Environmental responsibility was central to this year’s edition of Decorex International

This year’s edition of Decorex International was held for the first time at Olympia in Kensington, right in the heart of London.  The 42% edition’s more centralised location may have been the reason why attendance number saw a 10% rise across the four-day spectacle.   

VIP room - Legacy Lounge.  

Photo by Lucia Carpio.

The fair acknowledged the importance of finding new and innovative ways to focus on the environment. And to demonstrate this, the VIP room – Legacy Lounge, was created by UK interior design studio, Harding & Read whose team worked closely with suppliers, including Vinterior, Matthew Cox, Christopher Howe, British Standard and Farrow & Ball, to encourage a conscious approach to consumption. Mindful of the lifecycle of furniture and fixtures, the studio chose vintage and reclaimed pieces where possible.

Each and every piece that featured in the Lounge was given the opportunity to find a new home after the show, with an online auction that raised £14,300 for Emmaus – the charity working to end  homelessness.  

Jennifer Manners' Malibu rug made from recycled plastic.

Photo by Lucia Carpio.

Alongside inspiring new ways for brands to think about their environmental impact, Decorex also celebrated those that are already going above and beyond to be sustainable.

Jennifer Manners' range of home products.

Photo by Lucia Carpio.

This year’s Decorex Awards were the ideal opportunity, with the introduction of a new ‘Best Sustainable Product’ prize. Judges Henry Prideaux, interior designer, and Irene Gunter of interior architecture practice Gunter & Co, gave the accolade to Jennifer Manners, whose eponymous rug brand has released two new designs made from 100% recycled plastic.  

Photo of Bar area in Decorex by Lucia Carpio.

Similarly, this year’s bar design celebrated the very best of biophilic design in the interior space. Created by set designer, Paula May Evans, in collaboration with Cameron Landscapes and Gardens, the bar connected visitors with nature through distinct areas - the Amazonian Jungle Garden, the Abandoned Desert Garden, the English Country Garden and the Urban Industrial Garden.

Photo by Lucia Carpio

More than 400 of the world’s top design talents showcased everything from hand-painted wallpapers and printed fabrics to bespoke furniture and conceptual lighting at the fair held from October 6 to 9.  Visitors could preview the latest launches from leading brands including Arte International, Hästens, Beaumont & Fletcher, Bert Frank, Dedar, Devon & Devon, Ferreira de Sá, Lincrusta, Nicholas Haslam, Officine Gullo, Rose Uniacke, Tom Faulkner, Thibaut, Vaughan and Villaverde. 

While physical store profit margins more than halve in eight years in the UK, ‘Store of The Future’ flagship opens at Selfridges, London

Newly published data report that UK retailers are suffering from diminishing profit margins drawing concern for the UK overall economy, at a time that retailers are gearing for Christmas sales, even without complications of a general election.  However, those retailers, especially fashion brands, that are focused on the value, convenience and luxury segments remain generally resilient, compared to the struggles of mid-market operators.

Strategic partnership and in-store pop-ups give shoppers new physical retail experiences at a time when retailers

are faced with increased challenges presented by online shopping, growing operating costs and inflexible leases.

Photo by Lucia Carpio taken at London's Harvey Nichols during a recent pop-up shop launch.

The new study has found that store margins for the top UK retailers “have dropped from 8.8% in 2009/10 to 4.1% in 2017/18.” According to new data published by global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), in partnership with Retail Economics, store-based profit margins have plunged, faced with growing operating costs, inflexible leases and the rise of online shopping, thus leading to the steepest decline in shoppers’ footfall,  and resulting in a wave of store closures, while demand for UK retail space is at its lowest since 2007.

Richard Fleming, Managing Director and Head of Restructuring Europe, A&M, said a new era of retail is emerging, which means "new opportunities exist for forward-thinking incumbents, entrepreneurs and investors."

Despite the challenges in the sector, UK retailers are being urged to continue to invest in their in-store shopping experience, as bricks-and-mortar shops are expected to account for 65% of retail sales over the next five years.  And while the rise of online shopping has threatened the future of in-store shopping, the study found that 25% of Millennials and Gen Z continue to visit a flagship shopping destination at least once a week - more than their older counterparts, with 45-54-year-olds saying they visit on average just once every six months.

In London, luxury department store Selfridges has long been admired by its ability to strike a balance between offering desirable lifestyle goods and leisure through strategic partnership that gives unique experiences to its shoppers.  One of its newest additions is to have Smartech, an experience-led tech concept store, open a new flagship in the lower ground floor of Selfridges on London’s Oxford Street, within its tech-products section.
Smartech is a new “tech playground” where more than 80 carefully curated cutting-edge innovation pieces are on show to give visitors unique lifestyle experiences.  

Photos above and right by Lucia Carpio.

Fronted by exclusive robotics, IoT, smart art, FemTech, snaps-taking spectacles and the very latest in Deep Tech, it’s said to be the largest and most experiential shop-in-shop at the iconic London department store. 

Smartech is a concept store, designed with 

discovery in mind, created for people to have fun,

diving into a future filled with surprises 

Above, visitors engaging with Waterlight Graffiti, a surface made up 

of thousands of LEDs that are illuminated 

by contact with water, allowing the user to treat it as an electrical canvas.
Photo from Smartech. 

Dubbed by the Financial Times as “The Store of The Future”, Smartech is billed as "a window onto what the world’s creating, bringing life to a new era of ground-breaking makers, creators and start-ups."

Covering 200sqm, Smartech introduces a state-of-the-art store designed by renowned British designer, Robert Storey – previously of Prada, Hermes and Off-White. 

Smartech aims to open your mind to what culture, tech, art and sustainability will look like in the not-so-distant future. Incorporating contemporary and sustainable influences, Smartech’s innovation space “showcases a new design identity, embodying a never-before-seen mixed reality of tech and futurism combined with modernity,” according to founder Jacov Nachtailer.
He said, " Everybody is talking about innovation, but you don’t have a physical space to try, discover and buy. People come to Selfridges to discover, which is why they’re the perfect partner for Smartech, to amaze and amuse their customers with the world’s latest innovations.”

 

From MAKR SHAKER - bar-tending robots serving visitors' favourite cocktails in Smartech, Selfridges.

Photo by Lucia carpio

“As the digital revolution continues to transform everything from politics to pop music, we want give people who create things a platform to tell their story and shine light on new ideas. Pushing the boundaries of where tech, art and creation collide has been a driving force behind our success,” said Nathalie Bernce, CEO of Smartech.
Smartech has been turning the retail game on its head, with huge success, experiencing an aggressive global growth over the past three years and over 143% above target year on year,  In addition to Selfridges, Smartech concept stores are also found in high-end department stores around the world including Paris, Milan, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome, Zurich and Copenhagen, with another 10 stores opening within the next 12 months.

Advanced fabric developments lead through innovation and smart technology

Consumers are increasingly aware that fast fashion can lead to unnecessary wastage and thus can do more harm to the environment, and thus there is growing demand for high-quality textiles and well-made clothing that have a long service life and can remain in use for much longer.  

Modern fabrics now often carry special smart properties boosted by new technology and qualities such as water- and dirt-repelling functions, which help to preserve the environment and cut down on the use of resources.  

Under the patronage of UN Climate Change and in keeping with the Paris Agreement, many leading companies in the global fashion sector are tackling the effects of the fashion industry on the climate along the entire value added chain and signed the UN Charter for Climate Action.

At Premiere Vision Paris (September 17 - 19 2019), textiles with eco credentials were abound to meet the increasing demand for qualities that are environmentally correct while also integrate performance and technology with fashion trends.

US company drirelease® is a global technology company pioneering in performance and comfort textile solutions.  Its functional fabrics have qualities such as wicking, fast drying, cooling and protection benefits, with wide-ranging application, from leisure to high-performance, fashion and sportswear, as well as sleepwear and intimate fashion.  Their technology is also available in a wide range of classic and fashion-forward blends, from classic cotton to merino wool that never feels damp against the skin.  There is machine-washable silk for summer cool and winter warmth, easy-care natural linen, soft smooth acetate or Lyocell, E.C.O. (Environmentally Correct Origins) with BCI, Organic cotton and/or recycled polyester.  

Portuguese company TIMTEX introduces natural based, smart and responsible innovative fabrics such as their Naturally Advanced fabrics enhanced by the new non-salt Colorau ®  Natural dye process.  In their new collection there is a new range made from a mix of new generation fibres that enhance free movement such as REFIBRA ™ by Lenzing, Q-NOVA ®  by Fulgar and the unique GRS certified premium stretch ROICA  ™ EF.  

Meanwhile, Swiss textile maker Schoeller Textil continuously observe its responsibility to humans and the environment by manufacturing products that are compatible to sustainable climate protection by taking part in the Energy Agency of the Swiss Private Sector programme to actively reduce carbon emissions and optimise energy efficiently.  Its ecological portfolio of products that focus on sustainability includes upcycled products, such as its ECONYL ®  yarn, as well as 100% recycled, recyclable wear2wear woven and knitted fabrics or bio technologies based on sustainable raw materials.  

The ECONYL ®  Reclaiming Programme from Aquafil SPA reduces the quality of waste material occurring worldwide by collecting regenerative resources from waste disposal sites and the oceans and returning them to the production cycle.  

Photos by Lucia Carpio.

Sustainable bio-based Naia™ textile products showcased at Premiere Vision Paris in September

Sustainability and smart technology today go hand in hand when it comes to textile and clothing developments that are created to be kind to our environment, and this is one of the main highlights at Premiere Vision Paris held in September 2019, in the Smart Creation, a dedicated space at the international textile and materials trade fair, eco-friendly creations from a wide range of brands and producers promoted their new developments from yarns to finished products made by combining values combining creativity, innovation and sustainability.

One of the companies featured in this segment, and which also took up its own stand was Eastman, the maker of bio-based Naia™ cellulosic yarn made from sustainably sourced wood pulp.
Launched at PV 2018, Naia™ was celebrating one year of continuous innovation with new partnerships, products and sustainability certifications, offering a viable eco-conscious choice of materials for sustainable fashion in alignment with the industry’s shift toward the circular economy. 

“Inspired designers are now transforming a yarn that originates from nature into luxurious, soft and easy-to-care-for fabrics and fashion,” said Ruth Farrell, global marketing director of Textiles for Eastman. “Mills are delivering a wider option of Naia™ fabrics, and those fabrics are more accessible than ever before. It’s an exciting time to be fully delivering on the promise of sustainable textiles.”

Naia™  displayed at Premiere Vision Paris a selection of fashions from the Grand Final Fashion Show of the 2019 Redress Design Award in Hong Kong held on September 5, 2019.

Eastman Naia was the Gold Sponsor of the sustainable fashion design competition.

Naia brought a wide range of new eco-friendly developments to the Premiere Vision Paris show in September 2019 which showed inherent softness and lustre while being demonstrating versatility and easy-care.  

Highlights included Eastman Naia™ bamboo blend from Burmod in Turkey, wrinkle-resistant textured glossy knit from Textivision in Mexico (shown in picture above), shimmering satin woven silk blend with jacquard structure from Manifatture Bianchi in Italy (as shown in picture below), and an open mesh warp knit with a metallic appearance and deceptively soft hand from Bella Fabrics in the USA.  
The fabrics combines the richness of nature with comfort, said Ms Farrell, making them ideal for womenswear, intimate apparel and linings.

Naia™ cellulosic yarn is made with sustainably sourced wood and offers full traceability from tree to yarn's. 

According to Eastman, in developing the yarn, the company considers the entire lifecycle, from responsible sourcing to end-of-life disposal. FSC® Mix certified Naia™ cellulosic yarn is Eastman’s latest product advance in the sustainable fibers category. Eastman has aligned its entire forestry supply chain with Forest Stewardship Council® sourcing standards, including controlled wood procedures. Naia™ is also certified as biodegradable in fresh water and soil environments and is compostable in industrial settings, having received the OK Biodegradable and OK Compost conformity marks from TÜV AUSTRIA.

Made by Eastman in the USA in accordance with the highest safety, social and environmental standards, Naia™ is responsibly sourced from sustainably managed pine and eucalyptus plantations, ensuring no deforestation. Eastman holds FSC® and PEFC™ Chain of Custody certification, and all wood pulp suppliers have FSC® and/or PEFC™ Chain of Custody as well. Naia™ cellulosic yarn is produced in a safe, closed-loop process where solvents are recycled back into the system for reuse. Naia™ has an optimized, low-impact manufacturing process with a low tree-to-yarn carbon and water footprint. Naia™ has a third-party reviewed life cycle assessment compliant with ISO 14044 and is ranked on the Higg Materials Sustainability Index.

Lenzing Group joins Hong Kong's TextileGenesis platform to embark on blockchain technology

Increasingly in the world of fashion, consumers are regarding transparency as a major focus when we talk about sustainable development, and are looking to obtain information such as source of the materials being used from hangtags and labels. 
Bearing in mind that in terms of transparency, the first level of information plays an important role for the consumer when they are evaluating the value for money of their purchase.

The Lenzing Group, Austria-based world market leader in specialty fibres made from renewable material wood, announced at the Premiere Vision Paris trade fair this autumn (Septmber 2019) that it will use blockchain technology to support its TENCEL ™ branded fibre business as a means to strengthen its leading position in sustainability in the textile industry, and has selected to join
the platform of the Hong Kong based technology company TextileGenesis ™ to accomplish this ambition.  TextileGenesis use digital  Fibrecoins ™  and its CEO and Founder is Amit Gautam, who was previously executive vice president for the global textile business at Lenzing and board director of Lenzing China.
TextileGenesis ™ technology is built on a fiber-forwards approach to create real-time transparency across all five-tiers of textile supply chain for sustainable & premium fibers.  

Andreas Dorner, 

Lenzing's Commercial Textile Director Europe & Americas

Photo by Lucia Carpio.

Lenzing’s Andreas Dorner, Commercial Textile Director Europe & Americas, said consumers increasingly want to understand the ingredients and suppliers of the products they buy, requesting a new level of transparency and traceability.  

The supply chain transparency from wood to garment and home textiles will enable all of its customers and partners to identify its TENCEL fibres and the respective wood source in each production and distribution step, thanks to a QR code on the final garment.

The first pilot was presented at a Fashion Summit held in Hong Kong in September 2019. Another pilot partner is WWF.  Lenzing expects the platform to be fully operational by 2020.

Ultra-sustainable Paints inspired by Birds, Blooms and Bedrock unveiled by Lorna Syson

As we become increasingly concerned about what impact decorative materials we choose for our homes can have on our environment, we welcome news of carbon neutral paints that appeal to environmentally-conscious interior designers, decorators, contractors and consumers.


Just announced this autumn is textile designer Lorna Syson's newly launched paint palettes - namely Birds, Blooms and Bedrock - her first collaboration with paint company Graphenstone, a manufacturer of ultra-sustainable paint based in Norfolk, UK.  

The carbon dioxide absorbing, energy saving durable paints are derived from raw natural mineral limestone.  The paints are infused with graphene, the strongest material known to science, and it enhances hardness, durability, compression, tensile strength, elasticity and coverage by forming a transparent nano-level mesh which is fully encapsulated within the paint.


Derived from raw natural mineral limestone, graphenstone paints are carbon neutral as the paints cure over their lifetime, each square metre absorbs 120 grams of carbon dioxide from the local environment.


The paints are infused with graphene, the strongest material known to science, and it enhances hardness, durability, compression, tensile strength, elasticity and coverage of the paints by forming a transparent nano-level mesh which is fully encapsulated within the paints.  These qualities result in significant savings in materials consumption, maintenance, manpower, time-to-completion and overall costs.


The Graphenstone by Lorna Syson palettes feature exclusive colours mixed to Lorna's specifications at Graphenstone's new factory in Norfolk, UK.  They are consistent with the ecological themes of Lorna's designs and offer the perfect setting for her fabrics and housewares.

Paint in Coral on wall from Graphenstone by Lorna Syson forms a

formidable setting for Lorna Syson's Hummingbird fabrics and

homewares created in collaboration with the 

Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) charity.

The Birds palette includes the colours Cockatoo, Heron and Kingfisher.  The Blooms palette feature Cotton, Iris, Meadow and Silver Brunia; while the Bedrock palette is composed of Chalk, Coral, Jade and Zinc.  


"Lorna's direction has enabled us to produce unique colours that represent the simplified beauty of the British outdoors.  She pulled through a couple of neutrals as base colours for Graphenstone by Lorna Syson, but she has also highlighted the pinks and greens in the palettes, drawing out the coral, teal and mint which are trending for 2019/2020," said Graphenstone's UK Managing Director, Patrick Folkes.

Hello Birdie - Lorna Syson's new autumn range teaming up with RSPB

British textile designer Lorna Syson is known for her contemporary bird motifs as an integral part of her signature design style.  Her inspirational take on the British countryside and her ability to bring out the beauty of nature has made her prints for wallpaper and designs for home soft furnishing ever popular, and her new autumn range brings focus on two typical birds popular both in the UK and other parts of the world..


At the Top Drawer and Decorex International trade fairs held at London’s Olympia in Kensington in September and October respectively, Lorna Syson announced she is celebrating 10 years in business this autumn with a collaboration with the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) to create a new collection inspired by her favourite birds and their habitats.  

The two new fabric patterns feature two favourite British birds, the long tailed tits and hummingbirds, well chosen to celebrate the important work the RSPB do protecting birds here and abroad.  
The Blossom & Bird design shown above, in classic tones of navy, grey and soft pink, features pretty long-tailed Tits perching on English cherry blossoms.  
For the Hummingbird design below, Lorna has chosen vivid tones of teal and mint as a backdrop for her majestic hummingbirds hovering amongst honeysuckle.

The range includes curtains, furnishing fabrics, cushions and lampshades.  Made in cotton, all fabric is made and digitally printed in the UK.  The items will be available from RSPB stores and website, and from Lorna Syson's website, and 10% of sales will go to the charity.

Long-tailed Tits and Hummingbirds are popular species both here and abroad and Lorna's work with the RSPB help to raise awareness of the RSPB's work in the UK and around the world, where they run conservation projects across Africa and Asia.