BEEN London Design Ltd, an award-winning brand recognised as ‘one of the most innovative fashion brands in the world’ by British Vogue, crafts accessories entirely from recycled materials. Each piece is handmade in one of the last remaining East London leather workshops, resulting in a carbon footprint that is, on average, 10 times smaller than a high street equivalent. The company, founded by ex-BBC journalist Genia Mineeva, is on a mission to change the perception of discarded materials.
In August 2022, BEEN London Design Ltd was introduced to the Global London Team via word of mouth. At that time, the company faced a significant obstacle: they had no experience in wholesale and how it worked. Having initially set up as a D2C business, they had not explored wholesale due to a lack of knowledge. The trade mission to Paris, offered by the Global London programme, presented the perfect opportunity to explore this area, leading to their decision to apply and join the programme.
The experience on the Global London Programme has been transformative for BEEN London. They received one-to-one support, attended workshops and networking events, and participated in the trade mission to Paris. Founder of BEEN London Design Ltd comments “The support from these activities has been so valuable and opened so many doors for the business. The trade mission was very intense but gained so much from it and as a business owner its difficult to take time out of the business so the intense schedule was very needed.”
Since receiving support from the Global London Programme, BEEN London has made significant changes. They decided to proceed with wholesale and have now developed a strategy for this, complete with a clear pricing structure. They have shortlisted retailers and agents they wish to approach and work with. Additionally, they have decided to move their manufacturing to Italy to allow for higher margins, accommodate wholesale pricing, and create better quality products. A new position, ‘Wholesale Manager’, has been created to help build this side of the business.