The main attraction of the Billionaire Boys Line apart from the quality of materials used and unique design styles is that they are produced in highly limited quantities. The limited stock makes them highly exclusive fashion pieces that command relatively high prices. In the multi-platinum selling rapper and producer Jay Z, who likes to collaborate with Pharrell, announced that he would be going into partnership with the Billionaire Boys Club.
Blackburn, Manchester, and Lancashire in general were once at the centre of global textile manufacturing. But after World War Two the industry went into sharp decline, as production shifted overseas to countries with cheaper manufacturing set-ups. Homegrown Homespun hopes to help revive Blackburn's textile industry, by producing linen clothes locally - from growing the flax to making the garments.
Most clothes were linen or wool, and flax was grown all across the UK. In fact, in the 16th Century, it was law that every landowner had to dedicate a portion of their land to growing flax.
Flax is sometimes called "Britain's forgotten crop". It is considered to have first been cultivated in the British Isles for the production of linen during the Bronze Age - some 4, years ago. By the 18th Century around 50 million yards of linen was produced in the UK, but during the 19th Century it was replaced by imported cotton, and linen production fell away. Flax is still grown commercially in the UK to produce linseeds, which you can eat, and linseed oil, which is used as a wood treatment and in paint.
However, flax hasn't been grown commercially for the plant's fibre since the s. We want to demonstrate that flax can be grown viably, for linen, in the UK. Justine Aldersey-Williams, founder of North West England Fibreshed, says that flax is a good crop to grow in the UK because it is so hardy - it doesn't require watering, pesticides or fertiliser.
The only downside, she says, is that it is labour intensive to harvest and process into linen, making it more expensive than imported cotton. Despite this handmade scale at present, Mr Grant adds: "More and more consumers are buying linen because of its environmental benefits. They know it's good for the planet. In what author and Chinese technology expert Matthew Brennan has branded "real-time retail", smaller companies along its supply chain are fed information from its in-house tools on what's trending or how well certain products are performing.
Based on that data, they produce a batch of items per style. If it does well? Shein orders more. If not, it's discontinued. Shein can turn around a new item in about 25 days. For many retailers, it can take months. The company ships orders to its customers directly, mostly from one 16 million square foot warehouse on the outskirts of Guangzhou.
But its packages often take at least a week to arrive in markets such as the UK and US, unlike competitors such as Boohoo, Asos or OhPolly which offer next-day delivery. Using an army of influencers, from student "campus ambassadors" to reality stars such as Made in Chelsea's Georgia Toffolo, Shein has amassed more than million followers across its social media channels.
Shein's online presence has been a big driver of its success "as it boosts brand awareness and engagement", says Emily Salter, a retail analyst at GlobalData. Targeting advertising and sponsoring influencers on Instagram and TikTok has helped it remain relevant among the youngest shoppers. These efforts have been boosted by the fact that it often hosts live shows on its platforms to promote its products. Its use of customer data has sparked concerns in the UK, however.
Shein was recently described as "manipulative" by web design agency Rouge Media, which identified eight prompts on its website encouraging shoppers to spend more money or give away personal data in exchange for discounts or reward points. In a study , it analysed 30 of the biggest fast fashion retailers in the UK and scored their websites according to how many of these prompts customers saw before making a purchase.
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat said: "Millions of people are signing away their personal data for cheap clothes. He added: "When the price is too good you have to ask who is really paying and how. During the first coronavirus lockdown, year-old Heather McCurry thought she would order some new leggings to get her through YouTube workouts at home. Shein's Facebook adverts caught her eye: "Because it's a fast fashion company, you can go on every day and there's new clothes added at a reasonable price.
Eventually, she also snapped up homeware, joggers and even got her mum into shopping on the website. But it isn't without its faults, she says.
Heather suggests that some discount items of clothing have been of a lesser quality.
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