David Luke’s MD Kathryn Shuttleworth discusses industry topics ranging from sustainability and the role of independents through to business ethics and market trends.

 

Laura Turner: What challenges is the schoolwear sector facing?

Kathryn Shuttleworth: There are many. The volatile economic and political backdrop is impacting on all businesses, especially importers dealing with the prolonged devaluation of the pound. At David Luke we’re working hard to minimise the impact of price increases because we’re acutely aware of the wide-ranging pressures on consumers and retailers.

For schoolwear specifically, a renewed focus on uniform cost from politicians and attempts to dumb down the overall quality and specification is disturbing. How vote-winning this will be is hard to say. However, we all need to work together through The Schoolwear Association to help ensure there are high levels of understanding about the benefits of school uniform.

The schoolwear market is also going through changes we haven’t seen before in terms of national-level supply and consolidation. Those outside the schoolwear market might think this is a normal development in the sector’s evolution. That there is opportunity for vertical and horizontal consolidation. However, we don’t believe there are improvements being brought by these changes. School uniform suits a localised and specialist supply route, which is hard to scale.

Service isn’t just related to getting generic product on time. It’s also about responding to the nuances and needs of individual schools and parents. It remains our view that this is best achieved through the hard work and dedication of a network of independents around the country. We will keep working hard to support independents in managing this shared challenge whilst also staying competitive and agile for the future.

LT: What market trends are you seeing?

KS: There’s a wider acceptance of second-hand clothing. So, we plan to work with retailers to find solutions to positively incorporate this into trading. There are some wonderful examples of how it is already being done; it’s important we share more of this best-practice around the trade.

In terms of David Luke product, as we predicted last year there has been an increase in sales of shorts due to the warmer weather. Girls’ trousers, skorts and skirts are also gaining in popularity alongside gender-neutral garments.

With the widening interest from some politicians in school uniform, we also expect to see a slowdown in heavily bespoke items in the state school sector. Our expertise in producing traditional bespoke blazers will continue to be in demand, but we foresee the trend for new academy trust schools stipulating very customised garments reducing with outside pressure.

LT: Where do you see opportunity?

KS: As consumers start to become more socially conscious in their buying decisions there are opportunities for our sector to demonstrate the added value we can offer beyond the supermarkets. We can provide retailers, schools and parents with a socially-responsible position that makes their support of our product a strong proposition. Leading the way in our industry with sustainability issues has helped David Luke’s growth over the years. But, this is not the only social issue people care about. It would be good to see the market championing other causes that are important to schools and parents, which we also intend to do.

As a company our focus will always be on putting more into our products, but in the past we have been accused of over-engineering school uniform when affordability is more in demand. However, our view is that we are moving to a time where less is more; consuming less and buying fewer, but better things. This sustainability aspect fits in with our ethos. As easy as it could be to source cheaper, we don’t believe this represents best value. It would ultimately erode all that we have built up. We need to be providing garments that not only satisfy the durability needed for everyday wear but also for an afterlife as second-hand clothing becomes a norm in society.

LT: How did this Back to School compare to last year?

KS: We’ve made a lot of changes since last year to handle the intense peak. We have a great team at David Luke and within our operations departments we have invested in people and their training to ensure they are empowered and can make decisions quickly at critical times. We also invested in embroidery machinery earlier this year. The response has been great, so I can only see that growing.

LT: What’s the latest on your new sportswear brand, Juco?

KS: We had the full Juco collection at The Schoolwear Show, with many colourways and options for retailers to show to their schools. Recycled polyester is included in the vast majority of the range; we’re thrilled that it can be part of the Eco-uniform story so early on.

Developing Juco has allowed us to update our sportswear offering with products that are more desirable amongst wearers compared to our more traditional items. As well as a long history in sportswear, we have a wide array of sporting backgrounds and experience within David Luke. This enables us to confidently position ourselves in this space. Our product developer, Jen Nairne, has worked on top sportswear brands. She has therefore applied that experience to the fit and styling requirements we had for Juco.

I also used to play netball for England up to Under 21 level (I know, it’s a while ago now). I still play today and have also taken up lacrosse later in life. For me, starting a new sport and feeling self-conscious was an insight into how school children often feel. Not being considered good enough or not looking right are some of the main reasons for not continuing to play sport; especially for girls and women. We want Juco to stand for more than just aspirational elitism – it’s about participation for us. We want it to be accessible for all; all shapes, sizes, abilities and confidence levels.

LT: Do you have any other product developments?

KS: Our suiting options continue to develop for 2020. We’re introducing trousers and skirts to pair with our Eco Jackets and Eco Blazers to enable schools to put together a cost-effective suit. Thanks to our stock investment and service delivery ensuring retailers can give the best option for schools wanting quality and continuity, the depth of our offer on blazers and jackets also continues to expand.

LT: How is your 16 under 16 campaign developing?

KS: Our campaign to find 16 young environmentalists continues to evolve as it goes into its second year. The group we brought together has maintained contact over the past year, with some of them coming together for more localised events. It’s also been brilliant to see some of our 16 buying their own Eco-uniform from their local independent retailer.

They have been fantastic ambassadors for David Luke. Many of them have had press coverage, written articles, met royalty, visited parliament and continue their activism, all whilst proudly wearing our Eco-uniform. Coming up next for 16 under 16 will be new entrants and graduations, with our 16 Under 16 alumni acting as mentors.

LT: Do you have any other eco-initiatives?

KS: It’s our 10-year Eco-versary in 2020. We celebrated that at The Schoolwear Show by demonstrating the authenticity of our position on sustainability. Current initiatives relate to supply chain transparency, sustainable packaging and garment afterlife. We will be sharing more information on at the show and in our catalogue. We’re also delighted to confirm that we are the first supplier to achieve the SCS accreditation. This certifies our recycled polyester as post-consumer waste plastic bottle content, ensuring that we give full visibility and assurance to increasingly discerning consumers.

Our overall sustainability agenda is far-reaching with an impact assessment that covers the whole supply chain and garment afterlife. With our newly appointed Sustainability Lead, Samantha Leigh, we are in a great place to be able to set pledges for 2020 and beyond and deliver on them in a genuine way. Sam’s background is in design and garment tech, so she has a deep understanding of garments and the supply chain to ensure we can achieve both our ethical and durability objectives.

LT: Will David Luke be hosting more retailer events?

KS: Yes, we’re currently planning events for next year to provide knowledge-sharing across the industry. Our digital marketing event with Google earlier this year was a great success. As it is such an important issue for small businesses we are planning further work in this area. We also have ideas for how we can bring our partnership with Eco-Schools to retailers so that they can benefit from our association.

LT: Do you face any hurdles being a female business leader?

KS: I’m lucky enough not to see the gender inequalities that can exist. I’m possibly a little blind to the challenges some women in business face. It just seems normal to me to have women well-represented to achieve a balance and understand various viewpoints. I’m not sure we have tackled diversity generally as a market though. I was at a meeting recently where I was outnumbered by men 15:1.

However, we have a wider challenge than just encouraging women to take leading roles in business. If we are to stay agile for the future we need to look at various aspects of diversity. This includes race, age, gender and sexual orientation. Otherwise, we will all be making very blinkered decisions based on our own biases.

LT: What motivates you as an MD?

KS: I’m constantly inspired by people who overcome adversity and push through in the workplace. It’s incredibly humbling when you see what people deal with in their lives. Within the work/life balance, work doesn’t always have to be the bad guy (or girl). It can also be a focus to take people’s minds away from tough things. It can provide purpose, both within own individual lives and when working collectively for a greater good.

LT: What are the most important business lessons you’ve learned?

KS: It’s hard to say because it’s a continual learning curve – what’s right one day isn’t necessarily right the next. However, my dad, with his generosity of spirit, is my greatest mentor. He’s always said, “the more you give, the more you get back”. With my dad’s ethos instilled in me, I don’t do it for what I can get out of it, but for what I can put back in.

LT: What are your plans for the business?

KS: The short-term plan is to navigate the choppy waters ahead. The long-term plan is also to navigate the choppy waters ahead! The overriding point we’re focused on is keeping pace with the changing environment and market by listening to our customers and constantly improving what we do for them.