CWB99 Schoolwear

SCHOOLWEAR BUYER: THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION FROM THE SCHOOLWEAR INDUSTRY

MAPED HELIX

35: News

36: BMB sports a new face Blue Max Banner’s new group sales and marketing director, Laura Thomas, discusses her appointment and how she plans to apply her industry knowledge to the BMB business.

38: The strength of independence Kathryn Shuttleworth, MD of David Luke, presents her views on the ever-changing landscape of the schoolwear industry, the government influences on the sector and her strategy for David Luke in light of these developments.

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 33

Playing the long game…

1935

Founded to supply functional and affordable clothing.

2000

Introduced dependable fast service levels for delivery and 5 day embroidery.

2002

Initiated a Customer Satisfaction Survey which shows increase year on year.

2006

Our trusted Charter was launched.

2015

We became owned by our employees - we will never be sold.

2015

Awarded Investors in People Gold.

Our aspirations do not change: • Our Values are based on Trust and Care.

• We don’t supply schools or consumers direct.

• We value our customers and will act in their interest.

t: 0161 477 7791 Free Fax Orderline: 0800 072 0217 e: sales@rowlinson-knitwear.com

www.rowlinson-knitwear.com

The perfect fit.)

Trousers and skirts accepted by schools and fashion-conscious girls.

Available in 3 colours, black, grey & navy, these approved styles come in a wide range of sizes. From waist 22” right up to 38”, trouser leg lengths of S, R, L, XL and skirt lengths including 16”, 18”, 20”, 22” & 24”, a comfortable fit is ensured.

Call: 0161 272 7474 to request a sample or visit davidluke.com to find out more.

All our trousers & skirts are made using polyester derived from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

*

SCHOOLWEAR | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

Schoolwear NEWS: The latest news from the schoolwear industry.

FRODDO STEPS UP BACK TO SCHOOL OFFER

SCHOOLWEAR ASSOCIATION ISSUES NEW GUIDANCE

Children’s footwear brand Froddo has launched new Back to School styles for 2016 including a smaller Chelsea boot and a boys’ and girls’ double strap style.

Froddo’s BTS collection focuses on simple lines, colours to complement school uniforms and Velcro fastener entry systems to provide a simple method for the shoes to be put on and taken off easily. Made from high quality leather, the shoes also provide comfort and protection against foot perspiration. The Back to School collection is available in sizes 25-40.

Additionally, Froddo can now provide retailers with in-season top-ups, depending on stock levels, via a new B2B service.

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The Schoolwear Association (SA) has issued guidance to its members about “potentially dramatic” changes to the school uniform supply chain.

Following The Department for Education’s (DfE) announcement that its School Uniform Guidelines are becoming statutory, the SA is advising all those involved with any part of the school uniform market to make themselves aware of the changes.

The statutory guidelines, which are expected to be in place by the end of next year, will require schools to undertake tendering before selecting suppliers for school-specific uniform.

The announcement that the previous guidelines would no longer be optional has led to a rush of enquiries from schools to the association about how to respond.

“Although we believe that schools generally make sensible and pragmatic decisions about supply, price and the balance of school uniform, we welcome the changes as we believe they will create greater certainty for schools,” says SA chair David Burgess. “However, this will have an impact on the industry, and we are advising members to contact us to ensure they prepare efficiently.”

The SA anticipates one effect of the statutory guidelines is that schools will take more control over who supplies them, with more schools trademarking their badges as a part of the tender process.

“The Competition and Markets Authority has said it will monitor the effect of the rules to ensure that schools and suppliers comply with competition law,” continues Burgess. “It is important that the industry responds to this, and as an association we have promised our cooperation with the CMA.” —

EASIER WEEDING BY THE MAGIC TOUCH The Magic Touch has marketed its range of 123Flex and garment vinyl products for many years, with the current range now in excess of over 160 different colours and effects. However, as with all flex products cut using traditional plotters, the transfers need to be ‘weeded’, which is considered the most laborious and costly part of the garment decoration process.

“When using flex to decorate garments you cut the flex with a plotter/cutter and then you ‘weed’ away the flex that is not in the design and heat press it on,” says Jim Nicol, MD at The Magic Touch.

In light of this issue, The Magic Touch has introduced ‘easy-2-weed’, an improved feature for the existing white 123Flex at no extra cost. Using the latest gravure precision engineering during the manufacturing, an embossed effect on the hotmelt backside is applied, enabling cut lines to be more visible and making the weeding process easier and quicker.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

— To celebrate World Book Day, school uniform supplier Trutex ran a Twitter campaign inviting parents to tweet images of their child’s World Book Day outfit for the chance to win a Trutex blouse or shirt of their choice.

TOP RATED BOROUGH FOR ECO SCHOOLS Caerphilly County Borough has been rated within the top three local authority areas in Wales for its number of Eco-Schools.

To date, every school in the county borough has an Eco-School award, with 79 per cent having a Green Flag award, which is testament of their hard work to ensure that they are a sustainable school. Green Flags are renewed every two years.

On the fourth renewal, the school is granted an Eco-Schools Platinum award.

An international initiative, the Eco-Schools programme provides a framework to support sustainable development and global citizenship in schools. The programme was developed in 1994 by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), and introduced into the UK (including Scotland) in 1995.

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SOUTH KOREA SCHOOL UNIFORM SHORTAGE The closure of a jointly run industrial zone in North Korea has caused a school uniform shortage in South Korea.

Manufacturers based in the Kaesong Industrial Complex had to leave behind thousands of school uniforms when North Korea expelled all South Korean workers from the site last month.

The South had earlier announced the suspension of its operations at the complex in response to North Korea’s rocket launch and nuclear testing.

Strained relations between the two countries have resulted in the shutdown of the joint venture.

In light of the situation, South Korea’s education ministry has advised schools to relax their uniform policies until new uniforms can be provided for students.

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— Grove School in Market Drayton has introduced a new logo to commemorate its 50th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, the school challenged pupils to help in the redesign of its blazer and tie to incorporate the new logo. However, the remodelled grey blazer has received mixed reviews, with parents going so far as to launch a petition against the new design.

— Last month saw eTrader, supplier of fully responsive and e-commerce enabled websites for garment decorators and promotional clothing companies, launch its new corporate branding and a fully responsive website. The eTrader websites platform has also been refreshed, both in terms of new responsive designs and new functionality.

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 35

INTERVIEW | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

BMB SPORTS A NEW FACE Independent supplier of schoolwear and sportswear Blue Max Banner (BMB) has appointed Laura Thomas as group sales and marketing director, completing its senior management team and board of directors.

Thomas has a long-standing career in the sales and marketing of sportswear and her appointment, together with BMB’s acquisition of the Orion Teamwear brand in January, reflects the business’s commitment to creating a strong and competitive sportswear brand with an operational performance to match. She tells Laura Turner how she will apply her industry knowledge and experience to the BMB business and what the plans are for BMB’s sportswear offer.

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Laura Turner: What is your career background prior to joining Blue Max Banner (BMB) as group sales and marketing director?

Laura Thomas: My background is in strategic marketing planning. Specifically, I have a long-standing career in the sales and marketing of sportswear, having worked as a group marketing director/deputy managing director for Kukri Sports, a company I joined in 2004. Some of my career highlights include being part of the Kukri team awarded the Team England contract for the supply of performance, leisure and formalwear to the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow.

LT: What’s first on your agenda at BMB? LTh: First on the agenda is sportswear, and overseeing the full integration of the Orion Teamwear brand into the BMB stable. I come with a wealth of knowledge from the MTO

sportswear sector and will be drawing upon this.

LT: As you mentioned, BMB recently acquired sportswear business Orion Teamwear. What course of events led to the acquisition?

LTh: BMB has a great reputation in the schoolwear market, but it didn’t have a sportswear brand to match. BMB already offered a stock supported capsule collection of Orion products, so the relationship was already firmly established prior to the acquisition.

When an opportunity came up to acquire the Orion Teamwear side of the business, it made perfect sense for BMB to grow its sportswear offering through this route.

LT: What will BMB now be able to offer in terms of sportswear product?

LTh: Now, with Orion, BMB can offer the best

possible full schoolwear solution and more crucially, be able to deliver MTO sportswear with BMB service levels. It can provide a full range of performance and trainingwear as well as a capsule range that is stock supported.

Just as with schoolwear, BMB’s sportswear offering will continually evolve, offering the best designs and fabrics.

LT: As both former group marketing director/ deputy managing director for Kukri Sports and an ex-international netball player, you have extensive sportswear knowledge. What advantage does this pose?

LTh: I have experience from both sides, from wearing kit – sometimes good, mostly bad – and then from the other side, where we have the ability to make kit great. Fit and design are hugely important and I’m passionate about delivering on both fronts.

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 36

INTERVIEW | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

LT: How do you view the current state of the school sportswear market?

LTh: It has definitely grown over the years.

Nowadays, children want to look good and feel good when they play their chosen sport and team games. Confidence plays a big role in team success; it’s also important that the school is well represented and stands out from the crowd. It’s an exciting market to work in, and one which I believe will continue to grow, strengthen and evolve.

LT: What do you view as the key areas of growth in school sportswear? And also the main challenges?

LTh: With the growth of Academies, more and more schools are looking for a personalised approach that covers all sports – MTO options, sublimation and more modern performance fabrics. The challenge here, for the schools, is to find a supplier that can deliver a team brand kit on time and one which represents good value, as well as providing great performance teamwear that fits the rigours of the sport and the school’s needs. With Orion Teamwear, BMB is perfectly positioned to deliver this with the service levels for which it is renowned.

LT: What is your strategy for BMB’s marketing?

LTh: As BMB has grown significantly through acquisitions, and has a number of brands within its stable, we are currently in the process of undertaking a full review to simplify our brand architecture. The results of this review will form the basis of our future marketing.

LT: Your responsibilities at BMB also include engaging with customers and understanding their needs – how do you plan to do this?

LTh: During my first few weeks at BMB, and as part of my role as sales director, I have taken every opportunity to get out and meet as many customers as I can. It’s already providing me with real insights into the wants and needs of our customers, the market we operate in, and in the products. As part of my remit, I plan to continue to do this on a regular basis.

LT: Is BMB’s senior management team and board of directors now complete?

LTh: Yes, with myself joining the board on 11 January, and Nigel Osborne as CFO, the Blue Max Banner Group Board is now complete and ready to take the BMB business to the next level.

LT: Are further bolt-on acquisitions a possibility for BMB? LTh: In the past, sound and strategic acquisitions have contributed to BMB’s success and where an opportunity arises, that will still be a possibility. Right now, following the Orion Teamwear acquisition, the key priority is focusing our efforts on a smooth integration within the BMB business and delivering outstanding service to our customers.

LT: What does that involve for BMB? LTh: To invest in new product development as well as intensifying our efforts in marketing and branding. We will continue to build on our strong reputation in the market for providing stock supported products in a huge variety of size options to cater for evolving customer needs. Ultimately, we are working to become the ‘one stop shop’ for all schoolwear needs – both in school uniform and sportswear.

ORION SPLASH TOP

“

Children want to look good and feel good when they play their chosen sport and team games.

Confidence plays a big role in team success; it’s also important that that the school is well represented and stands out from the crowd.

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 37

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OPINION | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

THE STRENGTH OF INDEPENDENCE Kathryn Shuttleworth, managing director of school uniform and sportswear supplier David Luke, presents her views on the changing landscape of the schoolwear industry, the government influences on the sector, and her strategy for David Luke in light of these developments.

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support in the face of this threat to independence.

“

With the schoolwear market performing strongly, retailers can feel confident in being in a positive position. But as changes in the market continue, with the perception that it is time for consolidation and vertical integration, we need to work together to retain all the advantages of independence that will keep the market strong and serving well.

As I’ve travelled round the UK visiting David Luke customers, I’ve been struck by the strength of the UK independent schoolwear retail market. There is huge diversity in local markets and great differences in the retail style that is supplying them. But one thing remains constant: independence.

Offering schools choice is an unrivalled competitive advantage for independent retailers. Getting the right product-to-school fit, at the right price, is something that cannot be done at the brand level of the market when only offering a single range.

Additionally, to be able to service a school effectively online and offline; knowing the issues faced locally; understanding the demands and requirements of the schools’ personnel and tuning in to the parents’ and students’ preferences all take understanding and knowledge. To then supply the appropriate product into that market to bring the most benefit to the school takes skill and access to great options.

The so-called ‘Australian model’, where national suppliers win contracts with schools

and deliver their product through a local or having little control over pricing and margin retailer, assumes a weak retail sector, unable to within them, could start to reduce the amount win contracts for themselves and without the of credit and stock available and cause a severe resources or skills to determine supply terms. deterioration in service.

But this is not what I see around the If the boundaries of factory, supplier and UK. Of course, there are examples of a lack retailer become too blurred, all trade becomes of succession or finance leading to a dearth fair game. The suppliers who retain a policy of of supply in a certain area and this gives supporting retail will quickly need to adopt new the opportunity for some national suppliers models if there is no reciprocal support in the to benefit. Where retail is strong, however, face of this threat to independence. national brands find it hard to gain traction.

But let’s not get carried away. Changes So, is it time to ask ourselves how like this are not new. And in spite of the important this independence is? Are we threats, independent retail in schoolwear happy to operate in a market where the remains strong. It is hard to foresee a terms of supply are beyond the control of the time when schools will welcome uniform independent retailer? Will the model work if being made available out of large sports the independent retailer loses a contract with kit warehouses on industrial parks such as a school to a national supplier but agrees to a Shirebrook, perhaps. The independent will joint supply arrangement, whatever the cost? always be able to keep its values more closely With government changes likely to bring aligned with the schools it serves, than those about an emphasis on the tender process, without such freedom. new knowledge and skills may need to be At David Luke, we carried out our learned so success at this does not become business succession at the beginning of this the privilege of those with the resources to year to preserve our independence and enable ‘wow’. Independents have much more depth the continuation of our values. Working closely in their armoury than a fancy presentation. All with owner-managed factories and ownerindependent retailers should be looking at the managed retailers, we have structured our list of academies and schools in the process succession to ensure our own owner-managed of transforming (www.gov.uk/government/ status continues well into the future. We’re publications/open-academies-and-academyall 30- or 40-something, with the advantages projects-in-development) rather than waiting of the founders still being involved, along to be handed the school at a predetermined with quite brilliant staff, and we all care retail price when the costs of managing deeply about what we do. it make it unviable for the We believe strongly in national supplier. this market and that the If the boundaries If the organisations strength of independents is of factory, supplier that take a direct-to-school key to its success. Between marketing approach see the us all, we are a network of and retailer become businesses who are all striving benefits of this model, both too blurred, all trade from winning schools faster to deliver the best service becomes fair game. possible. Vertical integration and an acceptance from may suit some sectors but retailers, the changes to the The suppliers who market could be far-reaching. in this complex network of retain a policy of The depth of financing specialised products and supporting retail services, with a uniquely and stockholding to manage will quickly need to intense peak, it is important the peak we enjoy in our market is shared between the we work with those who adopt new models if respect the market and the elements of our supply chain. there is no reciprocal place we each have within it.

Consolidating those elements,

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 38

INFORMATION | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

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A Aden + anais 020 3735 7569 www.adenandanais.co.uk • Affenzahn 0161 480 8585 www.affenzahn.com • Angel’s Face 01732 823700 www.angels-face.co.uk • Angulus 020 8987 8313 www.angulus.dk B Babiné 01832 776 588 www.roccapina.co.uk • Bea Cadillac 01832 776588 www.roccapina.co.uk • Blue Max Banner 01225 715070 www.bluemaxbanner.co.uk • Bob & Blossom 01273 679497 www. bobandblossom.com • Bogs 07837 390248 www.bogsfootwear.co.uk C Canada House – Republic of Kids 07711 746276 www.republicofkids. com • CMYK Living 07448 239802 www.cmykliving.com D Daddy Proof 0031 3075 14025 www.daddyproofkidswear.com • David Luke 0161 272 7474 www.davidluke.com E El Naturalista Kids 0034 9366 72634 www.elnaturalistakids.com F Fina Ejerique 020 3286 1451 www.wholesalealiolikids.wordpress.com • Froddo 01707 888388 www.froddo.com • From Babies with Love 0044 8006 891912 www.frombabieswithlove.org • Frugi 01326 558462 www. frugiwholesale.com • F-Troupe 07711 916463 www.f-troupe.com G Girls Talk to Boys 07496 927216 www.girlstalktoboys.com H Holly Hastie 020 7127 9107 www.hollyhastie.com • Huntleys 07583 222129 www.huntleysshoes.com K Kite 01202 733222 www.kite-clothing.co.uk • Knit Planet 020 7536 2531 www.knit-planet.com L Lala & Bea 07769 704379 www.lalaandbea.com • Lemon Loves Lime 01832 776588 www.lemonloveslime.com • Le Mu 07796 173771 www. le-mu.co.uk • Lilly + Sid 01788 824455 www.lillyandsid.com • Little Darlings Ceremony 01279 215774 www.mafana.co.uk • Little Green Radicals 020 7733 5027 www.littlegreenradicals.co.uk • Little Lulu’s 07482 773443 www.little-lulus.com • Little Wardrobe London 020 8061 2062 www.littlewardrobelondon.co.uk M Maison Chaos 0046 7353 11548 www.maisonchaos.com • Maria Leon 07435 971657 www.marialeonshoes.com • Mini Melissa 020 7377 2570 www.melissa.com.br N Nueces Kids 0034 6376 28481 www.nueceskids.com O Oh…My! Kidswear 020 7281 4141 www.ohmykidswear.com • Outside the Lines 07841 249995 www.outside-the-lines.co.uk P Pan Con Chocolate 0161 273 4774 www.panconchocolate.com • Panda & Ping 07887 994559 www.pandaping.com • Patachou 00351 2553 40860 www.patachou.com • Petit Bébé 01832 776588 www.roccapina. co.uk • Petit Oh! 01832 776588 www.roccapina.co.uk • Petite Pearl Lowe 07879 626356 www.pearllowe.co.uk • Piccalilly 01729 822288 www.piccalillywholesale.com • Pili Carrera 0203 286 1451 www. wholesalealiolikids.wordpress.com • Poco Nido 0114 243 5886 www.poconido.com Q Question Everything 07815 145459 www.questioneverythinglondon.com R Rachel Ellen 0115 962 2862 www.rachelellen.co.uk • Rachel Riley 020 7935 7007 www.rachelriley.co.uk • RAP 07967 560633 www.arautorap. com • Raspberry Plum 07516 920347 www.raspberryplum.com • Ricosta 0116 259 7427 www.ricosta.de • Rockin’ Baby 020 3637 5388 www.rockinbaby.com • Rock the Goat 07500 965218 www.rockthegoatfashion.com S Snuglo 0800 689 1018 www.snuglo.com • Step2wo www.step2wo.com • Sture & Lisa 01832 776588 www.stureolisa.se • Sunuva 0800 778 9789 www.sunuva.com • Superlove Merino 01248 800060 www.superlovemerino.com T Tao & Friends 07879 771197 www.taoandfriends.com • The Bonnie Mob 01273 227779 www.thebonniemob.com • The Small Gatsby 07891 605515 www.thesmallgatsby.com • Toffee Moon 020 7348 7316 www. solobi.co.uk • Tutakids 07720 922648 www.tutakids.co.uk W Where’s That Bear? 07968 597831 www.wheresthatbear.com • Wooly Organic 01295 810008 www.merrygorounduk.co.uk Y Young Soles 07515 369391 www.youngsoles.co.uk Z Zuma the Dog 07778 669680 www.zumathedog.com

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 39

DIRECTORY | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

ACCESSORIES

BALLOON BIJOUX Hair Accessories, Jewellery, Bags, Purses, Belts, Braces, Sunglasses, Fairy range and School accessories.

For a free brochure: Tel: 0208 207 2500 or email: info@balloonbijoux.co.uk www.balloonbijoux.co.uk

DISTRIBUTOR WANTED

SCHOOL TIES

New organic label with a unique concept are looking for a distributor in the UK.

TO ADVERTISE IN THE CWB DIRECTORY PLEASE CALL FIONA ON

01484 848337

The Telegraph(UK) March 2015 “I am impressed by this organic babywear brand”.

OR EMAIL FIONA.WARBURTON @RAS-PUBLISHING.COM

Tel: +31(0)30 7514025 Email: natalie@daddyproof.nl www.daddyproofkidswear.com

SCHOOLWEAR

AGENCY

ORCHARD AGENCY 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

BABY & KIDS SHOES

CWB BUSINESS DIRECTORY WELDON AGENCIES SCHOOL TIES

TIE & SCARF COMPANY

The specialist in

SCHOOL TIES plus badges

VANHUIZEN AGENCIES

TO ADVERTISE IN THE CWB DIRECTORY PLEASE CALL FIONA ON

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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, ITTY LONDON Weldon Agencies, Southport, Merseyside Tel: 01704 576033 Email: barrieweldon@btconnect.com, andrewweldon@btconnect.com www.weldonagencies.co.uk

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 CHILDRENSWEAR, LIONS OF PORCHES, NOA NOA MINIATURE COLLECTION Unit 1, First Floor, Paragon Works, Wilsthorpe Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 3JW. Tel: 07967 560633 Email: franck@vanhuizenagencies.co.uk www.vanhuizenagencies.co.uk

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 41

TALKING POINT | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

STEPHANIE HORTON Chief marketing officer, Farfetch Farfetch, the online destination for the world’s best independent boutiques, launched kidswear this month. Drawing from its current roster of boutiques, as well as some new specialist signings, the offering covers the 0-12 years age bracket. Farfetch’s chief marketing officer Stephanie Horton, who has been heavily involved in the kidswear launch, reveals more.

— Laura Turner: What is Farfetch?

Stephanie Horton: Farfetch.com was founded in 2008 by our CEO, José Neves. At the time, independent boutiques were struggling without an online presence and as the popularity of online shopping increased, larger retailers were going online and benefiting from being able to sell to more customers.

José’s idea was to offer the best independent luxury boutiques in the world a chance to compete with big online players by coming together on one online platform. For example, if you have a boutique in Lisbon, Dubrovnik or Mumbai, you have your own local clientele. But, these customers are also shopping online, along with a group of other customers who may never set foot in your boutique. So, if you aren’t selling online, it is a huge missed opportunity. José owned a boutique himself called B Store, so this meant he could really relate to what independent retailers wanted and needed at the time; as an entrepreneur this gave him a unique perspective.

In essence, we want to revolutionise the way people shop for fashion. We unite over 400 boutiques internationally from London, Miami and Copenhagen to Croatia, Kuwait and Tokyo, into one online destination; this is the foundation of our business. We are an e-commerce brand that successfully bridges the gap between online and offline and who celebrates the independent retailer by giving them a global platform to sell through. The Farfetch partner boutiques occupy a total of more than 1,000,000 sq ft of retail space. The diversity of boutiques and their buyers creates a far broader product offer than e-commerce businesses with traditional buying models, allowing customers to shop an unparalleled range of brands and unique pieces from around the world.

LT: What is Farfetch’s current reach?

SH: We receive around 10 million monthly visits to the site.

LT: Why launch a kidswear division?

SH: The highly discerning shoppers who visit us every month for our fashion and lifestyle offering were asking for kidswear to be added. And the recent success of the brand, its growth and international expansion has facilitated this development.

The official launch of the kidswear category was on 1 March and we marked it by

working with renowned illustrator Will Broome, who created a bespoke kidswear art gift.

LT: What will the kidswear division cover?

SH: We are really excited to be launching with 16 boutiques and more than 70 brands. Age range spans newborn to 12 years, covering clothing through to shoes and accessories.

LT: What are the criteria for the kidswear category?

SH: Every one of our boutiques has been selected for its unique approach, forwardthinking attitude and diversity. Each boutique buyer has their own one-of-a-kind buying style and sources some of the most interesting pieces from all over the world, allowing our customers access to an unparalleled range of brands and unique items.

For the launch, we have an amazing selection; from kidswear boutiques such as Carofiglio Junior in Italy and Kids 21 in Singapore to brands including Stella McCartney Kids, Hucklebones, Caramel Baby and Child, Roksanda, Burberry Kids and more.

NAME: Stephanie Horton JOB TITLE: Chief marketing officer, Farfetch www.farfetch.com

LT: What are the growth plans for kidswear?

SH: Since we have just launched, we are focusing on providing the best and most diverse offering of kidswear to our customers; ensuring their experience in this new category on Farfetch is of the same calibre as our existing womenswear and menswear.

LT: Are there any other developments for Farfetch?

SH: In the past couple of months we have partnered with our first boutiques in Morocco (Studio 14), Singapore and Malaysia (Club 21).

We’re always looking for new boutiques that can offer our customers something completely different. We still have lots of markets that we’re very interested in exploring.

I’m also very happy to announce that we have just expanded into beauty, partnering with industry expert Space NK Apothecary. We’re thrilled that it is our first beauty partner to launch on Farfetch.

LT: Tell us something we don’t know about Farfetch…

SH: Farfetch has been global from the beginning: we launched the site with 25 boutiques from five countries, and this is an element of the brand which remains at our core.

MARCH/APRIL 2016 - 42

Warm your winter wardrobe with gold!

The Chelsea boot has stood the test of time and is still as popular today as it was in Victorian times.

At RAP we’ve taken the classic Chelsea boot and made it modern.

Eco friendly gold leather, handmade in our own factory and natural crepe soles make our Chelsea boots right for today’s kids fashions.

We think our shoes speak for themselves but in case you missed it, the RRP is from £53.99 and they are available in more than 20 fantastic colours, so now everyone can afford a little gold.

RAP... for your little Eco warriors To make an appointment please contact Franck@arautorap.com or call 07967 560633

See things differently...

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