18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! As it turns 18 years old, here are just as many reasons to love this unique and elegant brand from the Basque region of Northern Spain… 1 - THE STYLE Maia Eder Curutchet heads up the Skunkfunk design team. She says: “We have created our own style, it is something that didn’t exist before, and many brands have copied it.” It is, she explains, a fusion of streetwear with society, a combination of elastic comfort and flattering cuts that works for women of many ages. 2 - THE ORIGINALITY Many brands buy designs from agencies or stock houses. But at Skunkfunk either the Skunkfunk design team or one of the emerging artists it collaborates with performs every single stroke of the brush or click of the mouse. !
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 3 – THE ETHICS Skunkfunk has committed to going 100% organic by 2020 and has a three-year contract with organic farmers to offer them stability and secure their crop. The brand has already earned Global Organics Textile Standard (GOTS) certification and is a favourite among UK ethical retailers who often stock it alongside eco-brands of a more basic ilk to add real pizzazz to their VM. 4 - THE ZERO WASTAGE Head designer Maia Eder Curutchet reveals the brand has even achieved a truly remarkable zero wastage on some of its textiles: “For example’ she says, “out of a rectangle of fabric, we draw a perfect circle to make a skirt out of it. After, we make a crop top from the rest and the use the small pieces either for pockets or patches. Not even a small triangle is lost.”
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 5– THE SHOPPING TRENDS Research centre Mintel has identified shopping trends for the year ahead and it proves consumers want their fashion to mean something. 44% of consumers say ethical treatment of workers influences their shopping choices and 33% cite brands’ environmental policies as key. This is good news for boutiques that espouse a social conscience – like Skunkfunk does. 6 - THE HERITAGE An 18-year-old brand from the Basque region of Northern Spain, Skunkfunk was launched in 1997 at a music festival and quickly found a UK market allied to the surf scene, which was so commercial at the time. As it has grown, that boho sensibility has become more boutique driven and now appeals to a more sophisticated consumer.
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 7 – THE GLOBAL SCALE Skunkfunk is stocked in over 700 stores worldwide and creates nearly 350 styles per season. 8 - THE FUTURE The influential fashion forecasters at WGSN have defined a trend for SS16 dubbed Raw Power. This divines a renewal of consumer affinity with ethical needs and niche cultures. The Skunkfunk story sits perfectly with that increasingly emotional driver and, rarely, delivers it without compromising on design. 9 - THE EXPERTS’ VIEWS Style commentators pundits and experts are waking up to the potential of Skunkfunk. The UK style writer behind the popular schoolrunstyle blog says: “There are some lovely styles in the range with prints that would work really well in the UK market. I could certainly see many of these pieces teaming well with jeans and finding a home in womenswear boutiques.”
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 10 – THE VALUE Skunkfunk’s price architecture remains incredibly competitive, working on a healthy 2.8 mark up, prices start at £11.50 and the ceiling comes in under £30 for the top priced dresses and trousers. 11 - THE COLLECTION For Skunkfunk SS16, there are three lines in the upcoming summer range. Legacy plays on the brand’s streetwear heritage, Casual features the collab with French graphic artist Tina Tictone, and Boutique is all about feminine sophistication with fluid lines.
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 12 – THE ART Art is key to the way Skunkfunk operates, from the originality of its own prints to the collabs with fine and graphic artists. That’s why the brand is one of the few fashion labels to be sold in an art gallery – impressively you can buy Skunkfunk at the iconic Bilbao Guggenheim. How many brands can say that? 13 - THE COLLABS Those collaborations have seen the brand generate artlike-fashion with creatives from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden and the UK over recent seasons.
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 14 – THE CUSTOMERS Skunkfunk sells well to a diverse coterie of UK customers. Our retail partners have told us that it consistently sells to shoppers in their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties and even beyond. 15 - THE SUPPORT With LoveBrands at the helm in the UK you can be assured of strong and purposeful support. Director Hugo Deane says: “We regularly support retailers with promotions and events, creating bespoke packages including window sets, PoS material and sponsored prize draws to help you communicate the brand to your customers. We pride ourselves on going the extra mile with our retail partners. From product training to staff wardrobe budgets, we really want to help you and your staff to get to know the DNA of the brand”.
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 16 – THE MOTTO Consumers want brands that reflect the best of their lifestyle. And when it comes to the crucial quartet of fashion, art, ethics and value, Skunkfunk does just that. The company motto is “Make a Difference”, and when you get to know the brand, including its dedication to design integrity and ethical philosophy behind it, you really believe it. 17 - THE TIMMING When UK trade magazine Drapers investigated a drop in sales for UK boutiques it found retailers blamed a lack of newness and adventure for more sluggish sales, with independents looking to brands to deliver the excitement their customers demand, making now the right time to stock Skunkfunk.
18!REASONS! TO!FALL!IN!LOVE! WITH!SKUNKFUNK!! 18 - THE STORY The Skunkfunk story is all about a brand that does things its own way. Make sure you can tell it to your customers.!! ! ! Get$in$touch$now.$Skunkfunk$is$stocked$in$the$UK$by$ LoveBrands$$ Call$020$7702$0203$for$more$informaBon$or$email$ hugo@lovebrandsuk.com$ $ We$spoke$to$retailers$and$independent$fashion$ commentators$when$researching$this$document$to$read$ the$full$arBcle$go$to$www.lovebrandsuk.com