The Big 'Fashion' Issue

I visited The Big Fashion Issue at the Broadway cinema in Nottingham. The event is held by the Designer Forum, it is where companies visit to give lectures. These are the companies whose lectures I listened to.

Traid
They are a textile recycling for aid and international development company. It was started in 1999 to try and change ideas around second hand clothing. I was told about how the fashion industry drains resources, this process is: extraction, production, distribution, consumption, disposal. 1 in 6 people work connected to clothing and 1.2 million tonnes of textile waste is generated each year. A lot of dyes toxins and unnatural fibres get into the ground from the process of throwing away clothes, these release methane gases and it has been found there are more deformed births near landfills. If there was less waste the effects would be seen in 10 years, less waste = less methane.
Traid sells used clothes and they give the money to causes. The clothes are seperated into cheaper and more expensive clothes. Each shop is different to suit different areas.
Traid fund 5 projects a year to help charities and they also work with other charities e.g. Azafady in Madagascar building wells, schools etc. They also recycle 94% of stuff they receive and sell some of it to rag trade.
Traid remade is where the company alter clothes to make new ones but also making them affordable, they look at trends and make clothes to suit them.

Billy Bag
It is a UK niche brand started in 1998, it has 3 collections a year, prices range from £100-£250 for leather bags. Their first stockist was Harrods. They have an average of 22 pieces of editorial per year. The company has signature prints that are carried on and recognised as the brand. To make sales there are things a company must do these are: research and travel, look at global economy, become a member of a trade body, know languages, approach the UK embassy in this country and visit trade shows before applying for a stand.
Billy Bag have started celeb gifting, they have found advertising on buses also work well. The model chosen to represent Billy Bag has the London look where the company originated.

Rigby and Peller - lingerie and swimwear
Established 1939, sells 30 lingerie brands and 20 swimwear, sizes 30A to 38J they also sell maternity and mastectomy bras and have an alteration service. The collection is sourced from around the world each season and the company perform a brand audit, they look at brands and their purpose in the company. Prior to each buying season the company look at strengths: repertoire of brands, awareness, attitudes, currency, integrity, performance, competetive advantage, strong brand identity and name. And their weaknesses: managing change, servicing customers, consistent premium quality, recognisable style, limited production run to ensure exclusivity and uniqueness. They now have their own label that took over 2 years to develop nut means they can highlight that they havn't yet offered. All the components, trimmings etc are sourced from Europe. The price point for a bra is £50. Samples are made in China. The made to measure service bras are made in a work room in Knightsbridge and a bespoke bra costs about £260.