1. xx
It’s all in
the jeans
As the success of F&F denim grows, we meet
the jean team from around the globe, who are
designing, developing, sourcing, manufacturing and
buying the range that’s offering high-street quality
at a supermarket price

2. Inside F&F
39
After spending every weekend and summer
holiday running around his dad’s denim design
company as a little kid in Leicester, F&F
Designer Jayesh Mandalia knew exactly what he
wanted to do by the time university beckoned.
“Soaking up so much knowledge in my dad’s
factory over the years made me adamant about
working with denim,” he recalls. “I did a fashion
design degree and went on to be a specialist
lecturer in denim for university undergraduates
to masters students.”
Once at F&F, Jay quickly won his reputation
as our denim guru. “I do my research by looking
at the catwalks, magazines and social media, as well as visiting
trade shows from Paris and Berlin, to Amsterdam,” explains Jay.
“I also go on regular shopping trips to stay in touch with what our
competitors and other brands are doing.”
Armed with a mind brimming with new ideas, Jay and the F&F
denim team – from designers to product developers and buyers –
come together to develop the season’s best trend stories.
“If I believe in an idea, the team is confident enough to back it
here. That’s what I love about F&F: we’re not scared to embrace
innovation, and our fabric mills and suppliers from Europe to the
Far East, feel it too. We’re constantly working hand-in-hand with
them, listening and sharing ideas.”
These close ties lead to advances, such as the 360-degree
stretch fabric, which is set to make our skinny jeans hold their
shape even better than ever before.
“We work six months to a year in advance, so right now it’s all
about next summer – but I’m building my vision for next autumn/
winter (AW17) already.
“We re-style the range every
season and I really enjoy getting
involved in the development. I
love the science of it – helping to
find the right fabric and recipe for
the perfect colour wash. It can
take up to four weeks to get the
fabric right, but there’s nothing
better than seeing my design
being developed beautifully and
the customers buying into it.”
Capturing our trend stories on a mood board that sums
everything up is our Print Designer Amanda Chapman-Bruce’s
job. “I’ll get a shopping list from Jay, our designer, or Bea, our
buyer, that could include anything from badges or patches, to
embellishments and embroidery,” Amanda says, looking up from
the Macbook she uses to bring her visions to life.
“Creating the designs is quite an organic process. Often they’ll
be hand drawn, or I’ll get my paints out. Then I’ll scan the
artwork and play with it in Illustrator or Photoshop.”
Studying surface textiles at Colchester School of Art, then
headed up by musician Damon Albarn’s equally creative dad
Keith, signalled the start of an illustrious career – spanning
fashion, homeware, accessories and gifts over two decades.
“I’ve worked for several high-street retailers,” says
Amanda. “It’s challenging to attain the same beauty
with a supermarket budget, but it means finding more
clever ways of doing things. Just because a customer
can’t afford a high-end brand, doesn’t mean they can’t
have original design details. Our fabric prints and
embroidery designs often start in my sketchbook.”
“Of course designers like Jay will know exactly
how they want a design to look, but I’ll put my own
spin on it too.” Once approved, Amanda’s art goes
on to our suppliers, with a design spec listing the
dimensions, pantone colours and stitch instructions
needed to bring it to life on a product sample.
She adds: “For me, the best bit is seeing my work
in an F&F look book, in the press, or better still,
seeing someone pick it up in store.”
‘THE DENIM GURU’
JAY
‘THE ARTIST’
AMANDA
Words:DeborahHatch

3. STEPHANIE
AND HARRIET
40
“Our secret weapon is the 3D technology we use to
create patterns virtually,” says Pattern Room
Technical Manager Stephanie Feakes. “We’re one of the
first UK retailers to have it and the difference it’s making is
incredible. Now more of our samples fit first time, as every supplier
cuts them using the exact patterns we send them.”
She may be armed with the latest technology, but Stephanie
can’t do it all on her own. She’s joined by Pattern Cutting Assistant
Harriet Neal and together they produce up to 20 F&F patterns
a week in their small workshop. “We sit down with buyers and
designers to choose a fit that we like, and create patterns that go to
suppliers with our chosen fabric,” Stephanie tells us.
Once the supplier sample is back the duo returns to the fitting
room to check it and if it’s not working, it’s sent back again. “One
of our biggest problems used to be the rise shapes on trousers,”
Stephanie continues. “The same pair of jeans coming from four
suppliers wouldn’t necessarily fit the same, but now we’re supplying
the patterns they do. Now more samples are fitted right first time.”
Scanning the sidewalks to hunt for her new favourite style is
second nature for Istanbul-based Product Developer Jasmin
NAME. “I automatically look at what people are wearing – it’s a
simple but major tip for being successful in sourcing samples that
are right for F&F. My hobby is my job, so I’m lucky”
Her Central European location makes Jasmin our go-to
product developer for fast fashion and reactive trends. “My
favourite way to find out what’s hot right now is to visit our
supplier showrooms to look at their collections,” she says.
Once there, Jasmin selects fabric or samples based
on the team’s trend stories. “Working with the best
suppliers in Turkey gives us a leading edge on new
fabrics, innovation and technologies,” adds Jasmin.
Like the rest of our F&F denim team Jasmin
follows the WGSN trend forecasting service, social
media such as Instagram or Pinterest, and also
attends Europe’s big fabric fairs. “I prepare market
intelligence reports on the latest fashions and give
trend presentations at F&F House twice a year. Our
denim is aligned with high-street design, quality and
comfort, but the difference is it’s more affordable.”
While the skinny jean is still on top, there are
other styles to watch out for. “Embroidered and
badged denim is becoming big news and vintage
washes are ever-popular,” Jasmin reveals. “F&F
is raising the bar each season and if we continue
reacting fast and trialling new styles, we’ll soon be
setting the trends, not following them.”
‘THE CUTTERS’
‘THE STYLE HUNTER’
JASMIN

4. “We’re selling the same product
at almost half the price, but we
never compromise on quality”
Inside F&F
41
“Denim is all about the (colour) wash. You can dye it a thousand
ways using different ingredients and, with so many wash recipes,
there’s an ocean of possibilities,” explains Bangladesh-based
Product Developer Amit Mazumder. “Finding the right wash to
create denim to our design is a science that starts with the fabric.
If the fabric isn’t right, you can’t get the wash right either, so I
visit factories, mills and textiles fairs to source the best.”
Like Jasmin in Turkey, Amit also reports back to the UK on
the latest fabrics and washes. “I research trends and ensure the
quality of our samples is right from the wash through to the
shape, fit, size and workmanship,” he adds.
Bangladesh is the biggest hub for F&F denim, with four or five
factories sending denim to stores all over
the world. “It’s crucial that we find the
right fabric at the right price here, as
F&F is a supermarket competing against
high-street brands. We’re selling the
same product at almost half the price,
but we never compromise on quality.”
“If we’re trying jeans with a new leg shape how
many pairs should we buy, and do we stock them
everywhere or run a trial in our top stores only?
Are sales better or worse than expected for our
core range and if so, why?” These are all questions that
Assistant Buyer Bea Forrester asks our merchandisers when
planning what to buy. “They help us to ensure we’re buying the
right amounts, and keep me in check. We’re good at talking to our
customers too and know that our Contour jeans range is the one
customers love, as it’s what they’re always asking for.”
Checking the feedback on our website, social media and talking
to store colleagues, is all part of a day’s work for Bea: “We know
we’re hitting the mark on quality and getting into a price that our
customers like because they tell us as much.”
There’s also buying trips to fabric fairs or supplier showrooms,
and visits to our Central Europe and UK stores to fit in.
“If we discover a trend for a fast turnaround, we talk to Jasmin
as it’s faster to ship stock in from Turkey,” Bea explains. “For core
fashion or our best-selling Contour range, Amit always ensures Jay’s
design vision is interpreted brilliantly by suppliers.”
No day is the same whether managing orders, building ranges, or
fitting garments. “We have two models that come in to F&F House
every week for fittings and I’ll check every detail of each sample.”
‘THE SCIENTIST’
AMIT
‘THE BUYER’
BEA

5. 42
“None of our denim goes into stores without being fully tested.
Whether it’s making sure the colour levels are right, ensuring it
doesn’t shrink, rip or stain, and holds its shape,” assures F&F
Fabric Technical Manager Shaun Ghori. “A good fabric speaks
for itself – the feel, quality of the yarn, level of dye and how it’s
washed all play a major part.”
“You could wear our power stretch Contour jeans every day
and the fabric won’t sag because of the dual FX yarn we’re using.
It’s patented technology that gives it
a 360-degree stretch and we’ve got
exclusivity on it for 12 months.”
It’s also softer than ever, as we now
use modal yarn, and 100% BCI cotton
makes this style more sustainable.
While denim production is renowned
for being a filthy business using tons
of water and chemicals, we’re working
with suppliers who use the latest energy
efficient methods.
“Technology such as ‘nano bubbles’
is dramatically reducing the amount of
water and chemicals we use, ensuring
all our washes are low impact,” Shaun adds.
“H&M has its eco-friendly Conscious Collection, but our aim
is to be first-to-market at rolling sustainable denim out across
our entire range.” We’re clearly getting closer, as F&F fended
off competition from the likes of New Look and M&S to win
the coveted Draper’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility
Retailer of the Year in 2015.
“We’re always looking at what’s new out there and that’s why
we’ve got such exciting developments coming up – stay-black and
stay-white technology for ladies’ jeans, premium modal yarn for
a softer feel, a 360-degree stretch jean that holds its shape and
looks premium at half the price of Next and Zara, and even
stain-repellent jeans for men.”
“Denim is a completely different world where one colour or
fabric can be taken ten different ways, and it really is all about
the way you wash it.”
‘THE QUALITY CONTROLLER’
SHAUN
“Our aim is to be
the first-to-market
at rolling sustainable
denim out across
our entire range”