How Redundancy Sparked a Consultancy…

My side of the story behind The Knowledge Nexus

After Niall’s blog post 2 weeks ago, I thought I would follow up by talking a little about why we set up The Knowledge Nexus and how I work with two of my clients.

The Why…

I have always been details focused, especially when it comes to doing things properly. In some of my previous roles it was remarked that this trait was problematic – but I do still believe that if you are going to do something, do it right!

Niall and I first met when we were put in touch by a mutual friend to assist with a certified vs non certified cotton for a project for my employer at the time. He invited me to join the Small Brands Group set up to discuss compliance issues within our industry and we quickly realised we were the ones people turned to for answers.

Months of chatting followed, which then became our idea for The Knowledge Nexus. We were both fully employed at that point, so we did little more than decide on our name and plan what we would offer and how, until the time we were in a position to actually ‘do’ something about it.

The original logo

For me, that time came a lot sooner than expected as I was made redundant. Having relocated the whole family and bought a house in a beautiful but far-flung area of the UK to suit the job I had, it was impossible to just ‘find another role’ as everything was a good 300 miles from where we lived, and when you have a family and a house you can’t just pack up and move in a month! So it seemed as good a time as any to see if we could actually make our idea work.

From Boutique to Brand

3 days after I was formally told I had been made redundant, our first client contacted me. It was someone I had worked with years previously and we had kept in touch… she had recently joined a small brand who were starting to move from a boutique model (where they bought off the rack styles) to a brand with their own, in-house designed ranges. Could I help get them set up?

Tango in the Night, Little Lies https://little-lies.com/products/tango-in-the-night-lace-midi-dress

This was the start of a partnership that exists to this day. Their team was small, and they were not yet at a point to bring on someone permanently to cover their technical requirements, so using The Knowledge Nexus to fill that gap suited them perfectly.

Initially I helped create their Supplier Manual – an integral document to build brand and supplier relationships on a strong foundation, setting expectations and best practice. I worked closely with the team to build sound processes that worked for them and helped to implement them within their supply chain. We also edited their existing testing manual and created company policies and SOPs so that they were building their early ranges and ways of working, both internally and with the suppliers, from a strong position.

I was then asked to help with some of their fittings – my friend, the designer, had known me as a garment tech and so wanted my input of some of the more tricky styles they were working on. This then became a regular feature – remote fits on their model/ team member, sending me the garments to complete tech packs and work with the factories on the next steps.

I was also tasked with looking over the factory documents, checking ethical audits, completing compliance documentation for a couple of retail platforms outside their own that they use, checking test reports and care label wordings and setting up an AQL process for their 3rd party warehouse amongst may other, smaller tasks and projects needed.

As the team structure has changed as people move on, I now also help with product development and factory CP management as well as the regular fittings and comments.

I work with them on a fairly ad hoc basis, with regular weekly catch ups so I can ensure my time is planned around their seasonal calendar. Some months are quieter than others but it balances out to approximately 5 days a month.

They get the benefit of a Technical and Product Manager and Technical Product Developer when they need it, and I get to work with a fab little team!

Helping a Small Brand Grow Up

Another client was introduced to me by a friend in HR. A small, founder-led brand who took me on to initially fix their sizing and grading and to help with fits (they had no garment tech), going from 1 day a month to 1 or 2 days a week at the start of this year, until they found themselves ready to employ a full time garment tech.

I didn’t just do the fits and comments though – I worked closely with the suppliers during fits and production, even going on some factory visits, created and implemented their supplier & testing manuals, updated their labelling and brought on board a single nominated supplier to ensure consistency with the whole supply base, started a supplier scoring process, managed and declared their EPR for the UK and relevant EU countries, managed supply chain CSR and worked on their website to update areas covering fit, fabrics and factories. I also reviewed customer feedback on fit and sizing and conducted range fit reviews to update fits and ensure product consistency.

Maeve Rib Knit Sweater, Kettlewell https://www.kettlewellcolours.co.uk/product/maeve-rib-knit-sweater?cat=79&colour=1343&type=1

When the brand was in a position where they needed a permanent addition to the product team to cover technical aspects, I supported with the job description and interview process, and then worked with the new employee for a smooth onboarding and hand over, ensuring a continuation of work with some robust groundwork in place.

While my position with this brand was never supposed to be long term, it was still sad to leave a team I had built such a rapport with.

It’s been a winding road from redundancy to co-running an independent consultancy, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I get to work with lots of brilliant people, solve real problems, and help build better brands - whether that’s guiding a new brand through their first tech packs and fit sessions or helping an existing team navigate compliance with confidence. That’s exactly why we started The Knowledge Nexus: to offer flexible, expert support where it’s needed most.

If your brand needs support, from a little extra technical expertise or creating or updating your manuals to something more, please get in touch to see how we can help!