LCF Class of 2022: Size Up by Ioana Catinca Radulescu
- Written byL Hussain
- Published date 08 July 2022
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As we approach the LCF Class of 2022 showcase and celebration from 13 July 2022, we take a look at some of the work created by this year's graduating cohort. #LCFClassOf2022 will showcase the best of graduating talent with a catwalk, salon shows and an exhibition at Truman Brewery with an extended list of fashion industry insiders attending. Work will be displayed from our business, design and media schools, including fashion, accessories, fashion film, fashion photography, VR experiences and more.
Speaking about business; we caught up with student Ioana Catinca Radulescu studying BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing about 'Size Up', a children’s wear rental service based in the UK. With the aim to support parents, the subscription-based business looks into an affordable and sustainable alternative to shop. Ioana talks us through her concept the reasoning behind her forward-thinking business approach.
The idea behind Size Up’s concept came from the realisation that children outgrow their clothing really fast, which leads to a huge amount of wasted resources.
Statistically, in the first 2 years of life alone children outgrow 7 clothing sizes. I never really thought about it until I spoke to one of my friends who has a 4-year-old, and she was telling me about how much money she has to spend on constantly buying new clothes which don’t even get a lot of wear before he grows out of them. This got me thinking that there must be an alternative solution to benefit both the parent and the environment.
The research process started by gathering information from secondary resources about the rental market in the UK and about my target audience, which comprises parents of at least 1 child under the age of 5 located in the UK.
I used primary research methods to fill the gaps of information that I couldn’t find through secondary sources like competitor analysis, consumer perception of the competitor brands, and consumer behaviour, feelings, and attitudes regarding children’s clothing and the idea of rental. I used Netnography (a research method useful for studying online consumer culture), surveys and interviews to gather qualitative and quantitative information.
One challenge I encountered during the research process was that, as my concept was a rental service, I was not able to actually test it. Instead, what I decided to do was undertake a wardrobe audit and in-depth interview with a member of my target audience to find out which clothing items they are most likely to rent, which items get damaged the fastest, how many items of each category they own et cetera., as well as their reasoning behind their answers. This has allowed me to understand what products to stock and in what quantity.
During my course at LCF I was able to undertake many different modules and explore different sides of fashion business, but by far my favourite was the enterprise module I did in my final year. I learned so much about what it really takes so start a business, while also being taught to use my creativity to solve real life problems. The enterprise module has really helped me become more confident and think outside the box.
After graduation I am looking to find a job within creative marketing to start my career, ideally in a role that challenges and encourages me to constantly come up with new ideas and creative solutions.
Want to read more about Ioana Catinca Radules ‘Size Up’ Children's Wear Rental Company? You can view more on the UAL Graduate Showcase.
- View the full book on the UAL Graduate Showcase.
- Keep up to date with the LCF Class of 2022 Campaign.
- Find out more about BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear at LCF.
- View our upcoming Open Days.