Attire Accessories - Feb/Mar 2019 (Issue 74)

INDUSTRY NEWS 11 SUSTAINABLE COTTON HELPING REDUCE UK CLOTHING FOOTPRINT, SAYS WRAP WRAP has announced data suggesting that changes in the fibre composition of clothing sold in the UK by retailer and brand signatories to the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan 2020 (SCAP 2020) have helped improved the UK clothing industry’s footprint. Likewise, the purchasing of more sustainably produced fibres also contributed. According to WRAP, “For five years, leading retailers, brands and organisations from the re-use and recycling sectors have been measuring their progress towards targets under SCAP 2020, the voluntary agreement managed by WRAP to reduce the environmental impact of the UK’s clothing sector. WRAP’s latest progress report for SCAP 2020 measures the impact of changes made by members against the four targets. These show significant impacts in reducing the water and carbon footprints by SCAP 2020 members.” By also choosing more sustainably produced fibres from initiatives such as Better Cotton, the volume of water used in clothing sold by SCAP 2020 members has also been significantly reduced. Peter Maddox, director of WRAP explains, “I am delighted by what SCAP 2020 signatories have achieved. Compared with the wider sector, they continue to set the bar high for improving sustainable practices. And it’s important that they do because while clothing might only be the eighth-largest sector in terms of household spend, it has the fourth-largest environmental impact behind housing, transport and food. As the Environmental Audit Committee into fast fashion has shown, there’s a lot more work to do on clothing, and I believe that initiatives like SCAP 2020 have an important role to play. The public is getting increasingly concerned about the impact of clothing on the environment, just like it has in relation to plastics following Blue Planet II.” Visit wrap.org.uk GECKO JEWELLERY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NEW JEWELLERY RANGE, ALPHABET Gecko Jewellery is set to launch its new range, Alphabet, at Jewellery & Watch at the NEC, taking place between 3 rd -7 th February. The range features pendants in sterling silver with cubic zirconia accents and offers all the letters of the alphabet. According to the company, the range was created to cater to the growing consumer desire for personalisation and follows the success of Gecko’s Birthstones range, which launched last year. Desiree Pringle, creative director, said, “We have created a very compelling product package, with all 26 beautiful art-deco letters available in a contemporary point-of-sale unit, available at a very low price point. This is a range that has been designed to sell quickly and easily. We want to provide retailers with as much confidence as possible that the ranges they buy into are going to sell. We are constantly reviewing the market to understand consumer demand and appetite. We’ve seen the resurgence in popularity of initials, and coupled with low retail price points and considered styling, we’re confident this range will join our existing best sellers.” Visit geckojewellery.com