Les cahiers de Intima - Lycra - (Page 14)
LYCRA® fibre 50 years of value and partnership
Three Into One Does Go!
John Roskalns is MD of the Melas Group which operates under 3 brand names – Jonathan Aston, Levante and Charnos Hosiery. He can speak with some authority having worked in hosiery for over 25 years: Pamela Scott of Underlines asked for his views.
PS: When did your relationship with LYCRA® fibre begin and how has that changed? JR: I have worked in hosiery for about 25 years initially at Charnos Hosiery. Even then, the Charnos brand considered LYCRA® fibre to have a key role in its product development, strategy and marketing. In that period in the 1980s’ LYCRA® fibre was promoted very heavily and there was a huge growth curve in legwear products containing LYCRA® fibre in which Charnos was well involved. Levante is an established Italian legwear brand in which the Melas Group has a role in the product development and LYCRA® fibre has been integral to that brand. Jonathan Aston was born in the late 1960s and its growth was related more to fashion trends rather particular yarns or fibres. However in recent years LYCRA® fibre has become much more important as we can recreate vintage styles for a new generation, that are much better in terms of fit and comfort than they were all those years ago. PS: What common values do you think you share with Invista? JR: I think we have many parallel values. Just as we are in the business of creating premium hosiery brands, so in customers’ minds premium brands should all have LYCRA® fibre content . As a British hosiery producer I believe the UK has a high reputation for performance, fit and quality in hosiery, delivering great products at good value for money pricing. PS: So how important do you view a partnership with LYCRA® fibre to a fashion designer brand such as Jonathan Aston? JR: It is very important as it makes more things possible in producing a better product. As designers we can look at all sorts of interesting combinations of yarns and designs but it is LYCRA® fibre that will make them fit – it is about a balance of fashion and performance. As a brand, we cannot afford not to get it absolutely right for the customer. Of course I realise that most consumers have no idea of the level of technical expertise that goes into making hosiery in the 21st century and LYCRA® fibre is key to that, it enables you to do things that could not be achieved if it was not there! There is a tremendous (and I believe unique) synergy between yarn supply, machinery innovation and build and fashionable end product interpretation – now we can have very complicated garments which are technically very sophisticated. PS: So what is the Melas Group position on the hosiery market today? JR: Well, the products that the Melas Group produce, still have a very strong and relevant market position. The challenge now is to capitalise at retail level with the innovations we have – in short, to protect and maintain the premium hosiery market. PS: And what about the future? JR: Well the last few years have been difficult – no doubt about it and I don’t see that things will get much easier in the short term. And this is why I think will have to be careful to ensure that product revolutions such as no-run technology are properly valued and protected – the process costs more and the resultant hosiery has to cost more. We must not devalue the worth of products such as these – they are our future. In the UK, retail placement of branded hosiery continues to be a real challenge when several large department store groups have moved hosiery to inaccessible areas that are really detrimental to sales. We as producers and designers continue to push the boundaries of technical innovation but if consumers are not able to see it, we have a real problem. With our retail experiences in Australia where the company is advancing year on year, it is in part a success of positioning at department store and independent store level. PS: What do you see as up and coming trends? JR: We have experienced a much stronger demand for sheers. Sheers are naturally a much more demanding sector than opaques, or even fashion hosiery. We are introducing more sheer products in Jonathan Aston this year and indeed in a series of colours. And the items that are the ‘DNA’ of the Jonathan Aston label such as hoops, large fishnets, back seams and so on are actually coming back into fashion and the brand is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this fashion cycle. As a company we work with universities such as the Nottingham Trent University on trends, social media and image projection to assess what are the right approaches to the market. Younger consumers are loving vintage looks but this time around Jonathan Aston can offer “fashion and fit.”
Pamela Scott, Underlines Magazine, Network Dessous
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Les cahiers de Intima - Lycra
Cover
Contents
Making Fashion History with LYCRA® Fibre
The LYCRA® Fibre MOVES Event in Verona
Golden Lady’s Remarkable Success Story
Hosiery The “Lipstick” Factor
What Legwear with LYCRA® Fibre Can Do For You!
Expanding the LYCRA® Fibre Legwear Portfolio
Legwear Trends Autumn-Winter 2011-2012
Three Into One Does Go!
Introducing 50 Years of Superior Quality Products
Courtaulds Goes - For The Ultimate!
Les cahiers de Intima - Lycra
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