During the week, the Stockholm Fashion District will take place and Helen Fredriksson and Helen Bergström from Butiq H&H will be there to make purchases for spring 2020. Butiq H&H is one of the selected companies that will also participate in eXpressions' accelerator programme Future Retail Lab, which will start in a few weeks. Also present at the fair was the programme manager of the accelerator, Annakarin Nyberg, to discuss current issues related to sustainability, digitalisation, purchasing and consumer behaviour.
The week highlighted the importance of analysing sales statistics and how access to digital tools, data collection and processing has facilitated this type of analysis. At the same time, the risk of focusing too much on statistics was also discussed, as in some ways it is about looking in the rear view mirror and buyers risk missing out on looking forward and trend-spotting.
Helen Fredriksson, co-owner of Butiq H&H, explains that they base their purchases on a kind of combination of the two strategies.
We work a lot with gut feeling and it is of course based on experience after working more than 30 years in the industry. Then we also listen to our customers and are careful to capture the needs they express, says Helen Fredriksson.
During the week, issues of sustainability were also discussed, including the presentation of the Zero Waste Project, where students at Beckman School of Design have been working to minimise waste during manufacturing and production.
Sustainability is now a major and important issue in the industry, but it is not the first time it has been raised, although it is now being addressed in a different way.
We've seen this trend once before and it was very much about the customer buying organic. Today we know that organic is not always the most environmentally friendly. Now the issue of sustainability has changed. We have a greater awareness of the whole picture and can't just use sustainability as a selling point," says Helen Bergström.
Another aspect of sustainability is about helping the end consumer buy clothes that will be used and fit into their existing wardrobe. Developing this way of working is also one of the objectives expressed by Butiq H&H to participate in the Future Retail Lab accelerator programme.
At H&H, we take responsibility for making our end customers act smarter. We want them to buy things that they use a lot and that will stay in their wardrobe for a long time. Here we can help customers think smarter about the wardrobe they already have, as a way for us to counteract the wear-and-tear society. It also makes it clear that it is important to have knowledgeable staff in the stores," says Helen Fredriksson.
The image of taking responsibility for smart purchases is also shared by the sellers who have the retailer as their customer at fairs such as the Stockholm Fashion District.
We, as sellers to shop owners, should also help to slow down and act more environmentally conscious. When we meet shops that don't have as much experience as HH, it's important to help them take a holistic approach to their purchases," says Gunilla Hemrin, Cream's sales representative.
It is also clear from conversations with the fair's vendors and buyers that sustainability cannot be seen as the responsibility of a single actor. Just as the theme of this season's Stockholm Fashion District is collaborations, textile suppliers, designers, stores and customers all need to work together to tackle the issue from as many perspectives as possible. Only then can we create a sustainable future for trade.
The Future Retail Lab programme is a joint venture with the Swedish Retail Federation via the Swedish Merchants' Association Foundation and is also part-financed by EU structural funds. In autumn 2019, a pilot will be carried out in Umeå, with a view to opening up the programme to national participation.
