WOOL AND THE GANG
CONTENTS Executive Summary
6
Wool and The Gang
8
Competitors
10
Market Analyses
16
Concept
22
No. 1
26
No. 2
32
No. 3
38
Future
44
Appendix
48
Bibliography
50
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WOOL AND THE GANG
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Wool and The Gang are leading the way in sustainable innovation, by having created a business model, with their manufacturing community of Gang Makers, taking centre stage, the brand can ensure their customer is at the forefront of their ethics. Wool and The Gang can ensure each item is made with the up-most care and attention with each product traceable to the Gang Maker. By providing the opportunity for the customer to make an item of clothing personal to them, they can make a treasured piece which represents their commitment and patience, this is creating a unique shopping experience for the customer, that few other brands have adopted. Popular amongst all ages, Wool and The Gangs contemporary, fuss-free branding attracts customers who then share their finished pieces on social media sites, playing an active role in the online community. This proposal contains the three-part concept for Wool and The Gang with the aim to promote the brand to a wider audience leading the campaign. It includes information regarding Wool and The Gang, the target market and how the concept is shaped to remain relevant to a sustainable driven brand in years to come. Each concept is broken down into three sections with a clear outline of how each part contributes to the overall aim.
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Wool And The Gang Created in 2008 and based in London, Wool and The Gang is a global fashion brand that believes in exceptional design that’s Made Unique. Never factory made, each Wool and The Gang item is hand-crafted or knitted by the Gang. Each material is ethically sourced, their wool is from Peru and their jersey is made from off-cuts from fashion factories in Turkey. Wool and The Gang have built up a community of manufacturing with strong branding and a high quality product that is gaining value by not being easily replicated. Target Market • Female + Male • Disposable Income • 18 -40 years • Industry Professionals • ABC1 Demographic • Stay at home Mothers • Creatives • Craft-minded • Aware of ethical fashion
Price Range • Womens = £80 - £450 • Mens = £50 - £300
Sizing • One Size Fits All (Measurements are stated beneath each item)
Social Media
Delivery
• Twitter = 11,551 • Facebook = 91,497 • Instagram = 57,770
• Shipped globally within 7 days of dispatch
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COMPETITORS
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(I Love Mr Mittens, 2015)
I Love Mr Mittens Created in 2007 by Belgium born Stephanie Caulier, I Love Mr Mittens is an Australian based knitwear brand with strong ethos of giving back to local communities through sustainable clothing. Each item is hand knitted by Stephanie and her gang of students and retired pensioners. Similar to Wool and The Gang, I Love Mr Mittens has a contemporary take on promoting knitting to a younger, creative audience. Although not a direct competitor due to the brand being based in Australia, I Love Mr Mittens has a similar target consumer to Wool and The Gang. Price Range Target Market
(Prices are in AUD)
• Female • Considerable Disposable Income • Full time Work • 20-35 years • Industry Professionals • ABC1 Demographic
• $80 (£40) - $595 (£300)
Sizing • One Size Fits All • XS/S • M/L
Social Media Delivery • Twitter = 320 • Facebook = 3,832 • Instagram = 54,831
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• Shipped globally within 3 weeks of order
(The North Circular, 2015)
The North Circular Set up by Katherine Poulton and Lily Cole at London Fashion Week in 2009, The North Circular takes its name from the 120 mile ‘north circular’ route that the wool passes through to get from field to knitter. As a sustainable brand, The North Circular only using natural biodegradable fibres in their wool and have a community of grandmothers in the U.K. who hand knit every accessory. Another contemporary brand similar to I Love Mr Mittens and Wool and The Gang, however Wool and The Gang allow the consumer to make their own clothing.
Target Market • Female + Male • Considerable Disposable Income • Full time Work • 20-40 years • Industry Professionals • ABC1 Demographic
Price Range • £85 - £165
Sizing • One Size Fits All
Social Media
Delivery
• Twitter = 1,236 • Facebook = 895 • Instagram = 1,327
• 2-5 days (U.K only) • 5-7 days (International)
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Market Analyses
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The Customer
The Wool and The Gang customer finds time to knit relaxing in front of the tv after a long day, on the commute to work or whilst the baby sleeps. Always searching for that next project, the Wool and The Gang customer contributes to the online visual library created by the strong online community of Gang Makers and other knitters. The customer is aware of sustainable fashion however they might not have necessarily acted upon it before they discovered Wool and The Gang. The quality of each material is a contributing factor to the loyalty of customers to the brand.
In February 2015 Wool and The Gang carried out a knitting survey with 4000 participants. Results revealed how they learnt to knit and where they are based.
Only 22% of knitters learnt by their grandmothers
77% of knitters learn skills through online tutorial videos
46% like to share their finished knits online
A large number of knitters are mothers.
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88% feel less stressed when they knit
Japan, France, the USA, South Korea, Sweden and the UK are just a few places knitters are from.
“We should definitely care more about sustainable fashion” “I do care about sustainable fashion but it isn’t something that I act on”
“We are the next generation of industry professionals, it is more important than ever that we should be taught about sustainable fashion practices whilst in university.”
Do you think Wool and The Gang would benefit from an app?
Do you know how to knit?
For further research, we utilised a knitting party to question fashion degree students aged between 18-22. Results included the majority of those asked agreeing that the brand would benefit greatly from an app as the mobile website was a long-winded process to reach the tutorial videos. All students asked agreed the importance of educating students, such as themselves, about the importance of sustainable fashion practices. - 20 -
Concept
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The aim of this concept is to continue to raise awareness of the repercussions of the fashion industry to consumers, whilst also promoting Wool and The Gang with a forward thinking concept to help sustain the industry for future generations to come.
1.) Wool and The Gang App A free Wool and The Gang app to create a home for the online knitting community, allowing users to share their knits and interact with each other’s projects. Most importantly the app will let users search and connect with the Gang Maker who may have made an item of clothing for them, therefore bringing together consumer and creator, forming a more transparent supply chain.
2.) Wool and The Gang Lookbook Aimed at press to promote the versatility of Wool and The Gang in a genderless lookbook, highlighting the materials required, traceability of the product and colour options. The lookbook could be easily moderated to be suitable for the customer.
Make Do and Knit Educational Workshops Educating the importance of sustainability within the fashion industry to students whilst promoting both Wool and The Gang and knitting in a series of interactive and engaging workshops.
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No. 1 Wool and The Gang App
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Overview The main objective of the app will be to extend Wool and The Gang’s online presence into mobile, whilst creating a home for the online community. A survey carried out by the brand showed 46% of knitters sharing their completed projects on social media sites, using the various Wool and The Gang hashtags #shareyourknits and #madeunique. A central feature of the app will be ‘Meet Your Maker’ that has taken inspiration from the regular posts on the Wool and The Gang blog. This feature lets the user search for the person who made their item of clothing through a unique code, this will allow a new kind of communication between the customer and the creator, generating brand transparency. According to Jeff Rosenblum, director of The Naked Brand, with the rapid increase in social media sites and the opportunity to review and discuss brands online, transparency across supply chains is more crucial than ever (Rosenblum, 2014). By allowing the user the ability to search for the specific Gang Maker’s profile, this is creating transparency so that customer is aware of not only where their clothes came from but who made them. The app will also contain all the tutorial videos found on the Wool and The Gang website, making them more accessible and able to play whilst in the app, instead of being re-directed to the external video site Youtube.
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• The app will be updated regularly similar to the Wool and The Gang blog, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages. • It will have four main menus including Videos, Meet Your Maker, Make Do and Knit and Profile. • Meet Your Maker will be accessible to everyone to browse the makers profiles, however it will have a search feature for customers to search for their makers. This code will be featured on the label which is hand sewn into each garment a Gang Maker produces. Each Gang Maker will be given a code which will be used for each item they make, this code will direct customers to their profiles with information on their passion for knitting and other information. • Make Do and Knit will feature the educational workshop trailer to showcase ways in which Wool and The Gang are encouraging the next generation of fashion buyers, merchandisers and marketers, to make ethical decisions for future generations to come, whilst also promoting the health benefits of knitting. • The profile section will allow users to sign up to a free account which will then let them upload their own finished knits and comment/talk to other members of the community. This will also create a bridge for Wool and The Gang to communicate to their customers through newsletters e.g. • The app will also contain links direct to the Wool and The Gang website, blog and all the social media sites. - 30 -
No. 2 Wool and The Gang Lookbook
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Overview Taken inspiration from Wool and The Gang’s men only knitting events, the lookbook will highlight the versatility of the brands products for A/W 15 by creating a variety of genderless looks. The aim is to promote knitwear as gender neutral to encourage more men to take up knitting. According to Craft Council UK, there are 7.5 million knitters in the UK, with half a million being men (Craft Council UK, 2015). From a focus group we discovered that the majority of males living in London, aged between 18-30, did not know how to knit although they all agreed they would be willing to learn one day. Gender neutral clothing has been prominent on both the catwalks and in stores over the last few months. Most noticeably, Selfridges department store promoted unisex designers through their Agender campaign in March 2015, including Rad Hourani, Gareth Pugh and Ann Demeulmeester. The S/S15 catwalk collections by Comme des Garcons Meadham Kirchhoff experimented with genderless designs, whilst Proenza Schouler used a male model for it’s womenswear show. Genderless has be regarded as a movement more so than a trend that retailers will start to incorporate into their customer shopping experience.
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• Although designed for marketing and purposes, the lookbook could be altered to be suitable for the consumer. One particular point raised from focus groups was the lack of imagery when a customer receives a project bag from Wool and The Gang. By including a lookbook in the packaging, the customer will be more aware of the next seasons trends and will be able to decide what will be their next project. • The lookbook contains a mixture of both men’s and women’s although all are photographed genderless. • For convenience the lookbook will be A5 portrait. • It will contain details of how each item is made and who by, also including a list of materials required for the customer to knit an item themselves. • The collection imagery will also be featured on all Wool and The Gang social media sites, blog, website and app.
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No. 3 Make Do and Knit
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Overview Make Do and Knit is a collection of educational workshops aimed at fashion degree students in London, with future plans to expand to the top fashion institutes in the U.K. The aim of the workshops is to educate and inform the next generation of fashion practitioners about the environmental impacts of the fashion industry and promote Wool and The Gang and knitting as a sustainable and creative means to de-stress whilst at university. Many students agreed when asked if they thought sustainable fashion practices should be taught in university to those on fashion degree courses. Benefits of knitting include improved dexterity and reducing stress, something vital to students during their years of studying. Knitting can also help relieve symptoms of mental illness such as depression, which is common amongst students (studentsagainstdepression.org). Wool and The Gang can continue to reach out to a broader audience by beginning with fashion students, by educating undergraduates in the importance of ethical supply chains and sustainable practices, they will be better informed to make ethical decisions once in industry.
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• The workshop trailer will be on both the app and the Wool and The Gang website available for institutions to enquire about and purchase. • By incorporating knitting into the workshop, it makes the experience more engaging and enjoyable by teaching students a new skill. • The aim is to educate students in the processes Wool and The Gang have taken to become an ethical brand, including how they source their materials, ensure employees are paid a fair wage for their time and efforts and maintain traceability from field to knitter. • The workshop agenda will cover: Social and economical impacts of unethical practices Brands and their responsibility to the environment and customer Supply chains including factories, suppliers, transportation and employees. Benefits of knitting Wool and The Gangs business ethics • Upon completion questionnaires will provide feedback to ensure the workshops can be refined to be the most beneficial to students and staff. • Visuals will include knitting packs for students and a presentation. - 42 -
Future
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Overview Numerous trend drivers will contribute to the future development of Wool and The Gang as a business and the continuing rise in knitting amongst millennials. (those born between 1980-2000) The two main drivers are: • Technological Advancements Innovation in technology will continue to increase the digital world in which millennials have become accustom to. Young consumers are using technology to join knitting communities in search of meeting like-minded people proven by the knitting based social media site Ravelry reaching four million members in February 2014 (UKHandKnitting, 2015). • Sustainable Fashion Practices Innovation will also lead to the rise in brands creating more ethical and transparent supply chains as the consumer grows more aware of the negative impacts of the industry. The most recent incident being the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh in 2013, killing over 1000 workers producing clothes for British brands Topshop and Primark (Rana Plaza Arrangement, 2013). Statistics show 61% of millennials feel it is their responsibility to make a difference in the world, Wool and The Gang will remain at the forefront of this developing movement as consumers search for more ethically-minded brands (Economy, 2015).
“Super technology is going to ask for super tactility” Li Edelkoort (2012)
The future of knitting is unpredictable however trend predictor Li Edelkoort states that the development of technology will drive millennials to search for tactility through combining the physical and digital world (Dezeen, 2012). “Twenty-somethings are looking to express their creativity, rejecting cheap mass consumerism” Chinta Puxley (2012)
Consumers are in search of a high quality product which carries meaning and will last for generations to come. Knitwear is evident on the catwalks year after year remaining a wardrobe staple for its versatility and wearability.
Yarnstorm in Parliament Square, London by Knit The City. (KnitTheCity, 2009)
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Appendix Womenswear - UK - May 2014 Trend Applications Mintel’s approach in this section goes beyond merely identifying trends. We apply trends from Mintel’s trend tool to understand the wider implications of cultural changes, gaining insight into how companies and brands can translate these into onthe-ground opportunities relevant for the womenswear market. Consumers are doing their homework and expecting proof before purchase. Product recalls, questionable claims and shady business practices have made us more suspicious shoppers. The recession has made us more conscientious shoppers. The rise in price and product tracking tools has made us more informed shoppers. In short, today’s consumer is part skeptic, part sleuth. And the necessity for brands to be transparent has never been higher. That necessity has been made more pronounced in light of the fact that today’s consumers are not only more informed, they’re more interconnected. Never has it been easier to rail about bad business practices, thanks to Twitter, Yelp, Angie’s List and the like. Mintel’s research for this report shows that 31% of women are willing to spend more on well-made clothes that will last for longer. Young women aged 16-24 are the most willing to spend more on quality clothes, with almost half agreeing with this. Willingness to pay for quality is skewed towards the most affluent women with the highest gross annual household income. There is scope for retailers to give consumers more information about the clothes they are buying. A specific collection could target these shoppers who want more transparency about what they are buying by allowing them to scan a QR code on the label of the garment to find out more about where the fabric comes from and the type of stitching used, so they can assess whether it will be durable. A retailer could promote a Made in Britain range with detailed background information on each piece of clothing about which factory in the UK it comes from and who made it. The voice of the crowd is being heard loud and clear. We’ve seen a new kind of expectation emerge amongst consumers: to participate not only in conversation at the back end, but to be part of a company’s ideation process from the start. Today, consumers can contribute to the betterment of a product or the betterment of society on a more personal and involved level. The rise of crowdsourcing business models such as that of trailblazing T-shirt company Threadless – where anyone can submit a design, and everyone has a say over which designs get made – has further democratised the marketplace. Innovation no longer happens from the top down. Indeed, the once linear, onedirectional arrow between concept and consumption now looks more like a flowchart, with consumers positioned at many points along the way. Research in this report found that 17% of women tend to keep an eye on the latest trends. Young women aged 16-24 are the most fashion conscious. Londoners and those with the highest gross annual household income also stand out as the most
This report confirms the shifting shopping habits of female millennials, this particular group of consumers demand well-made, high quality garments alongside more information on stitching techniques and fabrics. These consumers are more savy than ever in their shopping decisions, they are aware of the negative impacts of the industry and actively participate in reviewing products online. These millennials are in search of brand transparency to remain loyal. Brands will need to become honest in their supply chains and pass power onto the consumer by providing them with the transparency they require. Consumers are taking control of their spending habits by being aware of negative press and brands with a poor reputation. By adding in the need for tactility, these millennials are searching for creative ways to be more ethically aware.
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References http://socialnerdia.com/blog/2013/1/18/the-naked-brand-creator-jeff-rosenblum-talks-about-the-futur.html http://studentsagainstdepression.org http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/20/knitting-cool_n_1440908.html http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/05/guerrilla-knitting-used-police-leicestershire-_n_2810094.html http://www.inc.com/peter-economy/11-things-you-really-should-know-about-generation-y.html http://www.dezeen.com/2012/12/28/super-technology-is-going-to-ask-for-super-tactility-li-edelkoort-at-dezeen-live/ http://www.ranaplaza-arrangement.org http://knitthecity.com/2009/07/09/yarnstorm-the-third-the-phonebox-cosy/ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/30/opinion/30iht-edcarol.html?_r=0 http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/sites/default/files/press/D586_ResearchOneSheet_1.pdf http://www.heraldscotland.com/fashion/latest/the-knitty-gritty-why-knitting-is-back-in-style.2013045613 http://ilovemrmittens.com http://thenorthcircular.com http://academic.mintel.com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/display/704965/?highlight#hit1
Maria Hazzard All image rights belong to Wool and The Gang unless stated otherwise.