ROLL NECK CABLE KNIT - OUTFIT OF THE DAY

Retailers must be screwing over the mild winter weather, especially those whose main profits come from outerwear, knits, jackets and coats. I have spoken to a few brands and retailers myself during various networking events of menswear business owners like myself. Most still have autumn/winter stock left over from AW14 due to 2014 being a mild winter and now 2015 making it back-to-back poor seasons. So will the menswear trade shows coming up for AW16 be boom or bust?

Retailers are great at liquidating stock during December and January with various sales of which they use clever marketing to sell old stock whilst still making large profits. However these are normally the larger stores, who have the luxury of 100s or 1000s of staff, they also have various retail stores throughout the whole of the UK. So if a particular style is not selling in say Manchester, well they will just try another store where historically that particular style has sold well.

I feel for the smaller boutique retailers who often sell on smaller margins, operate month by month financially and do not have the ability to 'suck up' a bad season. With stock piling up and the designs from past seasons, it is a cycle that can become irreversible.  

Sometimes I feel I'm propping up AW15 brands single handedly as all I seem to be talking about and buying is knitwear and this outfit of the day is no different - if you like my style, shop the look below and help out retailers and brands this AW15 season.

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Photo Credit Sophie Milner