INTERVIEW
The hat
museum in Nantong
see, in order to do something well, you first need to know who is doing it best. Then you have to work out how to be different to the best. In my opinion, the most successful way to handle competition is to avoid competition. You need to be a leader, not a follower. It’s also a question of knowing what your values are. When I started out, my focus was initially on profit alone, but I soon realised that service was the most important thing – and people. Good profits follow from good service and managing human hearts – be they your customers, your staff or your suppliers.” This philosophy seems to have worked.
* GRS (Global Recycled Standard) GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) SLCP (Social & Labor Convergence Program)
“We are working with Nantong University to develop biodegradable materials as plastic substitutes”
Foremost has grown exponentially over the last 26 years. The company now employs around 1,200 staff and has customers all over the world, from the EU to North America, Japan and Korea – as well as the growing domestic Chinese market. Of course, with expansion comes greater responsibility both in terms of staff and the environment. China is the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions; the fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply and there are ever-growing concerns about factory
conditions and worker rights. So, what is Foremost doing to balance profit with sustainability? “Almost all our enterprises have benefited from the incredible growth of the Chinese economy and it’s impossible to avoid every negative impact. However, the key point is to try to make all growth contribute in some way to society. We welcome inspections of our factories, and we are authorised by
Jeffrey Sun with Stephen Jones and staff
a range of bodies (GRS, GOTS, BSCI and SLCP)*. We do not specify where our cotton comes from, but we use factories with good reputations. When it comes to the environment, we are working with Nantong University to develop biodegradable materials as plastic substitutes. We have set up a foundation to help our employees when they need financial support and I’m also considering setting up a fund to help or reward designers or milliners to make more of a contribution to the world hat industry. In short, you cannot win respect if you are driven only by profits.”
For Jeff, hat consumption is something of a barometer of the world economy. Traditionally, the US, UK, France and Germany have been big players in China, where cheaper labour and material costs have helped drive the price of manufacturing down. But now, a mixture of geopolitical factors, rising costs, quality and supply chain issues are fuelling a move towards ‘reshoring’ (bringing manufacture back from China). “It’s a matter of choice,” says Jeff. “There are lots of very good manufacturers in
24 | the hat magazine #92
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