Due to rising purchase prices and production costs, Belgian fashion label LN Knits is taking back full control of its sales. The sustainable brand is disappearing from boutiques, no longer doing discounts and putting a stronger focus on second-hand.
Cutting out middlemen
From now on, the ‘fair fashion’ knitwear label from Antwerp will sell its collections exclusively online and from its showroom. The collaboration with multi-brand boutiques is being ended, as the brand wants to keep sales prices “reasonable”. That is only possible by cutting out a middleman, founder Ellen Kegels says. After all, purchase prices from fair trade suppliers in Peru have gone up, the dollar exchange rate is wreaking havoc and just about all production costs are rising.
The entrepreneur is confident about the new strategy: “Our online sales have been on the rise for years and we still see huge potential here, abroad as well”, Kegels says. The label also organises regular private shopping days in Antwerp for people who like to try on their piece first.
No more discounts
The fashion brand is also moving away from what it says are “old-fashioned, fixed timelines in the fashion industry”. From now on, the brand will sell winter items in winter and summer items in summer. Kegels wants to focus more on basic models that remain fixed in the collection and will no longer participate in discount periods.
She will also sell second-hand items more often: pieces that have already been worn, given a refresh and offered as ‘preloved’ on LN Knits’ website. “On top of that, we also offer a free repair service and a refurbishing and steaming service for a token price.” This fits in with LN Knits’ positioning as a pioneer in sustainable, fair ‘slow fashion’.
