MWB MAGAZINE OCTOBER ISSUE 234

ISSUE 234 | OCTOBER 2016 | £6.95 | MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

THE EDIT LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS TO SPARK YOUR INTEREST JUST THE JOB MWB SPEAKS TO MENSWEAR AGENT JULS DAWSON MADE IN THE NORTH PROFILING YORKSHIRE KNITWEAR LABEL SLAITH

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JAnuArY 17–19 2017 s tAt i o n - b e r L i n

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | CONTENTS | 05

F E A T U R E S 12

Online Insider

Advice, news and issues online

14

Retail Insider

The latest in-store news

19

Product News

Rounding up the key stories this month

22

In-season stock

Night shift

23

Fashion SVP

Profiling the next edition of the leading manufacturing show

24

In-season stock

Earth, wind and fire

25

Stepping away from the herd

What’s next from knitwear specialist Slaith

26

Moda Gent

Key trends to emerge from the show

28

The word from Jacket Required

The faces behind the brands

30

Jacket Required: The Product

Capturing the tradeshow’s essential new season buys

34

On the shop floor

How to create the right in-store experience

36

Finishing touches

New names in footwear and accessories

38

The edit

Lifestyle additions for a point of difference

40

In conversation with…

Everton Campbell discusses industry news and developments

42

A sharper focus for Ben Sherman

The future of the iconic British brand

R E G U L A R S 7 8 16

Comment News Interview

Juls Dawson

44 47 50

Collective The Bottomley Line Last Orders With…

Carin Wester

Front cover:

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1 7 - 1 9 J a n u a ry 2 0 1 7 a r En a BEr l i n

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | COMMENT | 07

COMMENT E D I T O R Victoria Jackson victoria@ras-publishing.com — D E P U T Y

E D I T O R

Tom Bottomley tom.bottomley@btinternet.com — C O N T R I B U T O R S Isabella Griffiths isabella@ras-publishing.com Laura Turner laura@ras-publishing.com Christina Williams christina@ras-publishing.com — W R I T E R Rebecca Jackson rebecca.jackson@ras-publishing.com — D E S I G N E R S Michael Podger mick@ras-publishing.com James Lindley james@ras-publishing.com Clive Holloway clive@ras-publishing.com Richard Boyle richard@ras-publishing.com — S E N I O R

S A L E S

M A N A G E R

Sharon Le Goff sharon@ras-publishing.com — S U B S C R I P T I O N S Phil Cowley phil.cowley@moda-exhibitions.co.uk — H E A D

O F

M E N S W E A R

Silvia Collins silvia@moda-uk.co.uk — E D I T O R I A L

D I R E C T O R

Gill Brabham gill@ras-publishing.com — P O R T F O L I O

D I R E C T O R

Nick Cook nick@ras-publishing.com — M A R K E T I N G

D I R E C T O R

Stephanie Parker stephanie@moda-uk.co.uk — M A N A G I N G

D I R E C T O R

Colette Tebbutt colette@ras-publishing.com —

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Last month saw a growing number of designers sell their products fresh from the catwalk, blurring the lines between seasons and feeding the consumers’ desire for the new at an even faster pace. But what does the shortened time between runway buzz and retail availability mean for smaller brands?

— Burberry, for example, announced it would be selling clothes straight from its September showcase at London Fashion Week (LFW), meaning the long delay between catwalk and wearing it on the streets is becoming a thing of the past.

British menswear brand Oliver Spencer, meanwhile, closed the events at LFW’s home in Soho’s Brewer Street with a brand new interactive proposal that allowed ticket holders to buy his a/w 16 designs straight from the runway, made possible by the brand’s recent partnership with the app Vero.

Topshop Unique followed suit, embracing the ‘buy now’ model, with over half of its runway collection available to buy online immediately after its showcase at LFW. As creative director Kate Phelan explains, the brand’s consumers are avid followers of blogs, Instagram etc and look at fashion differently. When they see something they like, they want to buy it now, regardless of what season it’s from.

The speed of the fashion industry is something which is changing season upon season. With both online and mobile shopping becoming the norm, the ‘see now, buy now’ mentality means it’s hard for smaller brands to be able to keep up, which in turn means it’s harder for retailers to give the consumers what they want.

As consumers continue to become more and more demanding, such brands may have no choice but to speed up their delivery process.

Although indies have traditionally stocked clothing slightly ahead of season, many have already shifted their stocking policies in response to both changing weather patterns and a demand from shoppers who want to buy seasonal clothing.

British weather has had a serious knock-on effect on sales of winter clothing, prompting some brands to look at ways they could cut down production times to be more responsive. Christopher Bailey, chief creative director of Burberry, even went as far as calling his collections February and September to move away from the standard spring/summer and autumn/winter labelling.

With the rise of social media copycat shopping, where consumers see a celebrity or icon wearing something and buy it instantly to get the look themselves, it’s only a matter of time before the relativity of forward order and short order models are questioned, and whether it’s less about seasonal buying and more about catering for what the consumers want right now, this moment.

Victoria Jackson Editor

A Buyer Series Fashion Business Publication MWB is a fashion business publication produced by ITE Moda Ltd. Other titles in the Buyer Series include WWB and CWB. ITE Moda Ltd is an ITE Group Plc company.

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | NEWS | 08

N E W S

TURNBULL & ASSER APPOINT JONATHAN BAKER

FASHION FOLLOWERS CAUSE SPORTS SALES TO SOAR The sales of sports goods will reach an all-time high of £7bn in 2016, up 6 per cent compared to 2015 due to an increase in fashion related sportswear, according to new research by leading market intelligence agency Mintel.

The findings reveal that half of those who have bought sports clothing, footwear, equipment or accessories in the past 12 months did so for non-sports use.

And while 34 per cent of Brits have bought fashionable sportswear that can be worn when not exercising, 11 per cent have purchased celebrity sportswear collections.

Furthermore, it seems a high level of consumer interest in health and wellness trends is also driving growth in the athleisure market. Younger consumers, in particular, are taking the 'no pain, no gain' mantra to heart, with over one quarter (28 per cent) of those aged 16-24 exercising five times a week or more. As a result, younger consumers are the most likely group to have bought sports products over the past year, with three in four purchasing new items.

While they’re most likely to purchase sports goods, Mintel research indicates that men are also more likely to have bought sporting apparel for non-sports use.

“The sports goods market continues to grow at an exceptional rate,” says Samantha Dover, retail analyst, Mintel. “Driven by a rising interest in health and wellness amongst young consumers, coupled with an increasing acceptance of casual dressing, the athleisure trend is dominating the sector. The success of the market has seen increasing levels of competition from non-specialists, and more than ever, retailers need to establish their position in a crowded sector.

“Whilst clothing continues to be a dominant category, footwear is an increasingly crucial part of any sports retailer’s assortment. The substantial growth we’re seeing in the footwear segment is likely driven by the increased acceptance of sports clothing in society. In particular, athletic footwear has become a big, mainstream fashion trend,” adds Dover.

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Turnbull & Asser has appointed Jonathan Baker in the role of Business Development Director.

Commencing this autumn, Baker will focus on strategies for expanding the brand’s business in existing markets and internationally through the development of new markets.

He will also be on hand to provide input into the brand’s product range to support this expansion and refine the brand’s global merchandising needs as a luxury menswear brand.

“Having established a strong business both in the UK and North America, there are opportunities for further expansion of Turnbull & Asser in the Middle East, Asia and Europe,” explains Nigel Blow, managing director.

Baker built his career at Paul Smith, becoming general manager for North America before returning to London in 2009 as global head of wholesale.

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PREMIUM GROUP ACQUIRES SHOW & ORDER Premium Group, the organisers of international trade fairs Premium, SEEK, Bright, #FashionTect and Premium Order Munich, has acquired Show & Order, offering over 1,800 brands for the coming season.

Founder Verena Malta will remain the face of Show & Order, while it will continue to take place at the Kraftwerk venue in Berlin’s Köpenicker Strasse, halfway between Premium and Seek and Bright.

“The fashion industry is transforming fast,” says Malta. “We will only be successful in the long term if we keep moving too. I actively approached the Premium Group so that we can utilise synergies in order to offer retailers a robust and improved trade show platform in the future.”

With the acquisition of Show & Order, the Premium Group now presents four complementary trade shows that together offer retailers a comprehensive spectrum of international fashion.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | NEWS | 09

NEWS IN BRIEF

DESKTOP STILL FAVOURITE FOR CLOTHES PURCHASES

RESIDENT SHOWROOM TO LAUNCH IN PARIS

UK consumers are still relying on their desktops, instead of smartphones to buy clothes, despite mobile e-commerce as a whole accounting for 51 per cent of online purchases in the UK, according to research by Nosto, a personalisation platform for online retailers.

The average order value per purchase of clothing from UK fashion consumers was £116 on desktop for the first half of 2016, yet the average mobile fashion purchase was £89, even less than the average tablet spend of £107 among UK consumers.

“UK online fashion retailers can make some simple changes to their mobile sites to really build further trust with their customers,” says Matti Rönkkö, CEO of Nosto. “Fashion fans typically have less patience than other shoppers, so retailers really need to make it easy for them to find the items they are looking for.”

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Jacket Required founders Mark Batista and Craig Ford have joined forces with former Edwin Europe brand director Pierre Boiselle to launch a new contemporary trade show in Paris.

Located in the capital's Bastille area, Resident Showroom will run as both a trade exhibition and showroom concept, opening with 15-20 brands and extending to 30 for the main tradeshow days during Paris Fashion Week Men’s. The debut edition will take place on 17-19 January 2017, with the main trade show days running on 20-22nd January 2017.

“Resident Showroom is a response to what has come to be expected: brands attend tradeshows, whilst also setting up a showroom to extend their selling time,” explains Batista. “We decided to combine both, creating a unique platform for a select group of brands to sell to the world’s most discerning buyers.”

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JOULES SUPPORTS ENTREPRENEURS

BUSINESS RATES HEAT MAP SHOWS 2017 WINNERS

British lifestyle brand Joules has partnered with The Prince’s Trust to support the youth charity’s Enterprise Programme in Leicestershire.

Working with unemployed young people aged 18 to 30 in the Leicestershire area, the Enterprise programme helps turn concepts into a business reality. Participants in the programme are matched with an experienced business mentor for 12-24 months, who will hone their skills, advise them on strategy, finance and other considerations and ultimately support them in their journey.

Joules will be undertaking fundraising initiatives throughout the year to raise money for The Prince’s Trust. Additionally, all proceeds from Scotland and Wales’ carrier bag tax, which came into effect in 2014 and 2011 respectively, will be donated – to date this totals £3,051.35.

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Retailers in 11 out of 14 UK cities will see their average rateable values decrease in the 2017 business rates review, according to analysis from CBRE Group, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm.

Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Cambridge, Bristol, Southampton and Reading will all see their average values decrease by over 30 per cent. CBRE’s analysis shows the percentage rateable value movement from 2010 to 2017, ahead of the next rates revaluation and the publication of the proposed values by the Valuation Office Agency on 30 September.

However, the report warns that the decrease will not be felt across the board and some retailers are still likely to see a steep rise come 1 April 2017.

For instance, in Central London, rateable values could increase by as much as 170 per cent.

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OLYMP AWARDED AT MEN’S HEALTH AWARDS German shirt manufacturer Olymp has been awarded the Men’s Health Style Award 2016.

In an annual questionnaire to find their favourite brands in various categories, readers chose Olymp as the winner for business shirts.

“The Men’s Health Style Award 2016 is a wonderful tribute to our fashionable business shirts, proving that the Olymp brand is held in high regard,” says Mark Bezner, owner and CEO of Olymp.

“It also represents appreciation for the outstanding performance and huge dedication of all our company’s employees at home and abroad. It will inspire us to continue putting all our energy into producing the best possible ideas for innovative products and collections that appeal to the markets, enabling us to offer our customers the highest standards in both business and leisure wear.”

— THREAD CONTINUES EXPANSION Thread, the online personal styling service for men, has made two new appointments to its Business Development team. Laura Southern, formerly of Topman, and Grace Baker, former Head of Merchandising and Brand Development at MiH Jeans, will join Head of Business Development Terry Betts.

Over the past year, Betts has signed over 70 new partners including M&S, Converse, Paul Smith and Burberry. The site recently closed a £4m round of funding – which follows a previous £5.5m investment in August 2015 – and has just surpassed 420,000 users in the UK. Southern and Baker will work with Betts – the former Menswear Buying Director at Selfridges and part of the founding team at Mr. Porter – to forge more fashion and brand partnerships to continue Thread’s expansion.

— FOX WILLIAMS’ ANNUAL AGENTLAW SEMINAR Business law firm Fox Williams’ annual Agentlaw seminar take places on 9 November and will include talks on various topics of interest to the fashion industry.

Held at the company’s offices at Ten Dominion Street, London EC2M 2EE, the seminar is free to attend and will include talks on the don’ts and possible dos of fixing prices; house accounts and taking back customers from agents and distributors; and the meaning of 'Without prejudice, subject to contract, and without prejudice save as to costs'.

The seminar’s guest speaker is Oliver Segal QC, a leading barrister within the field of the Commercial Agency Regulations, who acts for both agents and principals.

Segal has appeared in several of the most important reported cases, including the House of Lords case of Lonsdale v Howard and Hallam. His topic is: 'Repudiatory breach in agency contracts – why should principals and agents be concerned?'

Talks will also consider issues that arose in Alan Ramsay Sales & Marketing Ltd v Typhoo Tea Ltd and The Software Incubator Limited v Computer Associates Limited, two of this year’s judgments involving the Commercial Agents Regulations and ones in which both Fox Williams and Oliver Segal QC were involved.

Registration for the seminar opens at 6.00pm, followed by presentations and Q&As from 6.30-7.30pm, and networking with drinks and canapés from 7.30-8.30pm.

Contact slsidkin@foxwilliams.com or events@foxwilliams.com to reserve a place.

—

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | NEWS | 10

NEWS IN BRIEF

MARKS & SPENCER AXE HEAD OFFICE ROLES

STYLE.COM OPENS VIRTUAL DOORS

Marks & Spencer has announced that it is embarking on a major reshuffle of its UK head office structure, with plans to cut 525 roles. The proposals come as chief executive Steve Rowe attempts to turn around the ailing high street retailer.

M&S has entered into consultation with its employees following a review of the organisation and an analysis of its processes, which highlighted that M&S has become “too complex and inefficient”.

The changes will also see 400 of the group’s IT & Logistics positions based in Central London affected, with the net reduction set to be achieved through a combination of fewer contractors, natural attrition and redundancies. If the proposals go ahead, significant cost savings are expected.

However, the suggested cuts are said not to affect M&S store employees.

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Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue and GQ, has launched a new luxury e-commerce destination, Style.com. Built on pioneering technology and artificial intelligence, the site adapts the shopping experience to the individual customer; readers can click instantly to buy edits from Style.com’s editorial content, as well as selected content from British Vogue, GQ and Condé Nast Traveller. Style.com will also power a shopping layer on Vogue.co.uk and GQ.co.uk.

The brand mix includes global luxury brands such as Chloe, Valentino, Raf Simons and more. “In the past, reading about fashion was one activity and buying the items was something completely different. Today, readers want to buy at the moment they feel inspired and Style.com will make this desire a reality,” says Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and CEO, Condé Nast International.

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NEW VENUE FOR THE HUB SHANGHAI

MAKE IT BRITISH TO LAUNCH MANUFACTURING FORUM

Asia’s leading fashion trade exhibition The Hub has moved to a new venue for its seventh edition. The show will take place in Shanghai’s Super Brand Mall, a 13-floor mega shopping and entertainment complex with exhibition space on the top floor which is situated next to the iconic Oriental Pearl TV & Radio tower in the city’s futuristic Pudong area.

The move comes in response to the show’s strong growth and the need to accommodate increased interest from domestic and international brands. This season’s line-up once again includes a host of streetwear, denim, womenswear, menswear, footwear and accessories brands, from big international players to emerging voices. Brands on show include the likes of Rains, Sibling, Hypergrand, Saint James, Bellroy, Golla and Sadie Clayton.

For more information and pre-registration visit www.thehub.hk.

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The first Make it British Forum, to be held in association with the UK Fashion and Textile Association, will launch on 26 October 2016 at De Montfort University as part of the Leicester Business Festival. The conference will provide designers and business owners with the knowledge and tools required to successfully develop a ‘Made in Britain’ brand. The event follows the success of the Meet the Manufacturer conference and trade show, organised

by Make it British, held in London earlier this year.

“We know from the success of our Meet the Manufacturer event that there is a huge appetite from the fashion and textile sector to find out more about manufacturing in the UK," says Kate Hills, founder and CEO of Make it British. "This one-day event will provide answers to many of the questions that we are asked by businesses wishing to grow brands with a ‘Made in Britain’ label.”

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CANADA GOOSE BOLSTERS EXECUTIVE TEAM Luxury outdoor brand Canada Goose has bolstered its executive team with the appointments of Lee Turlington as chief product officer, Jackie Poriadjian-Asch as chief marketing officer, and Scott Cameron as EVP of e-commerce, stores and strategy.

Bringing extensive expertise across a variety of industries, the new executive members are expected to significantly broaden the company’s leadership capacity, playing a primary role in driving product innovation, supporting continued global growth, and maximising the brand’s future opportunities.

Lee Turlington brings more than 25 years’ experience in apparel and outerwear, with previous leadership roles at Nike, Patagonia, The North Face and Fila, and has worked in a consulting role for Canada Goose over the past 10 years. He will oversee the growing design & merchandising organisation with a strong focus on innovation across new product categories.

— DRAKE & HUTCH LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO BRING MANUFACTURING BACK TO UK New label Drake & Hutch has launched a campaign to help revive the British textile industry and support jobs in the UK. The brand will design and produce its range of premium cotton socks in Lancashire, where founder Pete McGuinness originates.

Alongside socks, McGuinness already has plans to launch a range of Made in Scotland hats, gloves and scarves, all with the aim of supporting British manufacturing.

“I loved working in the clothing industry buying and developing for high street labels, but I was always disappointed that despite an incredible textile history in the UK, so little clothing was made here,” says McGuinness.

“Most of our suppliers means we know the clothing is being made ethically with fair wages supporting local communities.

Instead of planning by season and predicting customer needs 12 months in advance like most labels, we listen to our customers and constantly develop the range based on feedback. This keeps it exciting for us, as every day we are looking at ways to evolve whilst our customers feel more like partners,” he adds.

— MANCHESTER LEADS WAY IN ONLINE FASHION In a new report, north-west digital recruitment specialist Forward Role has explored Manchester’s influence in the digital industry.

Findings from the report show that the north, and in particular Manchester, has experienced significant growth over the past few years.

Job creation increased rapidly between 2010 and 2015 in the city, with predictions stating that Manchester would outperform some of the world’s top cities, including Berlin, Paris and Tokyo, for job growth over the next five years. The fashion diversity on the streets of Manchester shows how the north-west’s independent fashion industry is thriving.

But there is growing evidence that the region’s digital industry is also growing at speed. There are a number of large online fashion brands choosing Manchester as their home, as opposed to London.

Boohoo, for example, found its feet in the city’s Northern Quarter and has gone on to become one of the biggest employers in the area.

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GENT A/W 17 19-21 FEBRUARY 2017 NEC BIRMINGHAM

Apply to exhibit at moda-uk.co.uk

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | ADVICE | 12

ONLINE INSIDER Advice, news and issues online.

ADVICE: WHY ONLINE FASHION BRANDS MUST SWITCH FOCUS TO SUPPLY CHAINS

CLAIRE MUIR is the business development director at Arvato SCM Solutions and can be contacted via www.scm.arvato.com/en.html

As fashion brands go from strength to strength thanks to the prevalence of e-commerce, it is important that attention is focused on supply chain capabilities, ensuring processes can deliver on omnichannel promises.

Solutions that allow retailers to streamline the last mile and strategically cope with returns are needed to guarantee customer online experience is optimised from the first click to receiving their purchase.

While retailers look at warehouse efficiency, few consider how these levels are impacted by the systems that support this function. The whole supply chain needs to be analysed, so that retailers can identify where technology is needed to streamline processes. Automation plays a key role in the efficiency of resources and by taking an objective look at where it can be implemented within processes, retailers will find that delivery and returns become lean and self-sufficient.

Fashion retailers cannot drop their focus when it comes to the final hurdle in delivery, often referred to as the last mile. Technology and communication with the end buyer has improved markedly, with the introduction of services such as reschedule by text. Online shoppers want a convenient experience from start to finish, and the adoption of this kind of technology provides them with just that.

The growth of seven-day delivery, click-and-collect and services such as Doddle are enabling retailers to fit fulfilment options around customer demands, rather than the other way round. Mobile may play an increasingly important role in the future of the last mile and as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, more focus will be turned to aspects such as geo-location delivery capabilities. As Sally Heath, E-commerce Director at New Look says: “I think the convenience point is going to extend so much, like we’ve seen in food; there will be hour delivery slots […] so a higher level of convenience.”

Returns do not have to be considered as a negative activity in retail as they provide an opportunity for the brand to engage directly with the customer. If the returns experience is smooth and convenient, then that customer will likely shop with that brand again. Retailers need to understand not just what drives returns, but how they are processed once they are back in the business.

With convenience the main driver for online shopping, it is important that supply chain capabilities are able to continue this theme right to the very end of the buyer’s journey. Whether the shopper is waiting on delivery or returning an item, retailers need to analyse internal processes to ensure that promises are kept and customer experience is optimised at all times.

WEB WATCH

HEMINGWAYTAILORS.CO.UK Luxury British label Hemingway Tailors has married tailoring with cutting edge customisation with the launch of its online platform. This development marks the official launch of the brand’s ready-to-wear line. The store also has a personalised made-to-order shirt offering. By following the site’s step-by-step consultation process, customers can choose from a variety of different fits, cuff and collar styles, sleeve lengths, pockets and monogramming options to create a bespoke design.

NEWS

BERTHOLD LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE ARM London based menswear brand Berthold has launched its e-commerce arm (www.bertholduk.com), enabling the buyer to see both the current collection and the season ahead. The site will also work as a transactional portal, as well as showcasing catwalk footage.

“The retail landscape is evolving in so many different ways. People just aren’t shopping for fashion like they used to,” explains founder Raimund Berthold. “I’ve always been keen to explore how to sell directly to customers without compromising what we are about and so almost all of the styles on the site have been produced especially for it, giving us more room to experiment and push the boundaries. The stores we work with offer a different experience and often to a wider consumer base – they’re physical and threedimensional after all.

“Online, we really had to think hard about how to show the volume of the clothes; how to represent the weight of a coat in cotton canvas in only two dimensions. It was a creative challenge; one that all of us working in digital age have to tackle head on,” he adds.

— PHOTOSLURP EXPANDS OPERATIONS TO PROVIDE VISUAL COMMERCE SOLUTIONS FOR THE UK Leading visual commerce and marketing platform Photoslurp has announced a partnership with the FF Group to improve their customers’ online shopping experience. The partnership gives flagship jewellery and accessory brands Links of London and Folli Follie the ability to gather user-generated content, such as hashtagged photos, improving the path to purchase for customers.

“Social proof has always played an important role in building trust with customers; ever more so in today’s digital world,” says George Matinopoulos, Chief Information and Technology Officer at FF Group. “Our customers regularly share images of themselves enjoying our products. By collecting and using those images we can make the shopping experience for others more relatable and increase our chances of sales conversion.”

Photoslurp is a platform that helps brands to increase online conversion by collecting and publishing user-generated photos posted on social media. Integrating these images into product pages and making them ‘shoppable’ gives website visitors the opportunity to purchase that product directly just by clicking on the photo.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | RETAIL | NEWS & OPINION | 14

RETAIL INSIDER The latest news and opinion from the menswear retail industry.

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VIEWPOINT Tracee Harvard speaks to LUKE DENNISON, owner of Ashes Menswear in Bournemouth, about why refusing to start an e-commerce site has helped the business solidify its position on the High Street.

THE NEXT STEP FOR GRANTS 1856 Following its success since launching in May last year, independent retailer Grants 1856 has opened its doors in a larger unit to enable further growth. Starting life on Cleethorpes' St Peters Avenue, the building itself has been in owner Paul Grant’s family since the 1800s, opening as a milliners and a haberdashery, before being used as a confectioners and butchers.

Now located on 25 Seaview Street, the move sees the retailer able to increase its already impressive roster of brands, with new and exciting additions in store including Norse Projects, Folk, Aquascutum, Clarks Originals and Redwing Boots, plus the arrival of The North Face, Nudie Jeans, MA.Strum, Nemen and Champion to coincide with the new premises.

“We’re really excited about the new store opening,” says owner Paul Grant. “We’ve loved our time in the original shop but we have so much more we want to do and when the opportunity came up to move down to Seaview Street, we jumped at the chance.

“Independent businesses are thriving around here; from interior stores to other clothing indies, cafes and bars, it’s a buzzing, creative part of town and we’re pleased to now be a part of it,” he adds.

— NEWS IN BRIEF R.M. WILLIAMS SEES FURTHER GLOBAL EXPANSION Premium footwear label R.M. Williams has opened its first flagship in New York, located in the heart of the Soho shopping district.

Reminiscent of visiting a heritage wool shed on the open plains of Australia, the store has been designed in collaboration with contemporary Australian artist Mika Utzon Popov and renowned architecture firm PopovBass. The store's official opening on 6 September was attended by R.M. Williams' Chief Executive Officer Raju Vuppalapati, alongside Executive Chairman of L Capital Asia Philip Corne, and included a show of craftsmanship by bootmaker Michael Williams, and a display of hand-plaiting kangaroo leather belts by Karin Jacka.

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H&M TO OPEN IN MERTHYR TYDFIL Swedish fast fashion chain H&M opened a new store in the Cyfarthfa Retail Park in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales on 29 September. Undergoing a £30m, 150,000 sq ft extension, Cyfarthfa Retail Park is the premier shopping fashion destination in the South Wales Valleys.

“We are delighted to be opening in the town of Merthyr Tydfil, making Cyfarthfa the seventh store in our Welsh portfolio. After the success of our St David’s Centre store in Cardiff, opening in Cyfarthfa Retail Park offers us a very exciting opportunity to expand our brand,” says H&M’s country manager Carlos Duarte.

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Established in 1975 as a mini-chain, Ashes broke away to become independent in 1988, which I believe probably makes us one of the longest standing independent retailers in Bournemouth town centre. And in that time we've certainly had our challenges facing multiple recessions, the introduction of the internet, out of town shopping centres and the emergence of multiples and investment groups. But we've been lucky.

When it comes to advertising, we don't sell online. We're not going to and never will.

When you Google 'shirts' the big boys come up, no matter what you search for.

It's probably more cost-effective for an independent to do the regional and radial advertising programme through Facebook for businesses. You're targeting people within specific parameters that suit your target market. We've also had good feedback from our Instagram account. But it's still word of mouth in our town. Bournemouth is a great town; it's a tourist town where people Google 'independent menswear Bournemouth' for something a little different, so in that respect media and the internet does work for us.

We're finding there is a slightly younger age group who has taken an interest in independents. They may have a little bit more or maybe they've realised that spending slightly more means the product will last longer. It could even be a bit antiestablishment, while still looking for quality.

We use as much social media as we can, but using social media and the internet only does so much. We still believe in bringing people into the store to get the full experience of what we offer. Our unique selling point is that we stock products and brands that you've probably not heard of before. We struggled in the beginning but I think we've found our little place where the independent can work without having an e-tail store. www.fashionassociationofbritain.co.uk

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | RETAIL | NEWS & OPINION | 15

SHOPPED: STEVE ENGLISH What’s been selling so far this season?

Adidas Originals across the board is good at the moment, as is Patagonia which has been consistently growing for the past couple of years. The T-shirts have been flying out. Wood Wood is another strong performer, and Clarks Originals ‘Weaver’ shoes, in black and maple suede, are very popular.

What’s your general feeling about business going forward?

We’re positive. We’re about to relaunch our website, and we’re hoping that’s going to increase sales considerably. It’s a STEVE ENGLISH, OWNER, COOSHTI, substantial investment and it’s going to be as slick as anything BRISTOL out there. At the moment online represents about 25 to 30 per cent of our business, but we’re hoping to get that up to about half of our sales. We also have two universities in Bristol, and we definitely get an upturn in trade when the students hit town with their new loans.

Have you got anything new for this season?

Portuguese Flannel is a new one for us; great quality shirts for £85 and made in Portugal. Another new one coming in is Acapulco Gold – an American streetwear brand from one of the guys who used to work at Supreme. We’re directly importing that one.

How are you finding it with the weak strength of sterling to the dollar?

It’s certainly not helping. We actually had to drop one brand we sold well, which has a UK distributor, because it just got too expensive. Having to retail a basic printed tee for over £50 was not going to work for us.

IN FOCUS: LYNX MENSWEAR 12 WEST PARK, HARROGATE, HG1 1BL

ESTABLISHED: 2003 BRANDS: ALTEA, JACOB COHEN, ORLEBAR BROWN, MMX, MANUEL RITZ, C.P. COMPANY, HARTFORD, WOOLRICH, JOHN SMEDLEY, SEVEN, REPLAY, HOLLAND ESQ, GRENSON, JEFFERY WEST, MATCHLESS, GEOX, 0909

RICHARD JAMES UNVEILS SELFRIDGES STORE CONCEPT Savile Row brand Richard James has opened its first store-in-store concept within Selfridges, Oxford Street.

The 50 sq m store offers the full range of products within the premium department store’s Men’s Formalwear area, from its made-tomeasure tailoring through to shirts, casual wear and accessories.

The light, inviting space has been designed

by Andy Martin Architecture and is based on the same award-winning design that the practice originated in 2014 for Richard James’ flagship Savile Row store.

Sean Dixon, Richard James’s founder and managing director, adds, “We’re very excited to be involved with such a forward looking store as Selfridges and in such an original way. On Savile Row we have always striven to break down barriers and make what we do accessible as well as desirable, and our purpose designed space at Selfridges allows us to do exactly that in a new environment.

“We’re really looking forward to the opportunity to introduce our personal tailoring and ready-to-wear collections to new customers in exactly the way that we want to,” he concludes.

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NEWS IN BRIEF Established in 2003, in addition to the already well established Lynx Womenswear (since 1985), Lynx Menswear's owner Guy Hudson says both stores are situated in one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Harrogate. The shop has quickly earned the reputation as the go-to store for men’s contemporary clothing. Having ignored the sway of being an online business, Hudson is passionate that he and his team are committed to delivering “a fantastically well informed great service,” which can often morph into “the feel of a boy’s club” on busier days, with wine, beer and good coffee on hand. This is easily understood, with 85 per cent of the shop’s trade coming from regular clientele.

In adapting to the constant evolutions in the menswear landscape, the business has also become far more niche in its brand offer. This is reviewed at the end of every season and, as a direct result, the majority of the budgets are now spent at Pitti. With this confidence in the buying strategy, brands such as 0909, Martin Zelo, Green George, Koike, Bob, Osvaldo Trucch, Tinto Mattei and Altea are, in the main, exclusive to Lynx. Matchless and Geox have also been introduced to the mix for a/w 16.

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BRAKEBURN PUSHES AHEAD WITH EXPANSION British lifestyle brand Brakeburn has extended its UK sales team with the appointment of Tom Vallance and Chris Thompson. The brand has experienced another strong season for s/s 17, having recently added Snow + Rock to its list of stockists, which covers over 400 stores in the UK, including the likes of Cotswold Outdoor, Blacks Outdoor, John Lewis, Beales, House of Fraser, Next and House of Bruar.

Brakeburn is also rapidly expanding across Europe and is currently represented in 16 countries. This year the brand is entering 100 major retailers and independent stores across Germany, having appointed German fashion agency Katwick.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | INTERVIEW | 16

INTERVIEW

JULS DAWSON It’s all systems go at JUST Consultancies right now, with Nicce London its fastest growing brand, a new foray into formalwear with Original Penguin, a fresh streetwear signing in King Apparel and Fila Blackline opening up the UK’s premium accounts, as Tom Bottomley discovers from managing director Juls Dawson.

— Tom Bottomley: When was JUST Consultancies established and what brands did you start with?

Juls Dawson: I established the company in 2011 with my wife, Stephanie; JUST is our names merged. We started out with two brands that are still with us, Bellfield and Mi-Pac. Prior to JUST Consultancies we both worked in a variety of roles – sourcing, sales and design for the likes of New Look, Gio Goi and USC. The initial premise behind setting up our company was to give branded retailers accessibly priced brands to compete with the high street, or to give them an entry price point in store. They were pretty much immediately successful because there weren’t many agencies offering that kind of ethos.

— TB: How has your business evolved since that initial concept?

JD: Things have changed a lot. We’ve now further enhanced our portfolio, looking for brands that fill a gap for retailers. The brands we started out with were starting up at about the same time as us, but now the brands we’re bringing in to our agency tend to be much more established.

— TB: What’s the most effective way of getting brands in front of retailers these days?

JD: We take nearly all of our brands to Jacket Required, and obviously trade shows and trade press play important roles. But I think ultimately the biggest clincher is when a retailer sees a

MANAGING DIRECTOR JUST CONSULTANCIES

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | INTERVIEW | 17

brand in another stockist – the right kind of stockist. It’s still important to get the retailers in the showroom though and, because we now carry a lot of brands, we also have a lot of foot flow coming in. There’s always people in buying across the collections. But getting my team out on the road and going to see retailers face to face, the old school way, is still vital too.

— TB: Why do you think you’re currently having such success with Nicce London?

JD: It’s certainly our fastest growing brand. It’s literally on fire, with Foot Asylum and ASOS amongst the biggest customers, along with 100-plus independents. I think it has all the right brand influences; it’s been picked up by musicians, bloggers and presenters, and it’s so far steered clear of being worn by reality TV stars. The mix of positive social media, strong product, good distribution and a wide appeal across the board is definitely fuelling the success. Sometimes all the ingredients just come together at once. You can put the brand on absolutely anything right now and it seems to be working. One of the key stockists described it as ‘appealing to every tribe’: the terrace lad, students, pumped up Ibiza kids, skater dudes – you name it.

— TB: What potential does it have to grow even further?

JD: Another company which JUST are 50 per cent owners of, Northern Sole Supply Co., is in the process of signing the footwear, headwear, underwear, socks and accessories licence for it for s/s 17, so that will widen its appeal and sales potential considerably.

— TB: What are you finding younger customers are particularly buying in to now?

JD: It is about sportswear, but it’s also about big brands again, especially up north. They’re definitely buying in to branded product, but it doesn’t have to necessarily be brands from multi-national companies with huge advertising campaigns. There’s a new generation of brands.

The cleaner look is also definitely still working.

On that side of things, the direction Bellfield is taking is a lot more muted in the branding, and more Scandinavian-inspired.

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TB: What’s the difference between Fila Blackline and the other Fila lines?

JD: Already well established are the Fila ‘Vintage’ and the cleaner, more premium Fila ‘Gold’ line, but we are not the agents for these sub brands.

Fila Blackline launched in January of this year. It’s a 90s inspired sports collection, and we’ve taken it to the market and opened some really premium accounts. We’ve kept the distribution super tight.

The price points aren’t that different, Fila just wanted to have a different distribution strategy for it.

— TB: What is it about Bellfield that really appeals to retailers?

JD: Fashion appeal, price and mark up is what Bellfield is all about. There’s three different offers within it now as well. There’s the main collection, ‘Projex’, which focuses on quick turnaround, ontrend product, and then there is tailoring now as well. The range can be bought in to in several different ways. They’ve also introduced a never out of stock programme, which has been amazing.

They’ve developed key price points on each category, so now there’s a parka that retails at £40, a £20 knit and a suede bomber jacket at £100. They are just killer price points. Tailoring was launched for a/w 16. It’s soft tailoring, not true formalwear. There’s smarter knitwear, shirting and coats within the offer as well. It’s very Scandinavian-influenced.

— TB: What about your other new foray into smarter looks and tailoring with Original Penguin?

JD: We’ve been working with tailoring for about 18 months on a couple of other projects, and we saw there was an opportunity for it. You look at the likes of Topman, and they have a whole floor dedicated to it, and tailoring is one of ASOS’s fastest growing departments. The younger lad is definitely smartening up. We were lucky enough to get together with Black Label Clothing, who have just acquired the licence for Original Penguin tailoring. They are an own label supplier.

Tailoring specialist Jim Haider has recently joined us to grow that side of the business. We’ve extended our showroom, and given it a dedicated Original Penguin shop-in-shop style display area.

This a/w 16 season is its first season, and it’s been

really well received. It’s a range of suits and jackets, as well as shirts, formal coats and ties.

The suits are true structured slim fit style, but they’re certainly not boring business suits.

They’re sharp, the fabrics really stand out and the attention to detail, from the linings to the trims, is fantastic. Everyone’s actually been quite astounded at the value for money of them. The retail entry price is £169, and they go up to £269, with the bulk of the suit offer being around the £225 mark.

— TB: On the streetwear side, how did you come to take on King Apparel?

JD: King Apparel has been around for 12 years – starting out in East London, so it’s well established.

We just saw an opportunity to add it to our portfolio. One of the reasons it really appealed to us is that headwear is colossal at the moment, and 40 per cent of their overall global business is headwear, with a massive collection of snapback caps and curved peaks. They’ve now introduced a core collection of logo carriers at a price point as well, which gives us a great opportunity to grow the account base. Sweats are £45 and tees £25, for instance.

— TB: What’s the latest news with Mi-Pac and your own brand Slydes?

JD: Mi-Pac started out with backpacks, but now the range consists of 300 styles and it goes across bumbags, weekend bags, travel bags, flight bags, pencil cases, purses, wallets, make-up cases – you name it. It’s a 50/50 men’s to women’s business. We’ve seen the comeback of the bumbag for the past two seasons, especially for festivals. We’re seeing some great sales on those.

The kids are really getting in to them again, and they’re wearing them across one shoulder, as well as around the waist. Mi-Pac is a global brand now, distributed in over 40 countries, so it’s not how a lot of people maybe perceive it. We started selling it five years ago with six backpacks, so the growth has been pretty impressive. With Slydes we continue to grow the offer, and it’s now distributed in 18 countries. It’s a shorter selling season in the UK, given the climate, and that’s why we’ve really opened up the distribution in warmer climes.

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PREMIUM MENSWEAR TRADE SHOW 2 6 & 2 7 J A N U A RY 2 0 1 7 | T H E O L D T R U M A N B R E W E RY

R E G I S T E R N O W AT J A C K E T - R E Q U I R E D . C O M

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P R O D U C T

DANISH REVOLUTION Founded in Denmark over 20 years ago, RVLT was the brainchild of Christian Katballe and Palle Bruun Rasmussan, whose aims were to create an easy-going, casual clothing brand for everyday wear. Currently stocked in the likes of Concept Clothing in Aberdeen, McQueens in Manchester and Genius in Dublin, the brand can be found in 20 countries worldwide. Catering for the 18-40 male market, RVLT has a strong Scandinavian design ethos, without being too minimalistic. Signature pieces within the collection include functional jackets, which take inspiration from skiing, snowboarding and surfing, while still retaining a fashion element. Wholesale prices range from £10 for a printed tee, through to £100 for a leather jacket.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PRODUCT NEWS | 20

RADAR Spotlighting style

p

WORKOUT TO WORKWEAR New premium label Xavier Athletica enters the market at a time when leisurewear is at its peak.

Designed to be worn from home, at work or at the gym, the collection makes easy-wearing, casual staples for the style-conscious male shopper.

With the brand’s minimal use of manmade fibres, the range is designed to ensure the wearer doesn’t sweat before working out. Style, meanwhile, is retained by tailored cuts, hidden pockets, discrete logos and lockdown zips to still offer functionality.

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THE COOPER COLLECTION BY LEE COOPER ESTABLISHED: 2016 BACKGROUND: Celebrating its rich brand history, denim label Lee Copper is set to unveil a premium line of selvedge denim this October.

SIGNATURE STYLE: The Cooper Collection by Lee Cooper references the brand’s heritage of manufacturing denim in East London since 1908 and is inspired by the very first jeans offered.

The capsule collection – which was showcased to the trade at the July edition of Jacket Required – is the result of Lee Cooper’s passion for denim and the brand’s desire to deliver a product that exemplifies the nature of raw selvedge denim and the culture that surrounds it, as well as in-depth research into the brand’s rich archive.

October sees the introduction of six styles that make up the backbone of the collection, which pays homage to Morris Cooper – the founder of the Lee Cooper brand.

Each piece is handmade from the finest Italian blue selvedge denim. Rich indigo in colour, the fabric is raw, unwashed and reminiscent of heritage fabrics from Lee Cooper’s archives.

Woven on authentic shuttle looms, the exclusive denim features a small 31” vintage weave and cutting-edge innovations, such as a natural non-synthetic stretch in select cuts.

All styles come fitted with 100 per cent solid copper hardware, traditional two-piece rivets, back pockets secured with concealed rivets and chain-stitched hems preformed on antique Union Special machines.

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PRODUCT NEWS q

AMERICAN CLASSIC Premium US brand Psycho Bunny is making its way across the pond to the UK this season, bringing with it its preppy-inspired design aesthetic combined with premium street fashion.

Founded by former Ralph Lauren creative director, Robert Godley, the brand is instantly recognisable outside the UK with its crossbone-clad rabbit logo.

Psycho Bunny’s signature polo shirt is made of premium 100 per cent Pima cotton, with signature side vents that ensure a crisp, neat and athletic fit. Additional luxe details include the mother-of-pearl buttons and intricately embroidered logos.

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t

PACK TO YOUR ROOTS For the new season, buyers will see much more of what bag and backpack label Mi-Pac has become famous for, alongside a fresh injection of exciting new styles and categories.

The brand is set to introduce three new silhouettes – The Daypack, the Shopper and the Travel Kit – all of which capture the key winter trends with a Mi-Pac twist on them.

This can be clearly seen in their Art Deco and Cracked Black collections. Metallics also feature heavily in the ‘Gold’ range, highlighted by their brand new Rose Gold finish available across many styles.

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>>>

STYLE HIGHLIGHT

t

AN EXPERIMENT GONE RIGHT British streetwear brand Ennali Couture – founded in 2015 by Mohamed Ali and Youssef Ennai – is still a relatively new kid on the block, but is already enjoying international success with stockists in the US, Germany and Morocco.

This season sees the launch of the brand’s Equinox collection, featuring a tracksuit consisting of jogging bottoms with gold touches such as the embroidered EC logo next to gold pockets and ribbed knees. Additionally, the hooded top is a half zip (also in gold), with gold embroidery on the chest.

Influenced by current market trends, the design duo draw inspiration from fashion-conscious individuals who break the rules and push boundaries. Targeting the 16-35 year old market, Ennali Couture fills a gap for affordable yet experimental streetwear, with a focus on luxe fabrics and innovative cuts and silhouettes.

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ELIZABETH PARKER To complement its existing range of men’s accessories, British high-end label Elizabeth Parker makes its debut in the men’s bracelet arena with the launch of the Identity collection. Building on a sense of personality and individuality, the collection features five styles in a combination of five base colours that allow the wearer to mix, match and stack to create their own unique look that can accompany any occasion or outfit.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PRODUCT | IN SEASON | 22

MY BOLLOX £5.90 07876 244234

SOREL £27.30 0808 234 0228

OLIVER SPENCER £24 020 7242 5173

THE WHITE BRIEFS €65 0046 7094 50021

WAXX £8.50 0114 249 3037

TOMMY HILFIGER £7.90 020 3144 0900

SCOTCH & SODA £42.30 020 3137 3901

NIGHT SHIFT Lounge and nightwear is big business right now, with many labels branching off into this growing market. From sheepskin lined slippers to cashmere joggers, we’re reminded that downtime can still be stylish.

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Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

DEREK ROSE £13 07850 651865

JOULES £18.75 01858 435261

GARCIA JEANS £3.70 020 3432 6387

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PREVIEW | 23

FASHION SVP Leading manufacturing show Fashion SVP is taking place from 15 to 16 November at London’s Olympia, bringing together some of the best garment producers from near-shore territories. MWB takes a look at what’s on offer this season.

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More than 120 of Europe’s leading garment manufacturers will be exhibiting at this season’s Fashion SVP, which is debuting a second seasonal show this year at November’s inaugural event. Catering for both high volume players as well as bespoke and individual orders from independent retailers operating or seeking to launch their own fashion label, the show is key in bringing suppliers and retailers together under one roof for a single focused showcase.

For its upcoming edition the show has announced a collaboration with government export association Enterprise Mauritius, which is bringing a group of producers from the island state to the show for the first time. The group comprises 12 high quality manufacturers of woven and jersey products, and joins the show along with manufacturers from 15 other countries, including the UK, the Baltics, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Poland, Cyprus and Bulgaria.

“We’ve been talking with Enterprise Mauritius for a number of seasons, and they have watched with keen interest the impressive growth and influence of Fashion SVP,” says event director Buzz Carter. “We’re delighted they are now joining the show, which continues its rapid expansion in new markets and new territories.”

The show covers a diversity of product categories including knitwear, jersey wear and wovens, from general fashion wear to high end designer fashions; outerwear, formal wear, sports and active wear as well as casual wear and hosiery across womenswear, menswear and childrenswear.

The event will also continue its popular Sourcing Briefing seminar series, which will feature Brexit debates and sessions on key issues affecting sourcing professionals. Contributors include Nigel Musto, founder of Musto; Michael Conway, chairman of Quayside; Elissa Lloyd, head of sourcing at White Stuff; and Michael Wolff, CEO of FOL and founder of Fielding Group.

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Location: Olympia West Hall (Level 1) Exhibition Centre, London W14 8UX Opening Times: Tuesday 15 November 09:30-18:00 Wednesday 16 November 09:30-17:00 For more information visit: www.fashionsvp.com

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PRODUCT | IN SEASON | 24

BENCH PRICE ON REQUEST 07976 733210

FRC WORLD €21 020 3432 6387

BELLFIELD £44 0844 477 4856

EARTH, WIND AND FIRE One of the dominant trends of the a/w 16 fashion week earlier this year, earth tones have translated down to the high street with both mainstream and contemporary labels incorporating rich rust, terracotta and khaki hues.

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BARBOUR £44.10 0800 917 3000

CLAE £40.91 01726 861742

FARAH £22 020 7580 5838

HUMMEL £47.74 01749 677020 SAMSOE & SAMSOE £144 020 3137 3901

Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PROFILE | 25

STEPPING AWAY FROM THE HERD Combining a wealth of knowledge and history with the latest technology, the owners of textile mill Spectrum Yarns are proud to control every aspect of knitwear production, bar shearing the sheep. But the recent launch of knitwear brand Slaith sees the mill enter new territory. Rebecca Jackson finds out more.

— The owner and founder of textile mill Spectrum Yarns since 1980, Richard Brown has been manufacturing knitwear for more than 10 years.

After successfully establishing the knitwear brand Glenbrae, it was time to take a new direction with the launch of the premium knitwear offer Slaith.

Named affectionately after its native Slaithwaite, a village on the outskirts of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Slaith launched earlier this year at the a/w 16 edition of Jacket Required. While Glenbrae is aimed primarily at the golf consumer, this unveiling saw the mill take a new direction in terms of market level.

“We originally launched Glenbrae, which everyone considers to be the best in the market,” says Brown. “But once you’ve launched a brand, you’ve established it a certain way. We achieved our intention of making the best classic knitwear in the world. Slaith was born out of a desire to create a brand aimed at a different market.”

The idea came about after Brown was commissioned to make a yarn that would be used as a seat cover in public places of high usage, specifically airports. With strict criteria to meet, the mill owner had to ensure the fabric looked good after prolonged and heavy use.

After working on the project, Brown wondered if a similar brief could be applied when developing knitwear. Unable to match the product with the existing Glenbrae brand, a new label was born.

Slaith presented a host of possibilities for Brown and his team of approximately 170 employees at Spectrum Yarns. However, developing the brand in just under a year, without the aid of any additional staff, was a challenge for everyone involved.

“We have a dedicated team, and they reacted to the changes very well,” he says. “We achieved a lot in a short space of time and the mill was turned upside down in the process. A good operative is integral – they’re the eyes and ears of a proper mill. The ethos comes from the top but it has to percolate down. You’ve got to involve them in more than the basic job. You have to work closely with your staff so that they understand how they fit into the overall picture.”

The considered production process is just one of Slaith’s unique features. Spectrum Yarns owns and manages every part of the production process – apart from the sheep, of course. This enables Richard and his daughter Danielle Brown to maintain a rigorous quality control procedure.

With the exception of a separate production facility in Belper, Derbyshire, where knitting production takes place, all parts of manufacture are handled at the mill in Slaithwaite. By housing the production in one building, CO2 levels are kept down and the mill is able to operate at a cost-effective level.

Pieces in the collection boast a finer 30 gauge knit, compared to 15 and 24 gauges used previously. All garments in the range are completely seamless, excluding any unwanted bumps or gathering in the fabric. Starting with a menswear range initially, the project developed from just four colours to a launch with 22 menswear and 27 ladies’ styles.

Slaithwaite itself is steeped in over 200 years of textiles history, while Huddersfield cloth is still revered worldwide. Today, the ‘Made in Huddersfield’ label found on the selvedge is highly sought after.

“I am a spinner, so I know how it works,” Brown explains. “The yarn has to be able to

perform to a certain level. It comes down to the raw materials. If you’ve got good quality yarn, the best you can buy within your budget, you have the basis to make everything fall into place.”

Consisting of merino and cashmere yarns, staple styles in the collection include V-neck for men and crew neck for women. Typically slotting into the classic-contemporary knitwear category, the brand targets the high-end consumer.

“It’s not the most fashion conscious person in the room; it’s the person who’s the best dressed in the room. They’re not making a fashion statement, they just know with a quiet confidence that they’re the best-dressed person,” says Danielle Brown.

Wholesale prices start at £50 for merino and £140 for cashmere. Currently, the brand has 40 wholesale accounts in total, 30 of those based in the UK. With agents in Germany, Switzerland, UK, Russia and Japan, next year the brand will set its sights on the USA. “I predict that Japan will be our biggest export market because they really recognise quality and craft,” Danielle Brown says. “Our sales reps have just had feedback from retailers and some of them are shocked that the delivery was on time and complete. It seems so simple to us.

We deliver as promised and the product works as it should.”

With a target of 120-150 UK wholesale accounts, the short-term plan is, understandably, to grow business in the UK and overseas.

Eventually, the Browns have plans to develop a full clothing range for Slaith, including shirts, belts and suits. It’s a long-term plan, but Richard is getting a head start by developing a low-crease, lightweight fabric. After all, perfection is worth the wait.

The latest edition of Moda Gent brought with it a series of key seasonal trends and essential business advice. MWB was on hand to capture the product highlights.

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REVIEW MODA GENT

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | MODA GENT | 26

BEN SHERMAN

ETERNA

LIZARD KING

FYNCH HATTON

BENVENUTO

SEIDENSTICKER

OLYMP

PETER WERTH

EDEN PARK

OLYMP

COAST TO COAST

PEACHY KEEN

Red, white and blue were the order of the day, with many brands choosing to utilise this iconic trio of colours, from regatta styling at Eden Park, through to micro checks and Harringtons at Lizard King. Digel, meanwhile, updated its classic blue blazer with a trend-led red and white horizontal striped shirt.

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Corals, peach and apricot are set to be dominant tones for s/s 17, with an abundance of brands offering lightweight knitwear, jackets and blazers in this summer-appropriate palette.

Fabrication is key to this trend, with fine knits, casual linens and vintage washes spotted across the board at the likes of Fynch Hatton, Peter Werth and more.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | MODA GENT | 27

ROUGH DIAMOND

CAMEL ACTIVE

FRC WORLD

CASUAL FRIDAY

FARAH JEANS

CASAMODA

JUNQ COUTURE

CASUAL FRIDAY

JT SCOTT

PERRY ELLIS AMERICA

WRANGLER

DUKE

SADLER & CO

DML JEANS

BEN GREEN

STREET LIFE

JEAN POOL

HAVANA NIGHTS

Increasing its contemporary offer this season, Moda Gent presented a series of new brands in its casual and leisurewear category from new label Perry Ellis America, through to international labels such as Sadler & Co. Neoprene logo jumpers, contrasting fabrications and the primary colour palette stood out as key characteristics of this trend.

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Distressed and innovative were the buzzwords surrounding the denim offer at Moda Gent this season, with Casual Friday and Wrangler both offering trend-led collections, whilst denim specialists DML Jeans introduced its Hydroless denim – which utilises 95 per cent less water in production, as well as low impact chemicals and a laser finish.

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A recurring trend from last season, tropical prints have translated into the more mainstream menswear market now, with leaf motifs and bold colours becoming a key theme throughout shirting and swimwear. Expect a darker, more classic colour palette to make this a more wearable trend, away from the usual holiday wardrobe.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | JACKET REQUIRED | 28

THE WORD FROM JACKET REQUIRED As ever, the brand and product mix was exceptional at the latest edition of London’s only true menswear trade show. Tom Bottomley did the rounds to get the essential updates from some key exhibitors.

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HANNAH ROBINSON,

CRAIG FORD

ROB HARMSEN

Head of European Development, Spring Court

Co-founder, Jacket Required, and owner, a number of names*

Co-owner, Eat Dust

This year is Spring Court’s 80th anniversary; is there a feelgood factor?

2016 is certainly a big year for us. As well as celebrating our 80th, we’re now once again managed by the family of the original founder, and we opened our new store in Paris in June. We also have some really exciting collaborations coming up. People are really picking up on the brand again now. It feels like all the hard work that’s gone in to the relaunch is paying off. People seem reassured that the product is right again, and we’re getting in to some really great stores.

What have you brought to the show this time?

We’ve come with a slightly smaller selection of brands this time, but all strong. There’s TSPTR, Ebbets Field Flannels, Billionaire Boys Club and Native Shoes. We also have a fresh addition, Zespà, Aix-en-Provence – a new luxury sneaker brand, made in France. Personally I love the made in France angle, because of the history of adidas ‘shelltoes’, originally made in France. These are made out of a very old factory. I think it has more credibility than all the luxury brands making sneakers in Italy. France has a history of making athletic shoes, whereas Italy has more of a history of making designer shoes, so for me this is much more authentic than all these Italian fashion brands now making sneakers.

What’s the real appeal of Spring Court’s offer?

They are just simple, clean and comfortable.

We’ve also introduced some new colourways for s/s 17, including some pastel colours. The heavy twill fabric is doing really well for us right now. It’s basically the reverse of the canvas, so it has a slightly more raw feel and appearance. There are both low and mid cut styles and, where in the past the majority of interest has been for the low cut style, we’re now finding there’s more of a 50/50 split between the low and mid. We’ve also reintroduced the Velcro fastening style. It used to be in the Spring Court collection many years ago, but we’ve brought that back as part of our 80th anniversary celebrations.

What else is new?

We already introduced nappa leather and lambskin options in to the range, so it’s a growing collection that is widening the appeal. The latest option is in Mongolian goatskin, and that has been really well received by the more premium accounts.

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What is the new licence TSPTR now have?

TSPTR is growing season on season. This year they have a licence with New York City to use some classic New York iconography, branding and images. All the five boroughs in New York, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan have their own logo, and now they are using those logos in TSPTR’s new range for s/s 17.

There is also a capsule collection based on the Travis Bickle character, played by Robert De Niro, in cult 1970s film Taxi Driver, shot in New York.

What’s the latest with Billionaire Boys Club?

There’s been big developments. We are now 100 per cent European licensees, so we are now designing, sourcing and manufacturing the whole collection. As a result, we’ve had the best sales this year that the brand has had in its 12-year history. We have also delivered really early in to Harrods for a/w 16; the earliest we ever have.

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How would you best describe Eat Dust and your offer?

We’re motorcycle inspired, but we’re a denim brand. We don’t do technical motorcycle clothing.

We’ve now got Bedford cords and cotton/linen mixes in the line, so there’s also more dressed up interpretations of the core denim pieces we started out with. Japanese black denim is another strong area in the offer. We have jackets based on old mining garments with motorcycle-inspired details, waistcoats in various fabrics, heavy slub cotton Henley tops, carpenter-style pants, and we have now introduced a suede shirt – based on an old vintage shirt I used to wear that I bought in San Francisco about 20 years ago. There’s a bit of an Easy Rider look going on too.

How is the brand performing in the UK? It’s getting better and better with every season.

Sell-throughs have been successful and we are building more of a customer profile here. We’re based in Belgium, but our biggest market is definitely Germany. We sell in about 75 stores in 14 different countries now.

How many different styles of jeans do you do?

We have four cuts in the denim. We started out with a loose straight leg, which we call the ’67, the year I was born, and a loose tapered leg we call the ’73, because that’s when my partner, Keith, was born. We’ve also done a slim-straight fit, and a boot cut. We believe in the boot cut so much we’ve done it in four different colours, including white denim and a 70s-style lightweight 11oz blue denim. If you go to LA right now, all the girls are looking like 70s hippies. Men are a little bit behind, but Keith and I have been wearing boot cut for the past two years. It’s slow to happen, but it’s coming.

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | JACKET REQUIRED | 29

MARIA BAÑOS

TOM SUMMERFIELD

DARREN BROWN

Marketing Manager, Maians

Commercial Director, Marshall Artist

How established is Maians in the UK market?

We started to work with some big accounts, such as Office, Kurt Geiger and Liberty five years ago, and we had great feedback, but we pulled out to refocus after one particularly bad summer in the UK. Now interest is coming back, and our offer has grown considerably. The UK is actually our second biggest market online, behind Spain where we are from, so there’s clearly a big enough interest. People really love the product, and we have a lot of loyal customers. Once they’ve bought Maians, they tend to come back for more.

We’re in some key independent concept stores in the UK right now, so hopefully the bigger accounts will come back. We are now selling in 20 countries so the brand is getting more exposure in the right accounts.

How is business developing for Marshall Artist?

We’ve had some investment, and we’ve now paired up with 2 Squared Agency in Manchester.

Their whole infrastructure and sales expertise have really given us a boost. We’ve also done a lot of marketing work, mainly digitally through the likes of Instagram and Facebook. There’s a real sense of community out there with lads from 17 up to their mid-30s. A lot of our graphic tees span the age demographic.

Sales Director, Overland Shoes (showing G.H.Bass)

How has the offer developed?

We now have some great suedes and leathers in the collection. Contrast colours are still a big part of the offer, but there’s plenty of plain options too. Comfort and construction are very important, but our shoes also have a very distinctive look, and they last well. Price is another important factor, with retail prices generally between £50-£80.

What other plans are there going forward?

We may also do a pop-up showroom in London next summer so we can show the whole collection and tell the story of the brand in full. Our products are vulcanised and all handmade at an old footwear factory in Barcelona. We are the ultimate summer shoes, but we have now introduced some great leather shoes for autumn/ winter as well.

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What else has changed?

From a collection point of view, we’ve introduced new branding on the sleeve of our outerwear. It’s a two-piece construction we’ve called the ‘siren’.

We first used it for a/w 15 and it’s definitely given our offer a more commercial focus. It very much appeals to the lad culture, and since it’s been implemented we’ve had a real uplift in sellthroughs. It’s instantly recognisable. When a lad walks into a pub and he’s got a good jacket on, he wants people to know what it is, and the new branding is making us more identifiable. We’re not trying to necessarily attach ourselves to any kind of football culture, but it is resonating with that sort of demographic. We’ve now introduced a micro ‘siren’ version for use on polo shirts, shorts and so on.

Have you introduced anything else particularly new for s/s 17?

Moving forward, the ‘siren’ sweatshirt is going to be a key piece. Also new is a ‘liquid nylon’ that we’ve developed for our outerwear for s/s 17. It’s got that shimmery effect and is influenced by Italian sportswear, but it’s at a retailer-friendly price point. Our jackets retail from £75 to £145. It seems to be working, because we are now attracting some really good retailers that might not have looked at Marshall Artist previously.

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What’s your word on Jacket Required?

It’s been a really busy show for us, so we’re very happy with it. By mid-afternoon on day one, we’d seen at least six existing accounts and we’d opened five new ones. Our new positioning within the show has definitely helped because we’re getting them from all angles – coming in and coming out. It’s a good corner location.

How has the new s/s 17 product been received?

The feedback has been really good. In fact, customers seem positive in general. All our new Sportocasins category has been very well received. The Camp Moc and all the lightweight sole unit shoes are brand new and give us a really strong and fresh summer product offering. It’s a complete story. Everything is referenced from archive products, but with new technology incorporated, so there’s memory foam footbeds and EVA outsoles. One of the freshest looks is taking the knitting process and doing a handsewn knitted moccasin, which is brand new concept for anybody. It’s about taking the classic silhouettes that Bass is known for, and introducing new technology.

What about the classic ‘Weejuns’?

We obviously still do the classics, and they are very important to our offer and to our brand heritage. In terms of the Weejuns, we’ve introduced a new spring/summer version, called Palm Springs, which has a flexible outsole and softer leather. It’s a more comfortable version of the classic loafer, in new colours such as chocolate and navy leather, and they have gone down very well with retailers.

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From denim to tailoring , lifestyle a a wealth o nd streetw f innovativ ear, Jacket e a n d in Required p teresting p — resented roduct for the new se ason.

01: Jean s – Edwi www.edwi n n02: Bag – Atelie europe.com r de L’ www.atel ierdelar armee 03: Shoe mee.com – Clarks ww 04: Wais w.clarks.co.uk tcoat – Eat Dust www.eatd ustcloth 05: Deni ing.com m jacket – Levis www.levi .com

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Lifestyle

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02 04 03: Pens 01: Hat – Japan Best www. – Afield www.afiel japan-be d.uk • 02 st : Jumper 05: Care .net • 04: Note – Homeco bo kit – Bi re www.ho ll by No oks – Japan Best mecore.c t An ot he 06: Comb r Bill ww www.japan-best om – Daimon .n w.notano 08: Shav Barber ww therbill et e cream .com w.da and clea 07 nser – Da : Socks – Ayam imonbarber.co.uk é ww imon Barb er www.da w.ayame-jp.com imonbarb er.co.uk

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Sunglass es – Kirk Watch – D1 Milano Originals www.ki Shirt – rk www.d1mi Ga lano.com originals.com • Bag – Ma nt www.gant.co.

• 04: Tr 02: Boot ke What uk ainers – s You Will Blazer – RFW Toky – Sanders www.sa email: ja Black Ey o www.rf e Rags ww s.mwyw@g wtokyo.c nders-uk.com ma om w.blacke yerags.c il.com • 07: Ci om gar case & wallet – Il Buss etto www. ilbusset to.it

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Sport & Street

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01: Hat – Th 02: Jack e Hundreds www. et – Dick th ies www. ehundreds.com 03: Sock dickie s – Bryt 04: Trou www.bryt slife.com 05: Trai clothes. ners – Sp sers – Dezeep com www.deze ring Co 06: Sock urt www.springco ep.com s – Stan ce www.st urt.com ance.com

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Credits – Styling – Karlmond Tang www.karlmond.com Photography – Dom Fleming www.domfleming.com

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | RETAIL | 34

ON THE SHOP FLOOR Andrea Gray, retail and shows director at British lifestyle brand Joules, explains the key points to consider when creating the right in-store experience.

— Though many retailers are reducing their retail estate, I believe stores still have an important role to play in today’s multichannel world.

They provide a physical touchpoint with customers and through options like click and collect and in-store returns, can often make the buying process smoother – especially for those less familiar with online shopping.

A strong store strategy will complement other channels, creating a cycle of brand awareness, customer acquisition and loyalty.

Moreover, the most successful stores offer a quality customer experience: they have a carefully considered layout and atmosphere, staff with great product knowledge who are able to meet customer needs and, importantly, provide a link with other brand channels to offer a seamless, integrated multichannel customer experience.

At Joules, stores feature heavily in our growth strategy – in fact, we’ve just opened our biggest ever store in Edinburgh, and we plan to open 10 to 12 stores a year for the next couple of years. Each store opening for us is really special.

Teams across the business collaborate to ensure that we choose the very best sites, then work to exceed our customers’ expectations by offering the right product and the right journey, every time.

To make sure we get all this right we spend a lot of our time in stores, listening to customer and team feedback and using that information to constantly evolve and improve. Below are a few bits and pieces that we’ve learned along the way.

Take them on a journey The very front of the store is where you first grab the customer’s attention, so it’s important to think about how you use this space. However, it’s arguably even more important to keep customers engaged as they explore the store. At Joules, research has told us that our customers love our core product as much as they do our latest ranges. We use this insight to create points of interest throughout the store – these might be different fixture types, mannequin groupings that give outfit inspiration or fixture placement to lead the customers to shop the full range.

We also use directional signage to help our customers find what they need quickly; we want customers to enjoy shopping in-store with us, so it is just as important to make the shop easy to navigate as it is to keep it interesting.

It’s not a case of ‘one size fits all’ The most successful stores will be carefully designed to meet customer needs, but it’s really important to bear in mind that customers’ needs vary depending on where they are. People who live by the coast will have different requirements and expectations to those living in the city – selling buckets and spades in our London stores just wouldn’t make sense. At Joules we’ve approached this by segmenting our estate.

Seaside-specific ‘pick me ups’ are sold in our 28 ‘coastal’ stores (at locations including St Ives and Padstow), whilst a travel-focused offer can be found in our ‘travel stores’ at Stansted Airport, St Pancras International and Waterloo stations.

Through segmenting our stores, we can better cater to our markets. In our coastal stores, for example, we have a broad range of product in case the weather turns, one of the children has spilt an ice cream over their shirt or a member of the family has forgotten their wellies.

Similarly, certain ranges are more popular at some stores than others. Our shopfit allows us to move store layout to suit each market, so in some stores menswear will play a bigger role than others. One example of this is our new Edinburgh store – our biggest yet at 3,000sqft – where we have worked hard to make sure men have a great shopping experience. The shop fixtures and the colour scheme on the walls are more masculine, and we’ve incorporated seating for men to relax and enjoy the store. As a result, we’ve got a great space to showcase our a/w menswear product, and the response so far has been really positive.

Make it a connected experience Stores are about more than just selling; they are an opportunity to raise awareness for your brand in new markets, build brand loyalty and interact with customers. This engagement can and should be utilised across all channels. As a multichannel retailer, our other channels – online, catalogue and wholesale – are always considered within the development of our retail estate.

I think it’s really interesting that whenever we open a new store, we often see a positive response from customers through increased online orders for delivery to nearby postcodes.

Additionally, we offer Order in Store and Click and Collect in all our stores and also collect customer data in-store as well, to keep our customers up to date on our offers, events, openings and of course new ranges.

I can’t talk about being connected without talking about tech. A lot of brands are thinking about how they can incorporate the latest technology into their stores, but it isn’t always that simple. At Joules we want our stores to be a reflection of the brand. We are a British brand that started in the countryside and celebrate a love of the outdoors, so a store full of high tech digital displays and gadgets wouldn’t really work.

Always think about what’s right for your brand and your customers.

When it comes to creating the right in-store experience, the main thing is to stay true to the customer. If you’re thinking about their needs and wants, you shouldn’t go wrong. www.joules.com

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MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | BRANDS | 36

FINISHING TOUCHES MWB profiles footwear and accessory labels, both established and new, to consider for your store’s offer this season.

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SOLLU Despite being over 28 years old, footwear label Sollu is only just making its way over to UK shores for the s/s 17 season. Victoria Jackson caught up with its UK sales agent and consultant, Dave Snowdon, just before Sollu’s recent Moda appearance to discover why now is the right time for the brand to enter the market.

Victoria Jackson: With Sollu making its debut in the UK this season, why did you choose Moda as the platform to showcase the latest collection?

Dave Snowdon: Moda has the best customer fit for the brand and the collections we will be selling. Having enjoyed success launching other brands through the show, it provides the perfect opportunity to showcase the collection. I think this is important for a new brand coming to the market to be able to show the full range of product on offer. In addition, we can show a clear brand direction, so our customers know what we stand for and where we are positioned in the market. We’ll also be looking to secure new retailers; we have not put a figure on this as it is most important to ensure we’re in the best accounts and grow from a firm base.

VJ: Why do you think now is the right time to enter the UK market?

DS: The UK market has been tough for the past few seasons. However, the product ranges we will be offering that are specific to the UK market represent excellent quality, style and comfort but at great prices. The customers who are feeling the financial pressures of today still want the same quality that they’ve always enjoyed but are looking for more competitive pricing and this is where Sollu fits.

VJ: What kind of accounts will you be targeting for the new season?

DS: There are still some great independent retailers in the UK that will showcase brands and are always looking for something new to give an injection of interest to their stores and we would love to work with them. We will also look at department stores etc, but the goal is very much to be in the right retail and work with them as partners.

VJ: What would you say sets the brand apart from the competition?

DS: Along with great style and quality, we have some excellent technologies in our footwear including Active Air for shock absorption, Sense Air which gives fantastic levels of comfort, the Flex System which provides maximum comfort and flexibility and a foot bed massage system with pressure points that massage your feet.

VJ: Are you looking to work with independent retailers to really tell the story and history of the brand?

DS: The brand story is very important to us as we have been established for 28 years and are renowned for manufacture and supply of high quality, stylish footwear. We will offer a strong PoS support package that will help communicate directly with the customer and explain our history and specialist technologies.

VJ: Finally, what strategy do you have over the next 12 months for the brand in the UK market?

DS: We are aiming to secure a national distribution base through independents and regional multiples in the UK market. Our launch will be supported by a significant investment in back-up stock that the retailers can call upon for immediate delivery. In addition we will look to dealer co-op activities to drive sell through in store, along with staff training and a PoS programme. Overall, our goal is to establish Sollu as a brand for the future in the UK. www.sollu.com.br

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | BRANDS | 37

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MADE IN HUDDERSFIELD Founded in 2015 by two Yorkshire entrepreneurs, Tom Scaramuzza and Scott Hufton, Made in Huddersfield is a tie collection steeped in local history. Originating in 1766 at the birth of the Huddersfield Cloth Hall, the Made in Huddersfield tag was revisited by Scaramuzza and Hufton to form Made in Huddersfield Ltd last year.

Joining forces to express their appreciation and understanding of the standard of cloth manufactured in the Yorkshire town, the brand features both a readymade tie collection and a CMT (cut, make and trim) service. Currently stocked in independent tailors nationwide, wholesale prices range from £10 to £25.

Over the next season, Made in Huddersfield is developing its online presence and introducing silk collections along with the traditional ranges, rich with nostalgia, heritage and period references. www.madeinhuddersfield.com —

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KURTIS PAUL Manchester brand Kurtis Paul is the brainchild of brothers Lloyd and Kurtis Rayner. Established in 2014, the brand was founded after the duo spotted a gap in the market for a high quality bag label, at a mid-market price point. The brand ethos remains simple; great design with quality materials, with two ranges within the collection – the classic leather offer, which includes the Alfred, the Sherlock, the Cromwell and the Darwin, and the canvas offer, which contains three silhouettes and two colourways. www.kurtispaul.com —

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S.OLIVER With one of its most comprehensive collections to date, s.Oliver presents a series of sports-inspired designs, alongside smarter options such as Chelsea and desert boots. In the business segment, classic shapes are dispersed with light upper materials, coloured laces and soles, while light, unlined loafers are the perfect casual choice. Interest comes in the form of washed-out effects on leather or canvas, floral linings, patches and no-lace styles in a colour palette of spice tones, navy, red and grey. www.soliver-shoes.com — t

CITY CUFFLINKS A new name to the accessories market, City Cufflinks has been designed to capture the key landmarks of London in highly detailed cufflink designs. Dutch designer Seroj de Graaf, co-founder of the brand, has created an ode to the city in the form of mini sculptures for your sleeves, handcrafted in sterling silver 925.

Depicting a range of the capital’s classical and modern landmarks, buildings include the Bank of England, St Paul’s Cathedral and 30 St Mary Axe, aka ‘the Gherkin’. The design also features a number of the city’s iconic reference points – the black cab, red phone box and double decker bus. This follows on from the success of the Amsterdam Canal Cufflinks and the New York City Cufflinks. www.londoncitycufflinks.co.uk —

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PRODUCT | 38

TRIUMPH & DISASTER GAMEFACE MOISTURISER £14.17 07703 364936

ELVIS COSTELLO PRINT PRICE ON REQUEST INFO@SONICEDITIONS.COM

IZOLA WATER BOTTLE £11.11 01406 362633

THE EDIT

SIMON CARTER WATCH £48 020 8683 4475

JEKYLL & HIDE PRICE ON REQUEST 020 3282 7138

With lifestyle products continuing to grow in popularity, this issue welcomes some of the key products to consider in the run-up to the busy festive shopping period.

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TOM DIXON CANDLE PRICE ON REQUEST 020 7183 9733

DIPTYQUE FRAGRANCE PRICE ON REQUEST 0033 156 811700

SUNDAY SOMEWHERE ALILA SUNGLASSES £54 01992 351026

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… MWB welcomes the first in a series of conversations with Everton Campbell, founder of menswear destination The Hip Store. This month sees the leading indie catch up with menswear content specialist and founder of House of Garmsville, Jason Jules, to examine the trends of s/s 17 and the potential impact of Brexit on the menswear industry.

— Jason Jules: You’ve been to a number of collection launches over the past few months Ev; what’s standing out for you?

Everton Campbell: Prints are predominant, with brands taking inspiration from African wax prints and classic Hawaiian shirts among a host of other influences, including 50s and 90s sportswear. Music also continues to influence, and activities that come with it, are also permeating collections across the board. Reggae and Grime influences are coming to the fore.

JJ: The music stuff is really interesting I think, and I’ve spotted a lot of UK Garage influences sneaking into collections too.

EC: Yeah there’s a lot of that, and it took me by surprise a bit, to be honest. Who could’ve predicted that it would come back with such a bang, and Craig David and the Stone Roses would be relevant again and having such an influence on British menswear. I know you work with Kevin Rowland and Dexys.

JJ: Continuing working with Dexys is great for me because they’re really committed to style and are totally all about the detail and relevance. They have an attention to detail that’s rare these days – it reminds me of working with bands like Jamiroquai and the Brand New Heavies back in the 90s.

JJ: Talking of relevance, what impact do you think Brexit will have on menswear? Has there been much discussion around the issue at any of the shows?

EC: In turbulent times such as this, it’s really easy for brands, both online and on the high street, to play it safe, not take risks and try to become something they aren’t. However, historically all the research points to the fact that although people may buy less, they are more than prepared to invest in quality garments. Margins could obviously

be an issue for smaller players in the market, especially those with a heavy reliance on imports, but I don’t feel anyone doing this properly at the moment needs to take a seismic shift in approach. I think in the face of Brexit, serious menswear brands and stores need to stick to their guns, and not compromise on, or try to water down the quality of their offer. And, for me, brand tone of voice is massively important here.

JJ: I remember when we started working together and launched The Hip Store blog, you were incredibly focused on ensuring the tone of voice for the blog and products matched perfectly with The Hip Store brand. We agreed it was all about the store’s integrity.

EC: Exactly, and with the challenges created by Brexit, I can envisage some brands sacrificing who they are and the way they project themselves by smoothing out the edges to ‘increase their wider appeal’, which I wholeheartedly disagree with. A brand identity is something that’s built slowly over time, and with blog platforms and social media, we as a brand can reaffirm our beliefs and values, through the language we use and the way we present ourselves, multiple times a day to our audience.

JJ: I couldn’t agree more. With everything else in wider society being so fractious and uncertain, it’s possible to argue that brands have a responsibility to stay true to their beliefs, and be there to remind fans that there are still some good things in the world. Discerning menswear customers, like the majority of Hip’s customers that I’ve come across, have an instinct about when a brand is being inauthentic or compromising.

EC: Definitely, brands need to be consistent. Sure it’s important to have a strong awareness of the emerging trends but it’s equally important to have an independent and authentic tone of voice, and stay true to their core values.

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | INTERVIEW | 42

A SHARPER FOCUS AT BEN SHERMAN There were mixed messages about the future of the Ben Sherman brand earlier this year, but US owner Marquee Brands is assuring the ship is back in safe hands, with UK operations now under the stewardship – via an extended licence agreement – of BMB, which already had a long-term deal in place for the brand’s formalwear in the UK market. Tom Bottomley gets the word from the US. —

Established in the US in October 2014 as a privately funded company owned by private equity firm Neuberger Berman, Marquee Brands subsequently made the acquisitions of Italian brand Bruno Magli, and then, in July 2015, the heritage British fashion brand Ben Sherman. It bought the iconic label from its previous US owners, Oxford Industries, as a loss-making business, clearly with designs to reshape its fortunes.

Since then, not much more than six months after it acquired the brand, Marquee Brands went about extending its licence for the UK market with BMB, long-term licensees of Ben Sherman formalwear. There have been reports in the national press, some true, some wide of the mark, of why and how that came about and its implications for job losses at the brand, and shop closures. Time then, to set the record straight with Marquee Brands.

Cory M Baker, Chief Operating Officer of Marquee Brands, says, “The press misunderstood the acquisition and reported it erroneously.

Marquee acquired the global rights to the brand, but we provided an opportunity for BMB, our UK

partner, to assume assets and employees that were integral to the go-forward UK operation.

The press was quick to report the job losses, but failed to acknowledge the jobs maintained by BMB assuming the local operations.”

Referring to the shop closures that ensued, Michael DeVirgilio, President of Marquee Brands, gives the reasons, and also the future retail plans: “Actually there were only three UK locations that closed. This was simply a factor of an unfavourable lease agreement, or the landlord unwilling to adjust the terms to true market rates. As for the Carnaby Street location, it continues to be the London flagship and centrepiece of the brand’s retail footprint in the UK. There are approximately three to four new locations to be opened in the next 12-18 months.”

Marquee Brands’ corporate HQ is based in New York, with design teams for Ben Sherman in London, and for Bruno Magli in Tuscany. The brand’s relationship with BMB is believed to be strong, as DeVirgilio explains, “BMB has been a long-term licensee of Ben Sherman in the formalwear categories. They will continue to play this role, and actually we have extended that

agreement. When we acquired the business, the management of BMB approached Marquee and offered to directly manage the UK operation of the previous company. We structured an agreement, which is a licence for all intents and purposes, but we have been and will continue to be true partners in managing the UK market.”

DeVirgilio says the brand was the strongest asset of the business they acquired, but many of the past resources were spent on operations instead of building the brand. “We now have redirected the resources to remind the loyal consumer how much they love the brand and to create new exciting marketing partnerships to bring new customers to the brand. In this regard we are also opening new stores in UK as well as increasing our presence in UK department stores.”

A statement released earlier this year from Marquee Brands said that, since its acquisition of Ben Sherman, Marquee was committed to making the future brighter than the past while safeguarding the iconic message and heritage of the Ben Sherman brand. It also said that Marquee remains very optimistic about the brand’s future

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | INTERVIEW | 43

“ The product will continue to be rooted in the core essence of the Ben Sherman brand. The DNA of the brand is very clear and, if anything, we will further enhance the unique position the brand possesses in British pop culture.”

and, with this newly formed (or rather, extended) partnership with BMB, the opportunities for growth are limitless. Not as down in the doldrums, then, as we had been led to believe. As Baker offers, “Ben Sherman has always been a global brand. The loyal consumer spans from Asia to Australia and from North America to the Middle East, but the product wasn’t always available in all markets. We are simply responding to the consumer and providing them more access to more product categories in their home markets through global partners.”

Moving on, the all-new spring/summer 17 collection certainly sounds worthy of a buyer’s eye. The Originals Collection sees the brand truly delving in among its roots. It was back in 1963 that Ben Sherman originally redefined the shirt, taking it from a staple to a statement. For the new collection, the design team has opened up their original shirt archive – taking it back to where it all started.

For the Originals Collection, the brand presents four reissued classic Ben Sherman shirts that span from the 1960s through to the 1990s, exploring the button down shirts that made their

history. To truly represent the original Ben Sherman shirt, the iconic details are crucial, from the button down collar (including the button at the back of the collar) to the back box pleat and locker loop. The key fabrics include Oxfords, ginghams, stripes, polka dots and ‘Dobby’ patterns. The focus on authenticity goes right down to the packaging, as the shirts will be presented in the same way as Ben Sherman did in his very first store in Brighton.

Under the strapline of Modern Rhythm, the main Ben Sherman line presents four seasonal themes: Sixties Sharp, British Beat, West Coast Sound Studio, and Sixties Pool Party. The Sixties Sharp theme ‘elevates casual to a luxe level’ with laminated wools, cotton sateen, smart viscose blends and polished textured tonics. A smart tailored look seems to be the focus. Then comes the British Beat theme, which ‘has a vibrant summer spirit’ with coated linen, lightweight cotton and thick weaves and linen viscose blends leading customers into the warmer weather. A highlight of orange in knits and jersey underpins the sense of iconic 60s British styling.

The West Coast Sound Studio has a fresh

approach to summer with a monochrome palette.

This collection adds sophistication to summer fabrics by using two tone patterns influenced by famous 60s recording studios. Lastly the Sixties Pool Party theme revisits 1960s poolside style.

Says DeVirgilio, “The product will continue to be rooted in the core essence of the Ben Sherman brand. The DNA of the brand is very clear and, if anything, we will further enhance the unique position the brand possesses in British pop culture. We will build out and support many categories like Ben Sherman Kids, and bring to the forefront products that have shown great promise such as footwear and formalwear.”

DeVirgilio is also adamant that there will quite a bit of new growth for Ben Sherman. “As we have recently announced, we are launching in China, and soon we will have launches for Korea, Japan and Latin America. These are all new markets for the brand. In addition, we will have substantial US growth.” And so it seems the button-down brand is back and primed for new adventures on foreign shores, as well as right here in Blighty.

—

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PEOPLE | 44

COLLECTIVE The people, the places, the products.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK HOTEL VAN CLEEF MOLENMEERS 11, B-8000 BRUGGE

SIMON SAYS It’s anniversary time here at the House of Carter. It’s a year to the day that we pulled the huge red lever in the basement, that switched over our online to our new, slick engaging site. With much fanfare, trumpets, ticker tape and whooping, we moved firmly into the 21st century.

Our previous site had been built in-house, and upgraded gradually over the 15 years that followed, and although my IT manager did a great job, there was always an endearing element of the homemade about it.

Some of my fans, I suspect, liked that quality but there’s a fine line in the world of home interiors between ‘distressed’ and ‘distressing’ and we’d definitely moved into the latter.

So I took the decision to invest the normal capex for a new store into our online and, a year later, I’m very happy. Sales are up 34 per cent, our ranking has risen, and although we’re selling much more clothing, our returns rate is still only around 12 per cent. Of course, from tomorrow morning, we move into less easy like-for-likes, but I’m confident that growth will continue.

One surprising statistic that has emerged from analysis of our online customer is how much younger he or she is, compared to our shopper in-store. Our web customer is aged around 27 as opposed to 42 for retail. We have a job of work to do to understand all the implications for this, but certain categories, such as my men’s jewellery and wrist wear, are flying from the website as we push them to the front in a better awareness of the demographic.

One factor may be that our business with ASOS is growing exponentially, and that their 20-something year-old customer is migrating to our site after purchasing from theirs. Whatever the reason, it brings home two old mantras: never make assumptions, and know your customers.

Another anniversary is that it’s six months since I opened my cake and coffee shop in which I am co-owner. I naively I thought that I could occasionally drift in for a skinny latte and slice of Victoria sponge, give a few well-chosen pieces of advice, and swan out again. I did not imagine that I’d become so involved, to the extent that Saturdays often find me taking orders and selling cakes.

I love it. The fast pace and constant flow of customers are great. To hold just two days’ stock is also a refreshing change, though if the apple slice doesn’t sell, you can’t put it in the stockroom and bring it out six months later in the sale.

But you can eat the stock.

— Simon Carter is the CEO of the eponymous brand and retail stores

A refreshing change from the hotels in Bruges that boast a more stereotypical medieval design, the family-owned Hotel Van Cleef is a small luxury boutique guesthouse overlooking a pretty stretch of canal.

Neoclassical in design, the hotel sits on the edge of the typically charming and quieter eastern quarter of Bruges, the Sint-Anna district.

However, the historic centre is still just five minutes away on foot – making this an ideal choice for travellers looking for something a bit different from the norm. In the surrounding area guests can visit Jeruzalemkerk, the church featured in the 2008 film In Bruges, as well as the Folklore Museum.

All of the hotel’s 15 rooms are well equipped with essentials such as hairdryers and air conditioning, as well as marble bathrooms and whirlpool baths. Select rooms feature a terrace overlooking the canal and fabrics by Italian fashion brand Missoni and French luxury goods manufacturer Hermès.

—

PLAN B

LILY STODEL Designer, 49 Winters

After studying a fashion course, I spent two years in Asia travelling across Vietnam and Seoul, ending up in Tokyo. I learned a huge amount about design and the Asian market. This then led me to working with 49 Winters, where I create functional outerwear as a designer. But, if outerwear hadn’t have stolen my heart first, I would have taken up a job in floristry.

— All the striking colours have always captured my attention, and they give such a feelgood factor.

Working with flowers would certainly put a smile on my face. Whilst in Shibuya, I discovered a flower market tea house which totally captivated me. I have always been fascinated with floristry from a young age and would love to use my design skills working with beautiful Japanese flowers.

—

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | PEOPLE | 45

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL MICHAEL HEFFERNAN OWNER AND FOUNDER, DOUBLE H AGENCY My wardrobe style constantly changes. Due to my working week, it can go from smart casual if I’m with city types in meetings discussing investments, to totally casual when seeing customers in our London showroom. I have a number of wardrobe staples, including a navy blazer that hangs in my office from Casual Friday by Blend, so that I can turn a casual day into a more dressed up day. I did splurge out last year and bought a Tom Ford blazer, which fits like a glove. You can see that it’s handmade the minute you put it on.

A great Liberty print shirt is something every wardrobe should have, and I have one from Eden Park that is easy to wear and can be teamed up with a cotton blazer. As I travel a lot, being comfortable is very important, and a bomber jacket is a versatile piece that can get you through many different meetings.

With the ever changing weather in London, I always have my Blend Athletic running jacket at the ready. It’s light and can fit easily into my backpack, as do my Blend running shoes. When I’m not in the mood to wear a shirt, a great alternative is a sweatshirt that is never too casual and never too dressy. One of my favourites is a camo print sweat from Blend.

One of the biggest changes I have seen in my wardrobe is the variety of socks. My drawer used to be full with black socks, and white for sports. Now I have so many different variations, including some bright designs from Happy Socks. Shoes-wise I’d pick my Zara tasselled loafers, as they can be worn with jeans to smarten up a look, or with a slim-fit chino.

I think a good overnight bag is very important and investing in a good quality one is well worth it, as it will last for many years. My Eastpak one does that job.

—

TOP TWEETS Paul Mitchell @PaulTMRetail No Mel, no Sue and now no Mary. But @Channel4 have a lovely tent for @ThisisDavina all new #GBBO @SimonCowell to launch Bake Up on @BBCOne? BenjartWorld.com @BenjartWorld Crazy how 6-7 years ago most of us in UK street fashion used to wear caps with an American basketball or baseball team on them... rosanne cash @rosannecash Hello, everybody on the planet. Please sit down and listen to Leonard Cohen’s new song, on his 82nd birthday.

David Baddiel @Baddiel A lot of people asking me if my show is sold out. This requires me to tell you – painful for any comedian – no.

Joules @Joulesclothing It’s officially the first day of Autumn. That means cosy sweaters, woolly scarves, pumpkins & dark nights! #AutumnalEquinox Accent Clothing @AccentClothing Wishing all of our customers and friends a day of unity, love and harmony this #internationalpeaceday John Pearce @pearcemm Everything at @BestBritannia is #madeinbritain and many members are exhibiting & selling. Makes it easy to know what is @MadeinBritainGB

SOCIETY THE PARTIES AND EVENTS FROM IN AND AROUND THE MENSWEAR INDUSTRY.

p CHAIRMAN OF THE 39 CLUB ANDREW TOMPSETT AND HON TREASURER BRIAN WINTERBOURNE HAD THE HONOUR OF PRESENTING A CHEQUE FOR £1,500 TO NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE IN NORTH LONDON. THE MONEY WAS COLLECTED OVER THE YEAR AT EVENTS THE CLUB HAS HELD SUCH AS THE ANNUAL SPRING LUNCH, AS WELL AS AT THE MONTHLY MEETINGS.

p JOE MILLER (WORLD LONGEST DRIVE CHAMPION), JACK SCHNEIDER (ACCENT CLOTHING), GEORGE GROSS (7 MANAGEMENT), MARTIN SCHNEIDER (ACCENT CLOTHING) AND SIMON POOLE (LUKE MD) AT THE ANNUAL LUKE ROPER GOLF DAY.

p ACTOR AND DJ IDRIS ELBA AT THE OPENING OF THE SUPERDRY BOXPARK LAUNCH LAST MONTH, WHERE HE ENTERTAINED OVER 300 GUESTS WITH AN EXCLUSIVE DJ SET AT THE SHOREDITCH LOCATION.

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THE BOTTOMLEY LINE MWB deputy editor Tom Bottomley – our man on the inside of menswear.

FOR MORE OF TOM’S OPINIONS VISIT MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

IT’S ALL GONE COLLABORATION CRAZY Brands teaming up with other brands, retailers joining hands with brands, and even the likes of media franchise Pokémon collaborating with the Hype brand: this has been a month of bonding beyond all others. It seems every other email that’s dropped in to my inbox has been of yet another friendship formed for mutual benefit, or to add a certain product that may be unexpected, and therefore ultra desirable. Of course, it’s not a half bad idea for getting the press to write about you, though, is it? Look at me, now. In fact, that’s not a bad way of putting it, because it really is saying, look at us now.

Anyway, to reel off some of the latest collabs gracing our market, there’s NikeLab x ACRONYM delivering a joint venture, Air Presto Mid, not to mention NikeLab joining forces with Stone Island on some dual branded stand-out outerwear. Then there’s adidas Originals x Mastermind Japan, adidas Consortium x Livestock and YMC x Padmore & Barnes, signalling a return of the Clarks Natalie style, Padmore & Barnes being a one-time manufacturer for Clarks of course – and these look decent.

Plus more new additions from the Aston Martin x Hackett collaboration, and the joining of cult US brand Supreme with cult Japanese brand Undercover – designer Jun Takahashi’s label. Also throw in to that last mix Dr Martens, with an eight-eye boot and three-eye printed shoe. Then there’s Ben Sherman’s collaboration with A-Z maps. The map print shirt means you’ll never got lost in town again. Perhaps one of the cleverest recent collaborations is Luke x Brotherhood, as in the latest and last of the film trilogy. Linking your brand to a cult film raises the bar somewhat.

It seems some brands are almost addicted to the collaboration craze. For example, Puma is forever at it. This time they’ve hooked up with New York label Staple Pigeon. For all I can see, they’ve basically taken a classic suede Puma States shoe (also previously known as the Puma Clyde to confuse further), given it an orange heel and put Pigeon under the Puma brand name where States usually goes. The orange heel could

p BARACUTA X LONDON UNDERCOVER t NORTHERN THREADS

actually make it a target for low flying pigeons, which would obviously enhance the design still further.

One new collaboration that does make perfect sense is Baracuta x London Undercover, the English umbrella maker. Given Baracuta’s strong heritage of making rainwear, and having the distinctive Fraser tartan for outerwear linings, to make a brollie using said tartan as the design is a decent way of elevating both brands to rain kings status. Available on the London Undercover website, and also from Baracuta’s Newburgh Street shop, priced at £75, customers will want it to rain. A lot. And they’ll look good when it does.

On a final note, has anyone seen the Ugg x Teva collaboration women’s shoes? People are actually calling them ‘the ugliest shoes ever made’ and, when you see them, it’s very clear why.

They actually look like a fur-lined, open-toed medical foot brace. Sure to be seen at a Fashion Week somewhere near you soon...

NORTHERN THREADS TOASTS 10TH ANNIVERSARY It seems an age since MWB ran a feature series entitled Lone Ranger, focusing on Phil Goodfellow and Nigel Binnie’s exploits in setting up a shop of their very own, called Northern Threads. Well, 10 years down the line the duo are still here, with two stores catering for different market sectors, and a growing online business.

A party at the end of September featured a raffle to win prizes from brands including Edwin, Fred Perry, Ralph Lauren and Ted Baker. There are also one-off collaborations on products with the likes of Barbour, Lyle & Scott and Saucony exclusively available to purchase from the South Shields shop. Goodfellow says, “We’re not saying it hasn’t been tough at times, but we have survived due to a strong customer service ethic and the loyalty of returning customers. Here’s to another 10 years of success and happy times.”

Howay man; we raise a glass to the Likely Lads.

MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK OCTOBER 2016 | DIRECTORY | 48

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LAST ORDERS WITH...

CARIN WESTER Victoria Jackson catches up with Carin Wester, the newly appointed creative director of Swedish streetwear label WeSC, to discuss the future design direction of the brand and what she has in store for the new season.

—

DOB: 18 May Place of Birth: Uppsala, Sweden Lives: Stockholm, Sweden Twitter: @WeSC1999 Website: www.wesc.com

You joined WeSC as creative consultant last year and have now been appointed creative director.

What excited you about WeSC’s potential?

I knew about WeSC as I had many friends who had worked for the brand over the years, so that, combined with an interest in streetwear, made the decision easy when the opportunity came knocking and I was excited to go for it. WeSC is a well known brand globally, therefore the potential to bring it to the next level is what inspires me the most.

Can you give us a little more information about the s/s 17 menswear collection?

The collection has a bit of a 90s twist with a lot of sporty references, mixed with soft handpainted Hawaiian prints and irregular houndstooth allover checks. I used Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet as a main inspiration. He has such a great mix of wearing trucker pants and Hawaiian shirts, together with bold colours and crazy hats.

You have a very individual design aesthetic and use really interesting fabrics; is this something you always focus on?

Yes, I always start my design process with fabric sourcing. I like to play with fabrics and twist what’s conventional and I think this is one of the most interesting elements of design.

What are the immediate plans for the brand moving forward?

We are now building the brand by introducing three different characters for the line. The Purist – the classic streetwear kid that loves bold prints, colours and shapes (the old WeSC customer).

The First Gen – the customer who cares about quality and iconic products in the collection. And the Model 2.0 – the more trend-focused customer that is new for WeSC; this is the top of the line where the focus is about new things and what’s exciting in streetwear at the moment.

Who do you admire in terms of brands and designers?

Since I started working with WeSC I check a lot of other streetwear brands including Supreme, Palace and different collaborations of sportswear brands. As I come from a ready-to-wear brand, I’m really excited to see where Demna Gvasalia will take Balenciaga and Vetements, which for me feels very fresh.

What have been the ‘must-dos’ with this new collection?

I’m building iconic new products for the brand.

The customer always needs to be able to find the Bomber, the Parkas and the Windbreaker together with traditional streetwear materials and expression, such as the camouflage, Hawaii print and bold stripes.

Which male celebrity figure would you most like to see wearing WeSC? I do not think of a special celebrity, but more a character in a Wes Anderson movie.

QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS — How do you unwind?

I always appreciate playing with my daughter when coming home from work. On weekends I unwind by cooking and relaxing with my family.

— What are the three things on your bucket list?

Participate in the Swedish radio programme Sommar, tour the States in a pink Cadillac, create a big garden.

— What’s your secret talent?

I love karaoke!

— What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Aim higher. Dream bigger.

—

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