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Final Bag Design

Design Inspiration 

while researching the origins on Nylon I found out how it was rationed during WWII just after its discovery by DuPont and used to create parachutes for the army .The final design for my backpack was partly was influenced partly by the idea of a parachute and will be made out recycled Nylon blend and will feature drawstrings toggles that give the impression of a parachute. 

Bought sample analysis 

I used the dimensions of the bought sample Adidas  to create a specification for my own design.  as Cos is a fashion brand then bag need to have as much consideration style and trend as well as the functionality of the bag.

Technical specification

Data from Edited. 

l The colour wheel shows that the key colours for these category are Black with 48% Greys 4% and pinks at 10%. This data backs up decision o to use a soft dusky pink pink on for the backpack. 

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The number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers in England has fallen by more than 85% after the introduction of a 5p charge. Tesco have recently gone even further by unveiling a new ‘Unforgettable bag’ The bag features prints of sea creatures that are impacted by plastic waste in the ocean and has barcordes featured into the prints on the bag. A customer can use the the bag to redeem discounts on their shopping when the barcodes are scanned. 

The new bags are made of recyclable material and durable compared to the normal plastic bags.  The video below shows the marketing campaign for the launch.  The campaign which aims to reduce single use plastic bags by encouraging customers to bring back their bags for every time they shop.

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I found out about Ecolaf through WGSN report on Active wear Textiles for SS19. They are a Madrid based brand that are focused on sustainable clothing. 

“Ecoalf arose in 2009 from my frustration with the excessive use of the world’s natural resources and the amount of waste produced by industrialized countries. Ecoalf symbolizes what I believe the fabrics and products of the new generations should be, a new fashion/lifestyle brand that integrates breakthrough technology to create clothing and accessories made entirely from recycled materials with the same quality, design and technical properties as the best non-recycled products. That way we show that there is no need to use our world´s natural resources in a careless way”.

Javier GoyenechePresident, Founder

The Video below is by Ecolaf illustrating that the company used plastic bottles to create recycled fabrics in this instance trainers. This would be a great marketing idea to build up interest for my  own launch. 

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After reading about the micro-bead ban i got intersted in other legislation or pledges by the UK to tackle climate change. This is because i believe that true global or national change can only happen when there is legislation to drive it as well as interest from the public.  I found out that In April 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May announced that New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ghana have joined the UK and Vanuatu to form a Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance. The goal of the CCOA is to encourage common wealth countries to take an active role in fighting the impact of plastic pollution caused by single use plastics. 

The UK along with joint chair Vanuatu have called on all member states of the common wealth to join this CCOA and pledge actions against plastics including banning microbeads, cutting down on use of plastic straws and other steps that could help with avoidable plastic waste. As art of this drive the UK announced a £61.4 million package to fund global research on this issue and to help member countries of the commonwealth to take an active role in reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the world’s oceans in the first place. Developing countries that sign up to the Alliance will also be able to support in improving their waste management systems and to drive initiatives that tackle plastic waste.  

The Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance will work in partnership with businesses and NGOs, including the World Economic Forum, Sky, Waitrose, the Coca-Cola Company, Fauna and Flora International and WWF to share expertise and experience and push for global change.

For its part the England has had a 5p levy on single use plastic bags in England since 2015, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland introduced their charges in 2011, 2014 and 2013 respectively.3 This levy only applies to bigger retailers with more than 250 employees. The government said that the 5p charge on single-use plastic bags in England has contributed to a reduction of nearly 83% in their use. So they announced plans to extend this scheme to all retailers as part of the white paper ‘A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment’. The government said they will first be looking at voluntary agreements with the different industries to achieve this before they consider making it compulsory.  

In their 25 year Environment plan, the government announced its goal to minimize waste, reuse materials as much as possible and manage materials at the end of life to minimize the impact on the environment. To do they set out the goals below.

working towards their ambition of zero avoidable waste by 2050

working to a target of eliminating avoidable plastic waste by end of 2042

meeting all existing waste targets – including those on landfill, reuse and recycling – and developing ambitious new future targets and milestones

Seeking to eliminate waste crime and illegal waste sites over the lifetime of this Plan, prioritising those of highest risk. Delivering a substantial reduction in litter and littering behaviour.

significantly reducing and where possible preventing all kinds of marine plastic pollution – in particular material that came originally from land.

Adidas is one of the companies actively engaging with the issues surrounding pollution. They recently paired up for the second time with Parley plastics creating a collection PARLEY OCEAN PLASTIC™. This is made from up cycled waste that is sourced from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean.  they are focused on three main areas to achieve sustainability in thir supply chains. 

Avoid- They do want plastic bags, micro beads and no more virgin plastic in their supply chain. 

Intercept. They aim to stop plastic before it enters the ocean but highlight that change is on all of us. 

Redesign. The say the are driving Eco-innovation around materials, products and new ways of using them to create new mindsets for a new future.

https://www.adidas.co.uk/parley

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Many reasons go into each handbag purchase. when asked what primary uses their handbag purchases were for, 59% said “for anytime.”  

women cited these chief reasons in order: 

styling/features,

price, 

Brand

The analysts forecast the Handbags market in the US, in terms of revenue and volume, to grow at of 5.9% and 5.29%, respectively, over the period 2014-2019. 

The info graphic illustrates market insight into the category and cleary illustrates that Backpacks are increasingly more popular with consumers. 

Although I will be creating a whole range with clothes and bags for my assignment potential growth in this market validate my reasons for wanting to create to focus on the backpack for product development.  

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“Growth in ethical clothing is being driven by consumer demand for fairly produced and sustainable goods, which is being met by growing numbers of fashion-led independents, and now some high street majors. The participation of mainstream retailers is vital to extending awareness and availability and significant numbers of mainstream retailers now include organic and fair trade products in their ranges” comments Katrin Magnussen, Senior Retail Analyst in the Mintel report above. dome of the insignts into the sustainability trend are listed below. 

Although having gained significant ground in the past 5 years, the market for ethical clothes is just a little larger than the UK market for bridal wear, but unlike the bridal wear market, the potential for ethical clothing is endless. 

Despite doing well, not everyone has been hit by the ethical bug, according to exclusive consumer research, around a third (35%) of Brits have no interest in ethical clothing. 

Price is seen as a barrier by some otherwise willing buyers, with almost a quarter (23%) of Brits saying they would buy it if they could afford to.

 A fifth of Brits (20%) complain about lack of availability and one in ten (11%) has doubts over the veracity of labeling.

Some of the key findings are listed above from the Mintel report says that although sustainability is gaining momentum there isn't as much interest in consumers to buy into sustainable products as they often come at a premium.

 While I was at Work experience the Garment Technologist  on the Mens Casual wear said pricing remains a hurdle in the effort to use more recycled fabrics. She said that Most recycled fabrics cost a lot more than virgin fibres however, she also mentioned that Marks and Spencer as a group have decided to engage the suppliers on this issue directly. She said that with growing popularity and reseach into this area there are a lot more fabrics available so the brand was looking at telling the suppliers they are unwilling to pay a premium for recycled fabrics.     

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“While the most commonly purchased items of women’s clothing remain tops/T-shirts (65 percent) and jeans (54 percent), the apparel industry is being impacted by an overall increase and acceptability of casualization in all forms, both socially and in work settings. One area of significant growth is “athleisurewear” – or fitness clothing that is being worn for casual purposes. The top reason for buying fitness clothing is to wear it for casual purposes (38 percent), according to Mintel data. Women are driving this trend because they have more bottoms options to choose from, and thus more frequently wear informal clothing like yoga pants and leggings compared to men. Because of this, types of casual clothing items like jeans are being negatively impacted.

“Casualization and the growth of athleisurewear have strongly affected the women’s clothing market. Our data shows that over half of women say that comfort is more important to them than what’s in style, proving that comfort reigns supreme,” Smith continued. “The athleisurewear trend is spreading across demographics; celebrities are sporting it and high-end fashion designers are devoting entire product lines to premium athleisurewear.”

The report above highlights that active wear is a growing trend and in part if fueled by social media so i need to consider how i will use this tool to launch the range.  I feel Cos conceptual  approach to marketing their campaigns and creating content for their channels. the seem to eschew the hard sell and instead they engage customers holistically through their interests outside of fashion like art and design.   their printed look book/ journal which is also featured on their website  has interviews with artists, scientist, musicians and other influential people. Below is an image of the Cos journal / blog section on their website. 

For my launch Cos could collaborate with an artist whose work deals with climate change. For example Steven McPherson who has been collecting  plastic debris from the North Kent Coast of the UK for 15. In his latest works he uses these found objects to create sculptures collages and installations. The objects are often arranged by colour and the result is often bold and graphic i think this would work well wit the Cos aesthetic and this could be a good artist to feature and collaborate with. the images could also from the basic of a good print inspired by the images. 

Below is an example of how Cos has collaborated with Designers, Artists and Architects to create exhibitions and pop up spaces. These are often installations that do not necessarily have to include the actual clothes and when they do this is often clothes Incorporated into the works in unexpected ways. Cos then feature these projects on their social media

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“Whilst it is younger Brits who are the most likely to have bought a bag in the last 12 months, they are also the most likely to be investing in designer pieces. Approaching three in five (59%) women aged 16-24 have bought a bag in the past 12 months, with one third (33%) of this group preferring to purchase designer bags. What’s more, they are the most likely to avoid the sale rail, with two in five (39%) women aged 16-24 saying they typically buy bags at full price.

But it’s not only young women who’ll be keeping an eye on the catwalks this London Fashion Week. Of men aged 16-24 who’ve bought fashion accessories in the last 12 months, 20% bought items from a designer store or brand, up from an average of 9%”.

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Key findings 

 Handbag sales have risen by 10.5% in 2013 to £1.16 billion.

 51% of women have bought at least one handbag in the last 12 months.

 Overall, Sales/Special offers are the main motivation to buy a new handbag (with half of women, under-25s and 35-54 year olds incentivised by a discount.

Under 25s are most likely to buy new accessories to accompany a new outfit from the same store.

Those aged 25-34 have become the main handbag buyers. This group are most likely to purchase a new item because of a special occasion, and they are less driven by price.

45-54s are most driven to buy new handbags for a gift.

A new fashion trend is a key purchasing incentive for under-35s, who are the most likely to have bought handbags in the last 12 months.

Over 55s almost twice as likely as average to buy handbags on impulse.

According to the data the graph above shows the  Most important factors when buying a high-end handbag. At £125 my bag is on the premium end of the high street however Cos a unique pricing architecture that can capture varying budgets. My bag will be on the premium end so has to perform as more that a gym bag to justify the price. I believe that as it has a the removable wash bag that sits in an interior pouch it offers the customer more choice and quality.

As color is another key driver in this category i have chosen to look at colours at are often featured predominately by Cos in their Ranges or In their VM. 

Cos Entry Price point for a Bag £35

Cos exit price for a Bag is £175

Comparative Shop analysis 

I used Edited to look at the Active wear Bag market focusing on the UK market. Bags ranging from £10-300 that were currently in stock and not discounted. I specified three fabric descriptions , Polyester, Nylon and Polyamide(un branded nylon)  The data below shows the top Retailers and brands that fit in this category. I then focused on Adidas for fabric and bag inspiration as it was listed under three brands Adidas performance Adidas and Adidas by Stella McCartney with a combined 319 units it had the most stock in these fabrics. . 

The Graph below is from edited showing new in products in the same criteria as bellow. the graph shows that although the number of bags with this this criteria had risen sharply in the last two years there has been a dramatic drop in newness since April 2018. However i think this might be tied to the general drop of sales in Big Bags with consumers buying smaller bags instead. I think as my bag is multi functional and has the added value of the was bag its a more worthwhile investment.

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 Adidas is one of the Brands Highlighted . 

 “Adidas and its subsidiaries engage in the design, manufacture, and      marketing of athletic and sports lifestyle products, including bags,      across the world. It is one of the largest sports goods manufacturers in      Europe and in the world. The company is involved in sustainable      manufacturing processes. Its environment-friendly approach addresses      water efficiency, quality, and accessibility. It also encourages the use      of more sustainable materials like better cotton, recycled polyester,      and ocean plastic. adidas also makes efforts to reduce its energy      consumption, make the transition to clean energy, and use energy for      harvesting opportunities.”    

When researching my Bag designs I looked at Adidas bag above as a bough sample as it had Incorporated recycled polyester into the fabric content of the Bag.

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“Because gym bags are made to carry wet clothing, they are prone to unwanted odors too. That’s why we recommend those made from nylon and cotton. Nylon and cotton fibers promote proper ventilation so bad odors dissipate into the air.”

“ Depending on how often you go to the gym, you have to wash your bags once a month. After working out, do not leave your wet clothing inside the bag for too long. Remove dirty clothes as soon as you go home so the moisture will not weaken the material!”

The writing highlights four major areas for consideration when purchasing a gym bag *size *functionality *materials *maintenance

I will make sure that my handbag captures these considerations. 

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This was the only direct analysis of the gym bag market that i found. . 

“ Changing consumer preferences towards healthy lifestyles has significantly increased the demand for fitness related products. The inclination of a large number of people towards fitness is primarily driving the gym bags market.”

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Above is a link to a review f=of the Guppy Friend washing bag. The writter does note that ironically the bag was sent wrapped in plastic. “After all these years, people are still packaging products meant to combat plastic pollution in more plastic.  It’s just so ingrained in our society that everything must be protected with plastic — even things already made out of plastic” 

for my product i would make sure that the packaging mas was made out recycled materials including the plastic wrapping. As Cos is still a high street brand it is unlikely that that their supplier could send goods that were not wrapped in plastic while being shipped to protect them from stains or damage.  

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“one of the disadvantages of PA nets for fishing purposes was their relatively high sensitivity to ultraviolet rays. Carrothers (1957)reported that on average,a well-maintained PA net loses about 25% of its strength during the first season and another 10% during the second season”

My very initial idea was to create a gym bag that uses the Guppy bag technology to create a gym bag that you could through into the wash as soon as you got in.  However there were many hurdles to this as the functionality of the Guppy wash bag lies in its construction. the Bag is made out of fine polyamide fibres so the exterior bag would have to be strong enough to protect the wash bag inside from degrading. . 

 “Weathering causes modification and breakdown of the molecular  structure  of  polymers,  which  in  turn  results  in  the  loss of  strength,  general  durability  and  appearance”

To ensure the success of the Bag it will need to be vigorously  tested. Test would include 

Strap Strength & Attachment 

Colour Fastness to Rubbing

Colour Fastness to persperation   

Colour Fastness to Washing (Not applicable as items is not washed but intead dryed with a cloth. 

Seam Strength   

Seam Slippage/ Seam Strength

Trim Attachment 

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“The Guppyfriend washing bag is a patented solution, that filters out the tiniest microfibers released from textiles during washing. The self-cleaning fabric bag is made of a specially designed micro-filter material. Simply collect the fibers and dispose them of properly.It protects your apparel. Viewer fibers break compared to washing without the bag. Hence, it extents the lifetime of your favorite sweater.The microfibers that do get released are caught by the mesh and don’t make their way with the effluent into the marine ecosystem.The Guppyfriend washing bag does not lose any fibers itself.”

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The report finds that although wastewater treatment plants filter 65 to 92 percent of microfibers entering their system, they still release a significant volume of waste into the environment. and that fabric construction appears likely to impact shedding with poor quality or older garments shedding more fibres during the wash.