Sustainable market

UNIVERSIDAD DE VALLADOLID ESCUELA DE INGENIERIAS INDUSTRIALES Grado en Ingeniería en Diseño Industrial y Desarrollo del Producto Título del TFG Autor: Balsa Cuadrado, Carlos Nieves Fernández Villalobos University of Antwerp Valladolid, septiembre 2019. TFG REALIZADO EN PROGRAMA DE INTERCAMBIO TÍTULO: Sustainable market ALUMNO: Carlos Balsa Cuadrado FECHA: 18/6/2019 CENTRO: University of Antwerp TUTOR: Sarah Rohaert Resumen: Desarrollo y diseño de un mercado, junto con elementos atractivos e informativos sobre la moda sostenible y la moda rápida, con el objetivo de concienciar a la población joven sobre el uso y la compra de moda rápida, que consecuencias tiene esta social, económica y físicamente (centrándonos en la India y países en vías de desarrollo), y las alternativas menos dañinas para el medio ambiente y la sociedad. El mercado se llevó a cabo el día 23 de Mayo de 2019, en la plaza Hof van Liere, Amberes, con la colaboración de la Universidad de Amberes y de la ONG “USOS”. Palabras clave: Mercado, Moda, Sostenibilidad, India, Concienciación. PROKOP HARTL VINCENT DELRUE SUPERVISOR: MITTE SCHELDEMAN MARTA REIG ANNA LAMBERTUS CARLOS BALSA EXPERT: SARAH ROHAERT SUSTAINABLE MARKET FINAL REPORT 13.06.2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude towards our primary supervisor, Sarah Rohaert, for her endless advice on the project and a large amount of effort and dedication received from her during the weekly meetings. Her commitment to the project helped immensely in achieving the final result. An added acknowledgement is in place since Sarah Rohaert is the general EPS organiser at the Faculty of Design as well. The team wants to take this opportunity to profoundly thank her for organising and helping to facilitate this European project semester. Secondly, we are notably grateful for the consultation and vast amount of encouragement offered by Mitte Scheldeman, external supervisor and coordinator of the project. Being a staff member of the University’s Foundation for Development Cooperation, she offered a well-described frame in which we were able to organise the event. We genuinely thank Mitte for her contagious enthusiasm and expertise. All practical advice and guidance provided by Janus Verelst, a staff member of USOS as well, was much appreciated. He assisted with staying on the right track during the last days of preparation for the event. We want to express special gratitude to all of the volunteers, who were of valuable help during the execution of the event. Our special thanks extend in particular to all EPS students who were present at the market, not only for their volunteering work during the event but for their support during the whole semester as well. Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge USOS for taking the initiative, each year again, of facilitating the sustainable market and providing a budget for the execution of the project. for Development Cooperation, she offered a well-described frame in which we were able to organise the event. We genuinely thank Mitte for her contagious enthusiasm and expertise. All practical advice and guidance provided by Janus Verelst, a staff member of USOS as well, was much appreciated. He assisted with staying on the right track during the last days of preparation for the event. We want to express special gratitude to all of the volunteers, who were of valuable help during the execution of the event. Our special thanks extend in particular to all EPS students who were present at the market, not only for their volunteering work during the event but for their support during the whole semester as well. Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge USOS for taking the initiative, each year again, of facilitating the sustainable market and providing a budget for the execution of the project. 2 FINAL REPORT 13.06.2019 LIST OF COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS USOS - University Foundation for Development Cooperation EPS - European Project Semester NGO - Non-Governmental Organization UA - University of Antwerpen ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to provide a clear overview of the progress in organising USOS’s yearly sustainable market at Het Hof Van Liere, the 23rd of May. The market is a yearly recurring event, with a different theme every time. This year’s theme is sustainable fashion, which will be handled on an environmental and social level. Next, to organising the market, USOS administered us with a second task: building an educational and fun showstopper, relevant to the sustainable theme. This paper documents the process and the end results. The introductory pages include a brief overview of the team and offer some insights into the background of the project. After, the team started by carrying out desk research to fully grasp what ‘sustainable fashion’ really means — concluding with the investigations and further summary of the visits made and brand research executed. The next chapter describes the beginning of the market-design process: designing a marketing strategy, coherent style and the brand. More in-depth information about the practicalities surrounding the organisation is provided in the next chapter. Furthermore, all of the showstoppers and the process of creating them are thoroughly documented. An overview of the days following up to the market and how we managed the funds is given subsequently. In the end, a summary of how we managed and adapted the Project Management Plan to handle and overcome the different project activities and specific differences that arose during the project is provided. To end this report, we list main recommendations for next year, as well as a general conclusion on the project in its whole. 5 Carlos is studying Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development at his home city, Valladolid, Spain. His skills in graphic design help us through the design process. “In my future, I would like to become an audio-visual/graphic designer and work as a professional from it. I chose the EPS mainly because of the international experience, as well as the project itself because I think that is good to improve my level of English, as well as my skills working on a team.” Anna studies in Kiel, Germany. She is the only one without a Product Development studies field. Studying communication and public relations, she provides different skills for the team. “After finishing my studies, I would like to work for a social organisation in communication. The EPS is a chance to improve my communication skills under new circumstances. Working together with internationals is a great opportunity to leave my comfort zone.” ANNA (more information: see appendix 1) CARLOS 13 Our sponsor is the “Universitaire Stichting voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking” (USOS), which is a small non-profit organisation focusing on disadvantaged communities in the global south. They both organise and evaluate this project and have a significant influence on the process. Within USOS we had an experienced partner. Sarah and Mitte acted as the coordinators. Both supervisors assisted during the project and helped to organise further and evaluate the Fair. Sarah Rohaert was not only interested in the outcome, but also in the approach that was used during the semester. We consolidated all propositions and individual steps of the preparation with her. 4.2 INTERESTED PARTIES Mitte Sarah 14 The University of Antwerp was only interested in the outcome of the Fair. They had an individual interest in safety issues and monitored the frame of the Fair. However, the University of Antwerp had a significant influence on practicalities concerning the Fair since they provide hospitality (Location: “Hof van Liere”). Regarding non-governmental/profit Organisations (NGOs) or brands, they were other groups with special interests. They aimed to promote their work most comfortably and efficiently. The Fair needed booths that provide exciting content, that is why it was essential to have NGOs and brands present on the market. On the other hand, many brands work in the sustainable clothing field, so we had a broader range to choose from. clothing field, so we had a broader range to clothing field, so we had a broader range to choose from. 15 The most potent party are students who are not interested in sustainability at all. The primary goal of the project was to engage their awareness of sustainable fashion. Although they did not care about the Fair before, their power is significant. The outcome of the market convinced them to participate in the Fair and learn about the issues of fast fashion. Their influence was that high because their participation at the Fair measured the success rate. Furthermore, the volunteers were an interested party, too. They were a group of people involved in a good outcome of the Fair. In order to engage their attention, the Fair needed to provide a clear communication concept in advance, whereas a lack of volunteers could have led to more unfortunate results. fig. 10. The most potent party are students who are not interested in sustainability at all. The primary goal of the project was to engage their awareness of sustainable fashion. Although they did not care about the Fair before, their power is significant. The outcome of the market convinced them to participate in the Fair and learn about the issues of fast fashion. Their influence was that high because their participation at the Fair measured the success rate. Furthermore, the volunteers were an interested party, too. They were a group of people involved in a good outcome of the Fair. In order to engage their attention, the Fair needed to provide a clear communication concept in advance, whereas a lack of volunteers could have led to more unfortunate results. 16 4.2.1 TARGET GROUP For establishing the target group, we thought about three different kinds of people that could visit our market. To clarify the goal, we prepared three personas. Students who are relatively conscious about sustainability, students that were not and the NGOs were our three personas. Firstly, we designed Eva. She is relatively conscious about sustainability, and her clothes are 70% big brands and 30% sustainable. As we realised this persona has some interest in and knowledge about the topic, we really believe that this market is the way of making them aware of the problem. Secondly, we generated Jan. He likes fashion but is not aware of sustainable fashion. His clothes are 100% big brands. For this reason, we thought this persona would be our target group. We wanted to make this kind of people having some interest and knowledge about what sustainable fashion is. Accordingly, we proposed to attract them organising the Fair in a possible, engaging way. sustainable. As we realised this persona has some interest in and knowledge about the topic, we proposed to attract them organising the Fair in a possible, engaging way. 4.2.1 TARGET GROUP For establishing the target group, we thought about three different kinds of people that could visit our market. To clarify the goal, we prepared three 17 Finally, our third persona was an NGOs worker who is already worried about sustainability. The name of this persona is Greta and she mostly shops in second-hand stores. Our idea was to include her as a partner giving her a stall. NGOs worker who is already worried about sustainability. The name of this persona is Greta and (see appendix 5 for complete overview) 18 4.2.3 GOALS Fashion is everywhere on campus, and Antwerp students are known for being extra conscious about what they wear. Although we see a rise in, for example, second-hand clothing, real, sustainable fashion options are not yet well known in student circles. The same goes for the working conditions of the Indian workers. The market will mainly focus on awareness raising, in the target audience that is not aware of sustainable fashion at all. The Fast Fair achieved this by gathering interesting and useful NGOs and businesses to the market, as well as through providing real educational content in the form of the showstopper. In order to attract as many people as possible, we served Indian food and drinks as well. By experiencing the market and showstoppers as a pleasant and memorable event, we conveyed the sustainable message to our visitors. The market will mainly focus on awareness raising, in the target audience The market will mainly focus on awareness raising, in the target audience that is not aware of sustainable fashion at all. The Fast Fair achieved this by gathering interesting and useful NGOs and businesses to the market, as well as through providing real educational content in the form of the showstopper. In order to attract as many people as possible, we served Indian food and drinks as well. By experiencing the market and showstoppers as a pleasant and memorable event, we conveyed the sustainable message to our visitors. 19 5. RESEARCH 5.1 FAST AND SLOW FASHION In this section of the report, we will explain what sustainability, fast fashion and slow fashion mean. These three definitions are essential for understanding the main topic of the market: sustainable fashion with a particular focus on India. In other words, it will show the problem that exists presently related to the fashion industry. 5.1.1 FAST FASHION What does fast fashion mean? It is a term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends. The collections are often based on designs presented at various fashion week events. Fast fashion allows mainstream consumers to purchase trendy clothing at an affordable price. It encourages a “throw-away” attitude, which means that the clothing is cheaply made in a style that will change very quickly. It contributes to pollution, poor artistry, and poor working conditions in developing countries. Fast fashion became prevalent because of cheaper clothing, an increase in the appetite for fashionable clothing, and the increase in purchasing power on the part of consumers. Because of all this, fast fashion is challenging new fashion lines that are introduced on a seasonal basis by traditional fashion houses. In fact, it is not uncommon for fast-fashion retailers to introduce new products multiple times in one week to maintain the pace with trends. To provide an example of fast fashion brands, we could mention Zara, H&M, UNIQLO, GAP and Forever 21. 20 5.1.2 SLOW FASHION What exactly is slow fashion? It is the deliberate choice to buy better-quality items less often. Purchases are environmentally and ethically conscious rather than trend-driven. The garments are durable and lend themselves to repairs, not disposal. Slow fashion is also transparent: Buyers know where their clothes come from, and items are often handmade by artisans. An example of a mainstream slow fashion brand is Patagonia, which has exemplified how a large brand can maintain “corporate responsibility,” as it is referred to on the outdoor apparel company’s website. Patagonia is transparent about its work with factories and mills. Another example of a slow brand is Hemper. Their entire production process uses traditional textile techniques and materials from Nepal. Hemper aims to capture the essence of the country in their product while contributing to the development of disadvantaged communities. 21 5.1.3 SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is an expression whose popularity continues to grow and whose importance has never been as high as it is today. However, it is often misused - particularly in product marketing. Sustainability is, therefore, frequently misunderstood by the general public. It has been defined in many ways, but one of the most commonly quoted definition comes from the document ‘Our Common Future’, published by the Brundtland Commission in 1987: “Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Brundtland, 1987) ‘Our Common Future’ further focused on interconnectivity of economic, social and ecological processes and was the foundation of the threedimensional concept that was popularised at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The common misconception of sustainable equaling ecological is therefore incorrect because economic, social and ecological processes are connected. The actions of both public and private stakeholders cannot be considered isolated, onedimensional aspects; instead, one must consider the interrelationship between the three dimensions of environment, economy and society. Only all of these aspects considered together can support sustainable development. 22 5.4 VISITS 5.4.1 WHM On the 14th of March, we had the chance to visit the organisation Wereld Missie Hulp (WMH). WMH is a Christian non-profit organisation that supports social or environmental projects all over the world. They earn money with clothes donations in Flanders. Most of their profit goes to projects and small organisations. Kathleen and Jorn have welcomed us at WMH. During the tour through the WMH buildings, we learned about the number of clothes that are donated by habitats in Flanders as well as the problems and circumstances this market brings with it. We had the chance to talk about the waste of food and further possibilities for recycling. All of us obtained new insights on a personal as well as on the project level. The contact with WMH proved to be helpful as they will provide the group with clothing blocks to sit on the fair, and old clothes to decorate the market. donations in Flanders. Most of their profit goes to projects and small organisations. Kathleen and Jorn have welcomed us at WMH. During the tour through the WMH buildings, we learned about the number of clothes that are donated by habitats in Flanders as well as the problems and circumstances this market brings with it. We had the chance to talk about the waste of food and further possibilities for recycling. All of us obtained new insights on a personal as well as on the project level. The contact with WMH proved to be helpful as they will provide the group with clothing blocks to sit on the fair, and old clothes to decorate the market. 29 5.4.2 SUSTAINABLE WEEKEND From the 22nd till the 24th of March, Vincent and Anna joined the sustainable master class organised by USOS. The weekend provided us with the chance to meet with other people interested in sustainability. Participating in the sustainable fashion track, we received new input about fast fashion issues. The team aimed to use the weekend for new inspiration and finding new contacts in this field. Overall, the weekend was successful, during the weekend, we were able to recruit volunteers as well as people that are interested in showcasing some of their work on the market. On Saturday evening, during the open space, we were able to pitch some of our ideas and ask for advice from other participants. During the talk, we figured that the participants were not convinced of our market-name “Sweatshop”. In earlier surveys, we had the impression that most people did not know about the meaning of Sweatshop. The team thought the name represented the contrast between horrible working conditions in actual sweatshops (name widely used for textile factories in Asia) and a real shop/market with a certain amount of attractiveness and freshness of the word. The name was too offending for the focus group. The participants in this open space were mainly students, who have already been aware of the impact of sustainable fashion. In earlier classes, we named these students as one of our main target groups. Creating the personas, we realised that this group should be the easiest to attract to the market. If this group is not interested in the Fair, because of the negative connotations, it might be harder to motivate other students. Therefore, we decided to change the name in the first place. to meet with other people interested in sustainability. Participating in the sustainable fashion track, we received new input about fast fashion issues. The team aimed to use the weekend for new inspiration and finding new contacts in this field. contacts in this field. Overall, the weekend was successful, during the weekend, we were able to recruit volunteers as well as people that are interested in showcasing some of their work on the market. On Saturday evening, during the open space, we were able to pitch some of our ideas and ask for advice from other participants. During the talk, we figured that the participants were not convinced of our market-name “Sweatshop”. In earlier surveys, we had the impression that most people did not know about the meaning of Sweatshop. The team thought the name represented the contrast between horrible working conditions in actual sweatshops (name widely used for textile factories in Asia) and a real shop/market with a certain amount of attractiveness and freshness of the word. The name was too offending for the focus group. The participants in this open space were mainly students, who have already been aware of the impact of sustainable fashion. In earlier classes, we named these students as one of our main target groups. Creating the personas, we realised that this group should be the easiest to attract to the market. If this group is not interested in the Fair, because of the negative connotations, it might be harder to motivate other students. Therefore, we decided to change the name in the first place. 30 5.5 OUR MOTIVATION It was essential for our whole team to educate ourselves thoroughly before we started working on the event itself. If we had not done it, we would not be able to present sustainable fashion accurately and suitably. While finding the most relevant information about the topic (in literature and online), we often felt depressed about the realities of the fast fashion industry. It had even more great impact after taking an active part in recent climate marches in Belgium. However, these moments provided us with an enormous increase in motivation. Intensive research gave us the urge to design the best possible project which will have an impact on people because sustainability has never been as relevant as it is today. 5.5 OUR MOTIVATION It was essential for our whole team to educate ourselves thoroughly before we started working on the event itself. If we had not done it, we would not be able to present sustainable fashion accurately and suitably. While finding the most relevant information about the topic (in literature and online), we often felt depressed about the realities of the fast fashion industry. It had even more great impact after taking an active part in recent climate marches in Belgium. However, these moments provided us with an enormous increase in 31 6. COMMUNICATION The purpose of this chapter is to summarise our communication strategy and the approach. Our main aim was to make sustainable fashion attractive even for young, uninterested students. Therefore we decided to style the communication as attractive as possible for our target group. The Idea was not to create a purely educational event but rather an entertaining one. Instead of focusing on providing elaborate information about the topic, we decided to create an event mainly for relaxation and enjoyment. That allowed us to adequately address our target group - university students with little to no interest in a sustainable topic. The communication strategy had to cover this aspect. That is why our visual identity is vibrant and colourful. The colour palette of the visual identity was inspired by the Indian “Holi Festival” (also called the festival of spring), which is known for its vibrant colours. A slight imbalance in the logo gave our visual identity a close and warm touch. The overall layout and font usage were as simple as possible since we needed the visual identity to be very versatile. As our main typography, we chose Helvetica Neue, which is a sans-serif, contemporary typeface perfect for pleasant readability on digital platforms. The final impression of our visual identity was cheerful, modern and festive and communicated our main idea well. 32 6.1 STRATEGY To reach as many potential visitors as possible, we needed to focus on more than one communication channel. We ran both online and offline campaigns. With our offline campaign (meaning posters and the survey board) the main goal was to get students interested in our project; once they were curious about the Fair, they could gain more information via our social media channels. A more detailed explanation of the actions we took within the three communication elements named above will be given in the upcoming subchapters. 6.2 OUR APPROACH 6.2.1 POSTERS About 150 Posters of the Fast/Fair were hung all over the premises of the University of Antwerp and in multiple other places that students usually frequent, such as cafés, bars, and restaurants. The hanging of the posters was carried out by members of the Fashion Team 10 days before the market. As the aim of the poster was to get the attention of students, we decided to design the posters as attractive and modern as possible. We designed a dedicated colour palette for the poster, to make it more outstanding and recognisable. We narrowed the information on the poster down to the most important points so that the poster is not packed with information. 6.2 OUR 6.2 OUR APPROACHAPPROACH 6.2.1 POSTERS6.2.1 POSTERS About 150 Posters of the Fast/Fair were hung all over the premises of the About 150 Posters of the Fast/Fair were hung all over the premises of the University of Antwerp and in multiple other places that students usually University of Antwerp and in multiple other places that students usually frequent, such as cafés, bars, and restaurants. The hanging of the posters frequent, such as cafés, bars, and restaurants. The hanging of the posters was carried out by members of the Fashion Team 10 days before the market.was carried out by members of the Fashion Team 10 days before the market. As the aim of the poster was to get the attention of students, we decided to As the aim of the poster was to get the attention of students, we decided to design the posters as attractive and modern as possible. We designed a design the posters as attractive and modern as possible. We designed a dedicated colour palette for the poster, to make it more outstanding and dedicated colour palette for the poster, to make it more outstanding and recognisable. We narrowed the information on the poster down to the most recognisable. We narrowed the information on the poster down to the most important points so that the poster is not packed with information.important points so that the poster is not packed with information. 34 6.2.2 SOCIAL MEDIA With the social media campaign, we wanted to make people curious about the event on the 23rd of May and give them more information about partners and organisational aspects. The social media campaign gave us also the chance to add a more personal aspect to the campaign. By presenting the team members and share the process of designing, we created a personal atmosphere. Within our social media campaign, the Facebook event was essential to promote, while our Instagram was meant to help to promote the Facebook event. Seeing exciting pictures on Instagram made people curious about the event. Once there were interested, they could search for more information on the Facebook event. During our promotion, we were able to reach more than 300 people with our Instagram page. 35 Realising that our Facebook advertisement was not as successful as expected, we decided to boost the promotion for the event with 30€ to reach a broader range of people. Outcome: 36 6.2.3 OFFLINE CAMPAIGN (Fig 5) The central part of our campaign took place at the University of Antwerp. On the 16th of March, we placed an offline happening on the “Hof van Liere”, a week before the actual Fair. This happening aimed to raise awareness about the event, as well as about the difference between fair and fast fashion. This offline campaign was our kick-off event to set the agenda. We decided to place the happening precisely one week before the actual event so that the message was easy to spread: next week, same place. To combine a fun but also educational aspect, we came up with an interactive survey board. A wooden board listed different questions about the consumption of clothing in general. Every participant was asked to answer the questions with a string by knotting them around the nail with their prefered answer. With this interactive element, students were able to become involved in the fast fashion topic. 37 Our goal was to make our participants think about their consumption of clothing. After participation, the students received a string bracelet, with this bracelet, they were able to collect a free beer at the Fair. To call for attention during lunch break, Prokop made Indian mango lassi samples to taste for free. The samples gave our target group a hint for food and drinks served on the market. Outcome: With this offline campaign, we were able to draw attention to the Fair. Students and Teachers passing by were curious about the happening and wanted to experience filling in the survey. Also, the samples helped to grab attention, and many people complimented the mango lassi. About 50 people participated in our data string board, and all of them got curious to hear and learn more about the impact of fast fashion. To call for attention during lunch break, Prokop made Indian mango lassi To call for attention during lunch break, Prokop made Indian mango lassi samples to taste for free. The samples gave our target group a hint for food samples to taste for free. The samples gave our target group a hint for food and drinks served on the market.and drinks served on the market. Outcome:Outcome: With this offline campaign, we were able to draw attention to the Fair. Students With this offline campaign, we were able to draw attention to the Fair. Students and Teachers passing by were curious about the happening and wanted to and Teachers passing by were curious about the happening and wanted to experience filling in the survey. Also, the samples helped to grab attention, experience filling in the survey. Also, the samples helped to grab attention, and many people complimented the mango lassi. About 50 people participated and many people complimented the mango lassi. About 50 people participated in our data string board, and all of them got curious to hear and learn more in our data string board, and all of them got curious to hear and learn more about the impact of fast fashion.about the impact of fast fashion. 38 7.2.7 DE MILIEUDIENST The University’s environmental office (de Milieudienst) provides research commitments and internal services for the University, both involving a multitude of different activities. Being present on the market, they presented some parts of their work, showed interesting elements of sustainability and sold a wide range of reusable vegetable and general grocery bags. 7.2.8 NASH Showcasing different designers of sustainable fashion was an essential element for us. Nash, who works for Instituut voor Ontwikkelingsbeleid (IOB), was able to do this, by displaying different sustainable pieces of clothing from designers from all over the world. She informed our students about alternative ways of using, for example, bananas to create yarn. 7.2.7 DE MILIEUDIENST The University’s environmental office (de Milieudienst) provides office (de Milieudienst) provides research commitments and internal services for the University, both involving a multitude of different activities. Being present on the market, they presented some parts of their work, showed interesting elements of sustainability and sold a wide range of reusable vegetable and range of reusable vegetable and general grocery bags. 7.2.8 NASH Showcasing different designers of sustainable fashion was an essential element for us. Nash, who works for Instituut voor Ontwikkelingsbeleid (IOB), was able to do this, by displaying different sustainable pieces of clothing from designers from all over the world. She informed our students about alternative ways of using, for example, bananas to create yarn. create yarn. 45 7.2.9 KRINGWINKEL & DE COLLECTIE Kringwinkel and De Collectie shared a tent showing their work. Also, they came up with a photo corner to shot memory pictures of the market. Those two organisations informed students about what to do with the clothes you own but do not use anymore. 7.2.10 CONCLUSION To conclude on our exhibitors, there are some positive and negative aspects. To start on a positive note, we were fortunate to have different interesting people present at our Fair. All our Exhibitors were passionate about their work and were able to provide visitors with new information and thoughts. 7.2.9 KRINGWINKEL & DE COLLECTIE Kringwinkel and De Collectie shared a tent showing their work. Also, they came up with a photo corner to shot memory pictures of the market. Those two organisations informed students about what to do with the clothes you own but do not use anymore. 7.2.10 CONCLUSION To conclude on our exhibitors, there are some positive and negative aspects. To start on a positive note, we were fortunate to have different interesting people present at our Fair. All our Exhibitors were passionate about their work and were able to provide visitors with new information and thoughts. 46 7.3 CANCELLATIONS During the process of contacting different NGOs and companies, we had to accept that many of the contacted organisations were already busy on the 23rd of May. Most of the small shops could not afford to close for a day and be present on the Fair, and many NGOs did not have enough personal capacity. 7.3.1 WMH After our visit at Wereld Missie Hulp (WMH), we were in close contact with their public relations specialist Jorn. Next, they provided us with the T-Shirts benches. WMH was also planned to have their own stall at the Fair. Sadly, they had to cancel this promise a week before the actual Fair because of personnel capacity. We were disappointed by hearing this news and would have wished for an earlier clear reply. 7.3.2 OXFAM “Oxfam is an international confederation of 19 organisations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries.” (https://www. oxfamwereldwinkels.be/over-ons) Oxfam was also interested in presenting their work on our Fair, a stall was already reserved for Oxfam when they sadly cancelled. Oxfam had an issue with their lack of volunteers; that is why they could not join our Fair. With Oxfam and WMH we lost two big important representatives of the fair fashion movement, whom would have attracted other companies and NGOs and visitors. 47 7.4 ACTIVITIES 7.4.1 SWISHING EVENT In the evening of the Fast Fashion Fair we are happy to host a swishing event by swishing.be - http://www.swishing.be/. Swishing refers to swapping of clothing. Participants brought pieces of clothing to the event they did not wear anymore. For each piece, the participants received an amount of points depending on the quality of the given garment. With these points, they were able to receive new clothes once the swishing started. Conclusion: Because of the good weather the swishing organiser decided to host the event outside. About 45 people attended the event and the feedback was really positive. 48 7.4.2 VOLUNTEERS In the schedule found in appendix 4, you will see that not only team members of the Fast Fair were included during the Fair. Thanks to the EPS members, USOS and some friends of ours, we had enough volunteers to cover all different kind of tasks during the day. In total we had 15 volunteers helping during the day. The volunteers helped to sell food and drinks, sold t-shirts and asked people to fill in the survey. Some of them took pictures and made videos. Those tasks took place during the market. In the morning, they helped us to build up the tents, tables and showstoppers. In the evening our volunteers deconstructed everything, so that we had time to arrange the swishing event. To identify all volunteers and to make it obvious for visitors who to approach in case of any questions, all of the volunteers wore blue USOS T-shirts. day. In total we had 15 volunteers helping during the day. The volunteers helped to sell food and drinks, sold t-shirts and asked people to fill in the survey. Some of them took pictures and To identify all volunteers and to make it obvious for visitors who to approach in case of any questions, all of the volunteers wore blue USOS T-shirts. Some of them took pictures and made videos. Those tasks took 49 7.4.3 SURVEY For the market, we came up with a survey to evaluate if the students learned something after the Fair. The survey was handed out in our dessert tent. Students that participated got one of our free desserts. (see appendix 2) The events reception was generally positive. The survey participants particularly appreciated the Indian catering and the vast majority would attend again. 50 On the contrary, their satisfaction with the informativeness of the event was not as high. For example, more than 60% stated that they did not learn anything about the impact of the fast fashion. Though it might be caused by some of them stating they had already known everything before the Fair. Overall, the results provided us with noteworthy feedback which helped form number of the recommendations for future teams. 51 8. SHOWSTOPPERS AND WORKSHOP 8.1 CONCEPT From the beginning, we were sure about decorating Hof van Liere with eye-catching and educative showstoppers. Since the topic of the Fast Fair was broad and the size of the square rather large, we decided to opt for more than one installation. The original idea was to reimagine several symbols of the fast fashion industry (namely a price tag, a t-shirt and a mannequin) and scatter them around the location to serve both: decorative and informative purpose. 8.2 VALUE We believe that placing various decorations with educative purpose and more profound meaning can profoundly aff ect the overall impact of the event. Because of them, visitors have clear visual and interactive points of interest. It allows the guests to understand the primary goal of the Fair quickly and conveniently. Eventually, we end up with a more educated audience. Following chapters will provide detailed information about each showstopper, from the fi rst idea to the fi nal result. 52 PRICETAGS 53 8.3 PRICE TAGS 8.3.1 PROCESS When looking for a way to educate the visitors in an attractive and non-forcing manner, we came up with “price tags”. They are large label-shaped boards hanging from the tree at Hof van Liere. Originally one price tag was supposed to consist of two boards and swing freely from the tree branches. However, after the first trials, we found out that this is not possible due to outdoor conditions, specifically wind. The final solution was using only one board and was attached to the ground with a rope. Some of our early design studies 8.3 PRICE TAGS 8.3.1 PROCESS When looking for a way to educate the visitors in an attractive and non-forcing manner, we came up with “price tags”. They are large label-shaped boards hanging from the tree at Hof van Liere. Originally one price tag was supposed to consist of two boards and swing freely from the tree branches. However, after the first trials, we found out that this is not possible due to outdoor conditions, specifically wind. The final solution was using only one board and was attached to the ground with a rope. Some of our early design studies 54 61 8.4.2 FINAL Even though the concept remained the same, we attached a mannequin story to each of the frames and painted both the mannequin and the construction in the same colour (black and white). The installation was made out of 50x50mm spruce timber. The final dimensions of the cage were 2000x1000x1000mm. The mannequins were attached to the construction by fish-string. The installation created a visual dominant of the whole event by carrying a powerful and simple message. 8.4.2 FINAL Even though the concept remained the same, we attached a mannequin story to each of the frames and painted both the mannequin and the construction in the same colour (black and white). The installation was made out of 50x50mm spruce timber. The final dimensions of the cage were 2000x1000x1000mm. The mannequins were attached to the construction by fish-string. The installation created a visual dominant of the whole event by carrying a powerful and simple message. 62 63 T-SHIRT EXPERIENCE 64 8.5 T-SHIRT EXPERIENCE 8.5.1 PROCESS Apart from the price tags, we wanted to provide another substantial experience which will be both entertaining and educational. We found printed secondhand t-shirts to be the perfect medium for that. Initially, we imagined a single row of t-shirts which would literally work as a textile book. However, the user willingness to participate in such an installation would not be sufficient. That is why we designed a more attractive square version. The idea was to create a maze in which the visitor could enter and experience fast fashion with all senses. The third option was to build a tunnel with several distinct sections. A user would go from one end to the other visiting all of the parts. The experience would be less confusing and possibly more attractive, but it would also be challenging to build. Apart from the price tags, we wanted to provide another substantial experience which will be both entertaining and educational. We found printed secondhand t-shirts to be the perfect medium for that. Initially, we imagined a single row of t-shirts which would literally work as a textile book. However, the user willingness to participate in such an installation would not be sufficient. That is why we designed a more attractive square version. The idea was to create a maze in which the visitor could enter and experience fast fashion with all senses. The third option was to build a tunnel with several distinct sections. A user would go from one end to the other visiting all of the parts. The experience would be less confusing and possibly more attractive, but it would The Tunnel The Maze 65 First generation T-shirt/patch designs 66 Bleaching the T-Shirts 67 8.5.2 FINAL Similar to previous showstoppers, the final solution was significantly different. Given the strict restrictions at Hof van Liere, we decided to the more flexible concept. We recreated second-hand t-shirts with bleaching technique and ironed distinctive embroidery patch on each of them - choosing a sustainable approach. Afterwards, we displayed them on clothing racks and shopping trolleys (around 200 pieces) mimicking competitive atmosphere of a flea market with fast fashion. That created this sharp contrast we loved. Again, repeating the motif of conflict between fast and fair, which is present in all aspects of our project. On the event, we sold the t-shirts with the notion of donating the profit to a charity organisation - Street Children Leedo. We sold around 20 t-shirts in total. The final young look of the t-shirts very well corresponded with our target group and was received positively. Created second-hand collection can be easily multiplied and can be used as promotional material for future events. Final patch design Rack design 68 69 70 8.8 WORKSHOPS Two weeks before the day of our market, it occurred to us that an interesting idea could be to impart workshops for our visitors. As a result, we could teach our target group how to be more sustainable with small gestures they can make in their day today. For determining the workshops, we made a research on the internet about different ideas within the fashion field. After the analysis, we chose three various workshops that best fit our objective. We wanted workshops adequate for our target group, so not too simple and not too difficult. Moreover, the time could not be longer than 30 minutes. The next step in performing the workshops was buying the materials and trying them at home. The tests were satisfactory, and we learned quickly how to develop them. At this point, we were ready for the workshops. Moreover, we added them to the schedule, and we posted information on Facebook but not on Instagram. The first mistake was made here because the workshops were not advertised correct because we did not mention them on the poster. Besides, we did not talk about them in the offline campaign, and they had not a separate, specific post. Once we arrived on the day of the event, we realised that we did not plan any tent for doing the workshops, so we improvised and decided to make them only if someone asked for it. As we imagined, the factors of the lack of the right advertisement and the stress of the student for the exams, nobody asked for them, and we did not execute the workshops. It is known that mistakes help to improve. So we will recommend next editions not to commit the same error again and prepare a good strategy for the workshops at least one month before the market day. 8.8 WORKSHOPS Two weeks before the day of our market, it occurred to us that an interesting idea could be to impart workshops for our visitors. As a result, we could teach our target group how to be more sustainable with small gestures they can make in their day today. For determining the workshops, we made a research on the internet about different ideas within the fashion field. After the analysis, we chose three various workshops that best fit our objective. We wanted workshops adequate for our target group, so not too simple and not too difficult. Moreover, the time could not be longer than 30 minutes. The next step in performing the workshops was buying the materials and trying them at home. The tests were satisfactory, and we learned quickly how to develop them. At this point, we were ready for the workshops. Moreover, we added them to the schedule, and we posted information on Facebook but not on Instagram. The first mistake was made here because the workshops were not advertised correct because we did not mention them on the poster. Besides, we did not talk about them in the offline campaign, and they had not a separate, specific post. Once we arrived on the day of the event, we realised that we did not plan any tent for doing the workshops, so we improvised and decided to make them only if someone asked for it. As we imagined, the factors of the lack of the right advertisement and the stress of the student for the exams, nobody asked for them, and we did not execute the workshops. It is known that mistakes help to improve. So we will recommend next editions not to commit the same error again and prepare a good strategy for the workshops at least one month before the market day. 77 Even though we did not realise the workshops, we will explain briefly what we prepared: The first workshop that we developed was called “T-shirt yarn”. It consists of cutting the T-shirt until you transform it into yarn and later, you can create a shopping bag. As a material for one kit, you need two T-shirts and scissors. To craft the bag, is it necessary to cut the T-shirt strategically until you get the yarn. We prepared ourselves the thread because it takes a long time and we did not want the visitors wasting time on it. The next step is to sew the yarn just with your fingers and create the bag shape. The second workshop was called print canvas bag. This workshop consists of decorating a shopping bag with abstract shapes of paint. To produce the desired result, it is just necessary to have colour, yarn, a book, scissors, a blank bag and a sheet. The process starts with laying the T-shirt on a work surface. The second step is cutting 30 cm of yarn and bathe it in the paint. The thread is collocated with an abstract shape on the T-shirt. Without moving the yarn, the paper and later the book are upheld above the yarn. Finally, we press the book, and we pull the thread. The final workshop was called “self-made laundry soap”. The workshop consists of elaborating a laundry soap. The materials required are regular soap, baking soda, a grater, a mould, a pot and some water. The process starts grating the soap at the same time that the water is heated in the pot. The next step is to add the grated soap in the water until it is dissolved. At this point in the process, the baking soda is added, and it is necessary to wait until the ingredients are mixed. Finally, we add the laundry in the, and it is extracted when it is cold. Besides our mistakes, the team thinks it would be nice having workshops next editions, so we would be very grateful if our recommendations helped to work out a workshop concept. Even though we did not realise the workshops, we will explain briefly what we prepared: The first workshop that we developed was called “T-shirt yarn”. It consists of cutting the T-shirt until you transform it into yarn and later, you can create a shopping bag. As a material for one kit, you need two T-shirts and scissors. To craft the bag, is it necessary to cut the T-shirt strategically until you get the yarn. We prepared ourselves the thread because it takes a long time and we did not want the visitors wasting time on it. The next step is to sew the yarn just with your fingers and create the bag shape. The second workshop was called print canvas bag. This workshop consists of decorating a shopping bag with abstract shapes of paint. To produce the desired result, it is just necessary to have colour, yarn, a book, scissors, a blank bag and a sheet. The process starts with laying the T-shirt on a work surface. The second step is cutting 30 cm of yarn and bathe it in the paint. The thread is collocated with an abstract shape on the T-shirt. Without moving the yarn, the paper and later the book are upheld above the yarn. Finally, we press the book, and we pull the thread. The final workshop was called “self-made laundry soap”. The workshop consists of elaborating a laundry soap. The materials required are regular soap, baking soda, a grater, a mould, a pot and some water. The process starts grating the soap at the same time that the water is heated in the pot. The next step is to add the grated soap in the water until it is dissolved. At this point in the process, the baking soda is added, and it is necessary to wait until the ingredients are mixed. Finally, we add the laundry in the, and it is extracted when it is cold. Besides our mistakes, the team thinks it would be nice having workshops next editions, so we would be very grateful if our recommendations helped to work out a workshop concept. 78 9.AFTER THE MARKET 9.1 AFTER MOVIE The video was made to remember the best moments of the market. Furthermore, it will help the team to hold the final presentation and to explain the concept visually in the future. Moreover, the video will help the next edition to have an idea about what the project is about and the atmosphere that they will have to develop. Although USOS provided an aftermovie, we also created one by ourselves for the class presentation. The reason for creating two movies is because we wanted to add the working process to the video and not just display the day of the market. Luckily the Fair also appeared in the Belgium news. The regional television ATV visited us during the market. They recorded the Fair showing everything that was presented on the market. This report will be useful for future presentations of the project. Moreover, our work and the philosophy about sustainable lifestyle reached more people. Anna and Vincent promoting the market on national television 79 9.2 BUDGET USOS provided €1.500 as a budget for accomplishing our market. The budget was a sufficient amount of money, but we needed to spend it responsibly and efficiently nevertheless. As a result, we created an estimated budget plan to be sure that we disposed of sufficient money for the showstoppers, drinks, food, cups and rest expenses. Moreover, we created a shared excel document for noting everything that was bought, so it was easier to communicate the money situation with everyone in the team in every single moment. 80 10. PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN 10.1 FIRST VERSION The first version was the hardest to create. The full scope of the event was not yet clear, but we were asked to make a complete PMP nonetheless. That ensured that, despite the limited knowledge of the project, we - very deliberately - had to guess how long certain parts of the project would last, and whom probably was best capable of being responsible for this part. To ease this selection process, the team pre-assigned every team member with a certain role and divided certain task groups accordingly. Consult appendix 10 for more information on how we executed this, and for a high-defenition version of our PMP. In order to guarantee a successful course of the project, we started the semester off by creating an in-depth project management plan (PMP). The goal of this plan is to cater a structured summary of all the tasks at hand up until the occurrence of the event. The PMP was designed to be easily adaptable, as it was quite sure that changes would have to be made along with the further development of the event. This chapter describes how we started working on the PMP, which obstacles were overcome during the course, and how we used the flexibility of the PMP to adapt to the course of the project.            '                                 WBS Initial task division 81 10.2 ADAPTATIONS After considerate surveys and user feedback, the team had to start over with its branding strategy. Since we received this feedback long after the initial deadline to have it finished, this profoundly affected the project’s management plan. In two weeks, we had to completely redo all previous work, which delayed the process for at least eight working days. Consequently, the remaining time slots in the PMP dedicated to the showstoppers and contacting NGOs had to be moved to the time slots after the Easter holiday. Because of this, we once again refined the task distribution in the group and included buffer time in the schedule to account for future similar hindrances. The showstoppers took the most significant amount of time in comparison to the time scheduled in the PMP, as did the communication. The newly calculated buffer caught this exceptionally well, although some minor slowdowns caused us to include more working days in the schedule than previously foreseen. That was not an ideal situation, as it caused us to forget about necessary arrangements yet to be made for the final weeks of our project. All adaptations on the PMP were created based on the original file made in GantProject, or on big paper spreadsheets which we then hung up on the wall. Unfortunately, we have no pictures available of our paper adaptations. 82 10.3 IDEAL TIMELINE 83 11. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR In this chapter we will provide a listed overview of our recommendations for organising the sustainable market. This overview is divided into XXXX chapters, and aims to be structured as chronologically as possible. See ‘Ideal Timeline’ in the previuous chapter for a better reference to an ideal timeframe for organising the event. Note: The following part is written to advice next year’s team. Since this chapter addresses them directly, a more informal style of writing is used. 11.1 FIRST STAGES AND GENERALS • Include enough buffer in the project management plan. Unforeseen obstacles will come later on in the project. Therefore it is essential that the project plan is flexible, adaptable and well in time of the deadline. Be realistic and a little optimistic, but make sure that enough buffer is included for future modifications. • Get (insightful) feedback. One of the main setbacks was having to start all over again on the name and branding. It is partially to blame by us not getting enough feedback from relevant customer groups -and a little stubbornness from our side. Be prepared to kill off your darlings. We settled on a name and branding very early on in the project but discovered many weeks later that the direction we were going with the first communication and brand strategy was not at all appealing to the main group of visitors. Since we were so invested in the first brand name already, throwing this idea completely overboard and having to start from scratch was not easy for us. KILL YOUR DARLINGS 84 • Include enough buffer in the project management plan. Unforeseen obstacles will come later on in the project. Therefore it is essential that the project plan is flexible, adaptable and well in time of the deadline. Be realistic and a little optimistic, but make sure that enough buffer is included for future modifications. • Get (insightful) feedback. One of the main setbacks was having to start all over again on the name and branding. It is partially to blame by us not getting enough feedback from relevant customer groups -and a little stubbornness from our side. Be prepared to kill off your darlings. We settled on a name and branding very early on in the project but discovered many weeks later that the direction we were going with the first communication and brand strategy was not at all appealing to the main group of visitors. Since we were so invested in the first brand name already, throwing this idea completely overboard and having to start from scratch was not easy for us. KILL YOUR DARLINGS • Speaking of branding: try and decide on a general direction for the market early on in the process. The earlier you do this, the earlier and more efficient you will be able to create social media pages, email drafts, a general visual direction for posters, showstoppers, etc. As this is a task best executed by the whole group, finishing the branding in an early stage will give you more freedom to divide more specific tasks one a more efficient and flexible way, early on in the project. • Create a transparent internal communication system. Communication is critical, so decide on a single means of communication early on in the project. Create a Whatsapp or Messenger group, and start structuring a Dropbox, Google Drive et al. right from the beginning. That will keep chaos and misunderstandings at bay and will serve you very handy later on in the project. • Maintain a positive team’ atmosphere’. As with any project, the process had many ups and downs. Setbacks and intense discussions are inevitable during a project of this scope, and therefore, it is essential to maintain a positive and empowering internal team’ atmosphere’. Take some time to relax with the whole group after project hours, and make sure to include some external Team Building time in your weekly schedule. Our tip: go for a beer or coffee from time to time. 11.2 COMMUNICATION • Social media campaigning and posters do work but include some other form of offline advertising as well. Real, live interaction with your target audience will be more memorable than less tangible things like online campaigns and posters. Although online campaigning can offer you great insight into many different statistics, we noticed that an offline campaign (e.g. our drawstring survey) resulted in a more extensive conversion than any of our other campaigning means did. 85 • Speaking of branding: try and decide on a general direction for the market early on in the process. The earlier you do this, the earlier and more efficient you will be able to create social media pages, email drafts, a general visual direction for posters, showstoppers, etc. As this is a task best executed by the whole group, finishing the branding in an early stage will give you more freedom to divide more specific tasks one a more efficient and flexible way, early on in the project. • Create a transparent internal communication system. Communication is critical, so decide on a single means of communication early on in the project. Create a Whatsapp or Messenger group, and start structuring a Dropbox, Google Drive et al. right from the beginning. That will keep chaos and misunderstandings at bay and will serve you very handy later on in the project. • Maintain a positive team’ atmosphere’. As with any project, the process had many ups and downs. Setbacks and intense discussions are inevitable during a project of this scope, and therefore, it is essential to maintain a positive and empowering internal team’ atmosphere’. Take some time to relax with the whole group after project hours, and make sure to include some external Team Building time in your weekly schedule. Our tip: go for a beer or coffee from time to time. 11.2 COMMUNICATI- • Social media campaigning and posters do work but include some other form of offline advertising as well. Real, live interaction with your target audience will be more memorable than less tangible things like online campaigns and posters. Although online campaigning can offer you great insight into many different statistics, we noticed that an offline campaign (e.g. our drawstring survey) resulted in a more extensive conversion than any of our other campaigning means did. • We had a great experience printing promotional material with Printdeal.be, an online printing service with a main establishment and pick-up place in the city centre. Printdeal.be was the fastest, cheapest and most convenient printing place we could find. • Be consistent with social media posts. Another reason why deciding on branding in the early stages of the project is essential. Consistency is critical if you want to create a memorable image of the event for the desired target audience. The earlier the decision on a general branding direction is made, the earlier you can start putting out content. We advise starting promoting the event online at least six weeks before the market. Note that the more in advance you do this, the better you will be able to prevent and check for any possible confusion or conflict with other, already existing events or brands. • Share login details, but divide precise tasks on who is responsible for what on each of the communication platforms. It is essential that every member of the team has access to all means of communication, but smooth communication will not happen without a clear division of responsibilities. We found the best balance by dividing our group in two: one social-mediateam and one mailand phoneteam. • Create a centralised email address for communication with the supervisor, NGOs and different organisations. This way, essential emails will not go unnoticed, and the whole group is held -to some degreeresponsible for all important communication. COMMUNICATION IS KEY 86 • We had a great experience printing promotional material with Printdeal.be, an online printing service with a main establishment and pick-up place in the city centre. Printdeal.be was the fastest, cheapest and most convenient printing place we could • Be consistent with social media posts. Another reason why deciding on branding in the early stages of the project is essential. Consistency is critical if you want to create a memorable image of the event for the desired target audience. The earlier the decision on a general branding direction is made, the earlier you can start putting out content. We advise starting promoting the event online at least six weeks before the market. Note that the more in advance you do this, the better you will be able to prevent and check for any possible confusion or conflict with other, already existing events or brands. COMMUNICATION IS KEY • Share login details, but divide precise tasks on who is responsible for what on each of the communication platforms. It is essential that every member of the team has access to all means of communication, but smooth communication will not happen without a clear division of responsibilities. We found the best balance by dividing our group in two: one social-mediateam and one mailand phoneteam. • Create a centralised email address for communication with the supervisor, NGOs and different organisations. This way, essential emails will not go unnoticed, and the whole group is held -to some degreeresponsible for all important communication. COMMUNICATION 12. CONCLUSION The purpose of this report was to provide an overview of our work process and the results of the Fair. To conclude with our final report, we would like to point out learnings we took from this EPS semester. Referring to our primary goal: to raise awareness about sustainable fashion, we are confident that we were able to make the impact of fashion more present. We were able to raise awareness through the market as well as our offline and online campaing before the Fair. During our research, we learned a lot about the fast fashion industry and are more aware of our personal consumption behaviour. As you can see in the separate conclusions of each part, there was room for improvement during our process. We attributed that especially our communication approach, which was a combination of posters, offline campaign, and mailing, could have been different, to attract more brands. However, as you can find in the final report, we are overall happy with the outcome of the Fast Fair. During the Lunchbreak, many people were present at the Fair and were open to learn about sustainability. Thanks to our evaluation, we saw that our target group appreciated our informing showstoppers and stalls. Almost all food and drinks were sold out, and since the weather was excellent, there was a large number of students enjoying the sun while seating on our T-shirt pillows. Also, students that passed by as well as the location of the Fair ‘Hof van Liere’ were responsible for the success of the Fair. Since the Fair was sustainable, we were able to work overall durable with materials we used for the stalls and showstoppers. It was not possible to work fully sustainable due to the lack of time and the financial budget. Moreover, we took learnings from positive as well as negative results of the Fair and were able to grow as a team and on a personal level. Finally, we would like to say that it was a pleasure for the Team to work on this project, and we appreciated the opportunity to study at the University of Antwerp. Taking part in the courses that the EPS program has offered to us, helped us on a personal and professional level. More information about the EPS courses can be found in the Appendix. (see appendix 7) 93 94 THANK YOU APPENDIX APPEN DICES APPENDIX APPEN DICES 98 APPENDIX 1. TEAM 2. SURVEY 3. MAIL 4. SCHEDULE 5. TARGET GROUP 6. BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS 7. EPS COURSES 8. CONTACT INFO 9. PRICE TAGS 10. PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN 11. STYLE GUIDE 99 APPENDIX 1 TEAM TEAM VINCENT CARLOS MARTA ANNA PROKOP 100 APPENDIX 1 APPENDIX 1. BELBIN TEAM ROLES AND RULES In the first week of the project, we made the Belbin test in order to know which of the roles were suitable for each one of the group members. After analyzing the test, we got some results that helped us to know in advance how to work within the group. The results showed that Anna is communicator, Carlos is explorer, Marta is conformer, Prokop is dynamo and Vincent is navigator. Furthermore, all of us established an improvement proposal to carry it out during the project. Anna. Resource investigador + Coordinator = Communicator “I would like to develop my role as a communicator in general. Working with different personalities as well as different nationalities brings new challenges. Further I want to focus on organizing my work task and stay enthusiastic through the whole process.” Carlos. Plant + Resource investigator = Explorer “In this semester I would like to improve my “plant” side, my creativity and imagination. I mostly want to be more focused and try to not lose my concentration, those things are the weaknesses of the plant role, and also mine.” Marta. Team worker + Implementer = Conformer “I would like to develop both roles because, in my opinion, all the improvements are favourable. However, if I have to choose one, it would be the implementer. For me, it is great to enjoy routine because It helps to achieve better results. Moreover, I reckon that the correct organisation allows me to do more things at the same time.” Prokop. Shaper + Resource investigator = Dynamo “I am aware of my impatience which I hope will not be tolerated by my teammates and therefore will disappear. I will also have to learn to finish my work since I have a tendency to leave my ideas behind.” 101 APPENDIX 1 Vincent. Coordinador + Plant = Navigator “I would like to further develop my role as a coordinator, focusing more on developing open and controlled communication. I want to improve my ability to communicate faster, with other group members as well as outside stakeholders.” Knowing all the roles of the team members, we also wanted to recognise which ones were our strengths and weaknesses as a team. Moreover, how to deal with the weaknesses was also established in our first week in Antwerp. 1.1 STRENGTH OF THE TEAM The Belbin roles showed us that we are dynamic, eloquent, outgoing, expressive, curious, critical, unorthodox, imaginative, mature, confident and strong. Our strength is our creativity. We feel comfortable within our group and are motivated about our project. 1.2 WEAKNESS OF THE TEAM Our main weakness is the lack of a clear organisation. Well worked-out planning is going to solve this (partially). A good project plan is going to make our team working abilities more efficient, reduce confusion on expectations, and make us more concentrated and focused. Another weakness is the lack of variety of personality traits in the team. Everyone is leaning towards the same positive traits, which could lead to an abundance of certain aspects. Every member is talkative and expressive, which could lead to noisy meetings; every member has it is own vision and a great enthusiasm & drives as well, which could lead to crashing opinions. 102 APPENDIX 3 Due to the survey, we discovered that the people prefer receiving an object, which gives you a discount, rather than other kind of deal. As a result, our main idea for the object is a bracelet that we will provide to the survey users in the happening (it will be one week before the market). The person who keeps the bracelet will have a discount at the market itself. 109 APPENDIX 3 The selected features for adding value to the event were drinks, relax area, and swapping clothes. This question provides us with extremely important information as we can recognize which are the preferences of our target group to be able to focus on them. In conclusion, it is clear that this survey helped us to have an overview of the students thoughts. As a result, we readapted our plan to make the project more attractive. In conclusion, it is clear that this survey helped us to have an overview of the students thoughts. As a result, we readapted our plan to make the project more attractive. 110 APPENDIX 3 MAIL APPENDIX MAIL 111 APPENDIX APPENDIX 3. EMAIL FOR THE EXHIBITORS Due to the fact that we changed the sending of the emails depending on the person we were talking to, we created a template for explaining our market to the possible exhibitors. The template consists of an attached picture with our logo and some information and a written message with more explanation. When: 23 May, 11-5 oclock Where: Hof van Liere, University of Antwerp The Sustainable Fair is each year organized by the European Project Semester Students and USOS. Each year the sustainable fair focuses on a specific topic: this year thats sustainable fashion. Fashion is present in all of our lives. The social and environmental impact of fast fashion is huge. The Fashion Industry is one of the biggest in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the biggest polluters in the world - second only to oil. We buy fast fashion wear it once or twice, get sick of it and bin it only to begin the cycle all over again. The environmental and social impact of this behavior is significant. Sustainability surrounds us every day. Especially nowadays climate marches set the agenda. However many students are not aware of sustainable living yet. We want to change that in an interesting and fun way. Contact information: Vincent Delrue [email protected] 3 112 APPENDIX SCHE DULE 4 SCHE DULE 4 113 APPENDIX APPENDIX 4. TIME AND VOLUNTEERS SCHEDULE We created two schedules; one for the visitors and the other one for the exhibitors. 4 Schedule Exhibitors 114 APPENDIX We contacted the other EPS members and some friends for some extra help for the day of the market. The schedule of the day was created in excel in order to allow these volunteers to select the activity in concordance with their preferences. The week before the market, we sent them a link for having access to the excel, being easily accessible for everyone. As you can see in the pictures, some boxes are not filled by any volunteer. In these occasions, we were the ones holding these activities. 4 Schedule Volunteers 1 115 APPENDIX 4 Schedule Volunteers 2 116 APPENDIX 4 Schedule Volunteers 3 Schedule Volunteers 3 117 APPENDIX 5 TARGET GROUP TARGET GROUP 118 APPENDIX The value propositions were highlighted, as well as the channels and the customer segments. The main reason for selecting these three characteristics was because they add more value to this canvas. We also created a list with the points for and against these characteristics. 6 On one hand, the points for are the following ones: Create an event close to the interests of students Presenting a social topic in an attractive way We know our target group well On the other hand, the points against are the following ones: The educational aspect could get lost, during a fun Time at the market The ‘Trap’ is hard to measure 125 APPENDIX 6 Finally, we created the protest against Fast Fashion focus. The idea of this canvas was to use the current awareness of environmental issues. In other words, the goal is to create a movement and community against fast fashion to generate awareness as well as spread the message through protest and movement. Bandwagon the climate march popularity and cocreate a sustainable movement focussing on environmental and social issues around fashion. 126 APPENDIX 6 The key partners were highlighted, as well as the key activities, the value propositions, the customer relationships, and the channels. The main reason for selecting these three characteristics was because they add more value to this canvas. We also created a list with the points for and against this characteristic. On one hand, the points for are the following ones: We can use the already existing hype for environmental issues - easier to motivate young people Generate attention through hype Spreading the message exponentially Easy to organise within existing protest environment On the other hand, the points against are the following ones: No real revenue streams possible Hard to attract a wide range of NGOs Protest does not provide a learning or educational platform Dependent on the number of people engaged and prese No real revenue streams possible Hard to attract a wide range of NGOs Protest does not provide a learning or educational platform Dependent on the number of people engaged and prese On one hand, the points for are the following ones: We can use the already existing hype for environmental issues - easier to motivate young people Generate attention through hype Spreading the message exponentially Easy to organise within existing protest environment On the other hand, the points against are the following ones: 127 APPENDIX 7 EPS COURSES APPENDIX EPS COURSES 128 APPENDIX APPENDIX 7. HOW WE APPLIED THE EPS CURSES INTO THE PROJECT 7.1 TEAM BUILDING Our first contact with the EPS experience was the team building course, provided by Sarah Rohaert. First of all, we started to know the group and executed the Belbin personality test (which is available in Appendix 1). We had the chance to discover our role in a team, which helped us to recognize our strengths and weaknesses. We also discovered the fact that, even though our personalities fit well, our group misses some Belbin roles. To know each other better, we performed group activities to talk about ourselves and experience working as a team. 7.2 PROJECT MANAGEMENT In this class, we received information on how to plan and organise a project. We created a working structure and managed our tasks concretely. In this subject, we also learned how to make a Gantt chart and how to take care of our time management. During the process of organising, we had to create a responsibility matrix. This Matrix is essential to know which of the group members is responsible for what task field of the project. The final assignment for this subject was to hand in a project plan. In this plan, we had to resume all the planning we have created , including the mentioned exercises before. 7.3 ENGLISH PRESENTATIONS Zoe Teuwan is our teacher for English presentations. In this class, we learn how to present in English in a formal context. Some of the EPS participants were not used to hold presentations before this semester. This lecture is useful since we can use it while presenting the project finals. We have already learned techniques to achieve confidence and ways to improve our non-verbal language. 7 129 APPENDIX 7.4 ENGLISH WRITING Andy Vermeulen, from Linguapolis (UA), is our English writing teacher. In this lecture, we learn how to write in an appropriate academic style. This class is necessary to optimise our midterm and final report. 7. 5 INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION Christine Boudin, from the University of Kiel, Germany, taught a workshop on different cultures and nationalities. This Class included talking about stereotypes and communication habits of different cultures. Talking about our home countries and our different cultures helped us to know each other in a more personally. Moreover, she helps us to understand the differences between cultures, letting us know that we had to be patient, comprensible and organized when working within our international team. 7.6 CROSS-MEDIA COMMUNICATION In this class, we could think about our target group while we created different personas for the Fair (personas are a concrete description of the different types of customers). This task helped to know our visitors and their behaviour. Our team created three personas, two of them are students at the UA (one of them is interested in sustainability, and the other one is not). We especially defined the non-interested students as our main target group. Our third persona is an NGO worker, interested in sustainability and slow fashion. (For more information about our target group, see Appendix 4). To obtain more information about our main target group, we created a survey (which is available in Appendix 2). With the result of this survey, we were able to improve some central aspects of the market graphic: Three different personas made for our project. 7 130 APPENDIX 7.7 DUTCH Els Le Page was our Dutch teacher. In this class, we learned some basic Dutch for being able to communicate with local people. So, it is possible for us, to understand and answer basic questions in Dutch. For example, we can be part of an elemental conversation about when we arrived at Antwerp, what are we doing here. Moreover, we also were taught how to ask for some information. For example, we can ask where is the train station or the toilet, at what time departs our bus, order in a restaurant, etc. This class was very useful for our daily life in Antwerp because it allowed us to understand some people who have no English knowledge. However, we did not use the language in the market, due to all the visitors and exhibitors speaking English. 7. 8 BUSINESS CANVAS Francis Dams, from the Design Science Faculty at the University of Antwerp, performed us a class explaining how to create business plans and canvas. We were asked to create three different business canvases as broad as possible. All of the canvases aimed at a sustainable market but with different executions. Our first business canvas implemented the creation of a professional Fair for NGOs as a launching event for an NGO platform. Our second and third business canvas was student orientated. One to inform the students about sustainable fashion in an attractive way and the other on to protest against the environmental issues of fast fashion. (For more information see Appendix 5.) 7 131 APPENDIX 7.9 BUSINESS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Sascha Albers was our teacher the class Business in the European Union. In this class, we learned how to do business in the EU. For taking this class, we were accompanied by a group of 34 Americans. We learned what are the characteristics of the business in the most famous countries in Europe. Furthermore, we were divided into ten teams (Americans included) and we realized a presentation about some of the most important topics in Europe. In addition, at the end of June, we will take an exam about all the content of the subject. It is important to mention that we did not use this class for our market because it was not related to it sufficiently. 7 7.9 BUSINESS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Sascha Albers was our teacher the class Business in the European Union. In this class, we learned how to do business in the EU. For taking this class, we were accompanied by a group of 34 Americans. We learned what are the characteristics of the business in the most famous countries in Europe. Furthermore, we were divided into ten teams (Americans included) and we realized a presentation about some of the most important topics in Europe. In addition, at the end of June, we will take an exam about all the content of the subject. It is important to mention that we did not use this class for our market 132 APPENDIX 8 CONTACT INFO CONTACT INFO 133 APPENDIX APPENDIX 11. CONTACT INFORMATION PARTNERS In the table below are all the contact data of the companies we tried to claim for the market. The reasons why they did not come to the market vary a lot. Some companies were enthusiastic, but could not make it for different reasons or others never replied. 8 ORGANISATION CONTACT EMAIL PHONE CONTACT ANSWER CALL WMH Jorn [email protected] SEND DOCUMENT AND ANSWER QUESTIONS WMH Kathleen [email protected] ASK JORN Clean Clothes Campaign Sara [email protected] Vincent CALL AGAIN MONDAY + SARAH + ANOTHER MAIL Fair Trade Charles NOPE Ams University Irene [email protected] SEND REMINDER ON MONDAY Komrads - [email protected] CALL MONDAY De kringwinkel Barbara [email protected] Vincent ASK SARAH FOR NUMBER + ANOTHER MAIL HNST Tom [email protected] CALL MONDAY Six hugs and rock´n roll - [email protected] ?? Good goal - [email protected] ?? Woman sustainable shop - [email protected] NOPE Meltingpod - [email protected] Episode - [email protected] NOPE Mandragora - - Madame tirette - [email protected] Greenoffice Arno facebook WAITING FOR ANRO, WILL ASK CHARLOTTE FOR NUMBER Stanley/Stella [email protected] 32 3 437 08 25 Juttu [email protected] (0)3 808 18 90 Oxfam OK, EMAIL COMING NEXT WEEK Broederlijk delen GONNA MAIL US NEXT WEEK, OK stusos lore Bracelet Girl Ellen [email protected] Hassna Hassna [email protected] NOPE ASK ABOUT PRICE OTHER GIRL PO Fabio facebook opvolgen Wisselbekers Thalia T[email protected] opvolgen DECIDE ABOUT QNTs Lokaalbeheer Christel [email protected] Hmmmmmmm WoW Food [email protected] 0032 474 744 059 opvolgen GONNA MAIL NEXT WEEK, INDIAN FOOD OK Verschueren - [email protected] 0032 479 63 53 61 Native [email protected] 0032 34370825 Aahaar - - 0032 489 02 11 77 meeting: monday 12 - 15 Moonpops [email protected] 0473 568 388 called icecream, freezer 50 icecream [email protected] Mission Masala Guido [email protected] 03501 60 10 called joliemarie marie [email protected] 03.05 will be on the market milaenjules margot [email protected] 03.05 insta launchroom lynda [email protected] 320497929453 03.05 insta brunotteknitwear charlotte [email protected] 03.05 alineleynen aline alineleynen 134 APPENDIX 23% of all chemicals produced worldwide are used for the fashion industry. They are used during fiber production, dyeing, bleaching, and wet processing of each of our garments. 1kg of chemicals is needed to produce 1kg of textile. 80% of the worldwide leather production use chromium. 63% of items tested from major brands contain hazardous chemicals. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? Choose clothes from organic and natural fibers Always wash new clothing before first use Choose local and sustainable brands Buy less Sources: Environmental Impact of the Global Apparel and Footwear Industries Study, Quantis 2018; Sustain Your Style Consequences of working in leather tannery 9 141 APPENDIX PMP PMP 10 142 APPENDIX Link to higher-res image and original file for further reference https://drive.google.com/drive/ folders/1plZt6JDppk7oqRdQOy4hw2fofg4409mr?usp=sharing 10 143 APPENDIX STYLE GUIDE STYLE GUIDE 11 144 APPENDIX 11 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed ac dolor sit amet purus malesuada congue. Integer rutrum, orci vestibulum ullamcorper ultricies, lacus quam ultricies odio, vitae placerat pede sem sit amet enim. HELVETICA NEUE REGULAR SPACING BETWEEN LETTERS - 75 HIGHER SPACING BETWEEN LINES BACKGROUNG + CONTRAST WHEN BLACK LINE - WHITE BACKGROUND LOGO POSSIBLE IN COLOUR PREFERABLY LOW CONTRAST DIGITAL USAGE GAUSSIAN BLUR POSSIBLE 145 APPENDIX 11 146 APPENDIX 147 APPENDIX 148 THE END