OCC Apparel was established in Australia in 2004 with ethical apparel at its founding core. Nick Barclay, the OCC Apparel founder, CEO and managing director is an energetic outdoor adventure athlete and ethical garment manufacturing entrepreneur who possesses an impressive career in the global ethical apparel industry that spans decades.
Recognizing an opportunity in the market almost 20 years ago for sustainably and ethically produced and manufactured fashion while working as a retail sales associate with Patagonia in New York, he quickly set about putting together and building a profitable and scalable ethical wholesale and decoration apparel business model. OCC Apparel rejected non-organic/low-quality fast fashion and was forward-thinking only focussing on sustainable and fashionable ethical apparel items that could be decorated locally with speed.
His pioneering approach and tenacity to help clients has paid off with OCC Apparel now showcasing an impressive 18 years of industry experience, long-term suppliers, dedicated clients and a strong expert team. OCC Apparel has grown to include showrooms across multiple states, partnerships with established clothing brands and businesses and is proud to represent the world’s best ethical apparel blank brands offering the largest range of styles and colors in the market.
With demand from businesses for ethical and sustainable apparel items along with accreditation growing more now than ever, Barclay is ready to elevate the presence and profile of OCC Apparel by onboarding new franchisees with a passion for ethical fashion and supporting them with his knowledge and experience. OCC Apparel has become a world leader in the ethical apparel category, and Barclay and the OCC Apparel team are eager to expand its offering to more front-end clients and brands around the globe.
What is the OCC Apparel business model?
The lucrative business model is tried-and-tested, having been refined over more than a decade of successful operation in the apparel industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Designed to propel the growth of new franchisees, the OCC Apparel model is simple, straightforward, and profitable for all parties. The model supports the development of the OCC Apparel brand which its franchisees have ownership in.
OCC Apparel is the leading global production expert in ethical, sustainable, and organic branded apparel. It selects ethical apparel items from stock and relabels and decorates them for clients. Working with the world’s leading brands, OCC manufacture and distribute high-quality garments that are environmentally conscious. Some of its high-profile clientele include not-for-profit organizations, fashion labels, educational institutions, and prominent figures in the entertainment industry.
The brand understands the future of the apparel industry and has developed world-class development and manufacturing processes that are innovative and cutting-edge. OCC Apparel offers the world’s largest range of ethically accredited 100 per cent organic cotton and recycled apparel items from stock and is leading the way in global sustainable fashion.
The OCC Apparel difference
Accreditations:
GOTS
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibers, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain.
FAIRTRADE
Fairtrade is about stable prices, decent working conditions and the empowerment of farmers and workers around the world.
FAIR WEAR
OCC Apparel is the Australian distributor for Continental Clothing & Stanley Stella who are Fair Wear Foundation members. The Fair Wear Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that works with companies and factories to improve labor conditions for garment workers.
CARBON NEUTRAL
Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. It is used in the context of carbon dioxide-releasing processes associated with transportation, energy production, agriculture, and industry.
GLOBAL RECYCLING STANDARD
The GRS is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices and chemical restrictions.
OCS 100 – ORGANIC CONTENT STANDARD
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) applies to any non-food product containing 95-100 per cent organic material. It verifies the presence and amount of organic material in a final product and tracks the flow of the raw material from its source to the final product.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
If a textile article carries the STANDARD 100 label, consumers can be certain that every component of this article, i.e. every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and that the article is safe for human health.
OCC Apparel Brands:
What kind of franchisee is OCC Apparel looking for?
OCC Apparel is looking to partner with one exclusive OCC Apparel master franchisee partner per country who can grow the OCC Apparel business across multiple showroom locations within an agreed, staged timeframe.
Brand vision and values
Vision: The brand’s vision is to establish an OCC Apparel office and showroom in every country in the world. OCC is here to help the world’s best brands be even better.
Values:
- Quality
- People
- Honesty
- Profit
OCC Apparel offers a unique opportunity to existing screen printers who have extensive experience in the wholesale and decoration apparel industry. Franchisees need to share in OCC’s values for sustainability and ethical fashion, as well as honesty, integrity, and quality. People are at the forefront of the operation, so franchisees should be strong communicators with strong e-commerce knowledge.
A high level of computer proficiency will ensure the success of onboarding franchisees, as well as strong customer service and sales skills. OCC Apparel is an ideal franchise opportunity for motivated apparel experts ready to build upon their current successful business structure.
What kind of training and support does OCC Apparel offer to its franchisees?
Initial and ongoing training and support forms a major part of the franchise agreement and OCC Apparel partnership. All operating systems and back office support (quotes/sales/accounting) are provided within the OCC Apparel franchise package.
What does the franchisee get in return?
Low capital investment for access to a long established ethical apparel wholesale business brand with committed hands on owner operator CEO – Nick Barclay, experienced back office operational support and consistent high gross profit returns.
What areas is OCC Apparel targeting?
The brand is looking to appoint OCC Apparel master franchisees in all countries except for Australia and New Zealand.
Why is now the time to open an OCC Apparel franchise?
According to Entrepreneur, data from ResearchAndMarkets tracks the growth rate between 2019 and 2021 and expected growth rates through 2030. The global ethical fashion market was worth almost $6.3bn in 2019 after a compound annual growth rate of 8.7 per cent since 2015. The firm expects the market to grow from $6.3bn in 2019 to $8.2bn in 2023, marking a compound annual growth rate of 6.8 per cent.
Then between 2023 and 2035, ResearchAndMarkets ethical fashion includes designing and manufacturing clothing while caring for the people and communities involved in the process. It is also sustainable, which means it looks to improve the social and environmental impacts of fashion by working to improve laborers’ working conditions and reduce the impact on the environment. Between 2025 and 2030, the firm predicts a growth rate of 9.1 per cent again, reaching a total of $15.2bn.
Experts say the growth is primarily due to growing awareness about sustainable and ethical clothing. The ethical clothing market consists of sales of clothing by entities primarily engaged in designing, producing, selling, and purchasing ethical apparel.
What’s driving the growth? According to ResearchAndMarkets, growth in emerging markets and rising foreign direct investments have been driving the growth in the ethical clothing market. However, it didn’t grow as much as possible due to the high costs associated with ethical fashion.
More details on the ethical fashion market
The market is segmented according to product into organic, man-made, recycled, and natural. The man-made segment was the largest part of the ethical fashion market, accounting for more than half of the total market in 2019. ResearchAndMarkets expects the organic segment to become the fastest-growing segment of the market going forward with a compound annual growth rate of 16.2 per cent.
Experts also divide the ethical fashion market into type based on fair trade, animal cruelty-free, eco-friendly, and charitable brands. The animal cruelty-free segment was the largest division with more than 40 per cent of the market in 2019. Looking ahead, eco-friendly products are expected to grow the fastest, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.6 per cent.
There is also a third way the ethical fashion market can be divided, which is by end-user based on women, men, and children. The women’s segment was the largest division, with more than half of the total market in 2019. However, looking ahead, the men’s segment is expected to be the fastest-growing with a compound annual growth rate of 10.2 per cent.