SPINNA About SPINNA Mission and Vision 3 pillars of SPINNA Why woman entrepreneurs The structure of SPINNA Support SPINNA
The Circle Our services Membership forms Contact
Content
woman entrepreneur profile
A not for profit foundation established in Amsterdam,
SPINNA was born out of a passionate dialogue over a cup of coffee at a brasserie in Paris in November 2009 about sustainable fashion and the contribution of woman in the global business. Through committed local hubs, enthusiastic individuals, corporations, donors and supporting organizations such as the United Nations agency, International Trade Centre and The US State Department this concept was transformed into reality. At SPINNA we stand for EXCLUSIVITY and quality. And aim to achieve long term SUSTAINABILITY for woman globally.
ABOUT SPINNA
The SPINNA foundation aims to,Ignite Inspiration, in all members, Empower woman entrepreneurs globally. Further fashion through innovative and sustainable solutions drawn from traditions and generations of textile expertise.
“SPINNA is guided by its core principle of mentoring. It provides a global platform to women entrepreneurs and professionals across the textiles and fashion value chain to engage and conduct business directly. It is important that small companies have the ability to access big markets without paying very high commissions or losing their identity and brand value.�
Rupa Ganguli, founder and president of SPINNA
MISSION To foster the economic empowerment of women in textiles and fashion through linking buyers and sellers and by building productive capacities
VISION To create opportunities by linking unique skills with contemporary market demands and to bring more women owned businesses into the mainstream of the fashion value chain.
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The Pillars of SPINNA
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IGNITING INSPIRATION
globally by developing their ideas, and
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We encourage women to grow inspire organizations and retailers to embrace new initiatives.
FURTHERING FASHION
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We enable women to improve their
individuals with sustainable initiatives in the fashion business
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competitiveness by linking conscious
EMPOWERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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We aim to enrich fashion by preserving
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traditional techniques and by encouraging
sustainability through the fashion industry.
While several garment manufacturing companies and countries in the world boast of employment for women, not everyone focuses on taking them up the ladder to the next level. Many women remain at the bottom of the chain, doing what they have been doing for centuries with very little value addition. Whether this is the result of a lack of access to information, affordable training services, different cultural beliefs or just the lack of supportive trade policies, the key for us, is to address constraints and focus on providing innovative solutions focused on women to better their businesses.
WHY WOMAN ENTREPRENEURS
Our focus on women in the textiles and fashion business is not based only on the obvious fact that this industry is made up of over 80% women and that women have been largely responsible for the making of garments through history. Infact many business cases and studies have shown, that empowering women has a direct relation to the upliftment of their families and surroundings. So what better place to start than the industry with which they are most associated?
“Finding the right production facilities that meet up with my ethical standards almost made me quit. But by joining SPINNA I have been able tap into this knowledge base and of woman vendors with beautiful fabrics. It has given me a lot of inspiration.”
Elisa Huijsman Founder of childernswear brand Umpalumpa
The majority of our suppliers have started their own companies. Through SPINNA’s club The Circle, within the first year, we have successfully created work relationships in Paris, New York and Amsterdam. Most women suppliers are SMEs who could drive the growth engine in most countries. In an uncertain economic situation, every business however small, and every person makes a difference.. SPINNA aims to take women suppliers who can drive growth, up the value chain and bring them in touch with business opportunities. The Cirlce, our club, empowers members through a unique
network which brings women across the world in this sector together to help each other by offering solutions as well as conducting business. When SMEs thrive, economies thrive. By working on a dual approach focused on women and SMEs, SPINNA aims to bring women in this sector to the forefront through its various partners, networks and associates.
“Investing in women is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.� Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General, United Nations
ART ATLAS Jessica started her company 11 years ago by producing 35 pieces per month. She wanted to bring a sustainable, environ- mentally friendly and community oriented business into Arequipa and, from the beginning, made it their priority to positively impact the people in that community. In 2003 The Art Atlas Foundation was founded with the mandate to improve the quality of life for people in the Arequipa region by providing education in various aspects of the textile industry, and promoting women and youth entrepreneurship. The foundation provides training in knitting and machine operation to small communities who could not afford to pay for this kind of training on their own. This creates capacity and new skills that artisans can use to find a job or start their own company. The foundation facilitates this by giving loans to start ups.
Elena began her company 25 years ago in Puno as a cooperative with a small group of women. Today, Elena employs 250 knitters, 90% of which are women, who can produce 3000 units per month. These women are based in remote areas around Puno and hand-knit fine fibers like alpaca, baby alpaca, silk, bamboo and eco fibers like eco wool and high land wool. Elena rotates her workers so they remain interested in the work and do not get stuck doing overly repetitive work. Training young people is Elena’s main objective for the near future because this will have a double benefit, creating jobs and further local knit- ting traditions.
WOMAN ENTREPRENEURS PROFILE
SUMAC
THE CIRCLE SPINNA provides an opportunity to each individual and business to get involved. This happens through the membership and mentoring club ‘The Circle’. The Circle brings together fashion professionals, academia, development agencies, buyers and suppliers. It is a global network where we link demand with supply. The Circle operates by categorising its members. Woman entrepreneurs and professionals in the textile industry benefit from discounted services through customised mentoring and training for various parts of the supply chain. For buyers it is an easy way to source fabric and garments that are unique in the fashion business. With the combined knowledge of our many partners and organizations in the industry, all members benefit from our knowledge and knowhow through sessions and events. SPINNA organises several Circle events in fashion capitals across the world to present Premium Circle members and where buyers can view and provide inputs to collections.
It’s important to recognize the smaller scale companies in the fashion industry and the value that they bring. Allanna McAspun General manager MADE BY UK
LOCAL HUBS
We have several partners who help us achieve our goals. Key partners include The International Trade Centre (ITC) to achieve the Millenium Development Goals, WE Connect International to engage multinationals and certify women owned businesses, Clothing Connect B.V. for consulting and advisory services and The US State Department to organize and coordinate Strategies for success - Central Asia and Afghanistan. In additional to institutional partners, we also have an Advisory Council made up of top buyers and professionals to form a group of helping organizations and partners who support SPINNA. The advisory council works closely with our executive team to direct our projects
THE STRUCTURE OF SPINNA
The Circle operates on a global level through local HUBs. Headquartered in Amsterdam, with a presence in London, we communicate with our various HUBs across the world to coordinate with buyers and suppliers. HUBs are our local representatives in the different countries where we operate. The objecÂŹtive of having and developing a HUB is to build capacity at the local and regional level so as to enable sustainability and long-term growth. Partners and helping organizations
and to help SPINNA grow sustainably. Members of our Advisory Council are leading fashion and trade professionals and companies in the industry. Key members of the Council include representatives from Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, Fairtrade Foundation and Made By. The Buyer Mentor Group The buyer mentor group unique activity which brings buyers and suppliers together in an attempt to better understand each other without the pressure of actually concluding immediate sales. SPINNA organized BMGs in London and New York in 2011. This is our first step in developing credible and long term relations between buyers and suppliers. Buyers and suppliers have the opportunity to mentor one another through the process. BMGs are extremely interesting learning opportunities where each individual and participating organization is able to gain a better understanding of their common challenges, discuss solutions and engage in a sustainable and mutually beneficial professional relationship.
At SPINNA, we are keen to engage with partners who share our common goals. Whether you are an institution, a fashion brand, a corporate, a designer, a development organisation, an academic institution, international organisation or a government agency, you can participate and contribute in various ways.
SPINNA brings together a network of volunteers who make things possible. Every helping action for SPINNA is welcome so if you want to support our foundation with your skills please let us know. If you want to become a partner and help empower women entrepreneurs and sustainable fashion globally, we welcome you to join our Advisory Council and participate in our Buyer Mentor Group meetings in different locations in the world. Please contact us for current information, ongoing and upcoming activities.
SUPPORT SPINNA
We are constantly looking for partners who can provide support either financially or through time and skill sets. Supporting SPINNA could be in the form of hosting events by providing venues/ conference rooms / showroom venues, sponsoring activities and programmes, providing coaching and skills development for our various women vendors, sponsoring membership packages for women from developing and least developed countries, sponsoring the upgradation of SPINNA and Circle web portals and creating specific country portals, sponsoring SPINNA publications such as SPINNA profiles which feature women from different regions along with their stories and techniques, sponsor research activities for specific regions or sponsor the creation and operation of a new Hub in a developing country.
NOVEMBER 2009
DECEMBER 2010
The Women’s International Textile Alliance is incorporated by Founder Rupa Ganguli to bridge the gap in the textiles and fashion industry and provide an international platform to women in textiles across borders.
SPINNA is an official signatory of the Global Platform for Action - the road to 2020 to promote and empower women entrepreneurs in textiles and clothing sector.
FEBRUARY 2011
MAY 2011
Six Peruvian women owned fashion businesses showcase their products during fashion week at The Ace Hotel, one of the main fashion venues in NY city. Buyers from top-tier brands and retailers including Tory Burch, Theory, Opening Ceremony, Macy’s and Henri Bendel welcome them. The first Buyer Mentor Group takes place bringing together the Peruvian Alapca designers and top buyers from NY.
SPINNA’s membership and mentoring platform The Circle and its Advisory Council is launched.SPINNA’s launch in London takes place at the fashionable Hospital Club with senior representatives from top brands such as Topshop, TK Maxx, Aquascutum, Mothercare, Made BY, and John Lewis. Selected samples from SPINNA’s Peruvian members are showcased. ITC’s Global Platform for Action initiative is presented to all participants and a partnership with the London based Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) in relation to joint usage of the SOURCE is established.
JUNE 2011
JULY 2011
A relationship is forged between SPINNA and BPW. SPINNA’s founder & president, Rupa Ganguli participates in BPW’s international summit in Helsinki and exciting new possibilities are discussed with BPW Mongolia
SPINNA partners with the US State Department to engage with women from Central Asia and Afghanistan to foster economic empowerment of women, through the symposium Strategies for Success, held in Bishkek.
SEPTEMBER 2011
2012
SPINNA participates as a key Stakeholder in ITC’s Global Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum in Chongqing.
SPINNA signed up for Stylesight, the trend and design service to offer members of the Circle timely fashion reports and updates.
The Circle
Joining the Circle is the first step towards accessing to our global network. As a formal member you will receive our quarterly newsletter, discounted services and products from our partners and invitations to our Circle events. Our woman entrepreneurs benefit through discounted certification services by partner WE Connect International. For more information about the our membership forms and other services please send us an email at infor@ SPINNA.org
OUR SERVICES
The Circle can help benefit people all through the fashion industry. As a member you have access to services in global sourcing, promotion, research and participate in unique events. For a buyer it gives the opportunity to view unique collections and fabrics sourced from all over the world and have first hand access to interesting stories and techniques for your collections / lines. In the fashion business sourcing sustainable honest fashion has become a priority. The Circle offers access to women suppliers and profesionals across the world who are all hand picked. We aim to have quality in every aspect of the fashion we represent. You can help with your inputs, skills, products and knowledge to build this network in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner.
As a Circle member, you can avail of special services through our partners and experts: PROMOTE your business internationally. Standing out from the crowd can be very challenging in this sector that is highly fragmented and competitive. This package gives you the opportunity to: -Be featured in our online blog and e-newsletters. -Be showcased in our SPINNA Book and get promoted among buyers, suppliers and press. -Participate in our promotional events and showcase you products in global fashion capitals (this service is only open to women-owned businesses who have been audited).
CONNECT with international buyers and suppliers on our online platform. Making contact with the professionals and people you need. Or being able to find that right SOURCING channel that lives up to your high standard can be very difficult. This package gives you the opportunity to:
online platform to connect with them. You will have the opportunity to research their profiles and have access to key information you need to develop business with them. The platform grows continuously and is made of retailers, brands, manufacturers and fashion professionals. -Free extracts as they are published of the SPINNA Book that features suppliers (women vendors) and buyers globally. -Access to a customised match-making service with buyers and suppliers from our partner organisation Clothing Connect at highly discounted rates.
MEMBERSHIP FORMS
-Access selected profiles of textile and fashion buyers and suppliers listed in our
RESEARCH global sourcing opportunities and be inspired by traditional techniques and skill-sets, fibres and materials and map women-owned businesses globally. See where they are and what they can offer and how you can change the livelihoods of the communities around them. This package gives you the opportunity to: -Access current research of fibres, techniques and skill-sets offered by women entrepreneurs visible by criteria including by region. -Reports on sourcing countries bringing you information about women vendors in the region, their offers and their sustainability credentials. All database and reports are constantly updated as we reach new markets, research them and grow our network. FEES The Basic membership for women professionals costs Euro 60 /year • Each package (PROMOTE / CONNECT / RESEARCH) costs Euro 210 / year • Buy a combination of two packages for Euro 350/year • Buy all packages for Euro 525/year (all prices are subject to VAT of 19% as per Dutch tax law)
We look forward to hearing from you. You can join The Circle by just filling in the registration form and submitting it to online or by sending it to us by e-mail. Our membership team will get back to you at the earliest. If you are a supplier and are applying for connection services and showroom events, the SPINNA team will get back to you to organise the audit in your company through our correspondents in your area.
You can also find us here: Twitter: @SPINNAwomen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPINNAwomen LinkedIn groups: http://linkd.in/SPINNA
CONTACT
thecircle@spinna.org info@spinna.org
The following key people who have helped and provided inputs over the period 2010 - 2012 towards developing SPINNA and The Circle either financially, or through their ideas, concepts, images and networks. Rupa Ganguli Ilaria Pasquinelli Janneke Dekker Riley Salyards Vera Jonkman Karen Hirschfeld Harsh Raut Meg Jones Nimi Ponnudurai Elisa Huijsman Clothing Connect B.V. The International Trade Centre (ITC) The US State Department Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) Fair Trade Foundation Made By
This brandbook is developed as part of the internship project by Janneke Dekker from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) in 2011 - 2012