Business News 10/1/18

Happy New Year! This is the first business diary account of 2018 and we are excited to keep you all up to date with brand development and plans for this year coming.

We kicked off the new year with a solid week of sampling the new collection. With 11 new prints we got to work creating the 3 sub ranges; Woven Dreams (loungewear), Modern Medina (beachwear/ready to wear) and Cuban Garden (beachwear).

With previews and fitting ahead we will get to the next stage of ordering larger quantities for production. Through the customer reviews we are getting excellent feedback from all ranges and look forward to displaying these on our website in several weeks time. With the photoshoot booked in for end of the month with uber talented Hanna Hillier, we can't wait to get some fresh, crisp shots to really showcase the print design and the luxury of the silk. 

Yesterday included a trip to The London Textile Fair at the Business Design Centre. This venue always brings back emotions as it was where I showed my graduate collection in 2009 at New Designers. Since then I visit regularly ( including Stylist Live, New Designers 2017 and TLTF).

The aim for the trip was to keep aware of changing markets and suppliers. We noticed a large increase in Turkish factories at the show. We wanted to competitively price materials, and we also wanted to see what the new Print Trends are for 2018. 

An idea we are considering for 2018 is the use of silk jersey in our dresses and kimonos. We have sampled these and found that our production process works exactly the same as with the crepe de chine. Silk jersey is expensive and we know that with a stretch material printing issues can form quite quickly. We have been looking for a trusted company that we can communicate well with and that are happy to trial out small quantities to start with. 'Quantities' are always an issue when it comes to trying out new suppliers. 100+ meters is a lot to commit to when you're sampling items up!

After a busy afternoon, we took a little detour to the studio of wallpaper designer (and fellow RCA graduate) Kit Miles. A cute townhouse style studio building is the perfect place for him to create elaborate and delicate drawings and turn these into wallpapers and furnishing fabrics. Kit and I have been friends for over ten years now and we have a fond respect for each others businesses and the ways we choose to carve our creative careers. Good luck Kit in 2018!

Back in the studio today to continue sampling and production for FARFETCH. We have sold brilliantly over the last few months so it's time to replenish all the stock for a busy Spring season. 

We are producing line sheets and sending these out to prospective buyers or clients. If you are a wholesaler and would like to work with us this year, please contact studio@holland-street.com.

Next part of the 'Business Diaries' coming next month..