Industry News
Soil Association certified organic textile businesses increase sales by 30%
A
ccording to the Soil Associationʼs Organic Market Report, Soil Association Certification licensees have seen sales increase by 30% to £28m. A key growth driver is that more and more consumers now recognise the importance of organic when making ethical and sustainable purchasing decisions. Overall, the UK organic market is evolving from food into lifestyle and future predictions show there will be greater crossover between people who buy organic food and non-food items including textiles and health and beauty products. In the clothing sector sales (ladies
and mens) have increased by 26%, with steady growth across fashion. An
emerging area is clothing for music festivals, universities and staff uniforms in organic and ethically-led restaurants and cafes. Many innovative and bespoke sportswear brands are launching into the market where organic cotton is a core part of the offer. Babywear is another growing sector
with sales up by 5%. Childrenswear is still the largest textiles category in the UK with steady growth continuing through great brands and design, as well as increases in sales for babywear. Clare McDermott, business development director at Soil Association Certification, said: “Itʼs a really positive time for organic – from cotton to wool and all other textiles.
Particularly as weʼre starting to see more products being produced in the UK including ranges from Jigsaw and John Lewis. Organic supply chains are also strengthening and the number of Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS)-certified facilities increased by 4% in 2016, the fourth year of growth.” Globally, the organic cotton market is
also booming. Figures from Textile Exchange show that companies grew sales of organic cotton by 56% in 2016. The most growth, at 40%, comes from luxury, family and fashion items. Now, the market is worth $15.76 billion US globally. The organic market report revealed
the overall UK organic market is now in its fifth year of strong growth and worth £2.09 billion.
A great year for The Cotton Textile Company so far T
his year has started well for The Cotton Textile Company with the appointment of two new members of staff and
attendance at trade shows and exhibitions. Owner Richard King has set some ambitious targets for the next few years, including becoming the place to go for custom-made clothing and accessories for both sports and fashion labels, as well corporate markets. In time for the PPE trade show in January,
The Cotton Textile Company recruited Keighley Luff to support the sales administration of the business and Claire Eaton to kick start the business development team, concentrating initially on sports clubs and brands. This is where Ms Eatonʼs expertise lies, having run several
Olympic venues and the UKʼs largest indoor sports facility. Mr King said: “Itʼs great to have two new enthusiastic team members to help drive our business forward at this exciting time. “We have strong relationships with our manufacturing partners who consider The Cotton Textile Company to be the UK extension of their European offices and they support us with product advertising and marketing. This, along with our growing team, is firmly cementing a path for a successful 2017.” The growth that the company has shown and
the arrival of new team members has driven the company to find bigger offices which it is currently on the lookout for in Essex.
L-R: Richard King, Claire Eaton, Keighley Luff and Stefan Brinkmeier
Incorporatewear appoints new team member L
isa McCall has joined the growing Incorporatewear team as business development manager.
Ms McCall, who has 30 years of experience in the clothing and textiles industry in the UK, South Africa, and Germany, will be responsible for building new business relationships and growing Incorporatewearʼs account base of major UK and global brands across a number of sectors. Most recently, she has been responsible
for sales and design of the ladieswear division of Prominent (Europe), whose customers include UK high street retailers.
Incorporatewear has also promoted
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
Fiona Harris to sales and marketing administrator. Prior to this role, Ms Harris was account administrator for clients including leading high street financial institutions.
Lisa McCall
Sharon Archer, head of key accounts at Incorporatewear, said: “We are delighted to welcome Lisa to the company, as she brings with her experience across both retail buying, sales and design management. We are confident her results-driven approach, creative experience and positive attitude towards customer service will be strong assets in ensuring success in her new role. “We continue to develop our staff internally and the promotion of Fiona further demonstrates this commitment. Fionaʼs knowledge of the business and our clients, together with her enthusiasm, will make her a great fit in the marketing team.”
April 2017 | 9 |
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