Nilit has created a marketing programme that allows brands to connect to the customer through educational, marketing, and event experiences. © Nilit

Nilit, a leading manufacturer and marketer of nylon textile fibres, is responding to the changing retail landscape shaped by the new generation of shoppers urging brands to deliver a whole package – style, value, sustainability, innovation and speed – at once, with its Sensil nylon.

With Sensil, the world’s largest supplier of premium nylon 6.6 says it aims to demonstrate what’s possible when yarn producers, mills and brands work together. Nilit is working with brands to help them find the factories and mills that can make their product using Nilit yarns. The company had never worked directly with brands before, but it saw the need for greater transparency and trust, says Kirsten K. Harris, a former Amazon and Nike active apparel executive, whom Nilit tapped to lead the Sensil initiative as Director of Marketing for North America.

“Nilit is well-positioned in the market globally to make a substantial impact on the way supply chains work in partnership to meet the demands in today’s marketplace. Nilit is actively putting innovation, technology and marketing into developing key strategic partnerships with the entire supply chain to ensure that premium brands are getting exactly what the end consumer demands,” she explained.

Changing retail landscape

As ratings and rankings influence more and more of consumers’ purchasing decisions, the retail landscape is changing. Small emerging brands can hold the same cachet in shoppers’ minds as large, established players. This new dynamic is putting pressure on apparel companies both big and small to deliver on a host of product characteristics. Small brands often have an edge when it comes to things like premium quality, innovation, and excellent customer service. On the other hand, larger, mainstream brands cater to a broader customer base, and as a result, they can produce in a volume level that keeps prices down.

But these days, the lines are blurring between the two categories. The next-generation consumers reward brands that can deliver all of the hallmarks of both exclusive and mainstream retailers—and thanks to Amazon Prime, they also want it fast.

In response, apparel companies are racing to overhaul their supply chains in an effort to bring down prices and cut days out of calendars. “However, they can’t do it alone,” the company explains. “Bringing forth change on the scale the industry needs requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, with greater communication and collaboration among everyone along the supply chain.”

Overcoming supply chain challenges

Nilit is helping brands overcome supply chain challenges. “An example of this is our Sensil collaboration with the amazing yoga brand, Avocado. By combining Avocado’s unique designs and Sensil’s innovative yarns and fabrics, we are strategically partnering together to elevate both brands and to present an exciting product for the end customer,” said Ms Harris.

By matchmaking in this way, Nilit helps brands that may have been priced out of premium fibres in the past find partners that are willing to help them find cost-effective means for bringing their collections to life. “With a Sensil collaboration, it isn’t a sales pitch, it is a partnership. We work closely with brands to ensure they have the right partners across the supply chain, from the garment suppliers to the mills and beyond. We are looking at our collaborations as long-term partnerships and are building on them as such,” continued Ms Harris.

Further, the company has created a marketing programme that allows brands to connect to the customer through educational, marketing, and event experiences. Sensil’s goal is to create a relationship between all supply chain participants and a feedback pipeline from the retailer and consumer upstream. “We are connecting not only with brands and buyers but also end consumers, so they understand what their purchase options are and why they matter,” concluded Ms Harris.

www.nilit.com