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Episode 16 - Launching a sustainable underwear brand with Pantee founders the McCourt Sisters
In the UK 30% of unwanted clothing goes to landfill, so we are sending 700,000 Tonnes to recycling centers, textile banks, clothes collections and charity. To give you a visual on that that's enough to fill 459 Olympic swimming pools. This week on Start Scale Succeed, Nicole is joined by Katie and Amanda McCourt, founders of sustainable underwear brand Pantee who are using fabric termed as dead stock to create lingerie.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The sisters Amanda and Katie have set up their own fashion brand using dead stock, which are unsold items that would usually be wasted and often end up in landfill.
- The pair had no experience in textiles so they had to start from square one finding someone to make their product as a test and had to do a lot of research into finding a manufacturer that fit into their tough ethical constraints.
- Katie and Amanda worked with a designer on their three styles which had already been researched with their target audience on Instagram. So they knew what to make before they got to the manufacturing stage.
- Even if you don’t have a finished product, you can still start to engage and create a community prior to launch. That was you don’t launch with zero visibility.
- Because they already had that organic audience, the Pantee Kickstarter hit 110% of their target in a short amount of time.
- Kickstarter generally has a male audience but some fashion brands have successfully launched on the site.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Instagram is my comfort zone, it’s our biggest revenue driver’
‘Kickstarter provides a good opportunity for press’
‘Most of the work happens before you launch’
‘It should get to the point where being a sustainable brand isn’t a USP, it’s just a given’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Amanda and Katie are Co-founders of Pantee – the worlds first underwear brand made from deadstock t- shirts. When the sisters couldn't find underwear that ticked all their boxes, they created our own. Their products are ethically made, plastic-free and one tree is planted for each and every order.
Pantee is on a mission to fight waste within the fashion industry and extend the lifespan of garments to reduce their impact. Using recycled materials is a great start, but our ultimate goal is to create products that promote a circular economy.
VALUABLE RESOURCES
https://pantee.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Buying & retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&S, Debenhams and Asda, sourcing & developing products from all over the world, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit, adding over £40 million in incremental business to the bottom line.
Nicole now uses that experience and works as a consultant and coach for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business owners, helping them start and scale their product businesses as The Buyer And Retail Coach (TM)
Join the start scale succeed waitlist. How to start & scale a product business. A 12 Week programme: thebuyerandretailcoach.com/startscalesucceedwaitlist
CONTACT METHOD
Website
Newsletter
Book a call with me https://thebuyerandretailcoachltd.as.me/discoverycall
View all episodes
By Nicole HigginsIn the UK 30% of unwanted clothing goes to landfill, so we are sending 700,000 Tonnes to recycling centers, textile banks, clothes collections and charity. To give you a visual on that that's enough to fill 459 Olympic swimming pools. This week on Start Scale Succeed, Nicole is joined by Katie and Amanda McCourt, founders of sustainable underwear brand Pantee who are using fabric termed as dead stock to create lingerie.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The sisters Amanda and Katie have set up their own fashion brand using dead stock, which are unsold items that would usually be wasted and often end up in landfill.
- The pair had no experience in textiles so they had to start from square one finding someone to make their product as a test and had to do a lot of research into finding a manufacturer that fit into their tough ethical constraints.
- Katie and Amanda worked with a designer on their three styles which had already been researched with their target audience on Instagram. So they knew what to make before they got to the manufacturing stage.
- Even if you don’t have a finished product, you can still start to engage and create a community prior to launch. That was you don’t launch with zero visibility.
- Because they already had that organic audience, the Pantee Kickstarter hit 110% of their target in a short amount of time.
- Kickstarter generally has a male audience but some fashion brands have successfully launched on the site.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Instagram is my comfort zone, it’s our biggest revenue driver’
‘Kickstarter provides a good opportunity for press’
‘Most of the work happens before you launch’
‘It should get to the point where being a sustainable brand isn’t a USP, it’s just a given’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Amanda and Katie are Co-founders of Pantee – the worlds first underwear brand made from deadstock t- shirts. When the sisters couldn't find underwear that ticked all their boxes, they created our own. Their products are ethically made, plastic-free and one tree is planted for each and every order.
Pantee is on a mission to fight waste within the fashion industry and extend the lifespan of garments to reduce their impact. Using recycled materials is a great start, but our ultimate goal is to create products that promote a circular economy.
VALUABLE RESOURCES
https://pantee.co.uk/
ABOUT THE HOST
Buying & retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&S, Debenhams and Asda, sourcing & developing products from all over the world, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit, adding over £40 million in incremental business to the bottom line.
Nicole now uses that experience and works as a consultant and coach for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business owners, helping them start and scale their product businesses as The Buyer And Retail Coach (TM)
Join the start scale succeed waitlist. How to start & scale a product business. A 12 Week programme: thebuyerandretailcoach.com/startscalesucceedwaitlist
CONTACT METHOD
Website
Newsletter
Book a call with me https://thebuyerandretailcoachltd.as.me/discoverycall
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