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Tuesday 28 April 2009

Haberdashery in the UK have virtually become extinct

I am amazed at the state of the Haberdashery industry in this country. We encourage young discerning talented students to hone their new skills in the art of fashion design.

By the time they graduate and move on to do their own thing, they struggle to obtain the very materials that they require to show case the talent they have through their designs. It’s hard to buy exactly what you are looking for, and therefore forced to re-adjust and buy what is available?

Zip yellow, not in stock? Diamante buckles large size? Not in stock? Why is this? These are but a few examples i have faced looking for haberdashery, this is an answer I normally get which indicates that the trade is in decline, well worse than that, there is no industry as it was some years ago, not many people are demand haberdashery items so many business carry small stock or none at all.

Why has our industry decided that it knows best not to make it fashionable to hold stock in haberdashery and craft? Too many of our industries have died out because of negative bosses organisations who have setup a trend of not just holding stock but not to hold it at all, to let the demand wither away.

United States is inundated with shops which cater for the profession, hobbyist or beginner. Whenever i watch Fashion Runway and see the places that these contestants go too for an assignment, i just quell with jealousy that we in this country are lagging behind whilst it’s an everyday affair trading with such lush and excessive haberdashery, fabric and equipment.

We are in a depressing recession, but at times like this, trade and industry show their colours for all to see. Shoddy workmanship and traders still expect to get paid for cutting corners? Poor quality customer care from companies that is too big to care about their service to customers.

But at times like this they could enhance their position to increase their customer base. I have found it so very difficult to find a haberdashery store, it’s almost as though they have been pushed into obscurity, directions like “behind the building next to McDonalds at the rear”, as far out of sight as possible, why?

Only the large stores such as John Lewis or MacCulloch & Wallis have the advantage to market within their branding. But the likes of smaller companies have been crowded out as being not fashionable, questions such as, who sews these days?

That is the archaic thinking of people that have set the Fashion Industry many years into the past, the very reason why other countries such as France don’t take the British Fashion seriously.

Many occasions I searched onto the Internet for sewing items, sewing machine parts, art and décor, thread, and each time without fail I found what I needed exactly to my requirements, only to find that the website was in $ not £’s.

I had to search hard and deep until I found a UK equivalent, but not in the same context theme I was looking for.

We should be flooded with stores selling haberdashery in the UK, we sell Arts & Crafts books, we market the London fashion week, and we educate students in the fashion universities.

But yet in the open free market in the UK, we are sold the excuse that there is no Market for Haberdashery.

Why is it that the United States doesn’t use that excuse of a concept?

MacCulloch & Wallis 25-26
Dering Street London W1S 1AT

New Face of Croydon Vision 2020

Croydon are in the middle of a Facelift project Croydon Vision 2020 that started in 2003 and expected to go until conclusion in 2020. Part of this project is to change the tired look of an out of date style that Croydon has adapted since the end of the Second World War.

With the evolutionary changes happening, closures of shops and estate buildings, in place are drafted ideas of architects that want to adopt the scenery as from Barcelona.

There are companies, organisations that want to improve the area of Croydon and so are looking for grants, support, concessionary rates to help organically grow the new face of Croydon. Once such organisation is Fashion Capital UK fashion portal. So what is Fashion Capital all about?

Fashion Capital aims to provide a one-stop online support resource for all areas of the Clothing and Fashion industry. Established in 2001 Fashion Capital has a wealth of expertise to provide all users a unique insight into the fashion industry. A dedicated team of experts are here to support you and your business at every stage of its development.

Fashion Capital combined with Fashion Enter in September 2006 to ensure a full offer of complete business support is now available.

Fashion Enter has a network of boutiques, the fashion event Profile, an agency Representing, PR Dispensary Service and allows members to have on going mentoring and business advice sessions. The amalgamation of the two businesses has provided one of the most powerful forces in fashion today.




Jenny Holloway, Director

Jenny Holloway has been working in the fashion industry for over twenty five years mostly in the private sector. Initially she was a buyer for Littlewoods, M&S and Principles for Women before opening her own label Retro.

For almost ten years Jenny was Director of her successful business Retro UK Ltd which included retail boutiques, party plan, wholesaling to major retailers such as John Lewis, Principles and independents. Retro UK also had an excellent export business with key accounts in the Middle East and Europe.

In 2000 Jenny commenced a consultancy business and was approached to be an Industry Advisor on Government funded initiatives. In March 06 Jenny incorporated Fashion Enter Ltd.





Fashion Enter Boutique Centrale Croydon

Fashion Enter (www.fashion-enter.com) has over 1000 members with two retail boutiques; Croydon and Barking - a third is planned for Spring 08. Fashion Enter Ltd provides highly specialised support for designers today including www.fashioncapital.co.uk, a PR Dispensary service, an agency representing, trade missions, seminars and workshops.

One to one surgeries are also available. Fashion Enter also owns the Profile fashion trade event which showcases new and emerging designers and acts as a platform between Graduate Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. Profile is currently sponsored by Hobbs, Whistles, Debenhams and TopShop and is in association with Rah Productions.

What this organisation can is boundless, for graduates the opportunity to have an organisation to help direct and learn more about the industry and more importantly to be advised by highly trained and knowledge staff who can give sound advice and support.
To do this Fashion Capital are looking for support in helping the Retail Industry in Croydon in establishing a sound base with helping the young designers, entrepreneurs, college graduates and up and coming designers in show casing their talents.

Croydon Council for some reason beyond recognition are refusing to aid the organisation who are a charity run business to supplement the accommodation they are using to help designers learn more about the industry.
I am of the knowledge that the whole town are in a re-development program and need all the support of the community to make the vision of 2020 a successful one. We need the likes of Fashion Capital to succeed as an organisation, because their success is everyone’s benefit.

There is no organisation that provides the resources and insight into the Fashion Industry as in depth as Fashion Capital, the fact that Croydon Capital have such resources at hand that could be helping them to PR the likes of Croydon Enterprise and Croydon Business is well just “beggars belief”.

Croydon needs a face lift and who better to advocate the new beginnings of a new future looking Croydon than none other than Kate Moss talent spotted in Croydon, and has gone on to be one of the most famous models to grace the fashion catwalks around the world.
We have been asking her to participate in raising the profile of Fashion in Croydon and to show fashion graduates what can be done in the working environment of the fashion industry.
But as yet she has ignored our pleas to help launch this town to new beginnings. This town is trying to raise awareness of change and needs the community to help input new ideas and to embrace the new face of Croydon.

This can only be successful if the people of Croydon can help input their ideas and for Croydon Council to recognise that people, organisations, societies, are the lynch pins to the success of this venture.
To stop this change from failing and becoming a “white elephant” as the London Dome proved to be, then Croydon Council are you listening, be there for the people by the people and stop dragging your pre-historic bureaucracy feet along the ground and HELP us to help you.

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