Apparel
Knowledge Cotton Apparel has been doing sustainable fashion – way before it was trendy. They teamed up with Delogue to achieve complete traceability and foster communication.
Sustainability is a wave many in the fashion business are advocates for these days, but it wasn’t as much in the 80s. When Jørgen Mørup, owner of a small textile company in Herning, Denmark, started working with organic cotton, many didn’t understand his mission. Nevertheless, he persevered and made his vision come true by founding Knowledge Cotton Apparel in 2008 together with his son.
Information is everything
Knowledge Cotton is deep-rooted on its knowledge of sustainable fibers, and Knowledge can’t exist without the right information.
We needed one platform where we could upload each and every style, and where we could keep track of the communication between us and the supplier, says Anders Langhoff-Jensen, Buying Manager.
The need for traceability and transparency led them to Delogue PLM.
Finding a cure for the ‘full-inbox syndrome’
Like others in the industry, they were suffering from the ‘full-inbox syndrome’.
“In the past, we did everything on email, back and forth,” says Langhoff-Jensen, “so if someone was on holiday we had no way to know what they had agreed on.”
This practice wasn’t only frustrating, but also detrimental.
“We had a lack of communication between us, our suppliers, and our partners, which led to mistakes,” explains Langhoff-Jensen. “With the suppliers, sometimes there was confusion on what we had agreed on.”
With Delogue, Knowledge Cotton was able to have an overview of the history and the changes in the different styles in one place. This new way of working boosted efficiency and helped Knowledge Cotton avoid regular mistakes.
Fostering relationships & communication
Knowledge Cotton identifies the sustainable performance of their fibers according to the Made-By Environmental Benchmark and the international standard for organic and recycled products. A good relationship with suppliers is essential to ensure they get the most high quality and sustainable materials to produce their products.
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“The suppliers are really happy with Delogue. They love how you can just download a ‘style file’ that contains all the information about that particular style.”
Anders Langhoff-Jensen, Buying Manager at Knowledge Cotton Apparel
Delogue allows brands to add suppliers to the system, and onboards them with no extra charge. Having them in the system promotes flexibility and high performance.
Beautiful prints, quality materials, and functionality are the fuel for Knowledge Cotton. Communication is essential to achieve a balance between the different components.
“The work of all of our designers and pattern-makers is very much based on communication,” explains Langhoff-Jensen. “They are especially happy that you can notify only certain people when you send a message. But it’s still available for everyone in the organization to see.”
The integration with SPY System was crucial
Langhoff-Jensen states that before joining Delogue, Knowledge Cotton was already using an ERP system.
We had to make sure Delogue could work with our existing ERP and B2B system before integrating it.
Delogue’s semi-integration with SPY-System was one of the deciding factors to choose Delogue as a PLM system.
READ MORE: Improve time to market with the new SPY system integration
Focus on what matters
Years later, from that first textile company in Herning, many things have changed. Nowadays, sustainability is a pressing issue, and fast international communication and remote work have become part of everyday life.
Delogue helps brands like Knowledge Cotton Apparel streamline world tasks to focus on what has mattered since the beginning: taking action with sustainable innovation.
READ MORE: Optimizing remote working in the apparel industry