THE BIG INTERVIEW
aving exhibited at this yearʼs Printwear & Promotion Live, Mariusz was encouraged by the ringing endorsement of the Continental brand by printers visiting the stand. Said Mariusz: “A number of visitors told us they were no longer interested in printing thousands and thousands of T shirts in one colour at 25p because thereʼs no money in that. Interestingly, they were moving more towards the fashion retail market, and doing more sophisticated prints in much shorter runs.”
H
He continues: “I had printers coming up to me and saying: ʻIʼve known you for 15 years and I have always wanted to use you but I never had a market for it. Now I have moved across to a different customer base and I can at last use your products because I have the customers for itʼ.”
Indeed, screen printers and garment decorators represent a significant chunk of Continentalʼs customer base. “Without seeming too boastful and immodest, any screen printer I have spoken to has said that given a choice, they would like to print on Continental products,” Mariusz told me. So itʼs all good… but it hasnʼt all been plain sailing. Last year, EarthPositive production all but ceased for nine months following the closure of all the dye houses in the state where the brand is produced. It was a massive blow, following year on year growth for the brand, and something that could not have been predicted or planned for.
Said Mariusz: “Last year, EarthPositive undersold by a huge margin, due mainly to local problems in India. The government closed down all the dye houses. There were state elections, which are always disruptive, because there is a change in administration, so everything freezes in time. In our case, as with all the clothing companies, there was no fabric dyeing going on for the best part of nine months.”
The company ended up having to dissemble its dye vats and move them to another state. “It was a nightmare, which created a huge bottleneck for us and as a result, we under-produced,” recalls Mariusz. “Even though our dye house was zero discharge, there were 207 dye houses in the region of which only 30 had the minimum required systems in place. The rest were just discharging into the river. So it was a very good move except it shouldnʼt have been a blanket closure. It was political although the intention was good.”
The new set-up, however, means that there are now more dye baths, resulting in increased capacity.
Despite the problems, sales of EarthPositive doubled last year. “But we could have sold three times as much,” adds Mariusz. “The problems in India did have some impact on our business because customers had to go somewhere else, even though they liked us. There was a point in time when we were saying
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
ʻlook, weʼve got 10,000 coming in and we have back orders for 40,000ʼ, so there was a month or two like that. We tried very hard to offer alternatives by bringing products from Turkey.”
The good news is that EarthPositive production is now back up to capacity and it is being made in record numbers this year. “We have a big new warehouse to fill up!” says Mariusz.
In fact, Continental blazed a trail in India, setting up production of EarthPositive as a second tier operation at a factory already producing garments for big name global sports brands.
Certified organic “We got together with them and said
ʻhow about producing a line of products in a slightly different way?ʼ – and they were very interested,” recalls Mariusz. “They had no organic production at all. But they had infrastructure in place and they were very excited about it. So we got them certified organic, and in a way, what we have done is set up an operation, alongside their existing one, albeit of a smaller capacity to start with. So it was completely separate in terms of the product and sourcing etc.”
He continues: “Wind power generation wasnʼt new, but what was new was the scale that we were doing it on. We were talking about 2,000-3,000 bales of cotton to start with and thatʼs what was different.” I wonder what lessons have been learned from the dye house problem in India? “To react quicker,” responds Mariusz. “When the dye houses were closed at the end of January beginning of February last year, we were told that we could re-submit and re-open in four to six weeks. In the event, we re-opened in September. We took the local environment agency to court three times. They said ʻyes, yes, yes, everythingʼs fine, the inspectors will come on Monday and do a final inspectionʼ, and then three Mondays passed, and nobody showed. It was quite tough, but with hindsight, if weʼd had a crystal ball, we would have moved three months sooner.”
One of the keys to Continentalʼs success
ABOVE: Continental’s Made to Order service is a growing part of the business, now accounting for some 30-40% of global turnover.
is its choice of fabrics. This year, the Continental Collection range of Tencel products for women was extended and was well-received. “Tencel is an amazing new fibre,” says Mariusz. “It is man-made, from eucalyptus wood pulp by an Austrian company called Lenzing. The generic name for it is Lyocel. It was developed by Courtaulds and is acknowledged as the most sustainable fibre currently available. The supply chain for Tencel is accredited with the Forestry Stewardship Council.”
ccording to Mariusz, Tencel has amazing physical properties. “The material is well known for its silky softness, luxurious drape, it is perfectly smooth, with depth of colour, excellent moisture absorbency and it is naturally hygienic as it inhibits the growth of bacteria,” he tells me.
A
As a fashion company aimed at a younger market, staying on trend – or even setting the trends – is crucial to the companyʼs success. When we met three years ago, Mariusz was showing me burnout styles which are still big news on the High Street. Now, following a period of tunics and long line tees, things are getting shorter for this year and crop tops are back. “Itʼs all to do with layering,” says Mariusz, “but itʼs also to do with the fact that for women, especially, waistlines on trousers and skirts are going up. The really low waistlines are pretty much in the past.”
Mariusz acknowledges that whatʼs on
offer is, in the main, aimed at what he calls the “Top Shop audience”. “But thatʼs not to say that 40 and 50 year old women donʼt buy our stuff, because they do.” Mariusz shows me a flattering scoop neck, three-quarter sleeve tee, which, he says, his 72-year-old mother wears. “She loves it and has one in every colour,” he adds.
As mentioned earlier, the companyʼs foundations were forged on the soar-
■ Continued over. August 2012 | 35 |
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