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Picture Organic Clothing is a brand of the outdoor industry : freeride, expedition, lifestyle created at Clermont Ferrand in 2008 by 3 friends, passionate about Snowboard, Freeride and other sports like that.
The goal of the company is to show the eco-responsible purchase. As in any project there are constraints. And to be able to reach the general public, the brand has to offer competitive products.
How Picture succeeded : to democratize the eco-responsible purchase ?
Picture Organic Clothing has from its beginning, been able to offer an alternative to differentiate itself from its competitors. The brand has little by little, find its place in the outdoor industry : by integrating physical stores, small shopkeepers and specialized websites.
Picture Organic Clothing became a new player : initially in France and then abroad (today more than 50% of sales are for export). The brand bet on its freshness (style, design, history) and its environmental positioning. This permits to the independent stores to renew their offer and to grow at the same time as Picture, with exit rates of our products close to 100%.
Picture's story can be made through its production in Turkey and China
As we know, the workforce is cheaper on the Asian continent. For that, the brand can align its prices to the competitors. This action is done respecting the "Fair Wear work" rules which says work in Asia does not say work by children of 5 years. On the contrary, Picture works with factories which respect good working conditions, suitable salary and ensure the security of its employees.
Let's take a concrete case with the production of a 100% organic cotton t-shirt
This T-shirt made in Turkey is made in a partner factory since the beginning of the adventure in 2008. The cotton comes from Soke and the shirt is made in Izmir, 150 kilometers away. We notice that the circuit between cotton production and plant is short. Picture buys the t-shirt 7€, sold at 12.5 € (before tax) to resellers. Then between 30€ and 33 € TTC to you, final consumers.
This price permits to the wordkeepers to be safe and allows Picture to be able to develop itself, innovate and pursue its eco-responsible initiatives. As a reminder, a company pays : rents, payroll, taxes, customs, R & D in France, logistics... Finally, the VAT up to 20% is also present in the calculation.
How could it be with a Made in France
Today, producing in France is not impossible for Picture. Alpinstore already works with partners like Monnet who has his own factory. Picture Organic Clothing also wants to manufacture in France : currently, the neck covers are manufactured in the Ain (01) and its raw material like polyester, comes from Italy.
Neck covers production in Cenyo at Chatillon en Michaille (01 - Ain - France)
The first point is to repatriate the raw material in France : organic cotton is not found in France. "Spinning, knitting, dyeing and making the final product would then be done in France".
The T-shirt is no bought 7 € but between 15€ and 20 €, depending on the quality. To sell it between 30€ and 35 € without taxes to the stores, is a final price of 70-75 € ttc. Here, we completely change the customer’s target.
We are far from Picture's DNA : democratizing eco-responsible products to the general public.
A eco-responsible brand which manufactures on the other side of the world
Alpinstore and Picture have the same problem : an international brand strategy. Made in China when you sell in Japan, this is less of a problem. But to manufacture in France when the company sells in Japan, it is the same problem. In short, packages which do thousands of kilometers long.
The ideal : to manufacture in 3 factories which distributes on the whole world according to these customers. This also divides production shots by 3 and therefore also increases the selling price of your T-shirt to return to the example above.
Picture is certainly a pretty French company but is still very far from the big brand volumes and this strategy is currently not adapted.
Why Picture has chosen the eco-responsible side concerning its strategy ?
- Responsible raw materials (organic cotton, recycled polyester, bio-sourced polyester, reconditioned materials)
- Dyeing processes that consume less energy and water
- Water repellent treatment without harmful chemicals
- Certifications to justify the first 3 points
- Total knowledge of supply chains, from raw materials to the finished product
- A historical relationship with our suppliers, and a constant improvement of working conditions in collaboration with Fair Wear Foundation
- A boat ride to get the goods to the storage place, Picture does not use the plane.
- A packaging of bio-sourced and industrially compostable plastic products at end of life
Constant challenge by the teams to reduce the carbon footprint and raise awareness among the public. Every year, recycled clothes shared increases.
This year for example, true to these values on these stands of animation during events (High Five ...) Picture came with a machine that transformed, before your eyes, the plastic bottle into a keychain and you could leave with it. This is a beautiful example of awareness.
Source: Picture Alpinstore training + article website Picture Organic Clothing
