The Big Interview
‘We believe in the UK market’ A
t Printwear & Promotion LIVE! in April, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sebastien Williams, Stanley/Stella’s UK and Ireland sales manager, and Dimitri Demol, Stanley/Stella’s chief commercial officer, to find out more about how the brand plans to grow within the UK.
Stanley/Stella has been around for the best part of a decade now. Founded in 2012 by Jean Chabert, who has been a prominent figure in the blank apparel market for many years, Stanley/Stella’s aim from the beginning was to break the mould and offer a different product with the utmost respect for people and the environment.
“Jean could see a gap in the market for sustainability. Something that 10 years ago was unheard of,” explains Sebastien. “Not only this but the brand was also quite fashion-forward, bringing a whole rainbow of colours never seen before in this market.”
From day one
From day one all of the brand’s garment offering has been manufactured from 100% organic or recycled materials, with sustainability and ethical practices running through the core.
Stanley/Stella began life as a T shirt brand, before quickly adding sweatshirts to its offering. Now in 2022, the brand’s collection includes polo shirts, outerwear and accessories, as well as a kids and a babies range. The aim is to keep the range concise, while offering retail-quality products the end-user is proud to wear year after year. “We are becoming that one-stop shop offering premium, sustainable and fashion-forward clothing to the blank apparel market,” says Sebastien. “We are always working on innovation, reinventing and bringing new products to the market,” adds Dimitri. This was evident at Printwear & Promotion LIVE! when I walked around the products on display on
| 46 | June 2022
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk The new warehouse in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
This year marked the return of Stanley/Stella to Printwear & Promotion LIVE! and with this return, the ethical blank apparel manufacturer has ambitious growth plans for the UK market. P&P editor Melanie Attlesey reports.
Stanley/Stella’s stand. Stanley/Stella leads where other brands follow.
Dimitri Demol and Sebastien Williams pictured at Printwear & Promotion LIVE! in April
“The response and feedback on the new products in particular at the show was phenomenal,” says Sebastien. Dimitri adds: “Exhibitions enable decorators to discover our complete range. People are happy to touch, feel and see the entire collection together, rather than one piece here, one piece there. Most people have heard of our brand and seen our brand and recognise it as being a premium sustainable brand, but then they want to see what’s trending and we are happy to expose this to them.” What makes Stanley/Stella unique to other clothing brands of a similar nature is that the brand only partners with a limited selection of dealers (be it decorators, brands or print on-demand suppliers). Official dealers have to meet a series of requirements to ensure their philosophy and work ethics match those of Stanley/Stella. For example, they need to be GOTS certified, just like Stanley/Stella. The official dealers are a vast part of the Stanley/Stella community. They become business partners that
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