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Country Road’s new Teen range launches in South Africa

Country Road’s first Teen collection, catering for pre-teen and teen girls and boys aged 8-16, will launch in South African stores this August.

According to the Australian retailer, the new range will boast superior quality, fabrics and craftsmanship, and feature Denim, Country Road Heritage sweats, t-shirts, dresses, skirts and swimwear.

“The collection is developed with sustainability at its core, echoing Country Road’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and quality,” says the company. As such, the first teen collection features:

• Denim styles made from recycled fibres, meaning a percentage of the denim is made from pre-loved denim.
• All t-shirts and heritage sweats are made from organically-grown cotton.
• BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) cotton has been used in dresses, denim jackets and denim styles.
• Recycled nylon is used to create swimwear, sourced from discarded fishing nets and factory offcuts.

Country Road managing director Elle Roseby said the launch of Teens is a milestone and an opportunity to hone in on a new market for the brand.

“Up until now, Country Road has designed for most children in a family, from newborn to kids, leaving a gap for pre-teens and teens. We’re thrilled to be launching an age-appropriate collection for a fashionably conscious generation whilst demonstrating our connection to the environment.”

The full Country Road Teen collection will be available in select stores and online from 25 August 2019.  Bizcommunity

Ackermans, Truworths and Pep lead in customer satisfaction rankings

Consulta has released its latest South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SA-csi), showing which clothing stores have the highest customer satisfaction ratings. 

The index ranks Ackermans, Edgars, Jet, Mr. Price, Pep Stores, Truworths and Woolworths based on highly scientific insights into the overall level of satisfaction of customers.

Pep Stores leads the clothing store rankings with 79.8 on overall customer satisfaction score, followed closely by Truworths (79.5) and Ackermans (79.2). Woolworths (78.9) and Jet (77.5) follow on industry par (77.9), while Mr. Price (76) and Edgars (74.7) are missing the mark when it comes to keeping customers satisfied and loyal to their brands.

The report shows that while all clothing stores are meeting customer expectations, there is little differentiation and none are raising the bar on superior customer experiences.

As consumers increasingly look for value, quality and ease of shopping as economic conditions bite, even seemingly luxury brands riding on a ‘quality’ ticket are finding that customers increasingly question the link between perceived quality and perceived value and whether the pay-off justifies it.

“Dreary results have been coming through from South Africa’s major listed clothing stores as local market conditions, increasing competition from international brands and rapidly changing consumer preferences culminate to bite into their bottom line,” said SA-csi founder and chairperson, Professor Adré Schreuder

“Edgars has been through the mill in recent months in terms of its dire financial position, while Woolworths has taken a number of big reputational hits in the court of public opinion with regard to alleged copyright infringements with small businesses.”

“It is likely that these highly publicised events also played a role in how consumers relate to the brands and there is much work needed to restore the trust deficit,” he said.

Acute cotton shortage cripples Nigeria’s revamped Rivatex

Nigeria’s Rivatex textile factory, revamped at a cost of Sh6 billion, is operating below capacity due to acute shortage of cotton, according to its chief executive officer Thomas Kipkurgat, who said cotton production must rise for full-capacity operation. The firm is in the process of signing agreements with 18 counties to back farmers to produce more cotton.

It has already signed a partnership with Elgeyo Marakwet county to support 3,000 cotton farmers in the Kerio valley and has entered into another with Rift Valley Technical Training Institute (RVTTI) to train personnel, according to Kenyan media reports.

Rivatex will provide technical support for development of an appropriate competency-based curriculum, while RVTTI on the other hand will establish customised courses for the textile industry.

The country produces an average of 25,000 bales against a demand of 200,000 bales. The deficit is covered through imports from Uganda, Tanzania and East Asia  F2F

Springboks to receive new locally manufactured World Cup Blazer

The Rugby World Cup is coming!

The COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU), the House of Monatic (Cape Town clothing factory), Proudly SA, and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) have been working together to produce specially designed locally manufactured rugby clothing,  which our national team will wear for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Did you know……..

1931 Fashion: What did people wear?

In 1931, new fashion accessories include suede gloves with matching bag and shoes, a red or gray fox fur (flung over one shoulder), batik scarves, large rings and watches set with gems.

Women love their hats. In 1931, they are deep and close-fitting with both large and small brims, and women liked them to cover one eye. Women wear their hair a little longer and loosely waved with a side part. Fashionable shoes include the black silk style with ankle strap and the white suede style with a T-strap.