Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - July/August 2020

Industry news Find out about all the latest from the fashion accessories industry in our regular news roundup SUPPLYCOMPASS LAUNCHES FREE MOODBOARD TOOL DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK SupplyCompass has announced the launch of a new, free, moodboard tool aimed at collating and sharing collection inspiration during COVID-19, in the bid to help fashion brands collaborate around the globe. With businesses across the country largely working from home as a result of the pandemic, technology and team management tools are now vital in order to maintain some level of ‘business as usual’. SupplyCompass, a design and production platform for fast-growing fashion brands, states that the new SupplyCompass Moodboard Tool solves the issue of disjointed teams and clunky existing design processes by creating a centralised place for design teams to build new collections. Secondly, the moodboard tool allows brands to share ideas with their factory partners as well as their team, thus bringing the supply chain into the ideation phase. Both of these aspects will help to drive efficiencies in the fashion supply chain and help all parties design better, together. All fashion brands need to do is sign up to ​supplycompass. com​, create moodboards and upload images, share with their team, annotate and comment, and then share and collaborate with their factories. Free-to-use during COVID-19, until at least October, when it will become part of a subscription package. www.supplycompass.com UK FASHION AGENCY LAUNCHES GOVERNMENT PETITION FOR WHOLESALE AGENTS AND DISTRIBUTORS Daniel Morris, co-founder of The Morris Fyfe Agency in Brick Lane, east London, has launched an online petition calling for business rates grants and holidays for retail companies to be extended to include wholesale agents and distributors. London-based Double H Agency, Love Brands, Jonny Drama, Just A Group, FOF Fashion Marketing and Brand Machine Group, as well as Manchester-based agency Red Alert, are among the signatories, with plans to extend the campaign to cover all affected sectors. Currently sales agents and distributors, who are typically self- employed or directors drawing dividends, do not qualify for the sort of help from central government or local government that is available to the many retailers they supply. The petition, https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/320692, sta tes, “The business rates relief for retail companies should be extended to include wholesale agents and distributors whose businesses have been equally affected by the shutdown. Our business, like many others, is 100% reliant on retail. Since the outbreak, our customers have been mostly furloughed and no one is visiting wholesale showrooms. Our office is obviously closed and all of our customers have closed their doors.” Daniel adds: “In short, we fully support the government business rates 12 month holiday for retailers and only ask to be treated the same, as we are part of the same supply chain and therefore paying the price in terms of reduced income from retailer cancellations, discounts and delays. We believe that the government doesn’t really understand and recognise the role we play in getting goods to market and how we are recompensed – at least that is the only justification we can think of, for not being included in the COVID19 government support. “My petition is saying that we are directly related to retail and should be considered in the same bracket. With buyers furloughed, offices shut and those people working doing so from home, those of us with retail showrooms are experiencing a similar impact to retailers. In fact, you could claim it’s worse, as we don’t sell through websites. We can’t just walk away from our showrooms, so they are staying full of samples with no visitors. We’re not eligible for the 12-month rates holiday, or the £25,000 grant for ratepayers in the retail, hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors, because we’re not classed as retail, and I can’t get the small business grant funding of £10,000 because my rateable value is above £15,000. The only logical next step has been to launch the government petition.” Daniel is looking to gain 10,000 signatures and is urging people to sign via the link https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/320692 For further information email daniel@morrisfyfe.co.uk TUCCA SWIM LAUNCHES NON-SURGICAL FACE MASK AS COVID-19 PROTECTIVE AID; DONATES PROCEEDS TO NHS CHARITIES TOGETHER Tucca Swim has announced the launch of non-surgical face masks as a protective aid in the fight against COVID-19, donating all proceeds to NHS Charities Together. The bright and colourful masks are hand made using Tucca Swim’s sustainable swimwear collections fabrics and cost £6.00. They can be purchased via PayPal payment or via the brand’s Instagram page @tuccaswim. Speaking at the time of launch, founders Helaina and Chloe Thomas said, “Last week we had the idea of starting to make non-surgical masks after hearing the Government saying we all may have to wear them outside of the house and the struggle to find masks easily online! A lot of the fabric we are using is from our swimwear offcuts so it’s going even further with our sustainability values. We are making them at home and hope that they can make a real positive difference during this time.” INDUSTRY NEWS 101