Harris Tweed from Art of the Loom

As a Sales Agent I have a responsibility to the principles (suppliers) that I work for. It is a team effort, the agent works to the best of his ability to develop the brand for the principle and the principle provides the marketing support, the product and service to enable you to both be successful.

Sometimes it can take a while to 'find' the right agency for you, and at times it may be that you have to representative several companies over a period of time to find the right one for you. Occasionally, like me, I have been fortunate to obtain three brands relatively quickly that ticks all the right boxes for me and them.

One in particular that I am going to mention is Art of the Loom. Andrew Thornber, the MD, contacted me after finding my details through Social Media. We had a lengthy chat on the phone, and something I rarely do, and would not normally recommend to those just starting out to do, I agreed on that one phone call to represent them.

For me, they had everything that I as an agent required in a brand. A family run business, natural fibre fabrics, product held in stock and very competitively priced. In addition, they came with a bonus brand, Harris Tweed!

Harris Tweed is one of the most desirable wool textiles in the world. It is produced in the Outer Hebrides, on the one Island with two names, separated only by a mountain range, the islands of Lewis and Harris.

The wool used to make Harris tweed is principally taken from flocks reared on the mainland Scotland. Early summer sees the island communities shearing the local sheep to add to the mainland clip. The process then starts with pure virgin wools being blended together to gain the advantages of their unique qualities and characteristics.

The raw undyed wool is then taken to the island mills where it is washed and dyed into an endless palette of colours.

The finished spun yarn is then warped, where the final pattern of the colours is prepared by winding the threads onto large beams to create the warp.

The Warp is then delivered, together with the bobbins of yarn for the weft and the patterns to the homes of the weavers, where by law, all Harris Tweed has to be hand woven on a treadle mill by the weaver in his own home.

Harris Tweed weavers throughout Lewis and Harris are self employed Craftsmen and Women, often having learnt the Craft from their forefathers over many years.

There is much more to this process, but, when finished, the Tweed is then presented to the Harris Tweed Authority's inspectors, and only if all the necessary regulations have been complied with, it is stamped with the Certification mark, or ORB MARK as it is known throughout the world.

The orb stamp is the mark of authenticity and the label issued with the cloth to the customer confirms it.

The Harris Tweed Authority is a statutory Public authority created by the passing of the 1993 Harris Tweed Act of Parliament. Prior to this, the Harris Tweed Association had been in existence since 1909.

For further information visit Harris Tweed Authority 

Art of the Loom have three Harris Tweed collections in their portfolio, and for details go to Art of the Loom 

John Northwood

Retro, what does this mean for the future

I decided to write this short article as I was thinking about Interior Design as it is today and was wondering whether we have seen the end of retro and whether this generation of Interior Design is going to be responsible for ending the term "retro" from this era. 

Lets start with retro, what does it mean? Well, according to the Chambers English Dictionary, retro means old-fashioned or relating to the past. And this is the point that I am struggling with.

Traditional Interior Design is generally influenced by past masters such as Charles Mackintosh or William Morris. Their designs are timeless and still part of our lifestyle today. Take a look in any traditional or Contemporary wallpaper or fabric book and you will see designs and colours that have been influenced by that period that are still very popular today.

Past styles such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco with their flowing and angular lines are still very much part of today's designs. We see chrome and block colours which were part of our lifestyle in the 70's and 80's. It was during this period we also saw the arrival of coloured furniture, fabric and wallpaper in black, grey and white trimmed with red's, blue's and pink's.

For me the turning point was the 80's. We saw more use of pastel and neutral shades and soft grey's and white. Carpets were being sold in plain neutral colours instead of the heavy patterned Axminster and Wilton styles, and we had moved away from the Nylon mustard and brown colours of the 70's.

So here we are almost halfway through the second decade of the 21st Century where we are still seeing the use of white, creams, greys and soft pastel shades along with period paints and wallpapers that have inspired generations of Interior Designers.

Natural floors and neutral coloured carpets with traditional styled rugs. Tweeds, houndstooth and plaids still playing their part in upholstery, blinds and curtains. 

The use of wood, chrome, black & white and painted furniture are all still desirable for today's living. The style and designs all influenced by the past.

Manufacturing processes and technology now allows new textures and finishes, but the inspiration for the designs still come from the past. Can future designs be unique without having any influence from our past or has this all now been exhausted? 

For me, not much has changed in the last 30 years. So where will the influences be coming from over the next 20-30 years. Who or what will the next generation of Interior Designer be looking to for their inspiration. Will they look back to the 00's and say their designs have been influenced by this period? I'm not so sure.

John Northwood

Trade Show overload!

Last week I spent two days working with a couple of my principles on their exhibition stands at the May Design Series.

Trade shows are always something that I look forward to. It is a time to catch up with the principles, preview the new collections, get an overview of what the competitors are doing, meet new and existing customers, generate additional business, and of course to socialise.

My only previous experience of the Excel was as a visitor, and what struck me this time was how good this centre is as a purpose built venue for these types of events. You have car parking for over 3,000 vehicles, the DLR with links to the main underground system and national rail stations that stops right outside the venue and the location is very close to City Airport for overseas visitors.

The event was well represented over two halls with an eclectic mix of products. There was furniture, lighting, fabrics, upholstery, bedding, wallcoverings and accessories, in fact everything to do with interiors. These ranged from small independent companies through to some of the larger companies in the industry. There was also a reasonable turnout of International companies that are already established, and some looking to break into the UK market.

For me, the main focus was in the fabric pavilion where I was representing Art of the Loom, and also the BITA trade stand where I had Emily McGuinness and Silkland to support. There was a fantastic selection of fabrics by many suppliers you could wish for in one place.

The disappointment for many was the lack of turnout to support the event. I am sure there are many factors and reasons why it wasn't well attended, which begs the question, is an exhibition needed in May?

Now for some, these exhibitions are a never ending carousel that seem to go on all year round and quite understandably they cannot all be attended and budgeted for. As an example, Maison & Objet that takes place in January and September in Paris, Heimtextil during January in Frankfurt, London Design Week and Focus at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre London in March and September, Decorex London in September, Homes & Interiors in Glasgow during October and BITA travelling trade fairs in September just to name a few.

The cost to exhibit is very expensive. Not only for the area to exhibit in, but also transport, hotels and entertaining have to be factored into the costs which soon add up to many thousands of pounds. For the visitors, you are getting an opportunity to see many of your favourite brands as well as new ideas and suppliers.

For events that are poorly attended suppliers are reluctant to exhibit in the future and if there is a poor turnout of exhibitors the visitors will stop attending. So a poorly attended exhibition (by visitors or exhibitors), for whatever the reason can have an adverse affect on future events.

It is not for me to suggest which one's should be attended or supported, and there is a case that there could be too many, but, these are trade only events that benefit everyone involved in our industry and it would be a shame to see any disappear for lack of support from either visitors or exhibitors.

John Northwood.

Move with the times or get left behind

I have now been active on Social Media sites since around 2008/09 and they have become an important part of not only my social life, but also mainly for my business as well.

I first started when I had a business networking group. Facebook and Twitter were great for promoting the events, messaging people and generally interacting and raising awareness to the group and what was being offered to the business community.

As we have all heard and read in the news, these sites can also get you into serious trouble, and like an email, what you mean to say isn't always actually how things read! Used properly and thoughtfully you will not have any problems.

Social Media I am sure will no doubt evolve, and over the coming years sites will improve, new sites will be developed and others will just fade away and stop altogether, but they are here to stay in one format or another.

Now the reason I am writing about this subject, (and I am by no means an expert but I get by on the basics!) is that unbelievably many of my customers still do not use Social Media and it is something that I am always trying to encourage them to do.

There is so much that they can be doing to promote and market their business for free, but you know what I hear, yep! "I don't have time" or "it's a generation thing". Are you kidding me? You would rather spend £200 a week on advertising (or none at all) than spending a couple of hours a week doing your own for free! I am in my mid 50's, but it hasn't stopped me from learning and taking advantage of something that could financially benefit me.

There is so much more that they can be doing and it doesn't have to affect their normal working week. Facebook and Twitter are two examples. Not only can you post in real time but you can schedule your posts. Write up half a dozen things in the evening or the weekend, schedule to go out at different times and it's done. If it is just being used for work related information, then you can target your audience by connecting with those who have or may have similar interests or needs.

"I don't get time to do that"! Yes you do, they just haven't managed their time efficiently to be able to do it. As an example, while my wife is watching early evening TV (this isn't for me unless it's football!) or is working late and I have finished my paperwork and emails for the day, I sit on the sofa with my Laptop or Tablet and hit Social media. And it isn't just work related, mix it up with personal stuff, it's all about getting your name out there.

Through social networking I have met some great people, new customers and actually generated business through it. These are free tools for you to be able to make your business even more successful, and not just getting noticed in your area, but also Internationally.

As an example, I had somebody contact me from USA who was interested in selling one of the brands I represent. I didn't ignore them, I forwarded on their details, and yes, they are now a stockist of that brand in America. I didn't make any personal gain from that one lead, but what it has done is make the brand I represent recognise that I am not just representing them, but I am also now seen as an asset for helping them develop their business which in turn benefits me.

There are some very good people out there that can offer far more experience of time management and social media than me, which is why I am always checking You Tube, LinkedIn and Google+ (for free) to get more ideas and to try and improve myself.

Want to find me? I'm on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.

The irony is that those not using Social Media wont see this. But if you have friends who have a small business (or large, there are no barriers) that are not on social media, try and encourage them to use it, you never know where it may lead.

John Northwood

One year on

It is hard to believe that it is my 1st anniversary since forming the agency.

After being made redundant I always new that whatever happened I would get back on track, and changing direction and becoming an agent was probably the best choice I could have ever made.

It hasn't been easy by any stretch of the imagination. Starting from scratch and having to purchase the basics like a vehicle, mobile telephone and laptop, it all starts to eat into your savings.

Then there was the small matter of finding companies that wanted representation. I was fortunate, I know a lot of people in the industry, and a few pointed me in the right directions, gave me advice and valuable support.

The agencies I acquired were not established which was another risk, meaning that business has been a slow burner and a gradual build of brand before I started to at least see my expenses being covered.

My customers have been fantastic and very supportive where possible. I have met and fortunate to now be dealing with new people and the agency is now heading in the right direction. I believe I still have another 18 months of hard work and dedication to get the agency to where I will be comfortable. This will include the right mix of products, quality and quantity of accounts needed.

I don't envy anyone who has lost their job through no fault of their own, and particularly if they have been treated as I was by my former employer. You do find yourself going into dark places that you don't want to be in, but I stayed positive, had friends and family supporting me, and had the good fortune of finding good suppliers and loyal customers.

This job isn't for the feint hearted and you never know from 1 month to the next what your earnings are going to be, but it is just fantastic to have the freedom to run your own business how you want and when you want and for meeting such good people on a day to day basis that makes it that much more enjoyable.

Very special thanks goes to Ronan and Helen Boyle of Boyle & Butler who offered me my first agency, the Thornber family at Art of the Loom, Norfolk House Consultants and my great friends in Sweden at Sandberg and Rebel Walls for giving me such great opportunities. And without the good people of the interiors industry who believe and invest in the brands, the agency wouldn't be where it is today, going into the second year in a much healthier position.

Thank you!

John Northwood

Rebel with a cause

Having been in the interiors industry for 40 years I have seen many changes, particularly in product design and manufacturing techniques.

You may have read in a previous article that I am quite a traditionalist in some things and it sometimes takes a little longer for me to embrace new ideas, but when I do, I find myself wondering why I didn't do it a lot earlier!

There is however one product that I have embraced almost from it's inception and that is Digital Wallpaper. Now, I am not referring to a product printed on to small bits of paper by a printing company and then pieced together like a jigsaw, I mean real wallpaper!

Although a fairly recent concept compared in terms of traditionally printed wallpaper heritage, it has been with us for sometime, but it is not something that I find people embrace very quickly. So, I thought I would just try and enlighten you on the product, and one company in particular, Rebel Walls.

Rebel Walls was launched in early 2013 by husband and wife Christofer and Irene Gimmersta who's family tradition in wallcoverings goes back over 100 years.

Rebel Walls are an innovative brand based in Sweden that print using the most up to date modern technology available.

The company offer a standard or custom size service using their library images as well as giving it's customers the opportunity to design their own wallpaper by uploading their own image.



It is a simple process, very reasonably priced and gives designers and the consumer the flexibility to produce to the exact size required with no wastage.

Digital wallpaper printing unlike regular wallpaper is a much quicker process. Regular wallpaper requires roller and ink changes to achieve a design, digital printing uses a powdered ink cartridge (just like a photocopier cartridge but much larger). All images are stored on a computer so they are always available. The printing is onto non woven paper exactly the same as regular wallpaper so the hanging of the paper is the same process.

Because of the technology used they can print multi designs which saves an immense amount of time having to change rollers and inks which means it is an ideal product for fastrack projects.

Now, I am a little biased towards Rebel Walls as I have recently been appointed the UK agent. But, my reputation relies on working for a professional company and having the belief in the product which is why I am happy to endorse Rebel Walls.

Botanical

There is far more to this than I can mention in this article, so I encourage you to take a look at the website where you will find all the library images, information on the company background and history, printing process and how you can design your own wallpaper.

Rebel Walls

If this is something you may be interested in, then please do not hesitate to contact me.