SCHOOLWEAR BUYER: THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION FROM THE SCHOOLWEAR INDUSTRY
CURIOUS ORANJ
DAVID LUKE
39: News
40: Family ties How UK manufacturer William Turner, a leading supplier of school ties and accessories, is implementing the next phase of its business whilst preserving the company’s culture and core values MARCH/APRIL 2017 - 37
NEW
Hard working, great looking senior suiting options. Durability in mind. Ethics at heart.
CWB Half-page.indd 1
NEW! Girls pinstripe suit
Academia suit
Mix & match suit
NEW for Summer 2017, the stylish David Luke Girls pinstripe suit further strengthens our popular senior suiting range, with the same modern styling and durable poly/wool fabric as our hard-wearing Academia suits. Available in a jacket, straight skirt and slim fit trouser. The additional mix & match options, featured opposite, complement our full suiting range. Plus, our recently extended Academia range of poly/wool blend jackets now includes a Boys slim fit trouser and a Girls straight skirt – creating a smart, comfortable and stylish look, suitable for the entire academic year.
Visit davidluke.com to discover more about our senior suiting range, or call 0161 272 7474 to request a sample. 23/02/2017 15:24
SCHOOLWEAR | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK
Schoolwear NEWS:
RECOGNITION FOR THE MAGIC TOUCH
The latest news from the schoolwear industry. AWARD WINNING BRENDA’S
Steve Optix, co-owner of schoolwear independent Brenda’s in Camberley, Surrey, collected his CWB Independent Retail Award 2016 for Best Schoolwear Store at the recent edition of kids’ trade fair, Bubble London. Commenting on the accolade, Optix says, “We’re very proud to have won, it’s fantastic to know that what we do and how we do it is recognised. We couldn’t have done it without the support of the wonderful suppliers and manufacturers we work with and the loyal and hardworking staff.” Far from resting on its laurels, the business continues to roll out developments, with 2017 marking the launch of a new website, a restructure in terms of stock handling and management, and internal promotions in order to improve the overall dynamic of the business. “At Brenda’s, we constantly strive to improve our business for everyone: parents, schools and staff,” continues Optix. “We believe that the second you stand still, you will be overtaken. One day the energy may wane but right now it’s stronger than ever and we are making further massive improvements to our business this year to push the boundaries of school uniform supply to parents.” —
NEWS IN BRIEF
APTUS PERFORMANCE JOINS BMB APTUS Performance is the latest addition to BMB’s sportswear offering and features 12 stock-supported garments – six specifically designed for girls and six for boys. For boys, the collection comprises a short sleeve training top, polo shirt, quarter zip training top, training shorts, slim leg training pants and a rain jacket. Girls will welcome flattering design features that have been researched and tested in conjunction with students and PE staff. All tops feature front angled panels and tape design for a slimline look and a sporty racer back panel. The short sleeve training top also has side cords to adjust length to suit the individual wearer and sport. Training shorts provide complete support around the middle, whilst still enabling effortless movement The current APTUS Performance collection is available in black and navy and a colour choice of five trims, with six new base colours due to be launched in April. A personalisation service offering trims in school colours, as well as embroidered logos, is also available. —
The Trophex 2017 show, a UK exhibition for the awards and recognition industry hosted at the NEC, saw The Magic Touch awarded the accolade of Best Image Transfer Product for its latest image transfer innovation. Using cutting-edge toner-based transfer technology, the company has developed a new process to personalise football, rugby and various other sport balls with full colour logos and images. Until now, the personalisation of balls for the promotions market has been mainly restricted to single colour designs applied using traditional pad or screen printing techniques. Using the ProSeries Oki 7411WT white-toner printer and CPM transfer paper, full colour images and logos can be applied to almost any type of ball using a modified ball-shaped platen. The process is quick, easy and durable with the cost per printed panel less than 10p per image. “We recently produced some personalised balls for a local football club decorated with 18 team member photos, which was very well received,” says The Magic Touch’s MD, Jim Nicol. “It offers a great business opportunity for those in the awards and recognition market to develop over the coming months and years.” —
MADPAX LAUNCHES NEW BTS DESIGNS
BEN SHERMAN BTS SHOES
US backpack brand MadPax, which fuses fashion with functionality, has introduced new designs to its collection for this year’s Back to School. Styles include Raptor, Full Scale, Surfaces and Artipacks, with the Pint range of small backpacks seeing the introduction of new metallic shades in silver and gold. Additionally, MadPax is introducing a new style to the UK this summer, which has been designed in collaboration with an American cartoonist. Available in its half pack size aimed at 4–8 year olds, the bag comes complete with a sheet of stickers inside, which match the design of the bag. —
A/w 17 saw Shewitts Agencies, which has over 35 years’ experience in the children’s footwear industry, take on representation of Ben Sherman Back to School (BTS) shoes for the South and South Wales. Shewitts Agencies was approached by 33 Joints, a UK fashion footwear distribution company, with the aim of taking Ben Sherman BTS shoes to independent children’s retailers. The Ben Sherman BTS collection starts at size 3 and runs up to a UK size 12 to accommodate teenage sizes. There are 12 styles available, mostly lace-ups, which wholesale between £21 and £26.50. —
— Established in 2004, Havering Schoolwear in Belgrave Avenue, Gidea Park has built its business up to service over 30 schools in the borough. Now, due to the retailer’s success, it has relocated to a new shop in Hornchurch Road. The move is key to the business’s growth and an opportunity for it to work with even more schools.
— Connah’s Quay High School in Flintshire, Wales has been accused of sexism following a proposal to ban girls from wearing trousers as part of the school uniform. The school, which has experienced problems with girls wearing tight trousers, leggings and jeans as part of their uniform, has now launched a consultation with parents to allow them to provide their views on the matter.
— A recent trend among young school children for giant, colourful hair bows - the signature look of teenage dancing YouTube star, JoJo Siwa – has resulted in many UK schools banning the hair accessory. The bows – nicknamed JoJo bows – are viewed by many schools as a breach of uniform policy.
MARCH/APRIL 2017 - 39
WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK | PROFILE
FAMILY TIES
CWB’s Laura Turner discovers how UK manufacturer William Turner, a leading supplier of school ties and accessories, is implementing the next phase of its business whilst preserving the company’s culture and core values. —
40 - MARCH/APRIL 2017
PROFILE | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK
THE HISTORY BEHIND WILLIAM TURNER & SON In 1969, a gentleman named William Turner found himself redundant from his job as a schoolwear salesman when the firm he worked for closed. What William – or Bill as he was better known – could not have realised back then, was that this unfortunate circumstance had a very silver lining. Had he not been made redundant, he would not have established his own business, one we know today as William Turner, a leading supplier of school ties and accessories, which almost 50 years later, continues to thrive under the careful watch of Turner’s family. But first things first: how William Turner all began. Until this time, school ties had previously been made from wool/cotton. However, ICI had just developed a polyester fibre that was suitable for making ties and recognising that these were much cheaper and could easily be washed, Bill Turner started buying tie cloth from Skipton and Macclesfield’s weaving mills. Based from a small spare bedroom in his house, he initially sent the cloth to local factories to be made into ties, before very quickly setting up his own tie making factory. The business model was successful. Trade began to grow, fuelled not least by the new comprehensive schools of the early 1970s seeking inexpensive ways of differentiating themselves, the solution for which they found in the school tie. As time went on, word of mouth helped build the business’s reputation and with it, additional products and customers. A FAMILY AFFAIR Before long, Bill’s son, Keith Turner, joined the
company and they themselves were joined by a team to provide the expertise to take the company forward. Sadly, Bill passed away in 1984, but not before seeing the company become a supplier to many schoolwear retailers across the UK with the William Turner & Son range. In 2000, the business extended its portfolio and to accompany the ties, began supplying school bags. To enable this addition, William Turner partnered with a factory in China dedicated solely to its production. The relationship between the two businesses has fortified and grown over time, as has the family involvement in the business, as William Turner’s managing director Daniel Turner, Bill’s grandson, explains. “My father, Keith, retired in 2011 and my brother John and I, together with our fellow director Andy Smith who joined the company 40 years ago, took over the helm. My sister Heather also recently joined as HR manager, continuing the link as a family business.” IT’S ALL IN THE NAME You may have noticed recently that William Turner has undertaken something of a rebranding exercise, which has seen the retiring of the company’s Unicol trade name. The rebranding project, which is being led by the company’s marketing manager Hayley Bonnick, was officially unveiled at the Schoolwear Show in October, with the name change coming into effect via the new www.william-turner.co.uk landing page and the company’s 2017 brochure. The brochure, which features both model photography alongside William Turner’s famous illustrated characters, has received
rave reviews for its new approach. The change of labels, swing tickets and POS meanwhile, is gradually hitting the shops as we speak. “My grandfather came up with Unicol as a trade name – William Turner & Son would sell Unicol products – but it often confused people,” explains Daniel, on the reasoning behind the rebrand. “For instance, at one Schoolwear Show where we showed under the Unicol name, we saw customers walk right past our stand and heard them say, ‘I wonder where William Turner is this year?’ What we’ve realised is that William Turner is the true ‘brand’; a name so trusted and well known in the market. We hope having all our products carry the William Turner name will make everything much more straightforward for our customers. “No extra work is required,” he continues. “All of the ordering processes are staying the same. It’s just another way of telling people what William Turner has to offer. Our company name will always be William Turner & Son but for simplicity, we have shortened it to William Turner, which is what most customers call us.” As well as simplifying the branding, the renewed focus on the William Turner brand is also paving the way for the company to reiterate its ethos and voice its values as well as providing a build-up to a very big milestone for the firm in a couple of years’ time. “We are coming up to 50 years of business in 2019,” Daniel continues. “We are all incredibly proud of the heritage of the company and the fact that we continue to manufacture our school ties in the UK. We’re a quality, well-established, British-built company and with that in mind, we believe the name William Turner reflects this perfectly. To have >>> MARCH/APRIL 2017 - 41
WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK | PROFILE
William Turner stamped on every single one of our products can only spur us on to get better and better. It’s a really emotional thing, to see your family name on something you’re so proud of. Unicol has served us well, but this is about owning the brand and making sure our customers know how much we believe in it.” RENEWED FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING Along with the name change, William Turner has seen other modifications in the last year, all with the aim of making the business as efficient as possible in today’s market. One such development is a new IT and phone system, now in the final stages of completion and which is having a huge impact on how the company communicates with its customers. Additionally, the appointment of marketing manager Bonnick, who joined the team just over a year ago, has enhanced the business’s marketing strategies considerably, ensuring the William Turner brand is managed consistently across all platforms. Bonnick’s input has also allowed the company to introduce new sales material for retailers along with renewed focus on digital marketing which, in light of the how the schoolwear market is evolving, will remain a priority. “Our retailers have to adapt to the rise of online consumer behaviour and the changes on the high street, but I do believe most relish these challenges,” says Daniel. “For us, it means we have to be better than ever in supporting our retailers in looking after their schools. The heavy investment into our IT systems last year is now starting to pay off, but we always have to look at how we can continue to improve.”
42 - MARCH/APRIL 2017
CHAMPIONING UK MANUFACTURE A key message underpinning William Turner’s marketing and communication is its support of UK manufacturing. William Turner’s philosophy is that a smart school uniform is of real benefit to schools and school children. With this in mind, it prides itself on manufacturing quality, affordable schoolwear accessories including ties, bags, scarves, hair accessories, hats and winterwear. Essentially, a full range of accessories, one that the company continues to evaluate and supplement based on feedback from retailers. “We will be shouting louder than ever about the benefits of UK manufacturing,” confirms Daniel. “The quality, consistency and speed to market it provides, as well as playing a part in sustaining the Great British heritage of textile manufacturing,” With schools increasingly looking for smarter school uniform options, even at primary level, William Turner views the school tie as an effective and affordable way of achieving just that. To meet growing demand, the company is placing significant investment in production. So, in addition to its factory in Skipton, North Yorkshire, the firm is moving its second factory from Colne, Lancashire, to expanded premises in nearby Nelson. As well as the obvious advantages to production, the new factory will allow William Turner to capitalise on promoting UK manufacture to its retailers, with the plan being to invite as many as possible to the new Nelson site in order to demonstrate, first-hand, how the company’s ties are made. This in turn will allow William Turner the opportunity to relay the key benefits it gains
from UK manufacturing and for these values to be fed down, via the retailers, to the schools. “We really believe that manufacturing school ties in the UK is the best thing for us and for the schoolwear trade as a whole,” says Daniel. “We want our customers to be able to sell to schools with confidence that their products have been ethically made. It’s great to employ so many dedicated and highly skilled people and we’re proud to pay proper wages. “Having total control of our production means we can get ties made very quickly; we don’t have to wait for weeks for items to arrive from other parts of the world. And, by having a strong UK supply chain, we can also ensure consistency of quality and make-up, something that is critical to schools. “We are grateful to all of our customers for supporting Made in UK and we know that however important that is in itself, UK-made is not everything; we also have to be better, quicker and more consistent than offshore.” THE WILLIAM TURNER PHILOSOPHY With two, expanding, UK factories under its belt and a work force of 120 employees, William Turner has come a long way, and its original, spare bedroom holding is now a 14,000 sq ft warehouse. The purpose and values of the business, however, remain entirely unchanged as Daniel confirms. “As I hope our customers know, we strive every day to deliver a quality product on time, at a competitive price.” He concludes: “Dad used to say, “Be pleasant, be efficient and get on with it,” which will always be how we like to do things.” www.william-turner.co.uk
n tion vatio nova Inno In
GUE C ATA L O
20 2 17 17 E GU E LOGU TALO CATA CA
TY QUALI ARD AS STAND
E SERVIC IT’S PERSONAL WITH US,
ILITY RELIAB E CONFIDENC ORDER IN
LISATION PERSONA & PRINTING EMBROIDERY
REQUEST YOUR 2017 CATALOGUE NOW
COMPREHENSIVE
product range
LONG-LASTING quality schoolwear
COMPETITIVE
pricing
EXTENSIVE
stock holdings
SCHOOLWEAR... SPORTSWEAR...
Top to toe we’ve got it covered!
NEXT DAY
DELIVERY
CALL US TODAY
0208 887 8778
OR VISIT
www.innovationschoolwear.co.uk
WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK | INFORMATION
NAMES & NUMBERS: A AMcEvoy 00353871373536 www.aamcevoy.com Acorn & Will 07921 261194 www. acornandwill.co.uk Aden + anais 0203 735 7576 www.adenandanais.co.uk Age of Innocence 07720 771713 www.age-of-innocence.com Albetta 01628 820082 www.s-cbrands.com Ana Moly 07775 70976 www.ana-moly.co.uk Andorine 020 313 73503 www.andorine.com / www.vida-kids.co.uk Angel’s Face 01732 823700 www.angels-face.co.uk Annaliv 07736 941181 www.annaliv.co.uk Attic 01202 696902 www.attic-textiles.co.uk Avery Row 07879 483910 www.avery-row.com B
BabyHub 07797 719542 www.babyhubshop.com Beau & Rooster sales@beauandrooster.com www.beauandrooster.com Belo & Me 07860 270555 www.beloandme.co.uk Blade & Rose 01539 730880 www.bladeandrose.co.uk BMB 01225 715070 www.bluemaxbanner.co.uk Bobux 01280 701683 www.bobux.co.uk BOGS 001 8000323505 www.bogsfootwear.co.uk
C Cam Cam Copenhagen 07855 509069 www.camcam.dk Cheeky Chompers 0131 4408370 www.cheekychompers.com D David Luke 0161 2727474 www.davidluketrade.com DoddleBags 0800 0868864 www.doddlebags.com Donsje 00316 15874269 www.donsje.com F Frugi 01326 558462 www.frugiwholesale.com Funnababy 0090 2165830612 www.funnababy.com H Hana Baby 07899 785367 www.hanababy.co.uk Harry & Rose 01227 392114 www.harryandrose.com Hollyz 0333 920 5988 www.hollyz.com Honey & Toast 07866 371901 www.honeyandtoast.co.uk House of Bibs 07923 346324 www.houseofbibs.com I
iCandy sales@iCandyuk.com www.icandyworld.com Iglo + Indi 00354 6929263 www.igloindi.com
J Jem + Bea 07718 3183828 www.jemandbea.com Joules www.joules.com K KeriKit 07967 699474 www.kerikit.com
SUBSCRIP TION: CURIOUS ORANJ
L
Lala & Bea 07769 704379 www.lalaandbea.com Les Rêves d’Anaïs 0032 93693596 www.lesrevesdanais.com Little Hotdog Watson 0208 1335678 www.littlehotdogwatson.com Little Lord & Lady 07734 357865 www.littlelordandlady.co.uk Love & Honor 0033 617162688 www.loveandhonor.co Lullaby Shades 02476 016160 www.lullabyshades.co.uk
M
MadPax hello@madpaxworld.com www.madpaxworld.com Mama & Belle 07828 159689 www.mamaandbelle.com Mama Designs 0121 3660267 www.mamascarf.co.uk Milk Monster 07930 483044 www.milkmonster.com Mini A Ture 07711 746276 www.solobi.co.uk Moccis 0333 5777500 www.moccis.co.uk Mooi by Lienkie 07738 449761 www.mooibylienkie.com Muzzies 07590 078617 www.muzzies.co.uk
EU £55 (inc. p&p) Outside EU £94 (inc. p&p)
N Natures Purest 0116 2792901 www.naturespurest.co.uk Nibbling 07943 958860 www.nibbling.co.uk
NCWA & The Schoolwear Association members in EU £27 (inc. p&p)
O Old Soles 0061 417686642 www.oldsoles.com.au O’Tedd 0044 3301241816 www.otedd.com/wholesale
NCWA & The Schoolwear Association members outside EU £50 (inc. p&p)
P Platypus Australia 0061 414294141 www.platypusaustralia.com Pulp 07531 016482 www.pulp-bamboo.com R Rachel Riley 020 793 57007 www.rachelriley.co.uk Rowlinson Knitwear 0161 4777791 www.rowlinson-knitwear.com
To subscribe simply call us on: +44 (0)1484 846069 or email: data@ras-publishing.com
S Sense Organics 07970 383188 www.sense-organics.com / www.littleicons.co.uk Skip Hop 01582 434250 www.skiphop.com Slumberland 07867 397699 www.slumberland.co.uk Squidge & Pip 07867 805559 www.squidgeandpip.com T The Magic Touch 01582 671444 www.themagictouch.co.uk Tioom et Mère 0082 1028717783 www.tioometmere.com Trixie 0032 93693596 www.trixie-baby.com W William Turner 0161 4808582 www.william-turner.co.uk
44 - MARCH/APRIL 2017
DIRECTORY | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK
ACCESSORIES
DISTRIBUTOR WANTED
SCHOOL TIES
Balloon Bijoux Girls hair & fashion accessories for all ages www.balloonbijoux.co.uk
New organic label with a unique concept are looking for a distributor in the UK.
TO ADVERTISE IN THE CWB DIRECTORY PLEASE CALL MICHELE ON
0208 207 2500 info@balloonbijoux.co.uk
01484 848337
Balloon Bijoux The Telegraph(UK) March 2015 “I am impressed by this organic babywear brand”.
OR EMAIL MICHELE @RAS-PUBLISHING.COM
Tel: +31(0)30 7514025 Email: natalie@daddyproof.nl www.daddyproofkidswear.com
www.candybows.co.uk Hand tied, classic hair bows for school, parties & everyday.
SCHOOLWEAR
AGENCY
ORCHARD AGENCY
Pettiskirts, dresses, baby onesies, tutus, wings & wands & t-shirts.
Chris, Carol, Lisa & Ray are the team behind Orchard, a leading second generation childrens clothing agency in the UK, with expertise in London and the South East. Orchard Agency, 28 Fourth Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex CO13 9DX Tel: 01255 674301 Email: chris@orchardagency.co.uk carol&ray@orchardagency.co.uk
CWB BUSINESS DIRECTORY
BABY & KIDS SHOES
WELDON AGENCIES SCHOOL TIES
TIE & SCARF COMPANY
The specialist in
SCHOOL TIES plus badges
Established for over 25 years, two generations, covering all areas of the UK. Representing leading brands from Europe and Canada, catering for boys and girls 0 to 16 years. Styling from contemporary to traditional. FUN & FUN, LE CHIC, DEUX PAR DEUX, NO NO, BOBOLI, FOQUE, SARDON, LARANJINHA, JEYCAT Weldon Agencies, Southport, Merseyside Tel: 01704 576033 Email: barrieweldon@btconnect.com, andrewweldon@btconnect.com www.weldonagencies.co.uk
VANHUIZEN AGENCIES
TO ADVERTISE IN THE CWB DIRECTORY PLEASE CALL MICHELE ON
01484 848337 OR EMAIL MICHELE @RAS-PUBLISHING.COM
Warth Industrial Park, Warth Road, Bury BL9 9NB Tel: 0161 761 5151 Fax: 0161 762 0202 Email: tieandscarf@chaytow.com Web: www.tieandscarf.co.uk
Van Huizen Agencies is a young, fresh and vibrant agency, for the more discerning retailer requiring beautiful and unique collections. OILILY KIDS, ROOM SEVEN KIDS, RAP KIDS SHOES Unit 12, Derwent Business center, Clarke Street, DERBY DE1 2BU Tel: 07967 560633 Email: franck@vanhuizenagencies.co.uk www.vanhuizenagencies.co.uk
MARCH/APRIL 2017 - 45
WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK | TALKING POINT
DAN NATHAN Co-Founder, Beau & Rooster Launched last year by three dads, Beau & Rooster is the new name in organic kids’ sleepwear for 2-10 years. Boasting a conscience as clear as its ethos, it is committed to transparency and ethical, sustainable production. Laura Turner speaks to co-founder Dan Nathan to learn more. — Laura Turner: Who is behind Beau & Rooster? Dan Nathan: Two of the three founders, myself and Andreas Kindler, were in the process of moving to Paris with our wives and kids and literally met at the school gates on the first day. I was already in the fashion industry, previously working at Adidas, H&M and then as a consultant, which included a year with the Swedish kids’ brand, Mini Rodini. Andreas was a fashion photographer. The third founder, Linus Christiansson, was in advertising and branding. LT: What does the collection comprise? DN: The styles we’ve put together are kids’ sleepwear essentials; a long-sleeve, classic PJ and a nightdress. Our collections will offer some basic prints, but also some more outspoken ones designed to be recognised as Beau & Rooster. We are only in our first collection, so will adapt to what is needed. LT: Why launch a kids’ brand and specifically sleepwear? DN: Being dads, there was something appealing about starting a kids’ brand and sleepwear seemed to fit nicely. We also felt the sleepwear market could do with a little bit of a shake-up in terms of ethos, design and quality appeal. LT: What is your brand ethos? DN: It’s really simple. Our spirit and culture are based around creating a sustainable brand with as little impact on the environment as possible. We are a brand that focuses on quality first. So we only source the highest quality
organic fabrics from farms that only produce small quantities of raw materials and who specialise in producing organic crops. We also insist we stay local and we only produce in Europe – it makes work life a lot easier. Cost v quality is not something we compromise on and this has already been recognised by the brand’s early adopters. LT: Why is Beau & Rooster’s ethical stance so integral? DN: I read an article recently about a global fashion brand having to invest millions of dollars into cleaning up a local river near its production factory in India because of the toxic waste from the fabric dyes. This is not a hypothetical issue; it’s happening daily in low cost countries where insufficient systems are unable to deal with mass production methods. There are of course brands and suppliers in Europe, and indeed low cost countries, who are making huge efforts to source and operate in what is considered an ethical way, but the fact is that there will always be a huge relationship between ethically produced clothing, the production location and the price of a garment. Our focus is to work only in Europe, with the best suppliers and with the best fabrics, and to offer a middle price point. Brands often get themselves into difficulties because cost price nearly always drives their choice of supplier, and the further east you go from Europe the cheaper it gets. We look at it the other way around and see very clear opportunities to set ourselves apart. We are only four months old but we have visited every part of the supply chain, including knowing where our cotton is grown and harvested. Our customers love that and it’s partly why we have had such a positive start. By keeping to these principal values, we’ve set out the basis of our future. LT: What do you consider your USPs? DN: We lead the way for innovation and change; it’s possible to produce products from the best materials, using the best production methods, and yet still produce in Europe and be competitive on price. We also offer added features to increase our garments’ shelf life, such as double age ranges, grow-into-cuffs and repair kits with spare fabric to patch up garments. LT: What are the plans for wholesale? DN: To attract a mixture of stockists and find a balance of firmly established web-based players and more traditional bricks and mortar
46 - MARCH/APRIL 2017
L/R: LINUS, ANDREAS, DAN
accounts who have a direct local and regional relationship with customers. LT: Who are your preliminary stockists? DN: In the UK, Olive Loves Alfie and Alex & Alexa and in Sweden, UniBarn, Babyshop, Oii Design and Geijersgatan 53 in Malmö. LT: What would you like to achieve in the coming year? DN: We are only four months old and the coming year is full of wonderfully challenging projects. Our aim for 2017 is to increase brand awareness in the UK and Scandinavia by creating a loyal customer base and to start establishing ourselves as one of the ‘go to’ sleepwear brands in Europe. LT: What inspired the brand name? DN: It just clicked. Beau means beautiful in French and we all know that roosters wake us up, so there’s a nice undertone to sleepwear. Companies can spend a lot of time on their choice of brand name but they often set about it the wrong way. Our tip is to approach your decision based on legal standpoints, with a long term view on trademark protection. Hiring a trademark lawyer could be one of the best investments you make. LT: Do you have a business motto? DN: There are three of us who own the brand, but we all realise that life is about finding a balance between expectations and personal happiness. So, the saying, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” is very appropriate for our journey. It makes our business a lot of fun – even though we are working very hard.
Š2017. All rights reserved Young Soles, Photography by Emma Donnelly.
AUTUMN / WINTER 2017 Available for wholesale orders. Contact sales@youngsoles.co.uk for more information.
LONDON
meliamelia.com
See things differently...
16 & 17 July 2017 Business Design Centre
Apply for a stand at www.bubblelondon.com #discoverbubble