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Not Just A Label (NJAL)
IndustryFashion
Founded2008 (2008)
FounderStefan Siegel
Headquarters
Los Angeles
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
OwnerStefan Siegel
Websitewww.notjustalabel.com

Not Just A Label (NJAL) is a London and Los Angeles–based global fashion industry platform, virtual showroom, and online community that connects independent designers with consumers.[1][2] Representing more than 35,000 designers from over 150 countries, NJAL has launched the careers of designers such as Mary Katrantzou and Damir Doma[3] and has support from celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Vivienne Westwood and Beyoncé.[4]

In February 2019, NJAL launched a premium designer service, NJAL+, a program that enables shoppable capabilities and provide additional tools.[5]

History

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Stefan Siegel and his brother Daniel founded NJAL in 2008 to serve as a networking platform for fashion designers.[6][7] 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.[8] Select items in "The Shop" were curated by celebrities including Amanda Lepore and Lara Stone.[4][9]

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.[1][10] 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.[11]

NJAL first collaborated with the British Council in 2011 for the "London Meets Beirut" seminar.[12] 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.[1][13]

In 2012, NJAL participated in a three-week tour of Eastern European fashion weeks where the company delivered workshops and scouted talent in Bratislava, Kyiv, Łódź, Belgrade and Riga. The trips were documented through a partnership with Vogue Italia.[14][15] 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.[16][17]

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.[18][19][20]

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.[21]

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.[22][23][24] The same year, NJAL was the only international platform to attend Ukrainian Fashion Week during the political turbulence occurring at the time.[25][26][27]

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.[28] 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.[29][30]

NJAL relaunched its website in 2014 to improve the user experience on smartphones, tablets, and desktops.[31] While the e-commerce part of the site was established in 2009, the 2014 relaunch made sales the main component of the site.[32] The relaunch also incorporated an open source content management system into the site which allows designers to edit their own profiles.[31]

In 2017, NJAL closed “The Shop” in order to focus on the core components of the community that helped designers gain exposure and network.

The next year, NJAL launched a brand new website in conjunction with their ten-year anniversary.[33]

In February 2019, NJAL launched their premium designer service called NJAL+.[34] Working with a network of brands across industries, NJAL+ provides designers with exciting shoppable capabilities and tools that include services and products in sales, marketing, manufacturing, education and showcasing.[5]

Notable designers and celebrity clients

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Notable designers who showcased early on with NJAL include Mary Katrantzou, Damir Doma and Rad Hourani.[3][18][25][35] 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.[4][7][36]

Business model

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NJAL is a platform for designers, buyers, press and consumers to collaborate with each other independently.[37][38]

The NJAL platform helps designers to gain exposure in the fashion industry at no cost, promoting a designer's creativity and individuality. 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.[6][37]

The online community opens up a space for designers to gain exposure and network with their peers. The platform includes a search capability and designer directory indexed alphabetically as well as by country, womenswear, menswear, shoes, bags, accessories, jewellery, organic products, etc.

NJAL+

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NJAL offers a premium service called NJAL+ that designers can join by paying a small fee. The service provides a shoppable capability and additional tools for services and products in sales, marketing, manufacturing, education and showcasing. NJAL+ links designers with consumers who then go to a designer's own website for purchase. Notable brands that are part of NJAL+ include WWD, UPS.[39][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Boyd Myers, Courtney (5 May 2012). "Behind the design: An interview with Not Just a Label". The Next Web. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  2. ^ Burrell, Ian (12 September 2014). "London Fashion Week: How the internet has helped break the big name monopoly". The Independent. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b Britten, Fleur (19 September 2010). "Taking a Chance on Talent". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "NJAL celeb Christmas!". Grazia Daily. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Theodosi, Natalie (2019-02-13). "Not Just a Label Introduces Membership Program". WWD. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  6. ^ a b Mahanty, Shannon (23 May 2012). "Not Just a Label". Wonderland Magazine. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b "The Connecting Forces of Design". WDCD. 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  8. ^ "The Entrepreneurs". Monocle. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  9. ^ "London Fashion News: Lara Stone and Matches". Elle. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Not Just a Label: Exclusive Organic Collection". The Doscerning Brute. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  11. ^ Reeve, Georgia. "Curated By NJAL". Highs Nobiety.
  12. ^ Davies, Lauren (30 November 2011). "London meets Beirut: Innovation in the design industry". My Cake. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Stefan Siegel". British Council. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Eastern Europe Diary 1". Vogue Italia. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  15. ^ "Eastern Europe Diary 2". Vogue Italia. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  16. ^ Bailie, Lauren (24 May 2012). "Not Just A Label Partners With WGSN". Fashionotes. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Not Just A Label Offers Nearly-Free Trend Service This Month". Inside FMM. May 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Sechs Jahre Im Leben" (in German). Das Magazin.
  19. ^ Damaggio, Marika. "Alt(r)a Moda". Ci.
  20. ^ "Wir tauschen die Marke durch die Story aus". Form Magazin.
  21. ^ "Who's Next and Not Just A Label launch new program". Fashion United. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  22. ^ Kansara, Vikram Alexei (21 May 2014). "Matteo Marzotto Joins with Not Just a Label to Unite Fashion and Jewellery". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  23. ^ Sanderson, Rachel (26 March 2014). "Matteo Marzotto reveals his plans to revitalise his country's gold industry". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  24. ^ "Origin Passion & Beliefs" (PDF). Vogue Italia. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  25. ^ a b "The Founder of Not Just a Label Will Give A Public Talk In Kiev". Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  26. ^ "Ukrainian Fashion Week Stands Against War". Ukraine Crisis Media Center. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  27. ^ Mesco, Manuela (20 March 2014). "Couturiers Undeterred by Crisis at Ukraine Fashion Week". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  28. ^ "10 choses qui vont revolutionner la mode" (in French). Elle. September 2014.
  29. ^ Locskai, Nora (8 May 2014). "Copenhagen Fashion Summit: The Anatomy of Sustainable Fashion". Eco Fashion World. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  30. ^ "Restart Fashion - 5 Easy steps by Connie Nielsen, Stefan Siegel and Jonas Eder-Hansen". Copenhagen Fashion Summit. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  31. ^ a b Davies, Taryn (31 July 2014). "Not Just A Label launches website for hand-picked luxury fashion". Female First. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  32. ^ "A New NJAL". Style Bubble. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  33. ^ "Welcome To The New NJAL". www.notjustalabel.com. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  34. ^ "NJAL Plus". Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  35. ^ Macpherson, Lindsay (5 April 2011). "Where to spot fashion's next big thing". How To Spend It. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  36. ^ "Not Just A Label: Supporting Avant-garde Fashion Designers". Inside FMM. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  37. ^ a b Lean, Marion (2 November 2014). "Not Just a Label at Skopje". British Council. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  38. ^ "Will There Ever Be a Revolution?? Not Just a Label, an alternative in fashion retail". Martinez-Ribes. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  39. ^ "Introducing NJAL+". www.notjustalabel.com. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
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