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www.images-magazine.com SEPTEMBER 2019 images 47 IS BRAND PROFILE that’s harder for lower-cost garments. “For now, it would be very challeng- ing to move all products into recycled yarns as it is expensive. The proportion of recycled yarns is growing and more people are doing it. The cost differential is coming down.” The Eco-Blazer fits Trutex’s commitment to the environment, with the company becoming the UK’s first carbon-neutral schoolwear supplier by reducing its carbon footprint. It also keeps an ethical rein on the supply chain by having its own employees in the Asian countries where it outsources manufacturing. “We have a very stringent sourcing process. We are monitoring production on a daily basis against internationally recognised codes. Having people on the ground is very advantageous in terms of picking up any problems early on, making sure issues are dealt with in real time. Our core values, the quality of garments and consistency, are key to the brand so that is investment worth having,” Matthew explains. With most of the garments manufactured overseas, the fall in sterling has impacted costs. “As we are buying in US dollars, it has been Picking blazers really challenging for businesses like ours across the industry,” he adds. Cultural clothing The newest range from Trutex is cultural clothing, from longer-length garments to headwear such as scarves. “A number of schools have approached us to talk about cultural clothing because the only cultural garments they could get were of poor quality.” The new range will launch for 2020 at the Schoolwear Show in October although garments are already available. Like other uniform suppliers, Trutex saw a sales upturn after the government switched secondary schools to academies. “For lots of schools that became academies, the only physical change was a lick of paint and a new sign, so introducing uniform became an important part of stamping a new identity onto the school. It changes the view of the school in the community and has been found to have a positive shift in schools’ performance.” Matthew believes this transition period is over and that growth will come from winning new customers. The company has also been picking up business overseas, especially in the Middle East where there are schools affiliated to British ones, but the focus remains the UK. “Opportunities tend to come if a school or retailer has not had the service that it wanted or was expecting so looks for another provider. Although we are geographically covered across the UK, there’s still plenty of opportunity for us to grow the business,” he concludes. www.trutex.com Visit us at this years Schoolwear Show to see our lastest product range for 2020. www.trutex.com