Apparel Online India Magazine July 1st Issue 2018 | Page 57

EYES & EARS Stanley/Stella may start sourcing from India D edicated to organic and sustainable garments, Belgium-based Stanley/Stella, a company catering to B2B and B2C European markets (Germany, Belgium, France, and few other countries), may explore the options of sourcing from India. The company with about 100 employees sold nearly 9 million pieces in 2017, recording a turnover of US $ 47 million. As of now, its 98 per cent garments are being sourced from 5 factories in Bangladesh while rest is from China. The company mainly offers tees, sweatshirts, pants, and jackets and is further expecting 20 per cent growth in the current fiscal. Bruno Van Sieleghem, PR, Sustainability and Internal Communication Manager of the company who was recently in Coimbatore told Apparel Online, “I can’t promise, but there is a good chance that we start sourcing from India as we are growing and may need some more factories. Majority of cotton which is being used in our products is coming from India and goes to China for further processing. Also, 95 per cent of our products are made by organic cotton while rest is made of sustainable materials. And we want to stay close to the supply chain, so working with Indian apparel manufacturers can be a good idea. While sourcing from India, we can follow-up the supply chain better from the cotton farm to the garment factory. It seems to be a potentially advantageous move for us, in the future.” “I can’t promise, but there is a good chance that we start sourcing from India as we are growing and may need some more factories.ˮ – Bruno Van Sieleghem, PR, Sustainability and Internal Communication Manag er, Stanley/Stella The company has a liaison office in Dhaka with a team of 16 people and Bruno is quite happy to source from Bangladesh. Sourcing from Dhaka was a choice at the beginning, as Jean Chabert, Founder and CEO of this 6 year-old company (previously associated with The Cotton Group, B&C brand) has deep roots in Bangladesh. He strongly aims at changing the rules in the fashion industry and puts sustainability on the top of the charts. Stanley/Stella was ranked 10 by textile exchange in organic cotton consumption and the company wants to become a leading company committed to a more sustainable textile industry. It is associated with Fair Wear Foundation, GOTS, OE 100, OE Blended, Oeko-Tex, and REACH. www.apparelresources.com | JULY 1-15, 2018 | Apparel Online India 57