PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT UFP 506 ISABELLE SIMPSON WORD COUNT 3449
INTRODUCTION TO BRAND
PAGE 1
INSPIRATIONAL SHOP
PAGE 2
COMPETITIVE SHOP
PAGE 3
MOODBOARD
PAGE 4
PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE
PAGE 5
RANGE PLAN
PAGE 6
PICTORAL RANGE PLAN
PAGE 7
PROCESS IDEA TO GARMENT
PAGE 8
SPECIFICATION SHEET
PAGE 9
COSTING SHEET
PAGE 10
ROLE OF QUALITY CONTROL
PAGE 11
FABRIC TESTING
PAGE 12
LABELLING REQUIREMENTS
PAGE 13
LICENSING
PAGE 14
CONCLUSION
PAGE 15
REFERENCES
PAGE 16
INTRODUCTION TO BRAND AND CUSTOMER IDENTITY
KEY COMPETITORS
Following the brand Bershka, this project will review the product development cycle for their range of skirts for the season SS22. The project is divided into research, development and processes while using range plans and costing sheets to explore the brand. Using the concept to carrier bag model throughout this process will inform the research and development process. Bershka is part of the Spanish group Inditex alongside brands such as Zara, Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti. Founded in 1998, “The chain has more than 1000 stores in over 70 markets, with sales that represent 9% of the total revenue for the whole group.” (Bershka 2021) As a brand Bershka promote inclusivity, showing personality through fashion and empowerment.
“Bershka’s public is characterized by adventurous young people (mainly females), who are aware of the latest trends and are interested in music, social networks and new technologies.” (Bershka 2021) Bershka’s target consumer is young people aged between 16 and 25, although the brand could appeal to consumers older than this demographic too such as more fashion forward consumers in their twenties due to Bershka’s trendy clothing.
Bershka’s high street competitors are shown in figure 1, these are their closest competitors and brands who sell similar items at similar price points. All of these brands are trend driven and sell basic garments along with an assortment of trend led garments to enhance a basic wardrobe.
The garment category chosen is summer mini skirts, and this category will be followed through the product development cycle from start to finish. Mini skirts make up 24% of the product mix for skirts, sitting just below midi skirts at 38% (WGSN 2021). In Bershka’s product mix, skirts make up 2% of all products and mini skirts make up 63% of the skirt category (Edited 2021). Shown in the customer portrait below, Bershka’s core customer is young females and mini skirts are the most popular category bought by millennials and gen z (Insider 2020). TRICKLE DOWN
Figure 1 (Authors Own, 2021)
TRICKLE UP
Bershka is a high street brand that follows both the trickle down and trickle up market theories. The trickle down theory is when trends start at the catwalk and in haute couture, and work their way down through the market levels until they eventually reach the high street. The trickle up theory is when trends start from street culture and work their way up to high street and bridge brands.
Figure 2 (Authors Own, 2021) Figure 3 (2021) Bershka sits around the middle of early majority on Rogers adoption curve as shown in figure 3. Bershka are not one of the first brands to adopt trends but they follow and early adopters such as Zara and ASOS.
Bershka’s inspirational brands are All Saints, And Other Stories and Urban Outfitters as they all carry similar trendy lines to Bershka but are at a much more expensive price point. The items at these retailers are slightly more fashion forward than Bershka’s but similar enough to be competitors. Carhartt and Stussy are Bershka’s inspirational brands for streetwear, which influences garments that Bershka sells, alongside the catwalks.
CUSTOMER PORTRAIT • Ellie is 21 years old. • She is studying Fashion Communication at University. • Lives in London. • Has a part time job at a fashion retail store. • Average fashion budget of £80 a month • Trendy fashion style on a budget. • Likes to buy her basics at Bershka as well as more trendy pieces a couple times a month to keep her wardrobe up to date.. • Uses runway fashion shows as inspiration for her outfits and takes parts of high end fashion trends into her wardrobe to create wearable looks. • Has shopped at Bershka for a few years but also shops at other high street retailers.
Figure 4 (Coll 2020)
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INSPIRATIONAL SHOP AND KEY TRENDS Bershka’s inspirational shop for the spring summer 2022 season would be conducted somewhere that attracts their core customer. An ideal place to do this would be a party destination such as Ibiza. The mixture of clubs, bars and pretty scenery in Ibiza create the perfect holiday environment for young females. This trip would be extremely beneficial for the Bershka buying and product development team, as they could explore the ‘city to beach’ looks. Bershka are a Spanish brand so this trip would help take them back to their roots as a brand, and explore their love for summer clothing. The ‘city to beach’ trend will be a key driver for spring summer 2022 as it will probably be the first year after the COVID pandemic that consumers are able to travel abroad, therefore driving sales of holiday clothing. The main two styles that would come under this trend are the wrap skirt and the sheer skirt, these pieces would be perfect for a transitional item to go from beachwear to evening. They are also versatile pieces that can be easily adapted year on year to be a staple garment in the summer collection. (Ferigutti, L 2016) (White Ibiza 2021) Figure 5, 6, 7 (WGSN 2020)
Some key emerging trends for the spring summer 2022 season as shown on WGSN are the knitted skirt, the wrap skirt and the sheer skirt. These three styles will be key for Bershka as they can be worn throughout the daytime and into the evening. The core Bershka consumer is younger women who prefer more laid back styles that can easily match with many pieces in their wardrobe. Knitted slim fit skirts have risen in popularity because of their longstanding comfort and a rise in form fitting garments has made the knitted skirt a wardrobe basic. Offering an alternative to the uncomfortable pencil skirt they have been adopted by businesswomen and professionals alike. Many brands have also been marketing these styles of skirt as a ‘co-ord’ or ‘matching set’ making consumers want to purchase both pieces and driving sales. Sheer skirts have been gaining momentum across all categories as they work well for daytime as well as occasion wear. Designers such as Giorgio Armani and Salvatore Ferragamo have recently adopted this trend and begun to create sheer skirt looks on the catwalk. Wrap skirts have begun to thrive along with many categories of relaxed skirts as appeal of ‘easy to wear’ garments and ‘city to beach’ looks become more popular. Ties at the front or side of the garment provide an easy way to wear and turn these skirts into a quick ‘throw on’ item. The fabrics used for these skirts would be mainly cotton, chiffon, organza and jersey. Sourcing these fabrics would mainly be done at fairs such as Pitti Fillati and Premier Vision.
(Four Square 2021) (Pemberton, B 2019) (Ralph and Russo 2020)
(Bomford, J 2020)
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COMPETITIVE SHOP Retailer
Entry Price
Mid Price
Exit Price
Average Price
Size Range
No. of Analysis Products
Pretty Little Thing
£5
£15
£25
£15
4-20 XS-XL
1217
H&M
£9.99
£22.48
£149.98
4-22 XS-XL
537
Retailer
Garment
Price
Fabric Sourcing Composition
Size Range
Bershka
£14.99
£21.05
£27.99
£21.32
£60.81
98% Cotton China 2% Elastane
4-14 XS-XL
38
Bershka
£19.99
4-14
Pretty Little Thing
£20
100% Cotton China
4-16
H&M
£17.99
100% Cotton China
4-22
H&M has the largest numerical size range of the three retailers; however their alpha sizing does not stretch as far as their numerical sizing and matches the other two retailers. Bershka has the smallest sizing range of the three retailers and does not cater for many women as, “The average woman in the UK is a plus size UK 16” (Fashion United 2020). This means that Bershka do not even cover the average UK woman and are missing out on a huge consumer base. Pretty Little Thing have the cheapest garment compared to the other two retailers, allowing them to appeal to a wider consumer base like students and teenagers, while H&M’s most expensive garment is £149, over x6 the highest price of their other two competitors. This will deter some consumers as it is more of a premium or luxury price point, and not something that consumers would expect to pay for a H&M garment. Analysis Comparing the three denim skirts, the prices are very similar across all three brands, and the fabric composition is too. This contradicts the overall analysis as Pretty Little Thing’s skirt is the most expensive, however their average price is the lowest. Bershka and H&M’s skirts are the same style, whereas Pretty Little Thing’s skirt has a more intricate design with seams down the front so would use more fabric to produce, which could be the reason it is the most expensive of the three. All of the styles are made in China, so this would be another reason for the similar price points. H&M have the largest size range again across all three brands so they would be selling to the largest consumer base; allowing them in theory to make the most revenue. Bershka and Pretty Little Thing cater for sizes up to a 14 and 16, so Bershka is not even covering the average UK woman, and Pretty Little Thing is only just covering the average size but not going above it. These two brands are decreasing their consumer base by only offering these sizes, and possibly putting them off shopping with the brand as they can not buy their size in all garments.
Shown in figure 8 the three brands use similar colours throughout the skirt category, however the overriding colour is black. For the summer season this is surprising, but it could be because of patterns used in skirts. Neutrals follow closely behind, and with the current trends of nature through the WGSN macro trend resourceful these colours are easily justified. H&M and Pretty Little Thing have a much wider range of bright colours than Bershka, however this could be due to the larger product range the other two brands stock.
Figure 8 (Edited 2021)
3
MOODBOARD SKIRTS SS22
(Ralph and Russo 2020)
(McDowell 2021)
(Jacquemus 2020)
(Simkhai 2020) (Balmain 2020)
4
PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE The product life cycle is split into four stages that a product will go through in the retail market. These four stages are called the introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Figure 9 shows how products move through these four stages as it’s life in the retail market continues and how it’s popularity is related to the four stages. Stage 1 is the introduction, where the product is made available to consumers via the company’s website, and fashion leaders will begin to adopt the new item. This stage will be the most expensive of the four as the retailer will need to promote the new products with advertising. During this stage the sales will be lower as the market is smaller until other consumers become aware of this new product. Stage 2 is the growth stage where the brand will normally take the most money from this new product. They need to ensure high stock levels to accommodate this and the product will begin to promote itself as the advertising starts to work and word of mouth communication between consumers grows. Stage 3 is the maturity stage; the product has become established and sales are steady. The brand will begin to remind consumers about the product, for example through their ‘trend’ section on the website, newsletters or push the ‘new in’ section when consumers open the website. More stock may be ordered at this point if a product is selling well.
Figure 9 (Bargh, M 2018)
Stage 4 is decline, where consumers begin to get bored of the item or it is replaced by a new product. The market for this product shrinks as new trends are introduced and the product is slowly phased out, it would normally be put into sales or put into a less expensive production method.
Research from the competitive shop shows that Bershka are the middle price point between their two close competitors Pretty Little Thing and H&M. The denim skirt shown in the competitive shop is just under a mid-price point at £19.99. As this skirt is a staple item, it will generally stay at full price until the next season’s items come in and then will get discounted to around £13.99 (30% off). Bershka’s low costs will make consumers assume that their products are low quality, however this could be positive if Bershka’s core consumer (students and young teenagers) see the prices. Consumers that are cautious about price will be attracted to Bershka and their cheap garments, it will also attract consumers who are not bothered about sustainability.
(PLT 2021)
(H&M 2021)
(Bershka 2021)
Bershka as a brand need to begin to consider the possibility of recycling garments, and creating more sustainable garments. As the world moves into more sustainable initiatives, fast fashion brands such as Bershka need to be able to keep up. Offering a service where customers could send their unwanted garments back to the warehouse in exhcnage for store credit or a gift. These unwanted garments could then be sent to people who need them, or recycled to create new garments for Bershka.
5
RANGE PLAN FOR BERSHKA’S 7 UK STORES SS22 Following my edited colour research, I have used neutral and pastel colours for most of my skirts, then one pattern and one brighter colour. The colour breakdown is: 42% neutrals, 42% pastels, 8% brights and 8% patterns. My edited research did not cover patterned garments as Bershka only sell a small percentage in patterned fabrics, so I decided to only include one in my range plan. I also decided to only include one bright colour in my range plan as I feel that this would be a risky garment and I wanted to ensure that the rest of the range will fit the Bershka core customer. Bershka use the ’99 effect’ pricing strategy so I wanted to keep this consistent throughout my range plan. Following my edited pricing analysis, Bershka’s entry price is £14.99, their mid price is around £21 and their exit price is £27.99. I have followed this model through my range plan, and the average price is £21 so the majority of my garments are around that price point. The pricing breakdown is: 7% at £14.99, 18% at £17.99, 39% at £19.99, 18% at £25.99 and 18% at £27.99. £19.99 is the largest pricing category for the range as the average price should be around £21 this is the most appropriate price to use for the midpoint of the range.
6
PICTORAL RANGE PLAN
7
The product life cycle follows a garment from idea to sale in store. The first few stages of this process are to determine which items sold well last year, and if any of these items could be used again or slightly modified to fit the new year’s trends, this process would be done by the buyer and merchandiser together. After this, the next few steps are about looking at competitors and brands that Bershka looks to for inspiration, to see what other brands are QUALITY selling and how these items compare CONTROL to what Bershka sold last year. Mood boards are then created from the new trends and research that has been done to determine the key colours and styles for the season. COURIERS
BERSHKA STAFF VISUAL MERCHANDISER SALE TO CUSTOMER MERCHANDISE BY STORE QUALITY CONTROL CHECKS
BUYER & MERCHANDISER
REVIEW LAST YEARS SALES
TREND FORECASTER BUYER’S ASSISTANT RESEARCH TRENDS COMPETITIVE SHOP
WEEK ONE
BUYER & DESIGNER INSPIRATIONAL TRIPS / SHOPS
WEEK SIX
DELIVERY TO WAREHOUSE
WEEK TWO (Author’s Own 2021)
WEEK FIVE
Following the mood boards, BUYER & designs and a range plan will DESIGNER be created by the designers and then a specification sheet to show the factories and suppliers. These are created to help with the language barrier between retailers and BUYER factories, and generally use diagrams and specific pictures to show garment details and colours. Samples will then be created from these specification sheets and sent back to the retailer to review, before the designers make the necessary changes to be sent back to the factory and fixed. Quality control is responsible for testing, reports and sample sealing to ensure that all garments are up to the standards of the brand, and that everything has been produced to the specification sheet.
TEC PACK AND SPEC SHEET
FINAL DESIGNS
RANGE REVIEW
WEEK THREE TESTING AND REPORTS
QUALITY CONTROL
RE-WORK DESIGNS
DESIGNERS
REVIEW SAMPLES
BUYER
BUYING TEAM & QUALITY CONTROL
RANGE PLAN / DESIGNS
(Author’s Own 2021)
WEEK FOUR SAMPLE SEALING
QUALITY CONTROL
MOOD BOARDS / COLOURS
BUYER & DESIGNER
BRIEF FACTORIES AND SUPPLIERS
PROCESS IDEA TO GARMENT
GARMENT MANUFACTURERS PRODUCTION
Once all of the garments have been approved, a range review will be held within the buying team to check over the range and ensure that it is cohesive and follows the trends and colours on the moodboard. After the range review, the garments are sent into full production for retail stores. This process can take longer than many of the others, so needs to be done in plenty of time before the season begins.
BUYER, MERCHANDISER & DESIGNER
SOURCE FABRICS / TRIMS
BUYER
MANUFACTURERS
Delivery to the warehouse can take a couple of weeks depending on how the items are travelling and where the factory is, but once they arrive in the warehouse a second quality control inspection will take place to ensure the items are saleable. Once the garments are passed they will be sent to retail stores and a distribution warehouse for online shopping orders. After arriving in store, the garments will be merchandised and sold to consumers.
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SPECIFICATION SHEET DESIGNER: BERSHKA
DATE DELIVERED TO STORE: 1ST APRIL
SEASON: SPRING SUMMER 2021
FABRIC COMPOSITION: 100% COTTON
STYLE: COTTON UTILITY SKIRT
SIZES AVAILABLE: 4 - 14
DETAILS: TWO POCKETS, ZIP FRONT AND 4 BUTTON FLY
PRODUCT CODE: BER-2021-ST009010
IMAGE OF GARMENT
100% COTTON UTILITY SKIRT WITH TWO LARGE FRONT POCKETS, 4 METAL BUTTONS WITH A FLAP COVERING A CENTRAL METAL ZIPPER. Sizing chart for Bershka’s sizing range 4 to 14, shown in CM
PANTONE COLOUR OLIVE OIL
CLAY
SWATCH
The specification sheet will be sent out to the supplier to ensure that the garment will be produced to the standard and sizing chart specified by the retailer. The specification sheet includes a detailed drawing of the garment, all of the correct measurements in the sizes the garment will be produced in, and a diagram of how to measure these. It also includes a swatch of all of the colours the item will be produced in and their pantone colour names. The specification sheet also shows an example of the care label, and all of the important information needed about the garment including the style name, description and product code.
A
MEASUREMENT WAIST
A
HIPS
B
SKIRT LENGTH
C
WAISTBAND WIDTH
D
HEM HEIGHT
E
POCKETS
F
ZIP FLAP
G
BELT LOOPS
H
HEM WIDTH
I
D
H B
F
G E
The care label will be sewn into the inside of the skirt in the left side seam. This is the industry standard for the placement of a care label and the easiest place for this to be found by the consumer and factory staff. The mock-up of the care label shown under the skirt here is what would be sewn in, showing the brand, fabric composition, country of manufacture, season and product code. At the bottom of the tag it shows the washing symbols for the garment and how to care for it.
C
I
100% COTTON MADE IN TURKEY BER-2021
ST009010
9
COSTING SHEET The costing sheet is an essential part of the tech document pack that is sent to the supplier along with the specification sheet. The costing sheet will specify which fabrics should be used to create the garment as well as all of the correct trims and fixings. This determines how much the product will be able to sell for and how much margin the retailer will make and what their targets will be. Negotiation is an important step for the buyer to include while thinking about the costing of a garment. Supplier relationships are an important part of being a buyer, and this includes listening and respecting supplier needs, meeting them in person and continuing to be professional and supportive throughout all jobs. Knowing the cost of a garment and is really important in a negotiation to know where costs can be cut and which part of the process is necessary. The first stage of negotiation is research and planning, then making an offer to the supplier; this rarely gets accepted and needs to be gone over multiple times. Within the offer stage there will be discussing and bargaining, followed by an outcome that both the buyer and supplier are happy with. The main areas to negotiate are: price, quality, quantity, delivery time, delivery terms, returns and number of sizes / colours. There is less flexibility in price negotiation with new fabrics or technology and processes, as there are not many alternatives to these processes and no cheaper ways to do this.
Bershka uses the ’99 effect’ pricing strategy throughout all of their garments. This is an example of psychological pricing, which means that it causes the customer to think that the garment is cheaper, even though it is only by a penny. It creates an illusion that many customers will fall for, and it has been proven that customers are more likely to buy something priced at 99p rather than £1. “Researchers believe this is because consumers focus on the big denomination rather than the small denomination and partly because there is an emotional incentive – people feel like they are getting more value for their money. If your product or service is likely to be compared with a rivals then cutting a penny off the price to make it ‘.99’ could make people more likely to buy it.” (Dunsby 2017)
10
ROLE OF QUALITY CONTROL
“In the garment industry, garment quality control is practised right from the initial stage of sourcing raw materials to the stage of a final finished garment. Shelton Vision provides machine vision solutions that help detect and reduce the number of defects within the production process” (SheltonVision 2017)
The first part of the quality control process is the sealing sample, made to the selling standard for the brand with all of the correct fabrics and trims included, however they may not be made in the correct colour. There will be two of these samples created so that the office can receive one and the factory can keep one for reference. Buyers and quality controllers will look through these samples and discuss the make quality as well as any issues with the garments such as puckering. The type of hem used will be confirmed, along with the number of stitches per button, number of spare buttons and where any poppers will be attached. Another part of the quality control process is measuring the garment to ensure that it meets the sizing requirements stated on the specification sheet, and any measurements that are slightly different to this would have to meet the tolerance defined in the quality control manual. Quality controllers, buyers or assistant buyers will usually be involved in this process to approve samples as well as a specialist in the garment area that is being approved. This process needs to happen quickly so that the garments can be sent into production soon after the meeting.
ESTABLISH QUALITY BENCHMARKS CHECK PRODUCTS FOR QUALITY ISSUES
Different companies use different names for their various sealing samples, but most retailers use the colours red, gold and green. The red seal is used on the first approved sample, to show the factory that this is along the right lines but might not be made in the correct colour. These samples are now ready to be made in the correct fabrics and colours. The gold seal is used pre-production, to show that the garment is completely correct down to the colour and trims. These garments are now ready to be put into production.
ANALYSE VARIANCE BETWEEN SAMPLES AND TARGETS PRODUCT TESTING
The green seal is used post-production, to show that the garments have been produced to the retailers standards and are ready to be shipped out to the warehouse.
RED SEAL
• May be required to re-submit multiple times until the garment is ready to be moved onto a Gold Seal. • Will normally be submitted in testing fabric, most likely the wrong colour with similar trims and fittings. • This is normally the very first sample of a garment from the factory for the Buyers and Quality controllers to see.
GOLD SEAL
• May be required to re-submit multiple times until the garment is ready to be moved onto a Green Seal. • Only one sample will be submitted in the final fabric with all the correct fittings and trims to ensure it is correct with no unnecessary wastage. • Once a gold seal is approved the garment can be put into a full production run.
GREEN SEAL
• Two garments will be submitted for a green seal straight from production. • Green seal garments need to be presented as if they were about to arrive in the warehouse with all of the correct swing tickets, labels and packaging. • Once a green seal has been approved it can be sent out to the warehouse and retailers as the garment has passed all quality control checks.
CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN PRODUCTS READY TO BE PRODUCED
11
FABRIC TESTING
Along with quality control, garments must pass strict fabric testing laws to ensure that they are safe for consumers to wear and wash with their other clothing items. Some larger retailers have their own fabric testing facilities housed inside their factories or warehouses, but smaller retailers use the garment production’s testing or use an independent testing facility. All fabric testing is carried out on small samples of the production fabrics for garments before they are put into production to ensure the fabric is suitable for purpose, and if it does not pass then a new fabric will need to be found before the garment can be produced. Luxury brands will carry out more rigorous testing than high street brands as the quality and durability of their products is more important to consumers because of the price.
These are two examples of garment testing reports, the blue fabrics passed and the red fabrics failed. The white fabric strips show how the colour would transfer onto acetate, cotton, nylon, polyester, acrylic and wool.
All garment testing is done under ‘British standard tests’ or ‘International organisation of standardization’ to ensure that all retailers are testing to the same standard. These standards are listed on the test report as ‘BS’ or ‘ISO’. The product developer and quality control team would work together to review the tests required for each garment; these are the tests required for a woven cotton skirt. The tests that will need to be done for this mini skirt range at Bershka include: Fibre composition, stability to washing, seam slippage, pilling, washing, rubbing, zips and buttons.
Fibre Composition EU Regulation 1007/2011
• No tollerance for single fibres, +/- 3% for blended fibres. • All fibres must be tested to ensure that the fabric used by the warehouse complies with what was written in the specification sheet. This information is also needed for the care label.
Dimensional Stability to Washing BS ISO EN 6330
• +/- 3% tollerance. • Fabric will be washed at 40 degrees celcius, and is being tested for misshaping, shrinking or stretching.
Seam Slippage - Non Stretch BS EN ISO 13936-1
• Must be between 6mm@8kg and 6mm@12kg depending on the weight of the fabric. • Slippage must be tested to ensure the strength and durability of the garment.
Washing BS EN ISO 105: C06
• To be completed on all colours, at 40 degrees celcius. • These fabrics will be washed alongside a small piece of white fabric with different compositions on it to see how the colour could transfer with other items that the consumer already owns. • For garments where the colour will run onto other garments the factory has to add a swing ticket instructing the customer to wash with similar colours to stop other items getting ruined.
Rubbing BS EN ISO 105: X12
• The fabric must be rubbed against a white sheet of paper multiple times to see if the colour will transfer. • This test can also be done wet to see what would happen if something was spilt on the garment or if it was worn out in the rain. • If the dye transfers this garment will also need a swing ticket to advise the customer on how to wash the garment to ensure they do not ruin any other garments.
Zips BS EN 16732
Figure 10 (Authors Own 2021)
Buttons BS 4162
Figure 11 (Authors Own 2021)
• Zips must be tested for strength and durability. • Zips that do not pass these tests will need to be swapped for a stronger one, if a zip breaks on a garment it means that the garment can no longer be worn and could result in a high return rate or a bad reputation for the brand. • Buttons must be tested to destruction and for colour transfering. • Buttons that are easiy destroyed will be replaced with something stronger, broken buttons can be dangerous and sharp. • Colour transfer from a button can ruin a garment, for example, a black button on a white garment could dye the fabric around it and result in a high return rate.
12
LABELLING REQUIREMENTS
SWING TAG
‘It is not a legal requirement to put a textile care label into a garment, although it is clearly in the interest of the retailer to do so as damage incurred by the consumer through incorrect washing could leave the retailer liable for compensation. (Jackson and Shaw, 2001. Page 87)
CARE LABEL
Care labels are sewn into the left-hand side seam of the garment, and include all of the instructions on how to wash and care for the garment. Figure 16 shows an example of a Bershka care label in a t-shirt dress. The care label includes: • Washing instructions, for example. Wash at 40 degrees, do not iron and do not tumble dry. • Fabric composition • Sizing information • Fire warnings • Country of Manufacture • Item code
Figure 15 (Etsy 2021)
Swing tags are attached to the garment just before it is packaged to be sent to the warehouse, and Bershka uses a white swing tag with the words ‘JOIN LIFE’ on. The front swing tag is very simple and is in a monochromatic colour palette. The swing tag behind this has more information about the type of fiber used to create the garment, and shown in figure 12 this particular garment is 100% ecologically grown cotton. The tag then has some information about this, and a QR code to take the customer straight to this product on the Bershka website. On the reverse of this swing tag will be the size of the product, the sizes it is available in and the product code for the use of the retailer. The tag will also show a barcode to be scanned by the cashier, and the price. Bershka print prices in multiple currencies on all of their swing tags so that they do not have to change this depending on where the garment is going to end up.
FLAT LABEL
Figure 16 (Author’s Own 2021)
Figure 12 (Bershka 2021)
Figure 13 (Author’s Own 2021)
BERSHKA
EUR 38 UK 10 MEX 40 This is a mock-up of the flat label, figure 13 shows a photograph of a flat label in a t-shirt dress.
• • • • • Figure 14 (Bershka 2021)
Design feature No garment production information Used only on tennis skirts Usually have a quote or brand logo on Mimicking a professional tennis skirt
• Sewn into centre waistband or neckline • One of the very last steps of production • Used to show sizing - in Bershka’s case this comes in multiple measurements for the different countries they sell to
13
LICENSING To acquire a new license, the licensee (retailer) must begin by submitting a plan to the licensor, explaining their targets, sales and plan for the range. The license will then be awarded to the retailer who is the best fit with the best proposal for the job. Some licenses can be very expensive and will sometimes be split between two licensees if they cannot afford the license by themselves. Once a license has been assigned to a licensee, they will receive a style guide of images to show the retailer what can and cannot be done under the license they have received. These guides are updated every season to reflect new trends.
Licensing in fashion is when a licensor (for example Disney) gives permission for a licensor (for example Primark) to use their name and branding on products. Bershka have got a licensing deal with Cartoon Network to produce garments with The PowerPuff Girls on. Some new films coming this year are ‘Tom and Jerry The Movie’, ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Justice League’. These films will be targets for brands to get licensing deals with, and Black Widow would be an ideal film to create a range of products with. Dark coloured t-shirts and sweatshirts would work well with Bershka’s core customer and this would help to drive sales within the first few weeks of the film release. There are different types of licensing; commission only, royalties only and advance against royalties. Commission only means that the retailer will get paid for the designs, even if the design never gets sold. The only downside to this method is that if the product does better than expected the retailer will not get paid any extra. Royalties only means that the retailer will get paid a percentage of the sales, so the manufacturer and design need to be correct to ensure good sales. Advance against royalties combines the two methods and means that the commission rate is lower but the retailer will also get a percentage paid as royalty. Retailers will get paid based on the profile of the brand and the predicted sales for the range, the more established retailers will be paying more per licensing deal, and getting paid more per royalty.
Bershka currently have a licensing deal with Cartoon Network to produce a range of garments with ‘The PowerPuff Girls’. This range includes socks, shorts, cropped t-shirts, dresses and hand sanitizers. Designed by Bershka with the help of Cartoon Network, this range is created for their younger customer base of girls and women aged from 10 to 20. This is one of the first ranges that Bershka has manufactured in sizing for girls and not just women. They are beginning to reach out to a larger customer base and branch into children’s wear, this range could even be sold as a ‘mother and daughter’ range, as it comes in women’s sizing as well as girls. The theme of the range being The PowerPuff Girls helps with this marketing too as it appeals to both categories of customer.
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CONCLUSION The final garment will be sold in Bershka stores across the world along with the rest of the collection shown in the range plan. The utility skirt is constructed from 100% cotton and Bershka is moving towards making this cotton 100% ecologically grown throughout all of their garments. All of the products in the range will be sold online, and all of the low risk items will be sold in smaller stores while the larger stores will receive the higher risk items along with a selection of the lower risk items. Following research into Bershka’s core customer, all of the skirts in the range plan follow Bershka’s style inspiration and styles. Bershka’s core customer are women aged 16 to 24, who are fashion conscious and enjoy keeping up with the latest trends. This new range of miniskirts for the SS22 season follows the latest trends and creates a versatile yet playful collection for customers to choose from. Bershka’s main goal when creating new ranges of clothing to reflect current trends and using the trickle up and down theories to push these trends into their ready-to-wear clothing. Throughout this assignment, research has lead me through the necessary steps to follow the garment from concept to carrier bag. Through this process I have learnt the importance of the buyers role and how each step is critical to the garments being correct at the end of the process. In conclusion, research shows Bershka is a fast fashion brand who’s product life cycle moves faster than most other high street retailers, but not as fast as fellow Inditex brand Zara. Bershka follows the trickle up and down theories, meaning they take inspiration from both street style and catwalk shows so they need to be able to produce garments quickly to keep up with new trends. This is how they manage to stay on top of their competitors and ensure that their new trendy products are out first.
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