Getting the work started

Hello there,

Here we are with another update of our work. as we previously mentioned we decided to have study visit at Stockholm Stadsmissionen, Hela Människan and Verdandi.

First organization we visited was Hela Människan which has collecting, sorting and second hand store under the same roof. Our supervisor gave us a tour in the second hand shop and collecting, sorting plant and then explained how they process loads of textile waste that they receive everyday over a nice cup of coffee. We also had a friendly chat with staffs in different sections.

We had a same experience at Verdandi, although, it works in a smaller scale and is more local compared to those other organizations.  

We spend majority of our time working at Stadsmissionen. We started with remake studio which creates new products out of used textiles through up-cycling (redesign) processes. We made Shopping bags and aprons by using used and de-brand fabrics. Next we spent few days on working at sorting plant as well as pricing and labelling sections. The way they categorize used textiles in different classifications and pricing criteria were so inspiring and interesting for us also workers attitudes to the textile waste and their personal view of sorting process gave us a realistic understanding of how these processes work.

 

More updates will be posted J

First week of the internship

First week of the internship

Hi Everyone,

I and Armaghan are value chain management students, we are doing our field study on a project called LOOP KOOP which is based in Stockholm. LOOP KOOP is about textile waste management and dominated by three non-profit organizations, Stockholm Stadsmissionen, Hela Människan and Verdandi.

LOOP KOOP project principle is to find solution for two different challengeable issues, waste management and unemployment. The assignments are based on upcycling, down cycling, and circular economy strategies. All these three partners are involved in different aspects of waste management to recycle used textiles, such as collecting and sorting.

Our study started with a group meeting which was hold in Satra office of Stockholm Sadsmissionen. In this meeting we were introduced to the group and confirmed the initial plan for the first month of the project and decided to carry on with this project for the entire summer.

We agreed to be based in Stadsmissionen office but meanwhile spending first two weeks working at Hela Människan and Verdandi to get familiar with their work as well.

Enjoy the nice Swedish Summer!

First week of intership

Hi Everyone,

I and Yassaman are value chain management students, we are doing our field study on a project called LOOP KOOP which is based in Stockholm. LOOP KOOP is about textile waste management and dominated by three non-profit organizations, Stockholm Stadsmissionen, Hela Människan and Verdandi.

 LOOP KOOP project principle is to find solution for two different challengeable issues, waste management and unemployment. The assignments are based on upcycling, down cycling, and circular economy strategies. All these three partners are involved in different aspects of waste management to recycle used textiles, such as collecting and sorting.

Our study started with a group meeting which was hold in Satra office of Stockholm Sadsmissionen. In this meeting we were introduced to the group and confirmed the initial plan for the first month of the project and decided to carry on with this project for the entire summer.

We agreed to be based in Stadsmissionen office but meanwhile spending first two weeks working at Hela Människan and Verdandi to get familiar with their work as well.

Enjoy the nice Swedish summer

End of PRE SS16

So, after 3 hard and intense months, the collection of Womens Wear Pre SS16 is done. It's quite interesting how much time and hard work you put down and it ends up with a photo-shot of 15 looks. Or in other cases, 6 minutes of catwalk. The 2 weeks before the photo-shot, all I did was to make sure that all the trims went to the right vendors, where all the garments are made. Most of our vendors are placed in Portugal, Italy and Eastern Europe. We do have one vendor in South Korea who makes all our wool coats. Anyway, so what I've been doing for Pre SS16 was to:

• trims research - the designer let us know what ideas he has and we take a look with our suppliers if its something we have to develop or if its something they have in house.
• set the colors for the zippers and place order with the zippers supplier - the finish of the teeth and puller usually follows the rest of the trims metal finishing, the most important thing here is to make sure that the tape color is matching with the fabric colors. 
• place trims orders for sample - this is when the trim developer places the trims with the suppliers and I do the follow ups. Which means that I make sure that we get all the order confirmations, the delivery dates and the tracking of the shipments. I also have continuously contact with the suppliers and push them to deliver in time, or even earlier if its possible. 
• delivery of trims - when all the trims arrives to the head quarter, if they're not sent directly to the vendors, I make sure that it's the right finishing, articles and amount. If something is wrong, we have to send it back as soon as possible so that the right trims or zippers will arrive in time for the sales pitch. 
•  ship out trims - the placement of all the trims on different styles are taken care of by the product developers and they asks me about all the trims and I make sure that they get the right trims to the right vendors. 
• updating information on all trims - this part is not made only by the end, but occurs continuously during the whole period. what I do here is to update and adding information about all trims, information like suppliers, article, color codes, colors, measurements, composition and so on. it's really important that all the information is correct since the product developer uses the information for placing the production orders, so if an article number or finishing code is wrong, we will end up with 10 000 pieces of metal buttons in wrong finish or color. and that will be on me.

So, this is mostly what I do during my time here. I know that it may sound easy and simple, that's what I thought when I started too. But I can tell you, it is not.

And here is the new collection. Enjoy! 

Acne Studios Resort SS16

 

Fabric sourcing

Buyers and designers sometimes go on inspiration trips around the world, where they buy a lot of garments to get inspired from regarding design, colour, print, fabric etc.

Sometimes, when they find a fabric they really like and when want to have something similar for a new style in the coming collection, they send out the quality for sourcing. It could be that they want the supplier to imitate a certain quality, effect or something else.

At Lindex they fill a form where they carefully and thoroughly explain why they are sending out a cutout and what they want the supplier to imitate. thereafter a fabric sample is cut out from the garment and is being sent together with the form. The production offices are then forwarding this to those suppliers that they feel can manage to do the fabric.

After a couple of weeks a handloom sample is being sent to the head office and then the negotiation of price etc starts.

This is an example of how a form with cutouts can look:

/Daniella

Industrial textile waste research

Hi,
There was been some struggle on what to do for my field study. As I wanted to do industrial waste/resource integration feasibility study for my thesis work, I am lucky enough to join a project with 3 other professors and 1 PhD student here in the university. They want to build up a model mapping the waste flow throughout the whole textile value chain, from manufacturing of fibers to the end-of-life of end products. A feasibility perspective would be added to identify obstacles of the current flow.

During the past few weeks, I am reviewing existing literature, finding a suitable theoretical framework for my own part, which focuses on flow of industrial textile waste. I am also designing a questionnaire that I want to hand out to manufacturing companies to get an idea on how they are dealing with their textile waste.

Joanne Tao
 

10 weeks internship

 Hi fellow classmates,

I have been at Björn Borg approximately 10 weeks now, times flies when you are really passionate with what you do at work! My internship at Björn Borg during these 10 weeks has been very pragmatic, I have been able to gain knowledge through practice. As a 4-year student at the Swedish School of Textiles, I can now reply that I have been able to put my knowledge into practice and achieve progress in work and growing as a professional.

During my 10 weeks I have been assisting Björn Borgs Global Advertising Manager that involve every step of producing and planning a Global Ad Campaign, in order to implement it into the global market. I have during my 10 weeks been closely engaged with the marketing department. I have had the pleasure to be involved in a brand that is working towards development and growth, and where the brand culture is top of mind. I am happy to say that I am grateful these 10 weeks to have been a part of the Björn Borg team and working passionately towards the same goal and direction. I will continue my journey with Björn Borg during the summer as well, working as a part of the marketing team and preparing Spring/Summer 16 Fashion Show in August. I am excited and prepared for an amazing journey!  I will keep you readers updated on the blog, stay tuned!

Best wishes,

Stefani Petkovic

Only four more weeks...time flies...

This week the pajama samples arrived and I was very excited to see how the first samples came out. So when they came we checked the size and the fit, the seams and the stitches, the buttons and the contrast piping that we added. 

We also checked how the fabric felt on the skin and we tried to see how the fabric washed. And now we send the changes to the factory and see how the new samples will look like. The company is so happy with the idea of pajamas that I am now working on other products as well. It is a lot of fun and I love that I am able to bring in my own ideas and that I learn so much. 

I am a little sad that I won’t be here anymore when the products will be launched but I will definitely stay in contact with the people here to see how the pajamas sell and what the customers think.

Summary of my field study

During these 10 weeks I have learned incredible much about textile production and about a material that was new to me: jute. During 4 weeks, I stayed in Bangladesh and I met and discussed with local suppliers and manufacturers how it is possible to achieve a nice looking end product in the most sustainable way. I have also drafted a Code of Conduct document and learned more about the different provisions that govern workers' rights and how fashion companies work with these issues today. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better learning experience and I am sure that I will get use of these experience in my future career.

Preparations for a Global Brand Summit

Hi again everybody,

The last couple of weeks have gone by astonishingly fast. The staff of Björn Borgs headquarters have been preparing for a Global Brand Summit at the headquarters in Stockholm. The preparations involved different actives, presentations of the next collection and a fashion show. I have been involved in every step,  working closely together with an amazing team and witnessing a incredible team spirit, working together to plan and prepare a Global Brand Summit.

It has been a true pleasure to meet and get to know the global Björn Borg distributors and fellow team members that are a part of the Björn Borg brand culture!