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Charlotte Bramford Boxes Up Business

We chat to Charlotte Bramford about the box that has got Industry members talking. Business in a Box contains a guide to fashion business alongside a directory of useful contacts and a CD full of formulaic financial spreadsheets In June Knock on the Door's Charlotte Bramford launched Business in a Box. Curious to find out more, we talk to The Industry member about the product now and in the future. How did the Business in a Box concept originate? Knock on the Door's initial business model saw us head hunt designers, often recent graduates, and commission them to develop a capsule collection exclusively for Knock on the Door. We would then produce and market the collection, however the range was sold under the designers' name. By promoting the unusual concept of Knock on the Door, we quickly began to build a reputation as the place for new designers to launch their career. We frequently received enquires about fabric sourcing, manufacturing and general business queries. However the way we were structured (working with one or two select designers) limited the amount of help we could give to all the other talented individuals who approached us. It was clear there was a lack of information available about setting up and running your own fashion business so I wanted to help fill this void by creating a product which could provide answers to the questions we were continually receiving. A product that would provide key information, practical advice and useful contacts, all of which are essential components to setting up and running a fashion label. Business in a Box takes all the knowledge and useful contacts I have built up over the years and combines it into a user friendly package full of invaluable information. What has response been like? The response has been fantastic from both new designers and industry experts. Reactions range from "Where was this when I first started my business?" to"This is absolutely brilliant!" Industry member, Alison Lowe from Felicities PR agency thinks it is an excellent product and will be recommending it to the young designers she works with; she even has a copy on display in her showroom. Alison told me that many designers approach her for representation but they do not yet have the knowledge they require to run a fashion label. She will be recommending they purchase Business is a Box to provide them with a solid grounding in all aspects of managing their own label. The response I got from Graduate Fashion Week was also very positive. Several organisations including the Ethical Fashion Forum and Portobello Business Centre are keen to promote the product to their members. I have also been asked to speak at an event run by the Portobello Business Centre in conjunction with David Jones which is designed to help emerging designers running their own business. Ceci Guicciardi, also an Industry member saw posts on Twitter about Business in a Box and has now invited me to be a contributor to her online intelligence publication, Brand & Commercial. Where do you see Business in a Box in five years? The aim is to grow Knock on the Door to be the go-to training and consultancy company for emerging designers with Business in a Box being the flagship product. We have already received interest from individuals throughout Europe. If this continues we would look at translating the product into other languages. While Business in a Box provides an in-depth look at all aspects of running a fashion label, and acts as a fantastic guide people can continually refer to, we are aware that many designers still want to receive training and guidance face-to-face. Knock on the Door is in the process of developing a series of 'Masterclasses' which will focus on specific elements of running your own fashion business. Along with 'Meet the Expert' events where designers will hear from industry experts on how to overcome issues often faced by new designers. For those wanting more personal support Knock on the Door also offers a one-to-one consultancy service which is tailored to suit the needs of each individual. This is an area which is of particular personal interest to me. Having consulted on a number of business start ups ranging from beauty products to an alpine holiday company, I find being involved with a brand in its start-up phase and throughout the early times fascinating. The first few years can be exceptionally challenging for a new business owner so having someone to turn to for advice and guidance is invaluable. Being this person and being able to suggest ideas, provide solutions to problems and watch the business grow and develop is immensely rewarding. Get in touch with Charlotte via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe Would you like to join Charlotte, Alison and Ceci in the premier members group for those shaping the future of fashion? Visit our JOIN page.

Harriet Bowe

Alison Lowe, Brand & Commercial, Business in a Box, Ceci Guicciardi, Charlotte Bramford, David Jones, Ethical Fashion Forum, Felicities, Graduate Fashion Week, Harriet Bowe, Knock on the Door, Portobello Business Centre, The Industry, Twitter

Member Interview With Knock On The Door

Industry member Charlotte Bramford set up Knock on the Door in 2009 after finding a gap in the ethical fashion market. Her revolutionary concept brings emerging design talent, best practice strategies and financial stability together to create a water tight business model. The Industry takes five minutes with Charlotte to find out more. Christine Hall in collaboration with Knock on the Door Tell us a little bit about what your company does and how you set up your business? Knock on the Door head hunts emerging designers, often recent graduates, and commissions them to develop a capsule collection exclusively for us. We then produce the collection using ethical fabrics and UK manufacturers; however the range is sold under the designers’ name. When looking to set up my own business I wanted a concept that was truly original. In 2009 I became interested in ethical fashion, an area I previously had no knowledge of, and the idea from Knock on the Door grew from there. Ethical fashion had a niche market that was growing and spreading into the mainstream. However, many of the ethical fashion brands lacked a strong or directional fashion element. Then there were talented graduates who were leaving university full of creative ideas but often without the experience or funding to develop and produce them into a commercial collection. My idea was to combine the two. Knock on the Door would source the ethical fabrics and fund the manufacture; however the graduates would have their name on the finished garments. The aim was to create a platform for talented designers to launch their career without them incurring crippling start up costs. In turn these future stars provide a much needed injection of style and creativity into the eco clothing market. What is it that Knock on the Door look for in the emerging designers that you work with? We have two main routes for finding designers. First is Graduate Fashion Week, which provides a fantastic opportunity to see hundreds of designers in one place. Second is through competition briefs we issue to our large database of designers. Applicants will send in illustrations and technical drawings of their entry. We will then assess them on various criteria, including their aesthetic appeal, the cost of production and the ability to source the relevant fabrics. What do you think the future holds for a more ethical fashion industry? Many of the larger retailers are becoming more aware of the need to implement sustainable practices into their supply chain and I hope this will continue. Ultimately it should be something which is done as a matter of course and not something which is done for publicity. Producing locally and supporting UK manufacture is something I encourage all new designers to do. It is important both for our economy and to prevent the loss of skills our manufacturing industry is facing. Where would you like to see Knock on the Door in five years? As word spreads that we work with new designers we receive more and more enquires asking where to source this, who manufactures that or just questions on general issues which new designers face. It is for this reason that we are currently developing a support package aimed at designers who are setting up their own label. Working with a few select designers, as we do at the moment, is good but being able to help hundreds more with the designer support package will be even better. We see this side of the business growing rapidly over the next few years, complementing our retail side and allowing us to add many more emerging designers to our website. What other Industry members have you worked with? The first member of The Industry I met was Courtney Blackman through an event at the Ethical Fashion Forum.  After joining The Industry, and being a regular at their events, I discovered I already knew some of the members but the events also provided me with the opportunity to make some great new contacts. Most notable is Olivia Pinnock from TellusFashion, partly because I love the work they do with emerging designers but partly because Olivia is just a lot of fun! Get in touch with Charlotte via The Industry Directory By The Industry's Features Editor, Harriet Bowe

Harriet Bowe

Charlotte Bramford, Christine Hall, Courtney Blackman, Ethical Fashion Forum, Graduate Fashion Week, Harriet Bowe, Knock on the Door, Olivia Pinnock, TellusFashion, The Industry