Derbyshire Fashion House, David Nieper has launched their 2016 fashion scholarship with The University of Derby to design a fashion collection to dress the older woman, a market often neglected by the fashion industry.

Second year BA (Hons) fashion design students at the University, have been challenged to design a sample collection of four garments for the over 50s female; one each for nightwear, eveningwear, daywear and travel wear as part of their mandatory portfolio project.

Following feedback from a focus group held with David Nieper’s target market group, including ladies in their 50s, 60s and 70s, students designers have certainly got a challenge ahead. This is a very discerning, fashion conscious market that love to dress-up and won’t compromise on quality.

The over 50s female accounts for over forty-per cent of the UK fashion market*, spending in the region of £7 billion on fashion and accessories every year. Yet, this is a group that in general feels over-looked by the fashion industry.

As such, David Nieper has tasked some of the region’s best young design talent to address the specific requirements of over 50s fashion and create ‘a collection of garments for the older woman, who wants to be individual and stylish.’
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David Nieper, the Derbyshire based fashion house is supporting the Fashion Revolution #whomademyclothes campaign, to help mark the 3^rd anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, where 1134 people were killed when their place of work collapsed around them while making clothes in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Fashion Revolution Week (18-24 April) aims to use the power of fashion to help highlight working conditions for the people who make the world’s clothes, and encourage British consumers to question where the clothes they buy have come from… Who spun the thread? Who dyed the cotton? Who sewed them together?

 
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The David Nieper Education Trust has appointed a new Headteacher at the Alfreton Grange School. The Trust launched a national search to identify the very best of British teaching talent and after a rigorous selection, Kathryn Hobbs, originally from Derbyshire proved to be the outstanding candidate. She will take up the post formally from September, the start of the new academic year.

Kathryn brings enormous experience from an extensive career in senior positions at many excellent UK schools including Head of Curriculum Research at United Learning with 27 schools across England focusing on school improvement and staff development.
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Make this season’s holiday shopping a breeze! Made in Britain fashion house David Nieper has designed a multi-tasking wardrobe for Spring/Summer 2016.

The new collection has been thought through carefully, to ensure that all the individual pieces in the capsule collections work seamlessly together. Designs for the travel collection are made from uncrushable fabric, so perfect for packing and looking great with minimal fuss.

Designing and manufacturing in the UK for 55 years, David Nieper designs collections specifically to flatter the real 50+ women, who are often neglected by designers and not catered for in shops.

The new season’s range ‘multi tasks’ across many levels; the designs themselves are cut to flatter the figure and are made with fabrics that keep you cool and comfortable in the warmer months.

The garments are also designed to co-ordinate, so it is always possible to combine pieces according the occasion. There are also several adaptable core pieces that can be worn day and night, and are as perfect poolside as they are at dinner.
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The hunt is on to find Britain’s best, young design talent. Derbyshire fashion house, David Nieper has launched a primary school’s competition for 5-11 year olds, to design and make a textiles creation, in a project created to recognise and reward some of our best and youngest designers.

The Fashion for Free! competition has been established to help encourage children to use their imaginations and learn how to create and make things.

The final judging will take place on 15th June, when participants are invited to attend an event at the fashion house, which includes an interactive factory tour where they will visit the sewing rooms, design studio and learn about how clothes are made from start to finish.

The children will also have the opportunity to join in fun, craft and sewing activities during the day, before the presentation of prizes.

The event is called Fashion for Free! as the children are not allowed to spend any money on their design, but must find something from around the home or school, and give it a new lease of life using only old and recycled items.
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Staff at the David Nieper sewing rooms in Alfreton have wished a happy retirement to Senior Engineer John Rollisson, one of the company’s highly skilled engineers.

John, who has been at the company for 16 years has had a career as a man in a woman’s world! He’s now looking forward to learning golf and spending time with family in Australia.

John, who has two children and two grand-children joined the company in 2000, he started as a sewing machine mechanic at the age of 16 and has gradually increased his portfolio to cover everything and anything both mechanical and electrical in a busy textile environment.

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Christopher Nieper, Managing Director of Derbyshire based fashion house, David Nieper has been included in The Manufacturer Top 100, a list of the UK’s most inspiring individual fromthe world of manufacturing.

The Manufacturer is the industry’s premier national business publication, this initiative seeks to highlight the UK’s best manufacturing role models to educate the public about the role of manufacturing, and help demonstrate to potential new talent that a career in manufacturing is exciting, creative and lucrative.

The Manufacturer Top 100 are all individuals identified by readers, the wider industrial community and the public as among the industry’s leading and most dynamic personalities, who make an outstanding contribution to manufacturing.

Shortlisted individuals are nominated for their contributions in changing the face of the industry; finding new markets; making marked investment in people, processes and customers; and for those making an impact disproportionate to their years.

Christopher joined the family business in 1986 and witnessed the huge migration of British fashion manufacturing to offshore production. Choosing to go against this offshoring trend and remain steadfast in the company’s commitment to Made in Britain, Christopher has pioneered the company’s investment in marketing, new manufacturing infrastructure and skills to deliver continuous and sustainable growth.  Today, David Nieper enjoys record sales of its luxury womenswear and employs 230 people.
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Christopher Nieper, Managing Director of Derbyshire fashion house David Nieper has welcomed Chancellor George Osborne’s focus on skills and apprenticeships in the Autumn statement, but said that he hopes an allowance will be made for companies that already invest heavily in developing skills and training.

The Chancellor in his statement today said that the shortfall of skills in the British economy ‘is one of the enduring weakness of the British economy.’ The Chancellor set a 0.5% apprenticeship levy, which is to be paid by employers with a payroll of over £3 million.

David Nieper will be required to pay the levy, but already currently invests 5% of payroll in skills, more than ten times what the Chancellor has set.

Fashion has been one of the biggest casualties in UK manufacturing, with the majority of designers taking production overseas for cheaper labour, this has left a huge skills gap in the industry and a massive shortage of people who can actually make clothes.

This year the David Nieper fashion house has reported a 7% increase in sales, however performance is still being stalled and sales have flattened in the last quarter due to not being able to find enough skilled staff to cope with product demand.

David Nieper is a family run business and has been designing and manufacturing clothes for over 50 years. The company which employs over 230 staff including designers, garment cutters, seamstresses and dressmakers has always been committed to developing local skills and creating local jobs, however faces an ongoing struggle to recruit skilled workers.
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