer outlets in the UK, in particular where we have strong support from local councils.” mcArthurGlen is targeting new brands to add to its offer at the expanded outlets which currently includes Abercrombie & Fitch, Twenty8Twelve and Ted baker. 4

Drapers / November 23 2013

RichaRd james is pulsing with colouR

Tailor Richard James reopened its ready-towear flagship at 29 Savile Row this week after a refurbishment lasting several months. Designed by architect Andy Martin, a friend of Richard James chief executive Sean Dixon (pictured), the store features custombuilt fittings and a dichromatic wall that gently changes colour.

JD to cement foothold in performance sports market via newly acquired Tiso By jill geoghegan

JD Sports Fashion aims to expand outdoor retailer Tiso throughout the rest of the UK following its acquisition of the company last week. After paying an undisclosed sum for a majority stake in the family-run business, which has 10 stores in Scotland, JD plans to expand in england, Wales and Northern Ireland, particularly through Tiso’s outdoor experience business. The retailer’s ‘experience centres’ include leisure areas such as 30-foot high indoor climbing walls and healthy eating cafes alongside sportswear retail areas. Tiso currently has experience centres in edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth. “We think this is scalable and we’ll look to invest accordingly should the right opportunities come along,” a spokesman for JD said, adding that Tiso’s other divisions – blues the Ski Shop and Alpine bikes – “both offer us something exciting and new”. JD chairman Peter Cowgill will take over as chairman of Tiso, although chief executive Chris Tiso will remain in his position and

Holding on: Chris Tiso will retain his role as chief executive at the business

the company will continue to be headquartered in edinburgh. The Tiso family will retain a “significant” shareholding in the business. Last week JD acquired a majority stake in multi-brand sports etailer ActivInstinct. The etailer, which also trades under the name millet Sports, was acquired to help develop JD’s sports performance offering and will complement the company’s outdoor fascia blacks. “ActivInstinct continues to enjoy rapid growth and is well regarded by the big brands we deal with day

to day,” the spokesman added. “There are clear international opportunities and this business fits neatly with our multichannel and overseas ambitions.” Sam Fuller, managing director of investment bank Altium Capital, which advised ActivInstinct on the JD deal, said the family-run business, which operates French and German local-language websites and offers international delivery, would continue to push internationally, particularly focusing on the US market.

Jigsaw to revamp shops in bid for £100m sales By ana santi

Peter ruis will prioritise stores and brand perception as he bids to grow Jigsaw’s sales to more than £100m in the next three to five years. Speaking for the first time since taking on the role of Jigsaw chief executive in September, ruis told Drapers he wants to bring “personality” back to Jigsaw’s stores. “What I’ve learnt is that the shop is at the centre of how your brand is defined, even with young consumers,” he said. “So the first thing to do is bring back some mad, unique shopfits.” The business is close to announcing a new flagship store opening in London next year, which “will be very mad and different”, ruis said. Jigsaw will also open shops in Farnham in Surrey and Nottingham in December and marlow in buckinghamshire in January. ruis aims to refurbish existing stores on an ongoing basis. The plans form part of ruis’s strategy to grow Jigsaw’s turnover to more than £100m. Jigsaw parent company robinson Webster Holdings, which includes London lifestyle boutique The Shop at bluebird, recorded sales of £60.2m in the year to September 29, 2012, a rise of 10%, with pre-tax profits of £1.6m. ruis, who joined Jigsaw after

Olsen joins Sandwich stable Womenswear brand house VeldhovenGroup has acquired German label Olsen out of insolvency. Veldhoven, which owns brands including Sandwich and Turnover, will take control of the womenswear business on December 1. Olsen filed for insolvency in August. Ahrendts wins luxury award Outgoing Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts scooped the Medal of Excellence at last week’s Walpole Awards for Excellence. Walpole, the luxury trade body that represents more than 175 businesses, honoured Ahrendts’ success in reinventing Burberry and her contribution to putting British luxury brands back on the map.

Mad house: Jigsaw boss Peter Ruis wants new shopfits to be ‘mad’ and ‘different’

eight years at John Lewis, said the business would show a profit again when it reports the financial year that has just concluded. “It will take three to five years to get Jigsaw anywhere near close to where I want it to be,” said ruis. “We want to take the business to more than £100m turnover, to at least 10% net profitability. We have an international business, but we are in the early stages of it. We’re opening a shop in Dubai next month, in South Africa in the new year, and we have ambitions to go into all the european department stores.” ruis also plans to open up to four

more bluebird stores, launch the multi-brand retailer onto etail platform Farfetch and create a transactional website for it. Jigsaw worked with photographer rankin for this year’s Christmas campaign. “I want to bring back the idea that Christmas is a peak time for retailers and we’re going to be at full price until December 24,” ruis said. ruis also has plans for Jigsaw to join the catwalk line-ups at London Fashion Week and London Collections: men. l read the full interview with Peter ruis in next week’s issue and see a preview at www.drapersonline.com

Kipling gears up for UK retail push

Out of the bag: Kipling’s store concept launched in its Brompton Road branch

News in brief

Accessories brand Kipling is to increase its UK retail footprint with new openings in London. Stores will open at brent Cross on November 21 and Westfield Stratford on December 11 with Kipling’s new retail concept, which debuted at its brompton road store in west London last year. The stores have a “homely” vibe with details such as a kitchen table serving as a cash desk and a living room-like area with sofas. Kipling vice president and general

manager richard macey said the UK, where the belgian brand has six solo stores at present and 400 stockists, was the main focus. “The UK customer loves our product and we have a very strong business here so it’s just a case of harnessing that and pushing it further,” macey said. Kipling is now looking at locations in Covent Garden, Guildford, milton Keynes and brighton. Kipling reported sales of £260.5m for the year to January 18, 2013.

Joseph plans its LFW return Luxury men’s and women’s wear brand Joseph is expected to take part in London Fashion Week (LFW) in February. It will be the first time the brand has been part of LFW since the 1980s, when founder Joseph Ettedgui, who died in 2010, was at the helm of the business. Peter Werth opens in Australia UK menswear label Peter Werth has opened its first Australian store at 216 Chapel Street, Prahran in Melbourne. The 900 sq ft shop, the brand’s second following its Covent Garden opening in February, stocks the full collection. Autumn footfall is worst in 2013 Footfall in autumn dropped to the lowest rate so far this year, underperforming spring, when consumers were driven away because of snowy weather. The British Retail Consortium/ Springboard Retail Footfall and Vacancies Monitor recorded a year-on-year decline in footfall of 2.9% in October, dragging footfall down 2.1% for the three months since August. Calls for rate reform grow Pressure on the Government to give retailers some form of business rates relief is building ahead of next month’s Autumn Statement. A two-year business rates freeze is being called for, however a 3.2% rise is currently planned for April. November 23 2013 /

Drapers

NeWs

Graduate Fashion Week moves to east London By Jill Geoghegan

Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) will relocate to The old Truman brewery in east London for its 2014 edition. moving from earls Court, the expanded location will attract 25,000 guests and feature 20 catwalk shows from graduates of more than 40 universities. It will run from may 31 to June 3. GFW chairman and former Debenhams chief executive rob Templeman said: “The new venue for Graduate Fashion Week is right in the heart of London’s creative district and the surrounding area is a major destination for fashionconscious youths and the perfect location for GFW. “I believe that this venue, alongside the new look exhibition and shows, together with our continued focus on graduate employment, will lead to record attendances and cement GFW as the ultimate showcase for fashion graduates.” George at Asda will sponsor the event for the fourth time next year.

Winners: Lauren Smith (left) and Kirandeep Bassan’s designs won prizes this year

GFW will feature talks with industry leaders, a live photo studio, a digital cinema and pop-up events. George brand director Fiona Lambert said: “GFW provides a great platform for us to help nurture the next generation of fashion talent, offer them a variety of opportunities and also encourage them to consider the endless possibilities of working for a big retailer such as George. “We are looking forward to discovering the wealth of creativity that the class of 2014 brings and hope to build on our experience of the past years to make GFW 2014 the biggest and best event to date.” In September Drapers revealed that London menswear trade show Jacket required was also relocating to The old Truman brewery for its autumn 14 edition, which will take place on February 5 and 6. The new space will allow the event, which will move from its current home at victoria House in Holborn, to increase the number of exhibitors from 150 to about 200.

Online revamp nets £1m in new sales for TM Lewin By Jill Geoghegan

Formalwear specialist Tm Lewin has bolstered online sales by £1m in six months after revamping its website, with men’s suit sales soaring 70%. online now makes up 25% of total sales, up from 18% in 2011, and the business expects double-digit growth to continue next year. The redesign features larger product photography on models, full-page zoom and alternate product images, as well as a ‘buy the full suit’ option, so shoppers can purchase a complete look without redirecting to individual product pages. Director of home shopping Andrew mossman said there was “no doubt” the spike in sales was a direct result of the new technology from software provider ecommera. “The optimisation [software] was implemented in may and ever since the sales of suits in particular have gone through the roof,” he told 6

Drapers / November 23 2013

Driving revenues: web to keep growing

Drapers. “Shirts and women’s tailoring have also been boosted by double-digit growth. It’s a whole new way of shopping for our customers.” Although it would not reveal its online turnover, in Tm Lewin’s most recent results for the year to march 3, 2012, turnover grew 5.73% to £106.48m. Gross profit rose 3.27% to £66.30m.

BolonGaro Trevor is seven up in noTTinGham

Men’s and women’s wear brand Bolongaro Trevor opened its seventh store this month, a 3,000 sq ft shop at 58 Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham, carrying the premium label’s full range. Bolongaro Trevor is seeking £2m investment in order to grow its retail business to 50 stores in the next five years.

Green looks overseas as mild spell hits sales By Catherine neilan

Arcadia Group is looking to international expansion, store refurbishment and the development of its multichannel offer to boost results after a sluggish start to the current financial year. Like-for-like sales across the business, which includes Topshop, Topman, miss Selfridge, burton, evans, Dorothy Perkins and bHS, were down 3.7% for the 10 weeks to November 9, with chief executive Sir Philip Green blaming “unseasonably mild and wet weather”. Green told Drapers: “It hasn’t been cold yet. There’s been no weather at all. As you know we are in a ‘buy now, wear now’ marketplace so until there’s a change in weather it’s diﬃcult.” but Green, whose group last week reported a rise in total sales and pre-tax profits, remained bullish about prospects both internationally and domestically. Arcadia plans to open a further 161 franchise stores globally in the coming year, following the launch of 127 in the year to August 31, “with several further markets under discussion”. He is eyeing an additional four or five locations in the US, most of which will take Arcadia to parts of

Sisters in fashion: Owen and Allen

Aurora owed £42k by Lily Allen �irm

Open to oﬀers: Green has not ruled out selling BHS if the right bid comes along

the country where it currently has no presence. Green also highlighted investment in refreshing store concepts, which will take place over the next six months. He dismissed rumours he was poised to sell off bHS, saying he was not in discussions “with anybody”. However, he did not rule out considering offers for the retailer. Green also revealed he was mulling introducing convenience food into bHS as early as the new year, looking to take on the likes of marks & Spencer with a mix of clothing, homeware and food. The concept has been market tested and a decision could be made as early as

Christmas, but Green said it was too early to discuss potential hires. Green was speaking as he revealed total Arcadia sales for the year to August 31 rose to £2.73bn, up from £2.67bn last year. but like-for-likes over the period fell 2.7%. operating profit before goodwill and exceptional items fell to £220.9m from £225.2m last year, although pre-tax profits, excluding the sale of 25% of Topman and Topshop to private equity company Leonard Green & Partners last December, rose from £166.9m to £167.8m. Arcadia ended the year with £74.7m of net cash, compared with bank debt of £308.9m in 2012.

Aurora Fashions is seeking $68,000 (£42,237) from Lucy in Disguise, the vintage-inspired clothing line set up by singer Lily Allen and her half-sister Sarah owen in 2011, which was dissolved last month. The money is owed to Aurora, parent company of oasis and Warehouse, after Lucy in Disguise used a sourcing oﬃce in Hong Kong owned by the retail group. The british High Court granted a compulsory winding-up order following an application from Aurora. A spokeswoman confirmed to Drapers Aurora was still chasing the money it is owed, which has been reduced from an original $336,000 (£208,084) in August 2011. Allen and owen also set up a Lucy in Disguise shop in 2010 offering designer vintage clothing for sale and rent. The store was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary, Lily Allen: From Riches to Rags. However, Allen severed her ties with the company in 2011, leaving owen in charge of the business, which is still trading at 48 Lexington Street in Soho, London.

HoF concessions boss joins Boundary Mill Stores By victoria Gallagher

Former House of Fraser head of womenswear concessions Sally mirza has joined discount outlet firm boundary mill Stores, tasked with attracting new brands. mirza has joined as fashion brand director and will report into retail director Cheryl mcGrath. mcGrath and the in-store retail management teams will continue to take responsibility for performance management and space allocation. boundary mill has five outlets across the UK in Newcastle, Colne in Lancashire, Sheﬃeld, Walsall and

New business: Mirza is responsible for attracting new brands to Boundary Mill

Grantham in Lincolnshire, in which brands and retailers clear excess stock in a concession environment. The centres offer discounts of up to 75% across categories including menswear, womenswear, occasionwear, footwear, lingerie and accessories. boundary mill’s existing offer includes concessions from Hobbs, Jaeger, Phase eight, Jacques vert, Planet and Kaliko. In menswear, the stores carry suits and shirts from Austin reed, Jaeger and Paul Costelloe, as well as outdoor and leisure wear from

Timberland, Craghoppers and Weird Fish. Hush Puppies, radley and Triumph are among the brands in footwear, accessories and lingerie. mirza left House of Fraser in April after more than seven-and-ahalf years managing the development of 100-plus brands. before that she worked for more than five years at Arcadia, in roles including merchandising at burton and a concession merchandising role managing accounts for Lloyd Shoes and jewellery retailer DCK Concessions. November 23 2013 /

Drapers 7

HERE & THERE

RHODES TO LIVERPOOL

FROM RETAIL TO THE HIGH SEAS On November 25 former Shop Direct Group boss Mark Newton-Jones will set sail as he takes part in ARC 2013, the world’s largest ocean race. Traversing the 2,800 nautical miles across the Atlantic, Newton-Jones is raising money for charities Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust and Children with Cancer UK. You can pledge your support at virginmoneygiving.com/MarkNewtonJones

Designer Zandra Rhodes visited womenswear independent Boudoir Boutique in Liverpool to launch her new handbag collection as part of an in-store event. Owner Louise Kavanagh and her daughter, the store’s buyer and manager Amy Louise Keating, told Drapers the event was “a huge success” – so much so that they are already putting in a repeat order for the bags.

OFF THED OociaRl whirl RErC apers s The D

SELFRIDGES SHINES A LIGHT ON CHRISTMAS Selfridges hosted fashion’s finest for a reception celebrating the Oxford Street Christmas lights switch-on. Canapés were washed down with champagne as singer Jessie J flicked the switch. Drapers’ Catherine Neilan was snapped with Selfridges UK managing director Anne Pitcher.

HAPPY HAMMERS SCORE FOR CHARITY

TOASTING CARVEN Carven creative director Guillaume Henry (above) invited guests including (top) Club 21’s Howe Cheng and Anna Wasowska and blogger and model Bip Ling (above left) to Bibendum restaurant to celebrate the label’s first London boutique on Pelham Street. Mini steaks and foie gras tempted tastebuds. 8

Drapers / NOVEMBER 23 2013

West Ham footballers Mark Noble and Joe Cole lent their support to the Secret Garden Ball at Canary Wharf in London. The event was held to raise money for Richard House, a children’s hospice in east London. The hospice has been the chosen charity for Aurora Fashions for many years, and Aurora deputy managing director Jess Wilks was joined by David Blakeney, head of store development at House of Fraser as well as the Hammers duo on the night. The event raised more than £80,000 for the charity.

THE FULL PICTURE Apologies to Marcus Thrall of sponsor Redfish Group and David Conaghan of Chocolate Clothing, winner of the Multichannel Operator category, who were inexplicably beheaded in the pictures of our Drapers Independents Awards last week. Here they are unscathed with Drapers’ Eric Musgrave.

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

CMY

SPRING SUMMER 2014 48 MORTIMER STREET LONDON W1W 7RN F O R I N F O R M AT I O N C O N TA C T S A L E S @ U T TA M L O N D O N . C O M

EDITOR’S COMMENT

‘Great Britons provide reasons to be cheerful’

he trade has been waiting for cold weather and it got what it wanted this week. By Wednesday it was bitterly cold and I was pleased to give a run-out to my latest wardrobe acquisition, a doublebreasted glen check overcoat from Marks & Spencer’s Best of British range. Using cloth woven in Abraham Moon & Sons’ mill near Leeds, it was made at Cheshire Bespoke in Crewe. Very handsome and cosy it is too. Tony O’Connor, M&S head of design, gave me the lowdown on the retailer’s Best of British initiative as long ago as January when the high street favourite was showing as part of London Collections: Men. He’s a great evangelist for the cause of Made in the UK, as is Belinda Earl, M&S’s style director. My coat retails at £599, which isn’t cheap but does, to me, represent good value. While Best of British is only a small range in a few stores, M&S is to be applauded for taking what is presumably a substantial hit on margin to use British cloth and British manufacturers. As ex-Daks design director Bruce Montgomery argues on page 12, other firms ought to follow M&S’s example and make an effort to make in Britain. Finding the makers is one of the biggest problems and hopefully things will become easier from this week with the relaunch of the manufacturing database compiled by the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT). I take immodest pride in being responsible for setting up the Let’s Make it Here website in 2010 when I was running UKFT. The overhaul of the service, which is free to users and those

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

manufacturers smart enough to get listed on it, is very welcome. Try it at Letsmakeithere.org. With UK (and Irish) manufacturing, the motto has to be “use it or lose it”. To return to M&S, there was a reminder this week of the esteem in which the oft-criticised business is held by the great British public when it was named Fashion Retailer of the Year – Consumer Choice in our annual Drapers Awards, which were presented in front of 800-plus people on Thursday. M&S took top spot in our online survey of 2,000 consumers. All of those on the shortlist can be seen in the winners’ brochure in the centre of this issue. If its success may have been a surprise given its loss of market share, there were few other surprises among the major categories. Primark took two of the big awards, namely Fashion Retail Business (over £125m turnover) and International Fashion Retailer of the Year. Asos was the judges’ choice for Fashion Pure-Play Etailer and River Island won the Fashion Marketing Campaign category.

Another deserving double winner was John Lewis, which swelled its trophy cabinet with a Best Store Design award for its Exeter store and top spot in the Department Store Business of the Year category. A beautiful entry, which oozed class and passion for the brand, helped the judges to name Hobbs as Fashion Retail Business of the Year (under £125m turnover). Congratulations also to Seasalt, Simon Carter, John Smedley (a British manufacturer!) and Little Mistress for picking up the Menswear, Womenswear, Premium and Young Fashion Brand of the Year trophies respectively. Little Mistress won the same category at the Drapers Independents Awards on November 7, having impressed a totally different set of judges. In a tight-run contest, CDI Studio just beat the other finalists to be named Fashion Supplier of the Year. Emphasising that no success is achieved without inspirational people, we added the Fashion Retailing Personality of the Year award for 2013 and Peter Ruis is the worthy winner. Although he has been chief executive of Jigsaw since September, I suspect that John Lewis, where he was a huge influence for eight years until July, might claim this as their third award of the night. It was a real pleasure for me to see Derek Lovelock, soon-to-be-outgoing chairman of Aurora Fashions, pick up his much-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. When I broke the news of this to him a few weeks ago, he was very keen to stress that, despite racking up 42 years in the business and being due to move to non-executive work at Aurora from the spring, he was in no mood to retire. That’s the spirit that marks out the winners in this business.

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 Fashion Director Ian Wright, 2763 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 Events and Projects Manager Victoria Hart, 2961 Clubs Co-ordinator Katie Marcel, 2962 Classified Sales Executive Dawn O’Brien, 2959 Sales & Event Support Executive Rosie Birchenough, 2964 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

NOVEMBER 23 2013 /

Drapers

OPINION

Talking Shop

‘The glossies’ trends don’t reflect my reality’

Drapersonline.com stories this week MOST READ Debenhams unveils Christmas 2013 advert Barratts collapses into administration Debenhams restructures to build for overseas growth Bidding war builds over BHS Creative director exits Jack Wills H&M’s website crashes over Isabel Marant collection Asos launches in China Group product boss quits Shop Direct Chief executive Michael Ziff rules himself out of saving Barratts a third time Arcadia total sales edge up as like-for-likes dip

Letters to the editor The news that Sir Philip Green is thinking about introducing food in BHS might strike fear in the hearts of Marks & Spencer and others (Drapers, November 16). No one disputes that Sir Philip is a class act when it comes to fashion retail. Let’s be honest, how exciting would it be to see the Topshop of food? I would anticipate seeing all sorts of innovations and creativity for all markets with similarities to the M&S food but with more appealing prices. Years ago it was rumoured that Green was going to buy Safeway. Perhaps that was too early and too large for his entry into food. But 150 units in BHS is much easier to handle and you may rest assured the big four foodies will be watching with great interest. Peter Burgess, managing director, Retail Human Resource My feet haven’t touched the floor since attending the Drapers Independents Awards lunch on November 7. I had a marvellous day which I have continued to enjoy immensely. I have been extremely touched by so many people contacting me to offer their congratulations, so I had to take this opportunity to thank you for organising this special event and giving a veteran such a memorable experience. Irving Goodman, Lifetime Achievement Award winner

Drapers / NOVEMBER 23 2013

o there we have it, another year almost over and Christmas is racing towards us like a bullet train. It must be worth considering, given the ups and downs of the past few years’ trading, whether the tried and tested buying model has now become ‘so 2008’ and is outdated. There are new pressures and constraints from suppliers, and trends appear out of the blue, leaving many behind before they’ve even put the key in the door. Other than being led by agents or brands to guide you through the predicted bestsellers or trusting your instincts when making those all-important buying decisions, we as retailers have no idea which trends the press are picking up on other than trusting prediction seminars

Pamela Shiffer

Owner of womenswear boutique Pamela Shiffer in Primrose Hill, London

or following the likes of Drapers or other trade magazines. There is only one problem when retailers rely on press information – the glossy consumer magazines have a mind of their own, which on the whole has no bearing on affordable clothing for the masses. Having recently scoured through the usual popular glossies I was amazed as to how

expensive the items were in their main features. You could buy a car or go on a luxury holiday for the price of some of the items photographed. I have no problem with the luxury end of the market, which by all accounts is alive and kicking. However, my conundrum is how we as retailers can appeal to working customers who are grounded in reality and not dreams of winning the lottery. Therefore I’m wondering whether if we knew which items the glossies such as Elle, Marie Claire, Grazia, Red, Vogue, Tatler and Harper’s Bazaar were shooting for various features would we be more inclined to back those styles and brands? This poses an interesting question of which I would be interested to know the answer.

Talking Business

‘Let’s believe in British manufacturing’

he British fashion industry generates about £21bn for the economy but mostly from products made abroad. Yet UK manufacturing has paid dividends for those brands, such as Albam or Nigel Cabourn, that have resisted the trend for cheaper prices in favour of using factories in Manchester, the Midlands and the Scottish Borders. Some of the best factories are in rural areas. So instead of your Boris bike, get on your Brompton bike (made in west London) and go and see for yourselves. Examples include Johnstons of Elgin, which produces cashmere scarves and shawls for luxury brands such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Burberry under a Made in Scotland label. John Smedley makes all its knitwear in its Derbyshire factory. Footwear

Bruce Montgomery Menswear consultant and professor in design craftsmanship at Northumbria University

brand Grenson’s Rose collection is made in Rushden, Northamptonshire. Quality outerwear can be sourced from Cooper & Stollbrand in Manchester and formal suits from Cheshire Bespoke in Crewe. Manufacturing needs government support however, as rent and rates are high and bureaucratic red tape is abundant. The introduction of small tax breaks and incentives

to make it attractive to the next generation to enrol in an apprenticeship would help; creating jobs, saving skills, giving a sense of pride and a point of difference. Some major brands have committed to return a certain percentage to UK sourcing, but it is only a few. If all British-based brands had just 10% of their production in the UK, it would help create a sustainable manufacturing base. British manufacturing is not cheap, but for a lot of better-end brands margins and market price points are still achievable. In product areas other than fashion, initiatives such as Made North and Make it British are flying the flag, so whether it is Made in Manchester or Made in UK, surely it’s time for some self-belief in making at home again.

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FASHION INDEX

Dan Coen

+3.6%

Director, corporate advisory firm Zolfo Cooper

recent survey by market research company Mintel found that the UK menswear market has grown 12% in the past five years and is now worth an estimated £10.4bn. However, even though this market has been steadily building since 2008, much of the UK fashion world has been slow to react – especially in the mid-market sector. For mid-market retailers, the growth is an opportunity that cannot be ignored any longer, especially as the menswear market is likely to gather even more momentum in 2014. We’ve already seen an explosion in male grooming products and even cosmetics for men, so it’s not too much of a leap to expect that this focus on male consumers will spill over into fashion next year. The timing couldn’t be better for the mid-market. During the height of the financial crisis, consumers of both genders seemed to develop a preoccupation with price above all else, but these same shoppers are now more interested in classic yet stylish clothes that will stand the test of time. Popular womenswear retailer Whistles has clearly seen the potential of this market, as it has just announced that it will launch a menswear collection next autumn. Meanwhile, US retailer J Crew has recently opened its first men’s-only store in London. There has long been a stereotype that men hate shopping, but this too is changing. John Lewis, for example, has stated that nearly half of its customers are male. Another survey has revealed that fashion now accounts for around 83% of young men’s online spend, and that a quarter of 26 to 35-year-old men now spend at least £900 per year on clothing online. One in two men aged 18 to 35 even have a dedicated shopping app installed on their phone. Of course, no one is saying that testosterone alone will be the answer to UK retail’s current woes, but mid-market retailers who are able to combine high quality and good value with a little bit of fashion flair will certainly stay one step ahead. And they will be the retailers that benefit from the fact that 2014 is likely to be the year of the mid-market male.

‘For a long time there has been a stereotype that men hate shopping, but this is now changing’

Drapers / NOVEMBER 23 2013

WEEKLY FOOTFALL RETAIL INDEX National UK footfall figures Week 46 – November 11 to November 17, 2013

-2.7% YEAR-ON-YEAR CHANGE

WEEK-ON-WEEK CHANGE

As predicted, an uplift in shopper activity this week has been reported. The 3.6% week-on-week rise is 0.2% higher than the growth rate seen for the same week last year. With the Bank of England reporting that the UK recovery has taken hold, raising the forecast for growth for this year and next, retailers will be hopeful for a corresponding increase in consumer spending. East Midlands, Northern Ireland and London are the only UK regions to benefit from a year-on-year traffic increase.

HIGH STREET SALES TRACKER

Like-for-like sales figures across the high street Week ending November 17, 2013

+0.61% +0.91%

Clothing

Total fashion

-1.19% Footwear

There was little change in trading conditions this week with demand remaining sluggish. Although the colder weather helped drive clothing sales, fashion remained virtually unchanged from last week, notwithstanding a handful of strong promotion-driven results. 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 1. Production 7.5% 2. Design 7.1% 3. Merchandising 5.8% SOUTHAMPTON 46.7% Highest growth location (defined by % increase in traffic to DrapersJobs week on week)

4. Sales 5.6% 5. Buying 4.8%

ILLUSTRATIONS BY NATHALIE LEES

‘The mid-market male is the new retail trend’

THREE NEW KIPLING STORES IN LONDON Backed with major advertising campaign for Christmas. The monkeys are coming… Kipling continues to grow with a new expansion of stores across Europe – starting with that inimitable hub of innovation on the global fashion scene, London. After the success of stores at Brompton Road, Westfield White City and Regent Street, 3 more stores have been confirmed to round off 2013: Bluewater, Brent Cross, and, not forgetting the city’s largest and most exciting shopping

destination, Westfield Stratford. With high-profile collaborations including supermodel Helena Christensen under it’s belt (or, in the bag!), Kipling has proved 2013 to be the year of the monkey: and, what’s more, that it’s not only the press but the Great British high street that loves to tote a Kipling! With shop fits that emphasise the vibrancy of family life and the consumer’s unique style, the

Find out more and check out the latest collections at www.kipling.com

new stores have produced a massive growth against last year’s UK sales. With a new Kipling advertising campaign starting this Christmas in Press, Outdoor and Digital media and with more stores being investigated in the UK for 2014 this is a success story that looks set to continue.

INDICATOR

Occasion & formalwear What’s selling now? WOMEN’S OCCASIONWEAR

MEN’S FORMALWEAR

Stephanie Wainwright Owner, Aristocrats of Chester

Craig Cummings Manager, Man to Man in Southport, Merseyside

“Maggie Sottero (retailing at £650 to £1,600) is our best-selling brand at the moment. Simple gowns with a satin slip and a lace overlay have been very popular recently. Maggie Sottero’s Sawyer and Lara dresses have been the major sellers.”

“We’re doing well with Boss Black suiting (from £479). People like the brand because it fits well. Eton shirts (£110 to £150) are also popular. In my opinion, it is one of the best shirt brands on the market. We get a lot of repeat business with it.”

Maggie Robin Owner, Bear Necessities in Auchterarder, Scotland

Derek McCormack Manager/buyer, Majors in Oswestry, Shropshire

“Our top four best-selling brands have been Presen (around £700), Mireia Bisbe (£700 to £800), Ian Stuart (£900 to £1,000) and John Charles (around £700). Presen’s jewel-coloured dress and coat sets have been selling well, particularly the Nais purple dress and coat set.”

“Ted Baker is our strongest seller in jackets. It does a great jacket range called Tightlines, within which the Fuelz (£325) and Fieldz (£340) are both popular. Without Prejudice’s Harris Tweed jackets also sell well, particularly the Kingsley (£350).”

Without Prejudice

Louise Brown Buyer, Catwalk in Falkirk

Olly Trevail Buyer, Trevails in Truro, Cornwall

“Our mother of the bride ranges by Condici (£600 to £900) and John Charles (£600 to £900) have been performing well. Joseph Ribkoff dresses and tops (£150 to £250) and Pia tops (£79 to £150) are also good sellers. John Charles eveningwear (£300), particularly the sparkly tops from the cocktail collection, are favourites too.”

Russell Scott-Lawson Owner, Hawkes Essentials in Cardiff

“Roy Robson has some nice blazers (from £225) that customers like. The detailing gives them a unique feel. The brand also does a nice three-piece suit (from £350) that is popular.”

Eton

Gwen Culligan Co-owner, County Boutique in Ennis, Republic of Ireland “Marc Cain dresses (£193 to £461) and jackets (around £252) are our bestsellers. Gold by Michael H dresses (£150 to £185), Luke Lovely dresses (£134 to £168) and Joseph Ribkoff dresses (£168 to £210) also do well. Aideen Bodkin is another winner for us. We have a lace dress for £268 that has been popular in a few different colours.”

Siobhan Nolan-Farmer Buyer, Jones Designer Fashions in Swansea

Denise Lynch-Farrell Owner, Lynch’s in Banagher, Republic of Ireland “This is a quiet time of year for me as the wedding season is over, but a Mascara dress and bolero set (£293) aimed at the mother of the bride has been popular because it is well priced. I also have a Sale rail with half-price items by a range of brands from John Charles to Presen, and these always do well.”

Ted Baker Irresistible

“Gibson London tweed jackets have been the strongest performers for us this season. The grey herringbone tweed jacket (£210) sold well with a grey waistcoat (£68). Remus Uomo has also been quite strong, particularly the tweed jackets such as the Trevano (£189). Caliban is another popular brand, especially the fitted dress shirts (£70).”

“Bernshaw’s Ebony (£249) and Eloise (£299) dresses have been selling extremely well. We have a fabulous dress with diamanté detail by Joseph Ribkoff (£199) which has been a great performer.”

“John Charles dress and jacket sets (£600 to £700) have been strong sellers in gold, silver and champagne. Presen dress and coat sets (£600 to £700) have impressed. A silver and blue dress by Irresistible (£599) has also been a hit.” 16

Drapers

/ NOVEMBER 23 2013

“We do very well with Remus Uomo across the board. The shirts (£40 to £65), trousers (£59 to £69) and jackets (£150 to £250) are all moving for us. They’re great quality and competitively priced. We find that the price point allows us to make add-on sales. We rarely sell only one piece. It’s always on-trend and very contemporary.”

Brian Smith Owner, Leaf Clothing in Newcastle

Yvonne Bracey Owner and buyer, Putting on the Ritz in Clifton, Bristol

Jackie Allan Owner, Revolve in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

“We’re doing a lot of jackets. Without Prejudice jackets are a great fit and are unique. The Buckley blazer (£349.99) has been a great seller. We’re also selling a lot of jacket/waistcoat combinations (from £300) that I’ve designed and had made by German manufacturer Odermark. We’ve had a 70% sell-through in three weeks.”

Bernshaw

David Johnson Owner, John Douglas in Macclesfield, Cheshire

Remus Uomo

“We’re selling a lot of Ted Baker suits (from £299), and a lot of Benvenuto suits – the business suit with a trouser option (£310) and a slimmer-fitting fashion suit (£340) are going great.”

Thank you to all our customers for their constant support and voting us Drapers Independents Womenswear Brand of the Year

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the drapers interview I roberTo eGGS

ith 461 stores globally, Louis vuitton has a wide-reaching network, so roberto eggs, the brand’s president of europe, middle east and Africa, is hardly short of shops to get excited about from the 38 countries under his supervision. but as he surveys the plush first floor of his imposing new three-storey “townhouse” shop-in-shop at Selfridges in London, it is telling that the one word he uses over and over is ‘unique’. “It’s a unique concept that we started thinking about four years ago,” explains eggs. “What we liked about Selfridges is that it had a very clear view on how it wanted to structure the store and it was still when everything was possible as they were [in the process of] relocating their different brands. Then the idea came up to have it interconnected, which is something quite unique.” The space, described by Louis vuitton chairman and chief executive michael burke as “understated yet grand”, is vast. The ground floor alone, where its famous bags and luggage have centre stage, represents an area nearly three times the size of the previous corner plot the brand had occupied since 2000. “In the beginning we concentrated on what is the core of the brand, which is travel and the bags,” eggs says. “but since then almost 14 years have passed, and the brand has developed into other product categories that we couldn’t display in the small store we had.” This was what initially prompted Louis vuitton to devise the townhouse idea, or “the UK’s first real ‘shop-within-a-shop’ experience”, as Selfridges managing director Anne Pitcher describes it. The menswear collecTion is situated directly above the bags and accessories, showing off the work of british designer and Louis vuitton men’s style director Kim Jones and his team in lavish surroundings. A further level up, the second floor is home to womenswear, and currently displays the penultimate collection for the French fashion house from former artistic director marc Jacobs. “each level is part of the universe of the floor,” eggs explains. However, the most unusual architectural element is its most important – the one-of-a-kind rotating lift wrapped in a golden double helix, symbolising, according to the store’s French architect Gwenaël Nicolas, the threading of the brand’s DNA between the different sections. It’s an ambitious project – eggs says for more standardised store designs of this size, a timescale of between 18 months and two years is far more usual than the four years this project took. The lengthier process was partly down to the complicated lift – during construction,

Talk of the town

Louis Vuitton’s Roberto Eggs shows us around the label’s sumptuous ‘townhouse’ concept in Selfridges Words by Ian WrIght

builders had to dig down three floors and only secured planning permission thanks to the store being located in a position formerly occupied by an atrium. “Through the rotation you can discover the full vuitton universe,” eggs says. “It’s pure entertainment and the luxury shopping experience is becoming more and more an entertainment in itself.” but why not open a standalone store instead of wrestling with the complexities of an iconic Grade I-listed building? “We have pretty good coverage here in London as we have six stores,” eggs counters. “In my view there is a purpose to each

store and there is a specific purpose for us to be present [in Selfridges].” He asserts the famous department store is a destination and by creating this townhouse concept Louis vuitton is adding value to both businesses – for him it’s a win-win situation for both parties. “I believe here we are really pushing the boundaries of what you can experience within a department store.” but this is no one-off vanity project; the townhouse is part of a wider strategy to revamp Louis vuitton’s store portfolio. “We will concentrate much more on the existing network to November 23 2013 /

Drapers

roberTo eGGS I the drapers interview

Maid to measure: creating the shop-in-shop involved a major store remodelling; a demonstration by a Vuitton craftsman (far right)

enhance the experience in the stores we have,” says eggs. “This [Selfridges store] is a brilliant example of what we want to do.” He explains that the idea of having an additional standalone store is less attractive than revamping an existing one to give it a fresh store experience. “vuitton is right to be focusing on existing stores rather than rolling out new outlets, with investment in destination flagships or the maison stores, a strategy we have seen more luxury brands implement over the last two years,” says Honor Westnedge, senior analyst at verdict retail, “It is more efficient for brands to invest in core stores to create a lifestyle experience which showcases full ranges, rather than rely on new [shops] to drive footfall.” In the past year Louis vuitton has concentrated on investing in the cities that contribute the most revenue, with not only the townhouse opening in London but also a dedicated footwear concession in Selfridges in July and menswear concession in Harrods in August. Further afield, in the last year new stores in venice and munich have also replaced older formats. Westnedge suggests this is a sensible approach: “overexpansion can negatively impact brand appeal or a store’s destination status, so by limiting its physical presence Louis vuitton can protect its image and keep an element of exclusivity.” However, this doesn’t mean eggs is closed to new locations. “This [strategy] does not prevent [Louis vuitton investing] when there is a very good opportunity and we feel like there is still untapped potential in a country,” he says, with first-time openings in Poland and Kazakhstan and additional stores unveiled in Dubai and Istanbul this year testament to this. Next year, Frankfurt, Florence, Geneva, barcelona and moscow will all see a shiny new Louis vuitton experience come to town, while the business is also working on a secret store 20

Drapers / November 23 2013

There is nothing better than the stores to sell – we will very much hang on to the bricks and mortar project for London, although no further details about this intriguing concept are available. LvmH does not split out Louis vuitton’s financial figures from its stablemates such as Céline, Givenchy and Christian Dior, but overall the company’s fashion and leather goods business brought in revenues of €4.7bn (£4bn) in the six months to June 2013, an increase of 1%, or organic growth of 5% on the year before. Profit was just shy of €1.5bn (£1.25bn), with the profitability of Louis vuitton described in the latest report to shareholders as at an “exceptional level”. eggs sTill sees the five key markets under his supervision as the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The first three rank “more or less the same” – tellingly, these are the same five territories in which vuitton currently operates bespoke country-specific ecommerce platforms. Two further countries will get their own transactional websites soon, but until eggs can be sure that the logistics and service is in place, he won’t commit to a launch as he says “the expectation of our clientele is very high”. And besides, according to eggs, Louis vuitton believes “there is nothing better than the stores to sell – we will very much hang on the bricks and mortar”. The six Louis vuitton stores in London are visited by customers from all over the globe, and

the number of tourists is set to grow, according to Westnedge. “Tourism levels are forecast to rise over the next five years, increasing the demand for luxury goods in London,” she explains. management consultancy bain & Company’s 2013 Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study forecasts the european luxury market will have grown 2% in 2013, with increased spending among tourists counteracting slower spending by european nationals, and tourist spending now making up 55% of luxury revenues in the UK . This is a trend Louis vuitton has been monitoring for some time and is able to capitalise on. “The investment we are making in cities like London and Paris is as much driven by the tourists as the local clients,” says eggs. “We define the level of investment and type of offer according to the type of clientele, always bearing in mind that we want to cherish our local clients because they are always there.” Daily deliveries to stores keep this offer fresh and allow the brand flexibility to maximise sales during country-specific seasonal events such as Chinese New Year. “This is a continuous learning process,” says eggs. “We don’t think we know everything.” So what does the future hold for Louis vuitton now that marc Jacobs has left to concentrate on his own brand and been replaced by former balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière? “I think we’ll discover much of marc’s legacy in the years to come,” eggs says. “We are much more global today and he created this universe where there was a positive tension between tradition and modernity. [Ghesquière] is considered one of the most talented people of his generation – everybody is excited about the first collection.” Whatever Ghesquière’s debut looks like, Louis vuitton has a grand new London home in which to display it.

Founded in California in 1966, Kâ&#x20AC;˘Swiss is a heritage American tennis brand, for on-court performance and off-court style.

For enquiries contact Richard Morris, UK & Ireland Sales Manager: +44 (0) 7585 303653.

COURT STYLE SINCE 1966

ECOMMERCE

Multichannel focus

Create your own catalogue; a home for upcoming design talent; and cash codes for Blue Inc Words by KEELY STOCKER

Catalogue retailing is born again online at Flipboard Social media aggregation app Flipboard has launched a new feature which allows users to browse and create their own product catalogues for free. Flipboard, which was set up in 2010, originally gave users the option to build their own magazine-style feed, pulling in content from their favourite sites and social networks. The update gives retailers the ability to build shoppable catalogues on the platform, allowing users to click on product thumbnails and view larger images as well as price details. There is then the option to either add the product to a cart on Flipboard or click a ‘Buy’ button that redirects the user to the retailer’s site to make the purchase. Individual users are also encouraged to create their own catalogues by ‘flipping’ products in a similar way to pinning them on Pinterest. By installing the Flip It bookmark, users can add a product from a retailer’s site to their Flipboard catalogue. Products can also be mixed with other content such as editorial content, photos and videos. Brands that have already launched Flipboard shoppable catalogues include eBay, Levi’s and Modcloth.

Drapers / NOVEMBER 23 2013

Wolf & Badger site showcases new designers Designer independent Wolf & Badger has relaunched its website in an attempt to become a destination for discovering new design talent. The site includes a fresh layout and increased content on emerging designers. The look of the site has been refreshed to feature drop-down navigation, a white background and a home page carousel. Functionality updates include the ability to view all product on one page and filter options on product pages, and are all intended to improve the user experience. As part of the relaunch, Wolf & Badger is teaming up with brands that are not stocked in its two London stores but which it has started selling via the online platform. New online-only brands on the site include jewellery designer Lee Renée and scarf designer Sabina Savage.

BLUE INC AIMS TO CASH IN ON NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM Men’s young fashion chain Blue Inc has signed up with online payment provider UKash to offer shoppers the option of paying by cash online. Customers can buy UKash codes in retail outlets (including shops, petrol stations and kiosks) and then use the 19-digit code provided to pay for product online. Blue Inc introduced the payment solution in an attempt to reduce the number of abandoned baskets at the online checkout. Head of ecommerce Ajay Nassa said: “By adding a cash payment method to our website we are eliminating barriers for consumers who would otherwise need to visit our stores to pay with cash.” Other retailers already offering UKash include Little Mistress and TJ Hughes.

WINNERS’ BROCHURE

This Christmas, some of the latest fashion will be bought at antiques fairs.

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WELCOME CONTENTS ii

Best Store Design

Fashion Marketing Campaign of the Year iii v

Fashion Pure-Play Etailer of the Year

All hail fashion’s finest

Young Fashion Brand of the Year

vii

Premium Fashion Brand of the Year

Menswear Brand of the Year

Womenswear Brand of the Year

Fashion Supplier of the Year

xiii

Fashion Retailer of the Year – Consumer Choice

Fashion Retailing Personality of the Year xvii

The Drapers Awards 2013 celebrate the best of the best among major fashion companies and I would like to salute all those that entered. In these challenging times, it is encouraging to see so many businesses evolving and expanding. I especially congratulate each company and brand that made it through our rigorous judging to appear in this brochure. ERIC MUSGRAVE Editorial director This year the awards have been relocated to a new Drapers venue, Old Billingsgate, with a fresh format that concentrates solely on large players (the independents had their own separate awards three weeks previously). The Drapers Awards 2013 would not happen without the generous commitment of our sponsors and supporters, which also believe in a vibrant fashion retailing sector. This year our sincere thanks go to CAT, Clipper, Closet, DHL Supply Chain, Fashion & Retail Personnel, Freedom Executive, Glamorous, Heidrick & Struggles, Istituto Marangoni, Kerry Logistics, Kuehne & Nagel, Little Mistress, Native Youth, PayPal, Torque, Uniserve, Vente-privee and Yumi. We are delighted that the Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust (FTCT) is our chosen charity once again and we hope you will give generously to this excellent cause. My hearty thanks go to our excellent judges, listed right, who devoted much of their time to perusing the many entries before meeting at Drapers’ offices to discuss, debate and decide on the winners. They brought years of experience and knowledge to the process. As well as the editorial team, I’d like to thank my colleagues in the organising and marketing departments at Drapers for all their dedicated work in bringing this event together.

Department Store Business of the Year

xix

International Fashion Retailer of the Year xxi Fashion Retail Business of the Year (under £125m turnover) Fashion Retail Business of the Year (over £125m turnover) Lifetime Achievement Award

xxiii xxv xxvii

Our judges Richard Bradbury Former chief executive, River Island Nick Bubb Retailing consultant, Zeus Capital David Carter-Johnson Chairman, My Beautiful City Isabel Cavill Senior retail analyst, Planet Retail, WGSN Group Dan Coen Director, Zolfo Cooper Miles Gray Owner, Miles Gray Associates Maureen Hinton Director – research and analysis, Verdict Retail Anne Horton Managing director, Tonik Retail Meg Lustman Buying director of fashion, John Lewis Terry Mansfield Ambassador, Hearst Corporation Mark Newton-Jones Former chief executive, Shop Direct Group Stephen Sidkin Partner, Fox Williams Rob Templeman Deputy chairman, British Retail Consortium David Walker-Smith Managing director, Fenwick of Bond Street

Sponsored by

Winner Asos An “unstoppable etailer” according to our judges, Asos continues to thrive in the pure-play market and trounce the competition. With country-specific sites in the US, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and China, Asos has broken into overseas markets at phenomenal speed, with 65% of sales now coming from outside the UK. Its use of social media and constant innovation keep it at the vanguard of not just fashion etail, but of all etail, yet the customer is always central to any decision it makes. Delivering a seamless experience across desktop, mobile and social channels, Asos engages its audience at every opportunity and daily content across multiple platforms keeps shoppers coming back. Asos has garnered detailed insights and in-depth knowledge of its customers from the huge amount of data it gathers. This enables it to focus every part of its offer around its shoppers’ wants and needs. With 17.5 million visitors each month across 65,000 clothing ranges, and financial results going from strength to strength – sales are on track to hit £1bn by 2015 – the judges agreed that Asos ticks every box.

FINALISTS HIGHLY COMMENDED

Missguided

Farfetch

Very

My-Wardrobe.com

Vestiaire Collective

Shoescribe.com

Yoox.com

The Drapers Awards 2013

Uniserve, proud sponsors of... ‘Young Fashion Brand of the Year’

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Young Fashion brand oF the Year

Sponsored by

Winner Little Mistress In a fiercely competitive sector of the market, Little Mistress is the undisputed queen of young fashion, having added this accolade to the Drapers Independents Awards crown it received earlier this month. The fact it is only five years old makes the award particularly impressive and stands as testimony to the hard work of chief executive Mark Ashton and his team. Little Mistress understands what its customer wants – most notably eye-catching ‘going out’ styles – and can deliver it as quick as a flash. The range’s sparkly finishes and youthful silhouettes have consistently gained fans looking for something special without paying over the odds. The judges praised Little Mistress for being a regular top performer for its stockists, which include Asos, House of Fraser, Bank and 150 independent stores. It is backed up by strong sell-through and impressive repeat business. A plus-size and separates range have been added this year, and petite sizes are lined up for spring. The recent House of Fraser exclusive line shows how far the label has come, how fast it has grown, and how well it has performed in its five years. Little Mistress doesn’t look so little any more.

Finalists highly commended

lipsy

bellfield Clothing

native Youth

ruby rocks

björn borg

glamorous

Closet

sugarhill boutique

Yumi

The Drapers Awards 2013

vii

Kuehne + Nagel Delivers Fashion Kuehne + Nagel would like to offer you our congratulations for winning your category in the Drapers Awards 2013! We understand the competitive market conditions in which you operate and your award is truly well deserved. At Kuehne + Nagel we make it our business to understand the unique logistics challenges of the Fashion Industry. In today’s challenging market place, we understand that retailers have a growing need to ensure their supply chain is ﬂexible and agile. Consumers today are more demanding than ever and only those with an agile, transparent supply chain will be able to quickly respond to ever changing market needs. Our ethos is simple. We provide bespoke supply chain solutions to ensure your products are reliably delivered and available to your customer, at the right time. FOR MORE INFORMATION Please contact Jules Buchanan, jules.buchanan@kuehne-nagel.com / 07929165968 or Lucy Mears, lucy.mears@kuehne-nagel.com / 07805860452

Our solutions are tailored to the speciﬁc needs of each client, resulting in the most cost effective, efﬁcient supply chain. We support some of the world’s best known fashion retailers and brands, enabling them to optimise their logistics costs and provide a competitive advantage across their supply chain. WE CAN PROVIDE A FULL END TO END SOLUTION Origin management & supplier management Freight management Destination management Retail support operations Garment value added services

preMiuM Fashion BranD oF the year

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Finalists

Barbour

Day Birger et Mikkelsen

Winner John Smedley This historic family-owned British company found favour with the judges for “sticking to its knitting”. The judges also said “the quality never wanes” and the near 400-strong staff “constantly know exactly what they’re doing”. With the Made in Britain tag going from strength to strength, the brand’s sales have increased significantly in the past two years since managing director Ian Maclean and his team reconfigured the business into a leaner operation. The 400,000 fine merino, cashmere and Sea Island cotton knitwear pieces that are made each

year in its impressive factories in Derbyshire and Yorkshire are the finest around – a royal warrant awarded in 2013 is testament to that. This year also saw the 229-year-old business debut at London Collections: Men, putting it firmly on the modern luxury map. The brand also has a growing international following, particularly in the Far East, to add to its 300 UK and Republic of Ireland stockists. The quality of the yarns, dyeing and fully-fashioned knitting are popular among consumers looking for knitwear with restrained style, luxurious yarns and impeccable provenance.

ted Baker

The Drapers Awards 2013

menswear BranD oF the year

Winner Simon Carter The judges praised Simon Carter for its impressive product offer and close relationship with stockists. Built on a strong sense of Britishness and a robust accessories foundation, this 28-year-old menswear brand – which is stocked in 120 doors including John Lewis, House of Fraser, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols – is admired for its playful and quirky designs that resonate with its smart but somewhat experimental customers. Having been ‘king of cufflinks’ in the 1990s, Simon Carter now offers a variety of quality men’s accoutrements, from leather wallets, watches, belts, scarves and luggage, to tailoring made from fine Italian wools and idiosyncratic patterned shirts. For autumn 13 the brand began selling its clothing online on a revamped website, while progress towards opening standalone stores across the UK as well as in India and Africa continues apace, as international customers clamour for a slice of British eccentricity and quality. Net profit at Simon Carter has grown steadily over the past three years and with underwear next on the agenda, the goal for the next few years continues to be further expansion.

Finalists

Ben sherman

G-star

The Drapers Awards 2013

Duck and Cover

lyle & scott

woMenswear brand oF the year

Winner Seasalt Falmouth-based brand Seasalt is inspired by the local surroundings and the diverse nature of its people and places, all of which contribute to clothing full of charm and character that ensured it stood out from the competition. Its product stays “true to its Cornish heritage and roots”, said our judges. Originating as a multi-brand retailer in 1981, the company created its own brand eight years ago and since then has significantly expanded its stockist network of big names and independents, including a major presence in John Lewis stores around the country. The first fashion company to gain Soil Association certification on organic cotton garments, in 2013 Seasalt also became the first clothing brand to win the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. A 25,000 sq ft logistics facility based – naturally – in Cornwall ensures efficient delivery to its 300 stockists, while the Seasalt Charter, which sets out fair terms of trade between its own retail business and its wholesale accounts, shows how a responsible and reasonable approach can reap rewards.

Finalists

Curvy Kate

the Masai Clothing Company

Motel

G-star

The Drapers Awards 2013

Congratulations to the Supplier of the Year

Proud sponsor of “Supplier of the Year” award

020 7436 0220 www.fashionpersonnel.co.uk

Sponsored by

FasHion suPPlieR oF tHe yeaR

Finalists

Haddow Group

Pacific Heights

Winner CDI Studio This new award attracted some very strong contenders. The judges finally concluded that CDI Studio – the CDI stands for Creative Design Industries – was the outstanding entrant, describing it as “an amazing business with a great selling approach”. Less than four years old, London-based CDI Studio has had a stellar 12 months; starting with a handful of retailers, it now counts a large chunk of high street and online businesses as clients, including New Look, BHS, Asos and Oasis. Led by Gerry Matthews, an 18-strong design

team, five sales executives and a quality and merchandising team are supported by a sample room with pattern cutters, graders and technicians able to create samples within tight time frames. A direct factory-to-customer resource, CDI Studio offers design support and the ability to source fabrics from its rich pool of suppliers. It also has close-to-home manufacturing facilities in Turkey and Romania with dedicated staff accommodating the quick-response business. Strong product “in the right doors”makes CDI Studio a worthy winner, said the judges.

RtW Clothing

The Drapers Awards 2013

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congratulates all the winners at the Drapers Awards 2013 Proud sponsor of the award for Fashion Retailer of the Year – Consumer Choice

Freight – Warehousing – Bonded Warehousing – Distribution – E-fulfilment Pick & Pack – Processing – Embroidery – Ozone Treatment – Transport

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RetaileR oF tHe yeaR – consuMeR cHoice

Sponsored by

Winner Marks & Spencer When you’re the UK’s largest clothing retailer, the responsibility to satisfy hordes of shoppers is huge. Marks & Spencer needs have no fear; its loyal fans awarded it the Consumer Choice Award for 2013, beating the likes of John Lewis and Debenhams. M&S hasn’t had the easiest of rides in the City over the past couple of years, but it can count on the support of its customers. Drapers ran an online poll, where more than 2,000 consumers voted for the eight finalists. They embraced the autumn 13 collection – the first under the new clothing team headed by John Dixon and Belinda Earl – buying so many pink coats that they sold out. Always famed for its underwear, M&S has built on its Rosie for Autograph range, designed with model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. It has become one of the best-selling lines to date. And the model shows it off beautifully in M&S’s new Christmas ad campaign, in which she frolics through a series of fairytale settings alongside model David Gandy and actress Helena Bonham Carter. The ad’s strapline is ‘Believe in Magic and Sparkle’. M&S certainly did – and this award will come as an early Christmas gift for chief executive Marc Bolland and his team.

Finalists

Debenhams

F&F at tesco

new look

H&M

River island

John lewis

topshop/topman

The Drapers Awards 2013 xv

T H E L E A D E R S H I P C O M PA N Y ®

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EXECUTIVE SEARCH • CULTURE SHAPING • LEADERSHIP CONSULTING SERVICES

fashion retailing personality of the year

TOM CAMPBELL

Sponsored by

Winner Peter Ruis The new Retail Personality of the Year Award recognises an individual currently working at board level who has demonstrated great business acumen, financial success, a flair for innovation and fantastic team leadership skills. Drapers couldn’t think of a better individual than Jigsaw chief executive Peter Ruis. He has been likened to retail mogul George Davies by one peer, such has been his influence across the fashion industry since he began as a graduate trainee for Marks & Spencer in 1989. Part of Ruis’s success has been his varied career path. He moved from M&S to Ted Baker in 1997, where he was head of product. In 2002 he left to become brand director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Levi Strauss.

It was at John Lewis, which he joined in 2005 as head of menswear, that Ruis really made his reputation. After two years, he was promoted to the new overarching role of buying director for fashion as part of a major buying restructure, and in 2009 launched John Lewis’s first designer menswear collaboration with Joe Casely-Hayford. Ruis also appointed House of Fraser’s head of buying Matt McCormack as head of menswear buying. By 2010, he was promoted to the board as buying and brand director, and more innovation followed. A womenswear collaboration with designer Alice Temperley – Somerset by Alice Temperley – became the retailer’s fastest-selling line, while John Lewis’s tear-jerking Christmas TV ads now mark the start of the festive season.

Together with a strong team, Ruis transformed John Lewis into the reputable and desirable fashion retailer it is today, a bellwether for the whole industry. Jane Shepherdson, chief executive of Whistles, said that under Ruis, John Lewis had been “very single-minded about what it wanted to achieve, with a very clear strategy”. Since 2005, John Lewis’s market share for fashion has grown from 1.5% of the £32.3bn UK market, to 2.1% of £39.7bn in 2013, according to Verdict Retail – that’s up £349.2m. In September, Ruis became chief executive of Jigsaw. It’s still early days, but with his track record, Jigsaw is very lucky to have him.

The Drapers Awards 2013

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Department store business oF tHe year

Sponsored by

Winner John Lewis

JOHN LEWIS, WESTFIELD STRATFORD

The judges were unanimous in their decision to name John Lewis Department Store of the Year and it’s easy to see why – 2013 was the year the retailer set out its fashion credentials while maintaining the customer-centric qualities we have come to expect. The year started with a bang when John Lewis launched its own lifestyle label Kin, while another own brand, Somerset by Alice Temperley, consolidated the success of its debut season and expanded into kidswear and lingerie. John Lewis’s first men’s catwalk show at London Collections: Men was given the thumbs up from the fashion press and its womenswear continued to impress. Logistics have also played a part in the business’s achievements, with the roll-out of new concept stores supplementing what is one of the best and most sophisticated online businesses in the industry. Sales have gone from strength to strength as a result. The ethos that comes through the business from chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield to chief executive Andy Street and on to the team will ensure future success. As one judge said: “There is only one winner.”

Finalists

Debenhams

House of Fraser

Jarrold of norwich

The Drapers Awards 2013

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Congratulations to the winners and finalists Drapers Awards 2013

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international Fashion retailer oF the year

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Winner Primark

PRIMARK, LA MOREA, PAMPLONA, SPAIN

When it came to deciding which retailer from the UK and Ireland has performed best overseas this year, the vote was unanimous: Primark. This follows another successful year for the value chain, which has 256 stores across eight countries including the UK, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Sales in continental Europe contributed to Primark’s soaring profits, which rose 44% to £514m in the year to September. And Primark isn’t stopping there – it recently revealed plans to launch in France, with five stores due to open there from December this year. It is also eyeing the US market for further expansion. The judges described Primark as “a real global brand” and praised it for tackling hard-to-enter, well-established markets. One judge said: “If you look at some of the countries it has gone into, they are not easy,” while another added: “It is approaching sophisticated markets and going straight into places like Germany, which is a tough nut to crack – and it is cracking it.” The judges attributed Primark’s success to “doing everything right” and said it has “identified with each of the local markets it has entered”.

Finalists

F&F at tesco

lipsy

The Drapers Awards 2013

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Look no futher for the

PERFECT PARTY

COLLECTION

LITTLE

LONDON

MISTRESS

WWW.LITTLE-MISTRESS.CO.UK

FasHion Retail bUsiness oF tHe yeaR UndeR £125m

Sponsored by

Winner Hobbs The relentless focus on quality product and first-class customer service from Hobbs won over the judges of this hard-fought category, with one commenting: “It is a very strong brand, with great product and style, and one that could be taken international.” During its most recent financial year, the retailer spent £3.1m on extensive product and brand development, opened new concept stores and revamped existing locations. Hobbs also posted strong financial results for the period, with a 1.3% rise in EBITDA to £15.2m. Online revenue rose 52% and now accounts for 22.1% of total sales. In terms of product, Hobbs also refreshed 90% of its range for autumn 13 as it sought to deliver fresh looks for its loyal shoppers. One judge credited Hobbs’ chief executive Nicky Dulieu with the strong performance, asserting that she has “done a great job”. And the brand isn’t stopping at the UK – it has plans to grow its international business through the launch of local language websites in Germany, Australia and the US during the autumn 13 season.

Finalists

Hallett Retail

UsC

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We're proud to work with some of the nation’s most respected retailers including ASOS, George, Harvey Nichols, John Lewis, SuperGroup, Tesco and Whistles. They trust us because of our unique mix of ability and agility. And now with our new Boomerang™ multichannel reverse logistics solution, we’re better placed than ever to go full circle with logistics and ensure you make a return...on your returns. So if you're looking to evolve in the UK or Europe, and want the UK’s specialist fashion and multichannel logistics company on your side, visit www.clippergroup.co.uk or call our Managing Director, Tony Mannix on 0113 204 2050 today. Clipper is proud to have sponsored this year's Drapers Awards 2013 and would like to say a huge congratulations to all of the winners.

Logistics evolved.

Fashion retail business oF the year over £125m

Sponsored by

Winner Primark

PRIMARK, INNSBRUCK

In the most competitive of this year’s categories, Primark finally came out on top ahead of the very highly commended Fat Face. As one judge said, Primark is “a game changer in the value sector”. Since founder Arthur Ryan handed over the chief executive reins to Paul Marchant in 2009 the business has not missed a step on its seemingly unstoppable rise. Owner Associated British Foods reported sales growth of 9% for the year to September 14, while Primark itself grew profits an eye-watering 44% to £514m and revenues 22% to £4.27bn. Unlike its rivals, Primark remains committed to a bricks-and-mortar strategy and is in talks to buy the Pavilions mall in Birmingham. However, product is what really sets Primark apart. Its continued drive to offer unbeatably low prices and on-trend product has kept it in pole position. It was quick to capitalise on the trend for onesies – arguably the surprise bestseller of 2013 – and even opened a pop-up shop at The White Rose Centre in Leeds exclusively selling the style. And with its first French store due to open in Marseille in December – Primark already sells in eight countries – the Dublin-based company looks set for an even more successful 2014.

Finalists VERY highlY commEndEd

Fat Face

F&F at tesco

topshop/topman

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Searching for excellence FREEDOM

EXECUTIVE

Our task is to identify progressive and inspirational leaders, with strategic vision, commercial pragmatism and retailing flair. Our extensive experience, knowledge and ability to partner with our clients as brand ambassadors allows us to support their senior level needs across high street, bridge and luxury brands. PROUD SPONSORS OF THE

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lifetime achievement award

Winner Derek Lovelock

hen I was at school, I was slightly more interested in wearing the right width of flared trousers than I was in opening the right books,” says Derek Lovelock, as he traces a long, successful career in fashion back to his mod days. “I discovered The Who and Carnaby Street. I was just obsessed with fashion.” Today, as he presides over the Aurora empire of Oasis, Warehouse, Coast and Karen Millen in east London, it’s not too difficult to picture the executive chairman in a Harrington jacket and slim-leg jeans. “I did a business studies degree at Enfield College of Technology because that was

Words by ANA SANTI

the only place that would take anybody with a C, a D and an F,” he says. “You had to do a year in industry. I happened to be working in my brother’s dress fabric shop and I met a relative of his who used to work at C&A. So I did my year at C&A.” And that’s where it all began, in 1972. Lovelock looks back fondly on his 13 years at the Dutch retailer, where he also met his wife, Deborah. The couple now have two children, Robert and Bryony. “In those days the training schemes were brilliant and I did it at the same time as [former Tesco clothing boss] Terry Green. It meant you did everything: unloading the lorries, dressing the windows. I went into buying fairly quickly.” It was Lovelock’s move into buying that led to the creation of C&A’s Clockhouse own brand.

“We realised we just had to buy what Chelsea Girl and Miss Selfridge were buying, but undercut them. The C&A order books were fantastic,” he recalls. “If you were a supplier and you came in, we could negotiate 5,000 of anything, we’d agree the price, I’d write my order and as long as you delivered it, you’d get paid in two weeks. It didn’t need a committee or anybody to sign it off – as a buyer I could do it.” But when lovelock headed to now-defunct womenswear retailer Richard Shops, the deep pockets of C&A became a thing of the past. “That was a learning experience,” he laughs. “At C&A, if it wasn’t selling you’d mark it down. [At Richard Shops] I learnt that markdown decisions u

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Sponsored by

lifetime achievement award

I don’t think there will be a classic retail model any more. I think it’s about having a lean business with bright young people t go straight to the bottom line – the implication of a markdown in a small business is far greater.” More importantly, he says, he learnt about the power of branding under Richard Shops’ then chief executive Terence Conran. “Terence had a vision to create this ‘one pair of eyes’,” he recalls. “His whole plan was that everything would be designed – the chairs we sat in, the labels in the clothes, every piece of packaging. So it was real branding way before anyone else got there.” in 1989, by which time Lovelock had become managing director of Richard Shops (and picked up other retailers Anonymous and Blazer along the way), he moved to Mothercare, where he served as chief executive. Richard Shops had been part of the Habitat/Mothercare group, which merged with BHS to form Storehouse in 1980. “Mothercare had an incredibly strong culture of command and control. The founder [Selim Zilkha] set it up so he could make every decision, even [about] the computer systems. I’d gone in there, and done about two months … they were expecting me to have all the answers, but I was expecting to work with them to get all the answers. I remember calling [ex-Mothercare boss] Michael Julien, and he said: ‘How’s it going?’ And I said: ‘It’s disastrous. You need to send me someone who I can bounce ideas off. You’d better send me Richard’.” Lovelock doesn’t go as far as spelling it out – he doesn’t have to – but if there’s been one constant in his career, it’s Richard Glanville, currently Aurora’s chief financial officer, who he had worked with at Richard Shops. Despite all the ups and downs of Mothercare – including having to recall a quarter of a million prams after the handle from one came off in the hands of a mother – Lovelock put together a great team. “The first time we did a psychometric test, we were told that we were so much of a team that we were indulging in group think,” he says. Lovelock went on gardening leave after Mothercare, but received a call in 1992 about Sears, which at the time was a UK retail empire including Selfridges, Millets, Wallis and Miss Selfridge. “I remember thinking: ‘It’s just what I need. A nice, steady, quiet job’,” he laughs. “At the time, there was a market reaction against personality-led retailers. Suddenly you got [an influx of] clever guys from the outside who were going to bring intelligence to the industry because the guys that had grown up in it were dinosaurs.

“So in came Liam Strong, who had been at British Airways, to put the team together for Sears. I went in to run Sears womenswear, which was Wallis, Miss Selfridge, Warehouse and Richard Shops, which they had bought.” Along the way, Lovelock picked up Adams Childrenswear and Olympus Sport – and Richard Glanville. “So we became Sears Clothing. I put the team together in Olympus and within six months the board decided to sell it. Philip [Green] bought it with Tom Hunter.” lovelock says he “survived” Sears. “That was probably my most corporately ambitious phase. The competitive bit of me was enjoying it but I was a long way from being in the business. At heart I’m a product man.” Glanville adds another dimension. “Mostly when we think about Derek we talk about his brand and product skills, but the most important factor in his long and successful career in retail has been his way with people. He is at his best building teams, mentoring his colleagues and nurturing young talent,” he says. And that was the skillset he brought to Oasis in 1999, a business he is still very much involved with. “Michael [Bennett] was chairman, Maurice [Bennett] was deputy chairman, I was chief executive and Vivian Scott was managing director. It was a bit crowded,” says Lovelock. “In 2001, it became clear that if [the Bennetts] were going to leave, I was going to have to buy them out. The finance director and I started the process of a management buyout, but we hit the dotcom bubble so nobody wanted to invest in a retail business. And the financial director left.” So Lovelock called Glanville. “In 2001 we bought Oasis and Coast for £55m. Oasis was profitable but Coast was losing £2m a year. In 2003 it made £2.5m. We sold the business for £152m to [Icelandic retail investor] Baugur. That was a heady time.” That’s certainly one way of describing the few years when Baugur gobbled up the UK high street, only to fall spectacularly into administration in 2008. “Nothing seemed impossible,” he says. “We were impressed and they were charismatic. In 2004 we bought Karen Millen and Whistles. We hit the numbers and we were still in control. Then in 2005 we listed on the Icelandic Stock Exchange.”

And that was the turning point. “Baugur had to give a value to Rubicon Group [which comprised Shoe Studio Group, Warehouse and Principles] so they could borrow more. It was never our intention to get any bigger. We got some great brands but we ended up buying Rubicon. We didn’t get the economies of scale and ended up with huge debt.” In 2008, Baugur went into administration. But Lovelock kept his cool and put on a brave face to address his team. “I was doing my well-rehearsed speech, telling them we’ve had long relationships with our suppliers. I said the most important thing is that we’re backed by the banks. Then Jess [Wilks, Aurora’s deputy managing director] hands me the phone. She’s got a text saying [Baugur’s Icelandic bank] Kaupthing is in administration!” And that’s how another group, Aurora Fashions, was formed out of the pre-pack administration. the major catalyst in the development of Aurora, which included Oasis, Warehouse, Coast and Karen Millen – before the demerger of the latter in 2011 – was digital. “Mike [Shearwood, now Karen Millen chief executive] challenged us to bring someone in to look at digital and introduced us to Hash [Ladha, now chief operating officer at Oasis]. He was a great addition,” says Lovelock. “We realised that the world really had changed. The pre-pack enabled us to close a lot of stores but everyone was overspaced.” And just this year, yet more change took place, but in a dramatic turn of events Lovelock has gone from creating groups to breaking one up. In March, he announced that Oasis and Warehouse would be split from Coast, with Liz Evans heading up Oasis and Warehouse and Kate Bostock joining as Coast chief executive. “Liz has a structure and way of running a business that is multichannel and not a classic pyramid structure. Mike is firing with Karen Millen. Kate has a challenge but she’ll build her team,” says Lovelock. “I don’t think there will be a classic retail model any more. I think it’s about having a lean business with bright young people.” By next April Lovelock will take up a non-executive role across all Aurora businesses before moving on to “something else. I’d still like to be involved in something,” he says. “And have some fun. That would be ideal.”

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WOLFORD LONDON LTD · 7th Floor - The Prow ·1 Wilder Walk · London W1B 5AP · Tel: 020 7494 4343 · Contact: angela.blundell@wolford.com

LEGWEAR · READY-TO-WEAR · LINGERIE · SWIMWEAR · ACCESSORIES

YouNg IDeAs I SHOPWATCH

Bright idea: the store has lifestyle zones for men and women

Setting the standard

A double winner at this month’s Drapers Independents Awards, Young Ideas’ new store gives it more space to show off its retail finesse

Words by James Knowles

ith a beautiful new store opened in Ashbourne last month to replace the original unit in the Derbyshire town and a pair of Drapers Independents Awards under its belt, Young Ideas is setting the bar high for the independent sector. The business – which was established in 1965 but has been under the ownership of Anne Wright since 2008 – took home the Womenswear Independent of the Year and the coveted Independent Retailer of the Year trophies at the Waldorf Hilton on November 7. And after visiting its newest store, it’s easy to see why.

The 2,500 sq ft Ashbourne store, at 10 st John street, sits 150 yards from its previous rented location. It is part of a 17th-century coaching inn, a faded hotel purchased by Wright and her husband Colin this year. They have ambitious plans to redevelop it to include a cafe and brasserie, two retail units to be let, and eventually a gastro pub with 12 to 13 boutique hotel rooms. The new store is manned by about a dozen employees, including an online team of three that works from the offices above. An attractive window display invites customers inside, where they will find a mixture of menswear and womenswear, which is merchandised by brand but zoned into lifestyle areas such as casualwear or eveningwear.

bestsellers in womenswear include Armani’s Collezioni and Jeans ranges, maxmara and Diane von Furstenberg, while Hugo boss and Paul smith are popular with the local men. Chandeliers, rugs and warm lighting add a feminine touch to the womenswear area, while coat racks, vintage luggage and a bust used to display scarves add quirkiness to the menswear department. The former inn’s period features, such as exposed beams, also combine to give a real sense of character. The store also has a discreet appointment-only boudoir-style personal shopping room, where Young Ideas’ well-trained staff are on hand to offer customers a truly personalised service. Adding to its lifestyle appeal, it also has an exhibition space for local artists situated at the top of the stairs leading up from the ground floor atrium. With its focus on service and great brands housed within a store where the space has been used creatively to maximum effect, Young Ideas is a shining example of how to do independent retailing well. NovembeR 23 2013 /

Drapers

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

FASHION NEWS

‘New designers show pioneering spirit online’ Graeme Moran Associate fashion editor, Drapers graeme.moran@emap.com

was recently invited onto the judging panel for the Centre for Fashion Enterprise’s latest New Fashion Pioneer programme, which helps young designers and growing brands by offering business mentoring and support. When meeting the 10 candidates seeking backing from the scheme it was amazing to see the number of people from all areas of fashion, including menswear, womenswear and accessories, setting up and struggling through their first seasons with such energy. And the entrepreneurial imagination, creative innovation and design leadership on show was impressive. The power of the digital world stood out as an important factor, with many candidates finding new and interesting ways to start and then grow their businesses. Several are already successfully selling clothes and making money in a way that doesn’t involve a single trade show, sales appointment or wholesale price point. One brand was set up entirely off the back of funds from crowdsourcing website Kickstarter. This meant more than 100 orders were placed and an impressive £20,000 banked before any pieces had been produced. Another young brand is seeing etail success off the back of its savvy use of social media. A link to the creator’s popular style blog and smart use of its followers means customers are engaging with the brand and then buying pieces – some costing up to £650 – as soon as they are put online. Not bad for a brand in its fourth season. It’s great that such talent exists here and that brands are experimenting and pioneering new ways to sell. Who knows, maybe they could teach the big brands a trick or two.

Lyle & Scott goes retro with polos As part of its high summer collection, Lyle & Scott has plundered its archive to bring back a polo shirt style from the 1960s. The limited edition range comes in five pastel shades, with a special ‘140’ embroidered detail to highlight the brand’s 140th anniversary. The shirts wholesale at £26 and are available now for May delivery. Contact: 020 7467 7500 www.lyleandscott.com

Lingerie brand Bluebella has unveiled its spring 14 range, which is available now at wholesale. Sleek lines and bondage-inspired strap detailing liven up the offer, although the softer, feminine pieces of previous seasons are still key. The brand, whose stockists include Asos and Figleaves, regularly introduces new styles to its never-out-stock service. Wholesale prices range from £2.22 for over-the-knee socks to £5.18 for briefs and £22.22 for corsets.

Bluebella freshens up its range for spring 14

Contact: 020 3544 3140 www.bluebella.com

Trend to watch Boardsports Influential store Selfridges has revealed that its key womenswear theme for spring 14 will be Board Games, a celebration of all things sport, surf and skate inspired. Mannequins in the windows will be modelled around action sports, while a concept store called The Board Room will house an edit of key sports-inspired pieces. Womenswear buying director Judd Crane called spring “a great season to celebrate the sports aesthetic”.

DESERT DESIGNS OFFERS AN OASIS OF PRINTS

Premium womenswear brand Desert Designs is launching into the UK for spring 14. Founded in Australia in 1985 by art teachers Stephen Culley and David Wroth in collaboration with aboriginal artist Jimmy Pike, it focuses on bold colours, loose silhouettes and youthful prints. Wholesale prices range from £35 for a bodysuit to £120 for a silk skirt or desert cape. Contact: 020 7729 6788 www.desertdesigns.com.au

NOVEMBER 23 2013 /

Drapers

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www.venda.com/vendapay uk-sales@venda.com 020 7070 7000

BRANDWATCH

autumn 13

HYPE FOOTWEAR Streetwear brand Hype has added a range of short-order footwear for autumn 13. Taking inspiration from the two-year-old brand’s clothing collection, which is stocked by retailers including Topman and Asos, the trainer and plimsoll styles for both men and women incorporate bright colours and bold prints. These include galactic vistas and tropical florals, offset by colourful laces and two-tone rubber soles. The styles also have a practical edge, with thicker-soled running shoes available with skate and sports performance in mind. Wholesale prices range from £16.17 for lace-up plimsolls to £23.40 for running shoes. Contact: 01612 729381 www.justhype.co.uk

Rapid response

Be quick off the mark with these three new short-order labels Words by Graeme moran & emily norval

BulliON

ONlY & sONs

Although Bullion targets the high-end streetwear trend, this newly launched London-based label’s price points are low enough to appeal to all. Sales books are still open for the debut 18-piece autumn 13 collection, which centres on printed T-shirts, baseball shirts, statement sweaters and hoodies in black, white and grey, with touches of gold. Its first stockists include USC and Footasylum. Wholesale prices start at £6 for beanie hats, going up to £28 for jackets. The spring 14 order books open in late December.

Launching for autumn 14, short-order menswear label Only & Sons is a new concept from Danish brand house Bestseller. Created by a dedicated and reactive design team producing six collections a year, the range will focus on a youthful, fresh approach to the heritage denim trend, offering an interchangeable wardrobe of pieces such as knitwear, outerwear and denim. Further benefits include a never-out-ofstock programme and an express system that delivers styles when needed. Wholesale prices are yet to be confirmed but jeans will range from £39.95 to £79.95. Order books open in January.

Contact: 01923 234555

Contact: 00 45 99 42 35 77

autumn 14

November 23 2013 /

Drapers

AUTUMN 13 COLLECTIONS

The luxury market’s rich pickings Buyers at designer retailers share the brands and trends that are keeping tills ringing this season

Compiled by THE DRAPERS FASHION TEAM

hether online or in store, shoppers’ appetite for designer brands has seen labels such as Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens and Valentino emerge as bestsellers across luxury menswear and womenswear stores for autumn 13. Hero pieces and statement items, such as Givenchy’s Bambi-collage jumper, have proved particularly popular, while emerging labels such as Martine Rose have given stockists like Browns a competitive point of difference.

p Judd Crane Director of womenswear, Selfridges A great calendar of installations and temporary concepts in our Designer Galleries has not only ensured a constant sense of freshness in store but proved very commercially successful for us, with expanded buys across labels including Peter Pilotto (pictured), Erdem, Sacai and Rick Owens all achieving great sell-through performances.

u Helen David Fashion director – womenswear, Harrods Our French designer brands have continued to dominate with Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Valentino, Alaïa, Céline (pictured) and Saint Laurent Paris our most desirable brands right now. We continue to see a great demand for exclusives, while leather remains one of our biggest trends.

t Adam Kelly Buying director, Fenwick of Bond Street, London For womenswear we’ve had an amazing reaction to sweatshirts, sweats and separates, with Preen, Richard Nicoll and Mother of Pearl all performing well. The tailored trouser worn with a key outerwear piece is becoming stronger again, and statement colour and print is still on the up. On our third floor, leather bikers and boyfriend jeans from Iro, Each x Other (pictured) and Duffy have been hugely popular. 28

Drapers / NOVEMBER 23 2013

q u Laura Larbalestier Buying director, Browns, London Dries Van Noten (pictured) has been our bestseller for womenswear, especially brogue shoes. Customers have really responded to the masculine/ feminine trend, which this range perfectly encapsulated.

t Justin O’Shea Buying director, Mytheresa.com Autumn 13 is all about the ‘It’ piece. With trends in the luxury sector becoming less important, the most influential brands of the moment are experiencing an even greater desirability for the products which best represent their identity: Saint Laurent check shirts and army boots, the Givenchy Bambi sweater (pictured), Dries Van Noten’s feathers and everything by Valentino.

q Jason Broderick Fashion director – menswear, Harrods Since the opening of our men’s International Gallery earlier this year Balmain, Valentino (pictured) and Givenchy have seen a very positive result in the new environment. The expansion of the Louis Vuitton offer on the men’s floor with the new ready-to-wear and shoe boutique has also been very positive. In our tailoring department, brands like Brioni, Stefano Ricci and Ermenegildo Zegna have performed fantastically, with the major growth coming from premium casualwear within these brands.

p Mei Chung Menswear buyer, Browns, London Martine Rose’s exclusive capsule collection for Browns (pictured) sold out instantly. The customer really bought into the British designer as the sweatshirts appeal to all age groups. We had to demand a reorder as they were so popular.

t Tim Sturmheit Buyer, Oki-ni Rick Owens (pictured) and most of the darkerpalette brands have been hugely successful for us this season. I think the celebrity endorsement this type of product has received recently, from the likes of rapper A$AP Rocky, has had a very big impact on sales. The streetwear element within these collections has had the most success. NOVEMBER 23 2013 /

Drapers

THE STYLE COUNCIL

How do you prepare for the Christmas shopping period? Pamela Shiffer I no longer allocate budget solely to cover the Christmas season, preferring instead to buy in advance from ranges that we can sell through the season, up to Christmas. These include brands such as Almost Famous (pictured), Hoss Intropia, Urbancode and Vadum. For us, accessories play a large part in our Christmas sales, therefore jewellery, scarves and bags are key to keeping the gift-buying customer content.

The panel

PAMELA SHIFFER Owner of the eponymous womenswear store in Primrose Hill, London

SARA ERESEN Co-owner of womenswear boutique Harvest in Chelsea

HILARY COOKSON Owner of womenswear retailer Maureen Cookson in Whalley, Lancashire

RHIAN EVANS Owner of womenswear boutique The House in Town in Pontyclun, south Wales

u Sara Eresen Every year we set aside about 40% of our budget for Christmas product. The party season is our busiest time of year, with customers investing in black-tie and cocktail dresses. Jovani, Bernshaw and Forever Unique have the highest sell-through. Gift shopping is also a big part of our trade from mid-November and so affordable accessories are key. On-trend handbags by Modalu (pictured), Helen Moore faux-fur products, shawls, cashmere scarves and even ear muffs are all winners.

Hilary Cookson When talking about Christmas product, we have mid-season deliveries of Christmas-driven dresses and tops and we also run a full department of gifts and hampers. We keep around 10% of our autumn budget back for it. We have great accessories from brands such as Helen Moore (pictured), and Dents’ range is stunning. Smith & Canova’s smaller pieces have also been fantastic. In clothing, knitwear and coats are moving well and look great boxed and wrapped, which we do free of charge.

t Rhian Evans We do leave a little budget back for Christmas, but this year we’ve invested it differently. Whereas in the past we’ve gone for eveningwear and party dresses, we found it is harder to cater for a broad range of customers in those kinds of products. Also, the price points on eveningwear tend to be quite high. This season we’ve bought into more casual knitwear from brands such as Zuppe Clothing. Scarves and accessories from Bewitched (pictured) have also been doing well, and we are selling gifts we made ourselves such as lavender pillows and brooches.

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

NOVEMBER 23 2013 /

Drapers

LONDON N8

TO LET MODERN FULLY FITTED OUT PROCESSING WAREHOUSE/ HEAD OFFICE BUILDING IN LONDON N8 Built in 2008 the property provides 21,683 sq ft over 3 levels. Two storey mezzanine benefitting from a Hangerglide overhead rail system with diamond rack static storage system and incline conveyor system with capacity to store 250,000 units.

Other benefits include… • Circa 6 miles from the West End and the City • Secure yard and parking for 10 vehicles + loading • Up and over loading door • 3 phase power • Showroom and offices with raised access floors • Part air conditioned and gas central heating • Passenger lift • Rent and terms on application.

For further information please contact Paul Quy at Bowyer Bryce Surveyors

020 8370 2539

paul.quy@bowyerbryce.co.uk

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Careers

WITH

How I got here Hayley Mullin

Joules’ assistant buyer – accessories is always striving to do things better at the brand Interview by JAMES KNOWLES

What does your diary look like today? Currently our accessories buyer, Lisa Bodill, is travelling on a business trip, so I’m ensuring everything is running smoothly in the UK office. I enjoy working under pressure as it encourages me to work harder. Today I’ll be catching up with our suppliers to ensure they have all the information they need to complete our sample orders. Then I’ll be discussing any issues with our designers, passing information on to our merchandisers and having a look at what’s currently on the market to ensure our range is the best it can be. What meeting are you most looking forward to today? I’m attending our women’s accessories spring 15 paper preparation meeting. It’s an opportunity for buying, merchandising and design to come together to discuss the range. It is always an inspiring meeting and a chance to talk about future developments in an open forum. What task do you wish you could postpone? I’m often surrounded by samples at my desk, so I sometimes end up looking like I work in Aladdin’s cave. I’m always fishing them out but I’m not great at putting them away. I always end up needing to have a mass tidy-up. It is definitely that time again.

How did you get to where you are today? From the age of 16 I was determined that I would work in fashion as a buyer, and this determination drove me to achieve this goal. The fashion industry can be very difficult to get into but I was encouraged by family and university lecturers to gain great work experience, which gave me a better understanding of what being a buyer actually entails. What has been your career highlight? Being promoted to an assistant buyer role was a proud moment. I was thrilled that Joules believed I was ready to make the next step in my career. It’s now my job to prove it was the right decision. Who is your mentor? We are really lucky at Joules as we get to work so closely with [founder and chief executive] Tom Joule. He’s really passionate about everything he’s looking at and his experience and knowledge of product is invaluable to listen to. I’m always interested to hear what he thinks about our range and take on board all the advice he gives us as a team. What’s the best piece of advice he ever gave you? “Why offer the same as someone else? Always do it better.” That phrase always sticks with me. It just makes sense, especially as a buyer in such a competitive market.

CV 2013

Assistant buyer, Joules

2012

Buying assistant, Joules

2010

Buying administration assistant, Joules

2010

Internship buying assistant, Urban Outfitters

2010

Graduated Fashion Marketing & Communications BA Hons, Nottingham Trent University

How do you see your career progressing? I love working for a brand, being part of a story and watching it grow. As a buyer it increases your hunger to make your range work. Everybody is behind

the same goal in pushing the brand forward. I hope to continue being part of Joules and work hard to progress my role and learn the steps to be a well-rounded, knowledgeable buyer. What advice would you give to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps? I can’t stress enough how important work experience has been in setting me up for my career. Working alongside a team allows you to really assess exactly what it is you do and don’t enjoy in a job, before you commit to a career. I knew from day one that this was the role for me and it helped me focus and work hard. Salaries for this position range from £23,000 to £30,000 (estimate provided by Le Pont) If you want to be featured on the Drapers Jobs page, email james.knowles@emap.com

Specialists in Quality Assurance, Fabric and Garment Technical positions Email: admin@vohsandco.com Tel: 0203 668 1466

Drapers / NovEmBEr 23 2013

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The UK’s leading specialist retail recruitment consultancy. MERCHANDISING MANAGER

c£75,000 + exceptional benefits

Fashion & Home

London

BUYER - 1 x Ladies 1 x Men’s Fashion £40 – £60,000 + re-location package

Amsterdam

A rare opportunity to join a forward thinking and growing business committed to progressing individuals. Candidates should currently be at senior merchandiser level or above, ideally with experience within a fast paced high street retailer and used to identifying strategic initiatives.

A well known global fashion business is launching a young fashion sub label based out of Amsterdam. We are keen to speak with candidates who are fresh, energetic, and are full of ideas and enthusiasm for the product. Ideally you will have a UK young fashion background.

Contact Katy Miskell: k.miskell@successjobs.co.uk

Contact Emma Ramsden: e.ramsden@successjobs.co.uk

SENIOR DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER £Highly Competitive

Fashion DESIGNER

Central London

Children’s Footwear & Accessories

£50,000

A high profile opportunity as Senior Digital Marketing Manager within premium fashion. Responsible for driving acquisition across paid and organic search, display, email, affiliates and social media. Ideally you will have 3 years online marketing management experience with a multichannel fashion retailer.

Ideally from retailer or brand background with extensive experience in kids footwear from new born to 16 years. You must be dynamic, confident and used to working with buyers in a fast paced environment. Far East experience and strong technical knowledge required.

Contact Deepak Saluja: d.saluja@successjobs.co.uk

Contact Sally Dawson: s.dawson@successjobs.co.uk

ASSISTANT MERCHANDISER £27,000 - £30,000 + benefits

International

Central London

MERCHANDISERS

Young Fashion

£Excellent

North West

You must have experience in working within international or product merchandising. The role will involve liaising with international partners, planning stock packages, managing an OTB per market, monitoring trade action and working closely with members of the product B&M team.

Excellent opportunity for an established Merchandiser. Previous merchandising background within a high street head office, trading and planning experience and leadership skills are essential. You’ll have a proactive approach to retailing and have new ideas to help develop this thriving business.

Contact Jane Richardson: j.richardson@successjobs.co.uk

Contact Nadine Tipping: n.tipping@successjobs.co.uk

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successappointments.co.uk

For 62 years already, the German company Gottlieb Haug & Co. KG has been representing successfully the brand at home and abroad. Two seasons ago, we launched with success a second more fashionable product line comprising knitwear and shirts. For this collection, we are looking for

SALES REPRESENTATIVES (m/f) 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.

in England

The target group of yourConCept is the fashionable and elegantly dressed woman in her forties. For our future cooperation, it is absolutely essential that you currently have a product line comprising trousers or blouses respectively a combined collection. With one of those collections, you should already be present in excellent 1A localities. At the moment, the collection comprises 75 garments in three different colour groups. Are you interested in learning more about this vacancy, please send us your application documents (including photograph) for the attention of Mrs. Preuß.

Gottlieb Haug GmbH & Co. KG · Strickwarenfabrik Lammerbergstr. 75-79 · D-72461 Albstadt · Tel. 0049 74 32/97 92 28 · Fax 0049 74 32/97 92 30 d.preuss@gollehaug.de · www.gollehaug.de

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

NOVEMBER 23 2013

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The fastest way to find and apply for your next fashion job. Drapersjobs.com has a chic look making the search for your perfect fashion job easy and enjoyable.

Simple search process Find your perfect job in seconds Get the best jobs first Set up email alerts instantly and get the roles you want direct to your inbox

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Not at a computer? Download our iPhones app and search for jobs on the go

Looking to recruit? Drapersjobs.com is also the perfect place to make your next fashion industry hire Call +44 (0)20 3033 2991 or +44 (0)20 3033 2985 Email Rebecca.Tonkinson@emap.com or Peter.Bruce-Smythe@emap.com

Visit the new look

today

What would the fashion world look like without award-winning designers? Industry awards play a key role in recognising the very best design talent in the business, and we’re delighted to work with many of the biggest names in the fashion industry. So if you’re looking for outstanding opportunities in design or development, get in touch with our specialist team.

To discuss how we can help your career or solve your recruitment needs, contact Sophie Bubb at: sophiebubb@uk.michaelpage.com or call 020 7269 2435. Join our LinkedIn group at: www.michaelpage.co.uk/linkedindesign

Specialists in design and development recruitment www.michaelpage.co.uk/designanddevelopment

What would the fashion world look like without award-winning buyers and merchandisers?

Recognising the very best in the fashion industry is something we’re no stranger to at Michael Page Buying & Merchandising. Our specialist team of consultants work with many of the best names in fashion to place buyers, merchandisers and e-commerce professionals with the kind of companies they’d love to work for. To discuss your career or recruitment needs in detail, contact Sophie Bubb on 020 7269 2435 or email her at sophiebubb@uk.michaelpage.com Join our LinkedIn group at: www.michaelpage.co.uk/linkedinb&m

Specialists in buying and merchandising recruitment www.michaelpage.co.uk/bandm

NOVEMBER 23 2013

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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 ACCOUNT MANAGER UK – Competitive Salary Our client is a key supplier of apparel to the UK high street. They are looking for an Account Manager with drive, enthusiasm and passion. You can be based from home when not visiting customers but you will be required to visit the Cardiff Head Office on a regular basis. You will maintain and develop existing client relationships and develop new business, grow sales and raise company awareness for clients. Manage the day-to-day relationships with both new and existing clients. Previous experience in product management, preferably within a similar market and with key multiples in knitwear and wovens. GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659051’

GARMENT TECHNOLOGISTS LONDON – Competitive Salary We have a number of exciting opportunities for Garment Technologists in the London area across Ladies, Childrens and Menswear. These positions are with leading brands and suppliers and offer excellent career development opportunities! You will ensure that all sample garments are properly progressed and proven fit for customer’s requirements. Technically develop and engineer garments to maximise the manufacturing capabilities. Communicate with factories to ensure that production garments are fit for purpose and attend customer fit sessions. You must have a minimum of 2 years experience and an in-depth knowledge of garment construction. GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659892’

PRODUCT TECHNOLOGIST EAST MIDLANDS – Northamptonshire

This is a fantastic opportunity to work within a truly fun and imaginative environment and to develop a career within Product Technology! Our client offers a one stop shop for all accessories and their business service always comes via recommendation. In this role you will manage and maintain all technical aspects for selected customers across a number of product sectors. Liaise with Far East and Indian factories, ensuring current legislations are adhered to and production meets customer requirements and initiate 1st fit approvals including fabric and trims. To be considered for this role you must have experience fabric testing and analysing the results, as well as keeping the costs to a minimum. You must also possess excellent IT skills including managing and maintaining critical path spread sheets.

GARMENT TECHNOLOGIST LONDON – £30000.00 - £35000.00 per annum Our client is a West End based Manufacturer looking to recruit and experience Pattern Cutter with CAD experience. The company has an excellent client portfolio and is doing very well in challenging times for this business! The environment is very team focussed, open plan and friendly. We are looking for someone who has experience Pattern Cutting and Grading on a CAD System such as Gerber, Vetigraph, Lectra….Garment areas are Soft Separates and Dresses. We really need someone who is self-motivated and good at setting up systems. Experience Grading patterns on CAD is essential.

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659897’

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2658245’

KNITWEAR ACCOUNT MANAGER FOR WOMENSWEAR HOME BASED – Excellent We are looking for an experienced, Womenswear, Knitwear Account Manager. If you feel you are a passionate, career driven, enthusiastic, who is willing to go the extra mile please contact us. You will need: Key contacts and relationships with high street stores and multiples. The ability to build accounts and increase orders with key customers. The ability to exceed £1million pound turnover and build on orders. GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659993’

PRODUCT MANAGER LUXURY ACCESSORIES LONDON –To £40000 Luxury handbags and accessories. As Product Manager you will take responsibility for managing the sourcing development and production of a wide range of accessories with a big focus on handbags. The position will require you to work closely with the designers and suppliers and to advise on technical aspects. To be responsible for the commercialisation of each seasons merchandise and for price negotiations. You will work with suppliers in Italy and across Europe and provide production specifications. A great brand for a committed fashionista and a person who speaks Italian and is happy to travel. GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659998’

ECOMMERCE CONTENT COORDINATOR – BRITISH FASHION BRAND LONDON – £23000 - £26000 per annum An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and experienced Ecommerce Content Coordinator to join a British brand in London. Our client is a renowned British womenswear brand, known for their chic and affordable luxury. You will have experience of day-to-day website coordination, including Content Management Systems and Ecommerce Platforms and a proven ability of website reporting, including Google Analytics.

ASSISTANT GARMENT TECHNOLOGIST – TEMP TO PERM NORTH WEST LONDON – Up to £25,000 Our client is an established Womenswear retailer who is currently hiring an Assistant Technologist to join the team at head office. Responsibilities include taking part in fit sessions, creating technical packs and working closely Design, Buying, Production and the overseas vendors. This is a perfect role for a second jobber as it allows you to be responsible for your own product category.

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659601’

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659605’

Drapers / NOVEMBER 23 2013

SENIOR GARMENT TECHNOLOGIST LONDON – to be negotiated

A major supplier of Ladies tailoring & separates to the high street requires an experienced senior garment technologist with a proven track record. This is a very “hands on” role and will involve attending customer fit sessions, communicating and advising alterations to off shore production units. Ensuring that samples meet the required standards of the customer and are suitable for production. Working closely with the design team to ensure that samples are fit for purpose and meet the customer’s specifications. Working closely with off shore Technical managers to improve quality standards & resolve issues and to monitor & analyse RTMs. Working closely with sales and merchandising to ensure that the critical path is adhered to.

FABRIC TECHNOLOGIST LONDON – to be negotiated We are currently looking for an experienced fabric technologist with ladies tailoring experience to join a major supplier to a high street store. The ideal candidate should have a proven track record across multi products. Whilst based in London you must be able to support and liaise with our Chinese fabric technical team and manage technical approvals with our customer. To critically assess fabric test results and give feedback to relevant parties. Also to ensure that all parties progress fabric development during the life cycle of the product. To manage and update all approved colour standards. To participate in and perform end of season supplier analysis.

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659253’

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659391’

FREELANCE ACCESSORIES DESIGNER OVAL, SOUTH WEST LONDON – ££ Competitive At White Stuff we believe by being different and making a difference, we’ll make the world a little happier. If you think you could make a difference to our family we’d love to hear from you. We are looking for a Freelance Designer here at White Stuff in London! You’ll be working with our Accessories team and have a focus on multi-product soft accessories as well as handbags. The successful candidate will report to the Designer Manager and have a close working relationship with the other Designers on the team, the Head of Buying & Design, as well as the Buying & Design Director.

JUNIOR DESIGNER OVAL, SOUTH WEST LONDON – ££ Competitive

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659615’

BUYING AND MERCHANDISING OPPORTUNITIES LIVERPOOL – £18,000 - £24,000, dependant on role It’s a hugely exciting time to join Shop Direct. We’ve transformed from a traditional catalogue retailer into a successful online business with great brands like Very.co.uk, isme.com and Littlewoods.com. Our success has been rewarded with a number of industry awards but we’re not resting on our laurels. We’ve embarked on a significant threeyear plan to become a truly world class digital retailer. Due to a project to truly understand the nature and improvements of our Buying and Merchandising functions we are looking to recruit Buyers Assistants, Merchandise Assistants, Assistant Buyers and Assistant Merchandisers with immediate effect, ready for a start date in January! GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659713’

At White Stuff we believe by being different, and making a difference, we’ll make the world a little happier. We put ‘happyness in every stitch’ of what we do and each of our shops supports one of its local charities through the White Stuff Foundation. This is a great opportunity for an experienced Junior Womenswear Designer to join our lovely Design team. We’re known for our beautiful garments at White Stuff and we’re looking for someone to help design our gorgeous So Glad & Very collection as well as our skirts. You must be an experienced Junior Designer from a fashion retail background with quirky and feminine style which matched our brand handwriting. You’ll also have excellent attention to detail and understanding of the White Stuff customer.

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659844’

SENIOR MERCHANDISER – SEASONAL LIVERPOOL – £40,000 - £55,000 + Bonus + Benefits

Reporting to the Head of Merchandising - Seasonal, you will work closely with the Senior Buyer to create and develop Seasonal product ranges focused on Gifts and Beauty ranges, which satisfy customer requirements and deliver the financial performance of the category in line with the departments buying and merchandising strategy. You will be responsible for leading and developing a team of Junior, Assistant Merchandisers and Merchandising Assistants for the area to meet current and future sales targets, margin and market share growth. You will control a ‘Super Category’ in our Seasonal Department, more specifically in gifting and beauty product ranges; leading a merchandising team, delivering financial performance of the category inclusive of current and future sales, BIM, Achieved Margin, service and stock targets.

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2658356’

SENIOR MERCHANDISING MANAGER - FOOTWEAR CONVERSE EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS, NEAR AMSTERDAM – Competitive Salary Package Converse is the story of a sneaker that started on the court and moved to the stage and street. Our sneakers have been worn by rebels, rockers, rappers, artists, thinkers, and creatives. In fact, we put creativity at the center of everything we do. We aspire to unleash creativity, with our product, consumers and teammates. In this key role as Senior Merchandising Manager for Converse, you will be responsible for driving integrated, profitable, relevant product assortments that express the segment vision in the marketplace. You will also create regionally relevant stories, collections and concepts to drive the business.

MARKETING MANAGER LONDON – Competitive salary, very good bonus and great clothing benefits Leading vintage retailer Rokit Ltd, established in 1986, is a strong and influential brand that encompasses 4 bricks and mortar stores as well as a new e-commerce platform. This is an amazing opportunity for a creative Marketing Manager to work within a diverse and innovative company. Rokit’s newly launched e-commerce website provides an excellent platform for the successful candidate to take on this role and really put their unique stamp on the brand’s market profile so it stands out amongst the competition. Rokit is an extraordinary company and an extraordinary Marketing Manager will be the perfect fit.

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2659278’

GO TO DRAPERSJOBS.COM AND SEARCH FOR ‘2658218’

Drapers \

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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Clothing production factory of womenswear and menswear. Provides reliable, professional & flexible services Specialising in T-shirts, S-shirts, Scarves and Real Leather Belts. Versatile manufacturer, very short lead times. Small and big quantities welcome. Oeko-Tex & Sedex certified. Fabric sourcing and design services available. email: info@sirioustextile.bg’ Top quality woven and printed labels + swing tickets Express service for washcare labels (Small orders our speciality with quick delivery) Phone TODAY for our FREE catalogue and information pack Tel: 01484 888844 Fax: 01484 888800 Email abaines@eastman.co.uk Also contact us for:cutting room papers, poly bags, shoulder pads etc www.eastman.co.uk

Woven Labels • Printed Tickets Carrier Bags • Self-Adhesive Labels Ribbon • Gift Boxes • Packaging Tissue Paper • Logo & Label Design T: 020 7249 8260 F: 020 7249 5751

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

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PRIVATE LABEL SHIRTS

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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? We are the UK’s leading supplier of quality private label, RTW & MTM men’s shirts. We offer low minimums, short-lead times and quality fabric collections.

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07966 171370 NOVEMBER 23 2013

Drapers \

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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Importers, Exporters & Wholesalers of Textile Fabrics For Ladies Fashion Industry. Unit 5, Hayes Metro Centre, Springfield Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB4 0LE

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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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21/4/08

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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! Visit our transformed website! 16/17 Little Portland Street London W1W 8NE T: +44 (0) 20 7636 8591 F: +44 (0) 20 7580 0669 E: info@bltrimmings.com W: www.bltrimmings.com

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DATAGR AF LTD

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BUYERS GUIDE 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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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ANDREW OWEN ON MOBILE 07757 362969 e-mail info@accessory-heaven.co.uk website www.accessory-heaven.co.uk

NOVEMBER 23 2013

Drapers \

MY FASHION LIFE

I wish I could work with Kate Moss, because for me she is the fashion icon. She would perfectly stick to the image of the brand

Dan Cohen

The Eleven Paris founder explains why Carnaby Street is the perfect stage for a label with rock ‘n‘ roll aspirations

Interview by Graeme moran

t’s Eleven Paris’s 10th anniversary this year. What have you done to celebrate the premium men’s, women’s and kids’ brand? We had a huge party at Bread & Butter Berlin in July. We invited lots of our wholesale customers as a way of saying thank you for helping us grow the brand over the past 10 years. Where did the name Eleven Paris come from? Our first offices were at number 11, so it was as easy as that for Eleven. As for Paris, at all the fairs we were attending people kept saying, ‘Where are you from, America?’, and we kept answering ‘Paris’. And then we’d see 44

Drapers / NOvEMBER 23 2013

people’s eyes light up, so we decided to add Paris to Eleven. Earlier this year you opened your first UK store, in London. Why London? When you are a French brand and you have more than 25 stores in France, it’s seen as normal by the people there. But when you open a store outside of your home country, and especially in London, then you become an international brand – so that’s why. And why Carnaby Street? It’s a street that’s known around the world. On top of that, it has that rock attitude, which fits Eleven Paris perfectly. What’s next for the brand? More Eleven Paris stores in France and more stores across Europe.

We are opening one in Berlin in January 2014, then other European countries will follow. We are planning to open in New York in 2016. We have more than 15 shop-in-shops in Galeries Lafayette in France and they are very successful. So we now have a programme to open shop-in-shops in department stores all over the world in the next two to three years. What’s your favourite city in the world, and why? My favourite city in the world is Paris because it’s a dynamic city full of history, where you can find many styles of architecture. As I’m getting older it’s a city that amazes me more and more. Your brand is sold in more than 1,200 stores worldwide, but where is your favourite place to shop for fashion? I love Selfridges. It has such an amazing mix of brands that is really well-edited and it is always a great shopping experience. Do you wear Eleven Paris? I used to wear a lot of the T-shirts – and I still do of course – but these days I’m more focused on the whole wardrobe, like the shirts, jackets and knits. Your adverts have included rock stars Iggy Pop and Lenny Kravitz. If you could have anyone else, alive or dead, to star in your adverts, who would it be and why? I wish I could work with Kate Moss, because for me she is the fashion icon. She would perfectly stick to the image of the brand. What has been your career highlight so far? There isn’t one single event but these last four years have meant a lot to me, like the store openings, shooting with photographer Terry Richardson in New York and working with Lenny Kravitz. What is the most expensive item of clothing you’ve ever bought? The latest Saint Laurent biker jacket designed by Hedi Slimane. What is the most cherished item in your wardrobe? My Dior sneakers. What fashion trend do you wish would disappear? Hawaiian shirts. Whose style do you admire and why? Hedi Slimane’s timeless rock style. If you weren’t working in fashion, what would you be doing? I’d be a musician in a rock band. To read previous interviews, log on to www.drapersonline.co.uk/news/my-fashion-life

ICH BIN EIN BERLINER. —DANIEL, Philippines

BREADANDBUTTER.COM BREAD & BUTTER. 14—16 JANUARY 2014 AIRPORT BERLIN-TEMPELHOF

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2013 WOLVERINE WORLD WIDE. CAT, CATERPILLAR AND THEIR

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NOT

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