The starting point of our research journey

Entering into the world of textiles last year we had no idea our view of the industry as well as our personal goals and dreams were about to change so drastically. We are two students in the textile value chain program who became friends along the way. Having both come from business management backgrounds, textile management was quite a new area for us. On the first day of school, the day we met, we jokingly looked at each other wondering what it was that we were actually going to be studying. What we didn’t know was the amount of sustainability knowledge we were about to gain. Our first year as master’s students changed our view of the textile industry. We were completely inspired by the fact the industry is in a phase of changes in regards to sustainability and there are so many opportunities to become apart of it.

As we began to question how we could become apart of this change we tried picturing ourselves working in one of the large textile companies. This led us to realize right now, as we study we have the opportunity to try to do something ourselves and from this, the idea of creating our own company was born. Our company is called Whip Appeal of Sweden and we produce swimwear in collaboration with guest artists. From the very beginning we decided we wanted to do everything possible to implement sustainability into the core of every process. As we have learned through research in school, the most impact in regards to sustainability lies in the design process. For this reason sourcing our materials and thinking about textile recycling and circular economies was of the highest importance. We soon found out, it’s not as easy as it seems. The purpose of our field study is to take a deeper look into textile recycling and implementing a circular production system into a company such as ours. Follow us along our journey to learn more!

//Iuliia & Alicia

Hello!

I have just finish my third week at my internship in a store located in Gothenburg. This store is focusing on only eco-friendly and fair-trade clothing and accessories. This store is created by 20 different companies that collaborates and share the store space which, for the moment, is about 80 square meters. The store is located in a very cosy neighbourhood, in an old and very beautiful building just a few meters from Kungsportavenyn.

During my first week, the shop had not opened and neither was decorated, which gave me the opportunity to follow and observe the whole process of the sales environment creation. The goal was to create a harmonious sale environment that would fit all the companies brand image but still express a clean and fresh feeling. To success with this it has been very important to have a clear communication between all companies about what expressions that are the most important for each brand to communicate to the consumer. But in the same time the store should express a compliance between the companies’ concepts so the consumer can feel a harmony when visiting the store. To create this feeling the light is very important, therefore, I and one of the entrepreneurs went out to shop lamps that would fit the image of the store. We visited many lamp stores, second hand stores and gathered the inspiration for the stores´ interior. Now the store is decorated with white walls and there are furniture made of metal, dark and white wood and the lamps are spotlights and also some lamps with a retro look. There are also a decision made, that they should play calm music in the store.

I also had the opportunity to participate in the start-up of the cash and payment system that is used in the store. It is a kind of complex system with a lot of part no. to keep track of. But the work gave me a strong insight into the companies’ different products, prices and also from where the products come and how they are produced. I think this where very interesting because it showed me that there are so many alternatives to choose from when it comes to the producing processes and materials of clothes.

The store opened with a big opening ceremony, and both companies and consumers were invited. Around 200 people came to the store this day and were crowded the small retail space. Environmentally food were served to the visitor and everyone was happy. The consumer was curious about the products and they shopped a lot. All the entrepreneurs were busy talking to customers and the press so I took care of the payment of the product at the checkout  

During my three first weeks, I also have had the possibility to talk to the entrepreneurs of the companies and learned about theirs life journey when it comes to the start-up of the company. They have many different backgrounds, educations and experiences, some of they are studying textile and some of them operates in a limited company. Among other, I had lunch with one of the entrepreneurs that told me that she had travelled a lot and collect inspiration from other cultures and also founded the manufacturers that produces the products that she is selling in the store today. She has a very good contact with these manufactures and have a good knowledge about how the producing process is manage. During the coffee breaks we also discussed the goal with the different companies and how they are reasoning around the topic about organic clothing and sustainable development

Over and out / Annika

I nearly fell off my chair as well

This week was calm; I was busy delivering products to current retailers in Stockholm, re-planning the collection and replenish the stock. 

My boss and I finally found some time to discuss what I intend to get an understanding of when I complete my internship. That is, how a fashion company with a sustainable and fair-trade tradition can survive in the Swedish fashion market. As far as I can see, there are a lot of obstacles in pursuing this path - which on the other hand push the owners to find creative solutions. 

Let’s start by how I also nearly fell off my chair when I saw what you could manage to do with so little. I can’t go into details, but It's tough. Anyhow, I have something else I would like (and can) to discuss. It falls into what Emelie posted: the dilemma of communicating sustainability, and fair-trade in my case. The brand is not fair-trade certified, however in my eyes, but also by looking to World Fair Trade Organization criteria (héé I’ve done my research), they should be.

The thing is, the founders never intended to work with fair-trade producers, because they want to help out other producers that have not the means to go through the certification process. Now, even if they would like, there is no fair-trade standard developed for the yarn used to manufacture the brand’s products yet. That is, they can’t certify the products! The brand has solved this dilemma by being member of an organization that, sort of, give credibility to the brand in some aspects. Each garment has a tag with the organization’s logo and what it means. The question is, is it enough? Currently, the brand uses ”work in a fair-trade tradition”, instead of stating that they are fair-trade. However, I believe that people don’t really reflect to what it really means … (let me prove it to you, read the third line in the second paragraph again. I'll bet that you thought that I was referring to a Fair-traide brand).  Do you get what I mean? Is it fair/right information for consumers? Or is there a bigger problem out there with certifications (in general, fairtrade, eco-friendly, organic, natural, green, etc.)? Hmmm …

Merci et bon weekend!

Back to work

It’s been already four weeks since I am back in Berlin. Yes, back - I have been already working here in summer and that makes me feel very comfortable here. The beginning of November wasn’t like coming to a new place as an intern, being a bit stressed, unsure what's gonna happen. In fact,  it was coming back to the people and place I know and like and the city I really enjoy living in. I must say, I am very lucky! 

So all ‘introduction days’ weren’t really happening in my case. From the first day I exactly knew what I have to do and that makes me feel as if I actually never left this place!

Ok, not everything is completely the same as in summer, and I don't mean just the weather here. Since I know the company pretty well right now, I got couple of new tasks, so more work, less free time , more responsibility,  but it also means more experience, we all know how important it is. 

The company I'm working in is based in Berlin and it's rather small, however it's not a start up. It's women fashion brand, however some pieces are unisex and already got some supporters among men, too.

Right now we are working on spring/summer 2015 collection. As you can probably imagine, it means A LOT of work. I am not responsible for design, obviously, but finding and contacting suppliers etc is on me, so I’m learning a lot, from buttons’ materials to embroidery techniques. 

In upcoming posts I am gonna focus on some aspects of collection production, so those of you who are not working with this particularly, can get an idea how we do it in Berlin!

Greetings from Germany! 

Tschussie! (Learning German in progress too)

//Beata

The first weeks

It has now been almost three weeks at the e-commerce company I am doing my internship at. Three weeks of new impressions and a lot of new knowledge. It is really fun to be a part of this young, and still relatively small, company. Decisions are made fast and every day is different, you never get bored of it.

Yesterday I visited a sales meeting with a kids clothing brand for AW15 and today I was running around at the warehouse to pick up clothes to shoot for the website. Since everything in the company is located in the same building, it is easy to see the whole picture of how the company is working from they get the delivery to when you can see the clothes online.

I am doing my internship at the purchasing department of kids’ clothes. Since the company sell solely online, it includes a lot of publishing and to write product texts that will generate a large amount of so called “clicks”. It is important to be seen on the first page when using for example Google to search for kids clothing shops online. If you’re not ranked high on the first page, you literally don’t exist in this world. This is a whole new way of viewing retailing for me and it is therefore fun to see how you write actually can increase the sales of a product. Hopefully I will be an expert on that when I finish my internship!

First impressions

The 10th of November was the introduction day of my field study at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation’s office for environmental consumption in Gothenburg. It was a rather grey and rainy monday but the office on the sixth floor right by Järntorget was green and full of life. Quite like you would expect from an office of an environmental organization, the place was filled with plants and cuttings in vases, and the kitchen had a compost station. The furniture were part office supply and part flea market finds, and everywhere were shelves full of books and binders.

The day started off together with my mentor, discussing the plan for my time here. I’m assigned to do a study on the drivers and strategies regarding sustainability and labelling among different kinds of fashion companies and their representatives. Besides that I will help with an event on sustainability and fashion that will be held in the Textile Museum of Borås in January, as well as taking part in the weekly meetings and other activities in the office.

For lunch, I went together with a colleague to the coffee shop and record store Santo Domingo in Andra Långgatan. My lunch company is an expert and researcher in chemicals, and works with labelling in chemical and household products. We discussed the state of the fashion industry and the importance of actually communicating the sustainable actions taken by a company. How else would customers know and how else would demand be created for the more environmentally friendly alternatives? Though, if a company communicates green initiatives it must be prepared to be investigated by consumers, media and other stakeholders. The other way around, companies who are not very active or truly green, can still be perceived so by customers if the communication is vague. Thus, sustainability initiatives and communication is a tricky thing.

We also discussed, after I asked, the difference between organic and environmental-labelled products. Often consumers perceive organic and labelled products as the same thing, or the organic one being better than the “only” environmentally labelled product. But actually, a product being organic only talks about the origin of the contents of the product, and does not take its processes or potential harm into consideration. The product is in deed natural, but it might still have harmful properties such as endocrine disrupting substances or allergenes. The environmentally labelled product, especially if wearing the Good Environmental Choice (Bra Miljöval) label, might not be fully organic or natural (it often is, but it can also be chemical) but the substances are always tested against strict criterias. This is why for exampe the SSNC, emphasizes the importance of choosing labelled and safe products. This was a very interesting and new view point for me, who thought that organic is always the safest choice to go with.

The role of the SSNC is that of an important stakeholder, or an opposition group, who critically reviews companies and their products, conduct research, and stand as the voice for the environment in media debates and in collaborations with governmental projects. The office in Gothenburg is an organization that is built up by highly engaged people, who are experts in different areas related to environmental impacts and consumption such as textiles, chemical products, energy as well as food and grocery stores. The office has a very friendly and social culture, with many chances of conversation and information sharing. There is a “fika” session everyday where everything from tv documentaries to ongoing media debates, to competing labelling systems are discussed as well as off-work topics. Information runs freely in the office and it is clear that everyone is passionate about their work and have a sense of purpose and belief in what they do.

For me, every aspect of this is interesting. My previous experince has been in different kinds of fashion and retail concepts, so being in a dedicated environmental organization provides me with new perspectives and I learn new things everyday. When I leave in January I wish to have a broader understanding of environmental sustainability and how it can be truly integrated in textile supply chains. Just scrolling through the 45 pages long criteria book of the Good Environmental Choice label for textiles, I realize that there is so much to take into consideration in the supply chain.

Emelie

Impressions within Fast Fashion I

- The average life of a garment is two weeks. -

Hallå!

It is the beginning of the fourth week now, as an intern at a fast fashion company. Many people asked me how it is to work for a company that sells garments, sometimes in the two-digit area. 

- "Your colleagues must be tacky, pretentious and as cheap as their products or?"

Well, no. They are not. My impression is quite the absolute opposite. I worked for a premium luxury brand before and therefore I think I have the ability to compare and I have to state that the level of professionalism is the same. Right from the beginning I was set on a rail-track of learning and my colleagues do everything they can in order to teach me the fundamentals of retail expansion, construction and design.

And that is what I did for the first three weeks of my internship. I took notes and learned. How does a fashion brand evaluate a city location or a country? Or a shopping center? What is the minimum lease-time? My mentor told me on a business trip to Copenhagen to always look if people have shopping bags in their hands. More important even, is to check what are people looking at. Are they looking at the brands on the sides? Or are they focusing on what lays ahead? Where is the next central station?

The first time I saw the cost of a store in its initial stage I nearly fell from my office chair. The amount of work and time put into it, even for a fast fashion brand, was enormous. 

I'm starting to see the connections between theory and practice. However, I also see the gaps and there are plenty. This blog post is the introduction and I will explain more deeply what I mean by gaps in my next entry.

Over and Out.  

Sven R.

First two weeks

I have now completed two weeks of this internship. Two weeks with new impressions, new people and a lot of work. When I started to think of what I wanted to do with this field study I though of doing something that would be beneficial for the future. Since I think that I want to work with purchasing, I quickly decided that I wanted to be a part of a buying department and learn more about it.

During these eight weeks I am going to work in a team with one product manager and one product manager assistant, and together with them we are responsible for purchasing dresses, skirts and heavy knitwear. It is very diversified assignments and a huge part includes supplier contact and handle different garment samples.

The first week were only used to get to know everybody at the office, all of them are very kind and helpful. I sense that they are happy that I am there and that they really want me to learn as much as possible. The are a couple of computer programs that I have been educated in, these programs are really good to know because many fashion companies are using these when they are placing their orders and handle all the garment samples.

During these two first weeks I have realized that I am exited to step out to the “real” world and start working with purchasing. It is hard to know exactly what you want to work with when you only have been studying the subject. It is first when you go out and experience that you will understand, and know I know, this is exactly what I want to do. I have already learned a lot during these two weeks, so I am exited for the upcoming period and hopefully I will learn even more.

Stay tuned.

/Lisa