Lifecycle

Lyfcycle

By Trudi Bishop, Bee Licensing

Making fashion transparent and sustainable.

Fashion is one of the largest sectors in the brand licensing industry with apparel accounting for around 15% of the total Licensing Industry. Globally, the fashion industry is worth almost $3billion USD (around 2% of the global GDP). The apparel industry accounts for almost half of this number. Staggering numbers. Unfortunately, the fashion industry also has some other, less salubrious numbers it is accountable for. According to the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change), fashion is responsible for almost 10% of the global CO2 emissions (more than aviation and shipping combined). 1.5trillion litres of water is used annually to create what effectively is delayed landfill as around 85% of textiles purchased end up being thrown in the trash. More recently with the Covid19 pandemic, fashion has come under scrutiny again, not just for its huge environmental impact, but also its social impact. The pandemic hit the industry hard in 2020, (according to a report by McKinsey & Company, economic profit is down 93%), with all sectors of the supply chain effected. With perhaps the worst effected being the manufacturers, particularly in Bangladesh where much of the world’s apparel is produced. Stories in the media were` rife of large retailers (receiving government handouts for furloughing staff in the UK) refusing to pay manufacturers for garments already produced and waiting to be shipped. Workers went unpaid and unable to provide for their families. Bangladesh, used for its cheap labour, is also one of the most adversely affected nations from climate change. Having witnessed this first-hand after many years visiting the country from working in the fashion industry, father and daughter duo, Tony and Adriana, founded Lyfcycle, a fashion sourcing company with a difference. We speak to Adriana, the co-founder here.

So, can you tell us a little bit of the background to Lyfcycle and your vision as a brand?

Building on my father’s 30+ experience in the garment industry, I founded the company with him in 2019. From spending so much time in Bangladesh over the years, we'd seen first-hand the effects of fast fashion on both the environment and also, the toll on social norms in export communities. Together we had a vision to create an open dialogue between buyers, suppliers, and consumers within the industry to work collaboratively towards a common goal: maximise transparency – minimise resources & consumption.

What do you see as the key issue in the fashion industry?

Lack of transparency is a huge issue, across multiple facets: 1) Where materials come from 2) Who provides them 3) How they are made & what goes into them 4) Environmental cost of production Misinformation / lack of knowledge is also a problem – we’re barely scraping the surface of what it means to be making ‘sustainable’ products and we run the risk of sustainability becoming another ‘tick in the box’ exercise for brands rather than encouraging truly systemic changes in the way products are sourced and manufactured.

Bearing in mind your vision of maximising transparency, could you tell us a little more on how you work and how you approach sustainability at Lyfcycle?

True sustainability simply put means you should be able to do something forever. At Lyfcycle, everything we make is centred around considered design. How can we change the construction of a garment, the weave of a fabric, the threads that hold them together, to maximise the product Lyfcycle®. We work with brands to help them deliver eco-conscious products by breaking down the elements of a conventionally made garment and really working to improve each and every component that makes it up. That includes more than just the fabric but the labelling, accessories, and packaging too. Product traceability is put right into the consumer’s hands via the Lyfcycle app® which enables them to see what went into their clothes and who made them. We hold ourselves accountable to our own values – everything we do is against the following parameters: Sustainable, Responsible, Traceable, Visible. It’s important that the companies we work with uphold the same values and are that they share our genuine passion for doing things better.

In challenging financial times, we have seen a big race to the bottom on prices, with the controversial 8p dress during the Black Friday deals recently being an extreme example. Is this a challenge you also face? What other

challenges do you face, as a new sustainable kid on the block?

Price demands: whilst our vision and objective are to make sustainably made clothing accessible and affordable to the masses rather than the few, making clothing ethically comes with a slight premium. That premium is derived predominantly from working with open, transparent and compliant suppliers that have higher costs of operation than suppliers that might not meet all the expected compliance criteria. The difficult part comes when companies feel the only option is to pass that premium onto consumers. What may be a 30 cents upcharge for a brand, could be a £5+ upcharge for an end customer – which could make all the difference in them picking a more eco-conscious garment over a more keenly priced one. Ultimately, that’s where we’re missing the chance to make a much more meaningful impact...but changing B2B buying behaviours is no easy change to implement.

What is your ultimate aim for apparel in the licensing industry?

To be more conscious. At the moment, it feels as though there’s a huge disconnect within the licensing industry as to the implications that it has on the environment. In essence, it’s an industry that’s largely driven by the latest trends– which in turn drives a hunger to be first and to sell the most of what’s hot this week. But that doesn’t mean measures can’t be taken to reduce the imprint we’re leaving on the world around us. Think about the fabrics that are being used, carefully consider the choice of print method and think creatively to do things in a different way. Change. Currently, from where we see things, there’s a blocker on the licensing industry becoming more sustainable. Brands will tell you that it’s not in their control and that the conversation needs to be had with their licensees. Licensees will tell you that it’s out of their hands because they are bound by the retailer’s established vendor-base within their respective organisations. So, we often find ourselves in a position where a brand would like to do things more sustainably, a licensee can see the value in developing products more eco-consciously and a retailer would no doubt see the benefit in doing so also. Yet to let someone new like ourselves into the picture would mean changing the existing way things are done …. So, it stays the same. I feel there’s a real opportunity to shake up the industry and we’re hopeful that we’ll soon find the right partners that enable us to make a start.

Speaking of partners, you currently have a collection with Smiley in the pipelines. Who, beyond Smiley would you ideally want to work with? Equally which fashion house would you love to work with?

We’d love to do a collaboration with the likes of Raeburn or Pangaia. Two brands that are truly aligned with our vision to reduce the environmental footprint of fashion. As for licensing partner, we’d want a partner that can connect us with like-minded brands and enable us to deliver symbolic ranges with strong environmental messaging.

Your ethics as a company run well beyond sustainable sourcing, can you please tell us a little more about some of the charities Lyfcycle work with?

Sharewear Clothing Scheme – this is a Nottingham-based charity fighting to alleviate clothing poverty in the UK. They re-home all of our unused clothing samples. AWAJ Foundation – this is a charity working to amplify women’s rights and voices within the garment industry in Bangladesh – they represent a huge portion of the workforce there and are often underrepresented. Child Hope – This is a Bangladesh based charity that helps children remain children, keeping them out of exploitative situations or abusive environments. All of these charities are supported via the Lyfcycle Foundation to which we allocate 5% of all profits earned.

Lyfcycle, the apparel brand waking up the fashion industry is breaking new ground within the brand licensing industry too. With a clear focus and vision, they are ensuring sustainability, transparency and accountability is the norm in fashion. They may be new kids on the block in our world, but they come with an old and wise head – keep an eye out for them in the future.

Adriana Batty, co-founder can be contacted at adriana@lyfcycle.co.uk. https://www.lyfcycle.co.uk

Trudi Bishop can be contacted at trudi@beelicensing.com

The Style for Life

JAM Brands is a licensing consultancy that focuses on the development and management of lifestyle licensing programs. Bringing indepth understanding of intellectual property, marketing, and product development, to effectively join brand owners with licensees to build successful licensing strategies, programs, and product extensions. JAM Brands is the exclusive worldwide licensing agency for Kensington Market Street Food, and the exclusive Canadian agent for Elle, Laura Ashley and Pantone. Drawing on the rich cultural and culinary heritage of this unique neighbourhood, Kensington Market Street Food brings delicious foods and culinary experiences to those searching for powerful flavours and multi ethnic tastes. A young brand experiencing dynamic growth! Elle is the world’s largest fashion magazine and media brand, celebrating 75 years in 202. Since 1945, Elle has been a unique platform for women. Beyond fashion and style, Elle has always focused on topics such as arts, culture and the place of women in society. For 75 years, Elle has transcribed powerful stories of women from all horizons and shared their views in 45 Elle magazine editions worldwide and 25 Elle Décor magazine editions. With a solid licensing business including hundreds of licensees worldwide and well-established and diversified distribution channels, it is an iconic brand that is recognized everywhere as a respected authority on fashion, beauty, décor and lifestyle. Created for women, by women. Laura Ashley the quintessential English lifestyle brand inspired by a rich 60+ year design heritage. Laura Ashley is timeless, classic yet contemporary, and relevant in today’s modern world. Well known for its distinctive feminine floral designs, the brand is well recognized and loved worldwide, boasting 88% brand awareness. With many current licenses in ladies’ and children’s apparel and accessories, as well as home furnishings and accessories, there are still many layers of opportunity in licensing this brand for North America and beyond.

In addition to coloring our world and constantly improving and evolving the field of color communication, Pantone is the color platform upon which our interiors, exteriors, fashions and home products are created and manufactured. Pantone collaborates with corporations on color consistency, directs designers on colors and trends, and licenses designer-inspired products for consumers around the world. Judy Menceles judy@jam-brands.com