Attire Accessories - Jan/Feb 2020 (Issue 80)

UP AND COMING 97 any way you look at it. I imagine that in the future they will be able to completely re- design their business model to produce better clothing that is more sustainable, charge a bit more money to cover those costs and then add to their profit by offering alterations, workshops and exclusive in-store experiences. For example, I see the future of high-street shopping as purchasing a plain sweater together with a drop-in embroidery class where you customise your piece! How would you describe your current collection? My current collection is mostly focussed on upcycled leather and is an ode to modern craft. I have tried to create designs that stand proud of our times: like the baskets which display details of being previously stamp-cut for upholstering, or the bags which are lasercut and then woven. Leather as a material has been around for thousands of years, but you wouldn’t be able to craft these products in the same way even a hundred years ago. This is the aesthetic that I want to explore with Be For Change.  How often do you launch new lines and what are your best-selling designs? My best-selling designs are the Wonky Leather Baskets and my original line of totes, the Bags for Change. What trade shows do you attend and which ones work best for you? I have recently attended my first ever trade show, which was Top Drawer London, and it is the only show I have exhibited at so far.  When was the website launched and how does it support the business? I had a website for my business from the very start. It was one of my very first expenses and I created it even before registering as a company! To this day I use the website as a branding exercise, in the belief that if people can take a look at the homepage and immediately understand what Be For Change is about, then my chances of succeeding are that bit better. It has played a key role in how the business has developed over the last couple of years, as the branding went through a few changes and the collection grew into a completely new area – leather goods. To this day, most of my sales come through the website and most of our traffic is a result of SEO. What have been the key milestones in the business? Launching the new collection of Upcycled Leather Goods was a big milestone for me, as was exhibiting at my first trade show.  How do you view the current market and what trends, in both product and business, do you see emerging over the current months? I’ve been happy to see natural materials and woven textures make an emergence, but I do feel like there is a lot of green-washing in this space and it’s increasingly hard for consumers to tell brands apart. I’ve been loving how there is a growing demand for customisable products and goods which have a unique quality to them, which is really creating space for independent creatives to grow. On the other side of trends, I think within business it is becoming less and less acceptable to copycat the work of independent creatives as so many big companies got called out on it in the last two years. I hope this will give rise to more creatives being asked to collaborate with the big guys and foster opportunities for the people who have spent years honing their craft. What are your future plans for the business? I’ve got huge plans for Be For Change! I want to continue growing our Upcycled Leather Goods collection and grow our market within accessories and homewares. I then want to explore other waste materials of equal level of quality that are going to landfill and launch more collections that complement each other. Let’s just say, it’s going to be a couple of busy years ahead! BE FOR CHANGE +44 (0)7400 666 269 be-for-change.com @beforchange