The “Pow Wow” Sessions

 

 JATC are very excited to announce our first in a series of live in person “pow wow” sessions with our guest speakers, Simon Platts & Katherine O’Driscoll who bring extensive expertise in independent consultancy for brands, retailers, educators and the fashion industry as a whole.

Their mission is to empower these entities to enhance buying and sourcing practices, ultimately driving improvements in quality, profitability, agility and value proposition. They specialise in minimising negative impacts on both people and the planet, helping businesses fulfil their environmental, social and legal commitments. Notably our speakers are recognized contributors to government and NGO agency policies on sustainability and ethical trade.

The session will be on Monday 17th July at Just Around the Corner SS24, Tobacco Dock, Wapping, London 15:30 – 16:30 at The Courtyard. This will be followed on the Tuesday with Kathy available to all on a dedicated stand where visitors will be able to speak to her on site and will be positioned in the Great Gallery for a  “drop in” from 10am to 1.30 pm.

Juls Dawson MD of JATC says of the new addition to the event “bringing Kathy and Simon along is a coup for JATC, as they are leaders in their fields and have spearheaded the adoption of sustainable and ethical practices across several UK leading retailers. Their careers have spanned several decades and leading retailers including Next, ASOS, The Very Group, Blacks, N Brown Group, JD Sports and Republic. They and the team at JATC want to impart some of this knowledge with the industry at large as it is the single most important element of any credible fashion business, whatever their size, both now and in the years to come”

 

Pre-register for your free ticket to attend the show now!

 

Biogs below;

Simon Platts and Kathy O’Driscoll set up SP& KO Limited in March 2023 when Simon left ASOS after 10 years as Responsible Sourcing and Commercial ESG Director.

They provide independent consultancy focused on supporting Brands, retailers, educators, and the fashion industry at large. Enabling them to deliver better ways of buying and sourcing to improve quality, profitability, agility, and proposition, reduce negative impacts on people and planet, and deliver on environmental, social, and legal commitments. Both are contributors to Government and NGO agency policies on Sustainability and Ethical Trade.

At ASOS Simon oversaw the company’s own-brand sourcing, packaging, ethical trade, product sustainability programme and 3rd-party branded engagement functions. He also led the team which developed, and delivered, Asos’ ‘Fashion with Integrity’ initiative. 

Kathy acted as a consultant to ASOS with Simon before moving onto consult for the N Brown Group, setting their five-year Sustainability Strategy. She also worked for UKFT, IBM and Universities in designing a “Digital Sustainable Supply Chain Platform” providing transparency back to the fibre source using AI. She has also helped several start up Brands, Charities and Universities in their sourcing and sustainability journeys’.

Both Simon and Kathy started at Next in the 1980’s from shop floor to founding the Directory they worked through the ranks at Next in buying and merchandising management. Simon was also responsible for sourcing, setting up the UK arm of Next’s global sourcing operation. Each went on to other companies prior to regrouping at ASOS.

Simon was Head of Branded and Own Brand Buying for the Outdoor specialist retailers  Blacks and Millets. Before that, he spent 10 years as Director/Partner at Lazzati UK , a multi-regional supplier of men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and footwear to UK high street retailers and brands, where he led the product development and sourcing teams.

Kathy was Head of Buying and Operations at JD Sports , The Very Group, Republic and others before returning to Next in 2003, introducing Brands into Next.

Simon has also recently taken the role of CEO Co-Founder of Recomme, a company focused on supplying tools and support to retailers and brands that enable the recovery of old items of clothing and footwear. Recomme then upcycle, recycle and turn them into new products.

Outside of work, Sheffield-born Simon lives with his family in Leicestershire, and pursues his passions for outdoor activities, the environment, nature, and conservation. Kathy has returned to her home town Leicester where she designs and makes clothes and enjoys the countryside.

Below is a taster of brands exhibiting so far and many more to come…!

Cachet, Campo Marzio, Clarity Blend, Coral & Mint, Face Junkie, Gemsa, Milly Grace, Scottish Fine Soaps, Simply Organic Beauty, Toolally

July 16–18 2023

Tobacco Dock (Pennington Street West Entrance)

Tobacco Quay, Wapping Lane

London E1W 2SF

 

Sunday: 10:00–17:00

Monday: 09:30–18:00

Tuesday: 09:30–17:00

 

Pre-register for your free ticket to attend the show now!