Type Public Industry Fashion Area served Worldwide Founded 2008 | Traded as NJAL Headquarters London, United Kingdom Owner Stefan Siegel | |
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Founders Stefan Siegel, Daniel Siegel | ||
Not just a label euromaxx
Not Just A Label (NJAL) is a London-based global sales platform, virtual showroom and online community that connects independent designers to consumers. Products listed are locally produced with sustainability in mind keeping in-line with the slow fashion movement. In 2014, NJAL hosted approximately 16,000 fashion designers. NJAL is known for launching the careers of designers such as Mary Katrantzou and Damir Doma and has support from celebrities such as Lara Stone, Lady Gaga, Vivienne Westwood and Beyoncé.
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Not just a label london fashion week 2008
History
In 2008, Stefan Siegel and his brother Daniel founded NJAL as a networking platform for fashion designers. NJAL launched "The Shop" section of their website in 2009, making it the first e-commerce site to allow consumers to buy directly from designers. Grazia Daily reported that items in "The Shop" were curated by celebrities including Amanda Lepore and Lara Stone.
For the Spring/Summer 2010 season, NJAL released a limited edition offering of organic cotton T-shirts and tank tops featuring signature designs and prints of designers. In 2011, NJAL collaborated with Spanish label Mango in a competition where young designers presented collections at the 'El Botón' Mango Fashion Awards with NJAL supervising competitors. The same year, the site won the Drapers Etail Award for Best E-Commerce innovation.
NJAL first collaborated with the British Council in 2011 for the "London Meets Beirut" seminar. In March 2012, NJAL received a grant from the British Council to travel to India during Lakmé Fashion Week in order to develop business relationships in the country.
In 2012, NJAL participated in a three-week tour of Eastern European fashion weeks where the company delivered workshops and scouted talent in Bratislava, Kiev, Łódź, Belgrade and Riga. The trips were documented through a partnership with Vogue Italia. The same year, online-trend analysis and research service WGSN offered NJAL designers services at a 98 percent discount in order to support young talent while expanding the WGSN professional network.
NJAL began The Open Source Partnership with Vivienne Westwood in 2013. NJAL advised the fashion house on expanding their e-commerce business and creating a new open-source website for Westwood. In turn, Westwood became a major investor in the platform.
NJAL collaborated with the Who's Next fashion trade show in 2013 to create "The Future of Fashion" program where twenty emerging designers competed for the chance to show their designs during the Who's Next Autumn/Winter Paris trade show. Selected designers showed their collections at the 2014 Who's Next show with Siegel as one of the judges of the competition.
In 2014, NJAL partnered with Matteo Marzotto and the Fiera di Vicenza center to hold the company's first offline event called "Origin Passion & Beliefs." 100 NJAL designers participated in order to showcase their wares and network with others in the fashion industry. The same year, NJAL was the only international platform to attend Ukrainian Fashion Week during the political turbulence occurring at the time.
NJAL curated and managed the launch of the AEG produced documentary "The Next Black" about the future of textiles. The film was released in conjunction with the release of new high efficiency washing machines. At the 2014 Copenhagen Fashion Summit, NJAL presented plans for the "Re-start Fashion" initiative, developed to help designers solve ecological challenges in the fashion industry through sustainable design.
NJAL relaunched its site in 2014 in order to make it more user-compatible on smart phones and tablets as well as desktops. While the e-commerce part of the site was established in 2009, the 2014 relaunch made sales the main component of the site. The relaunch also incorporated an open source content management system into the site which allows designers to edit their own profiles.
Notable designers and celebrity clients
Notable designers who showcased early on with NJAL include Mary Katrantzou, Damir Doma and Rad Hourani. Celebrities who have purchased items from designers showcased on NJAL include Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Alice Dellal, Pixie Geldof, Paris Hilton, Taylor Swift, Katie Holmes, Whitney Houston, Fergie, Elle Mcpherson and Beyoncé.
Business model
NJAL is a platform for designers, buyers, press and consumers to collaborate with each other independently. The company does not buy stock from designers, but rather takes 30 percent of all sales with prices set by the designer.
Representatives from NJAL visit fashion week events, institutions, showrooms and studios looking for emerging designers with established look-books before providing exposure via editorial coverage and social media. Designers are also able to approach NJAL independently. Limited-edition collections and bespoke pieces are assessed by NJAL staff before listed on the site.
In addition to the retail shop, the NJAL site contains a designer directory indexed alphabetically as well as by country, womenswear, menswear, shoes, bags, accessories, jewellery and organic products. NJAL also acts as an agency that collaborates with large corporations and governments to create and manage partnerships that promote ethical fashion.