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Premium members can access source from suppliers without
fees or commissions, enquire about material customization, and download
testing and certification documentation. Orders can be booked online,
avoiding wire-transfer fees. High-resolution photographs allow members
to zoom in and examine the weave.
New suppliers can apply, regardless of whether they
are individual artisans or cooperatives.
It has long been theorized by such high-level brand
thinkers as Simon Anholt that if a platform existed that could fairly,
and robustly, connect second- and third-world artisans with first-world
buyers, then the issues of income gaps between nations could begin
to be moderated. Anholt, writing earlier this century in Brand
New Justice, gave numerous cases of companies that prospered,
even in third-world nations, by having a strong brand. Branding
became the tool through which a premium could be charged, boosting
earnings that ultimately, particularly in socially responsible firms
such as Dilmah, helped local communities.
The openness of Source4Style’s market-place, in attracting
individual artisans regardless of their country of origin, could
spark off a similar revolution. Its attractive web design
helps give that final polish to some individual suppliers, putting
them on an equal footing to rivals who may be old hands at marketing.
On this note, Source4Style appears to be one of the greatest tools
in promoting transparency and ethics in the fashion industry.
continued below
Above Oakes and Singh winning the Cartier’s
Women Initiative Award for North America in Deauville, October 2011.
Each supplier is vetted based on robust sustainability
criteria, again contributing to Source4Style’s transparent model.
Fabrics must be environmentally preferable (e.g., organic cotton
versus conventional), recycled or reclaimed, Fair Trade, or craft-preserving.
‘Sustainability is an inevitability,’ says Oakes. ‘The
industry is under increasing pressure to ensure social and environmental
compliance along the supply chain. Organizations like the American
Apparel & Footwear Association, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition,
and OIA’s Eco Index send a clear signal that change is imminent.
It’s too great a liability for any brand not to know where their
stuff is coming from.’
She adds, ‘Design and apparel brands want to come to
a place where they are inspired, where they can discover new trends.
Most don’t want to purchase the material for their upcoming collection
in the same place they can source coffee beans or machine parts.’
Alongside giving buyers and suppliers that extra sheen,
Source4Style’s ‘Curations’ section provides compelling, inspirational
content, giving behind-the-scenes looks at some of the locations
where fabrics are sourced, and discussing trends and design. The
company describes its video channel, The Cutting Edge, as
‘Talk Soup meets the BBC news.’
Given this compelling model—one that can change the
industry at a global level and provide opportunities to communities
to help themselves—it is little surprise to discover that Oakes
and Singh received a Cartier Women’s Initiative award in Deauville
in October 2011.
Source4Style is the tool that has surfaced at exactly the right
time, the technology having evolved to making it a reality. For
any designer or supplier who has ever wanted to make the business
easier, to meet the demands of consumers, Source4Style
answers their needs. •
Below The winners of the 2011 Cartier Women
Initiative Awards. Bottom Summer Rayne Oakes and Benita
Singh.
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Join Source4Style for 30 per cent off
‘The industry is under increasing pressure to
ensure social and environmental compliance along the supply chain.
Organizations like the American Apparel & Footwear Association,
the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and OIA’s Eco Index send
a clear signal that change is imminent. It’s too great a liability
for any brand not to know where their stuff is coming from’
Summer Rayne Oakes
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