The fashionistas Young fashion is the latest focus of Retail Week's The disrupters' series, which looks at the businesses creating waves across the industry

ust eight years ago, Nitin Passi The programme has been the stealth British collaborations, MissPap mainly focuses its launched Missguided. Now with TV hit of the summer - inking a deal with a attention on marketing via fashion bloggers, sales of over£100m and having contestant and getting the clothes on the site which results in gaining instant social appointed Rothschild to explore its while their publicity is at its height is great media traction. options, Passi's entrepreneurial ambitions business sense. The celebrities In The Style It has recently launched designer collabora• have been rewarded. collaborates with help push its collection to tions, with TO\ VIE star Megan McKenna—its JRetail Week takes a look at the businesses their hefty social media following. most high profile partner. trying to disrupt the original disrupters. The business is aimed squarely at young, Could one of them be the next Boohoo value-based shoppers. The average price Brand Attic or Missguided? of a celebrity collaboration garment is Manchester-based Brand Attic enjoyed an around £30, while own brand comes in 809% sales rise year-on-year from its last year In The Style at around £20. and will soon launch an own-label collection. This Manchester-based business was founded Having had a £15m turnover target for last Established in 2015, the retailer has so off the back ofa£l,000 redundancy pay-out in year, Frisby is now focused on overseas expan• far stocked third party brands but in October, 2013, when founder Adam Frisby launched the sion. Currently, 11% of sales are international it will launch what it describes as its "competi• business from his bedroom. and In The Style is now targeting territories in tively priced" own brand capsule collection. From humble beginnings managing the Australia, Europe and the US. With a grand total of 16 staff, Brand Attic business and picking and packing himself, he is a minnow in the fast fashion market, but supervised its move into a 30,000 sq ft ware• MissPap clearly has big ambitions. In April this year it house in Salford Quays. Founded in 2013, the Lancashire-based busi• launched its first TV advertising campaign and What sets In The Style apart from its myriad ness, like In The Style, stakes a lot on social has spoken of its ambitions to compete with competitors is its constant celebrity design media. Its founder Ashley Ali is quite the Asos and Boohoo. capsules, the latest of which is with Love Man d wheeler dealer, describing himself as a 'hustler' Planning a recruitment drive later this star Olivia Attwood. rather than founder or chief executive on his year, the retailer credits its astronomic growth While Love Island may not represent the Linkedln page. with data-driven trend analysis and the use pinnacle of celebrity, this is definitely a clever Priced competitively, MissPap charges of influencers such as Made in Chelsea's marketing approach. around £20 to £2 5 for a dress. Also hot on Louise Thompson. September 22,2017 Retail Week 13 RUNWAY

Brand Attic

The celebrities In The Style collaborates with help push its collection to their hefty social media following

Mennace Missy Empire Surprisingly Batoko — which uses much- Created by Missguided chief executive This millennial-focused etailer is very much in loved millennial motifs such as cacti, palm Nitin Passi, Mennace launched this month. the same vein to that of Boohoo and Miss• prints and flamingos - is not based in a hip Having made its debut on Asos late last guided. Founded in 2015 by brothers Ash and enclave of LA or Brooklyn, but in Lytham, St year, the collection will now be sold via a Ish Siddique, Missy Empire's turnover is on Annes, Lancashire. dedicated website and a 12-month pop-up track to top £6.5m this year. A key strand of the business is its ethical shop in Shoreditch's Boxpark. Carrying 3,000 lines at any one time — and environmental credentials. In a backlash Mennace is aimed at the same millennial and adding 100 new pieces every week- against fast fashion culture, Batoko prefers age group as Passi's main brand Missguided, Missy Empire is harnessing the marketing to keep its "collections small, introducing but its price architecture is higher and it has power of influencers to boost its brand, new designs at a slower and much more a greater focus on quality. The label is start• creating campaigns with reality stars such sustainable pace". ing small with hundreds of items rather as Stephanie Pratt of The Hills and Made Its reusable packaging is made from 100% than the thousands listed on the main in Chelsea fame. Then current marketing recycled materials and the swimwear itself is Missguided site. campaign features her Made in Chelsea made from vegan fabric. Mennace is pitching itself between the co-star Tiffany Watson. Those credentials don't come cheap, with cheaper end of the high street - brands such as The Siddique brothers come from a manufac• swimsuits around £40 a pop. But Batoko H&M, New Look and Topman - to the premium turing background and believe that this experi• isn't about capturing the masses, it's about end, with brands such as All Saints. ence has been invaluable. building loyal clients from the few. Where Missguided is a bold, brash brand Clever sourcing and production know-how Now offering wholesale, Batoko ensures its famous for its millennial pink branding, are key to being first to market and ensure a Instagram page is a "community hub". Mennace seems more pared back with a successful fast fashion operation, and Missy "Out feed is essentially a showcase of you plethora of mood)-' black and white shots on Empire is able to ton product around in a rapid guys, our customers and friends," it says. its website. five to 10 days. "There are no models or faux set• The streetwear and athleisure brand features ups, just real life people doing awesome hoodies, joggers, jeans, T-shirts and jackets. Batoko real life things all connected by a fun Passi says his ambition is to be "on trend and Founded in 2013, Batoko is a women's swim- little swimsuit and a huge lust for life first to market". wear retailer with a difference. outdoors", RW