Challenging the “one-wear” norm in the fashion retail sector
Zara, the global fast-fashion brand that is part of Inditex Group, introduced a shrunken production cycle model to the fashion industry in the early 2000s, where it takes 6 weeks to transform initial designs into physical products in their store. More recent player Shein has been able to further contract this production cycle to just one week. “It is impossible to create a quality garment within these time frames.” As pointed out by Vanessa Jones, the founder of Sl’eau
“Testing how the garment fits, testing how comfortable it is to wear and testing how well the fabric holds up in the long term through wearing and washing are all things that Shein and the like skip to churn out clothes at the rate that they do. A common misconception is that clothing production is robotized. Despite millions of dollars invested in R&D by different companies robots still can’t sew. Sweatshops, slave labour and the lack of product testing are the only reason fast fashion brands can sell their garments for the prices that they do. It’s no wonder that clothing is seen as disposable today. It’s bad for the environment and society at large. Sl’eau is the antithesis of this. Everything we do is grounded in craftsmanship and quality. Some of the factories and ateliers that we work with have been building their expertise since the 1800’s”
“I’ve always had an interest in fashion. My parents did not support the idea, and I studied economics at university. Over the past two years, in and out of Covid lockdowns, I have spent considerable time working from home. The love for fashion was still there and I finally had the time to translate my vision into reality.”
“When I started searching a domain provider for the availability of my preferred brand names, I was quite disappointed to see most of my ideas already taken. It was a mere suggestion by GoDaddy.com which led me to choose Sl’eau, combining the French word l’eau (water) in a unique way which effectively communicates the brand’s focus on slow fashion.”
“Everyone knows the widespread scale of counterfeiting in the fashion industry”
The scale of brand infringement and counterfeiting in the fashion industry is beyond doubt the most significant across all industries. Fake products that are often nearly indistinguishable from the originals continue to overflow the market. “Recognising how wide-scale counterfeiting is, I wanted to protect my brand and products as much as I could”, explains Vanessa Jones her decision to register a trademark for Sl’eau.
“Fashion has become a social currency, it defines personal values and ultimately communicates who the person truly is, or at least wishes to be. Counterfeit goods dilute this social currency”. The Sl’eau brand is built upon firm principles which together with the unique design have sparked considerable interest among the growing base of customers.
“Since I sell exclusively online, it made perfect sense to offer shipping to every single country and thus increase the market base. Focusing on getting the basics right, the number of orders has been growing each month and my lifelong dream is slowly but surely taking off.”
In line with the global ambitions of Vanessa Jones for Sl’eau, team Trama has helped secure a trademark in the US and the EU, effectively extending the level of market protection and ensuring that Sl’eau can enjoy uninterrupted growth in the upcoming years.
Experience with Trama
“When I started my research into trademark registration in the US, I found out I couldn’t file the application on my own but instead needed a US-based legal representative. I came across Trama and when I saw that Trama is a part of Barclays Accelerator, I got the reassurance I needed that Trama was trustworthy. The free search and risk assessment score were extremely helpful and so was the transparent pricing, meaning that I knew everything I’d have to pay. The process was very smooth and support excellent.”
