We practice slow fashion business. The annual turnover of products in the catalogue is about 10%. The longest product life cycles are up to 10 years. Of course, our product turnover has also increased since I first started in the design group. However, it is an advantage to be able to admit when you have made the wrong decision, when you have not considered enough and when you have considered too much. Now, for example, we are bringing back the loose-sleeved hat. Now it is at the same level in terms of appearance as in terms of functionality. The world has become more hectic, fashion has even moved to a cycle of a few weeks. We still do things thoughtfully. It is an absolute competitive advantage that we can make quick changes to product details. We have this legendary thinking about the next sensible batch. We are able to do this partly because we have invested so heavily in local production, partly because we have product development in Leppävirta. We strive to hone the product until the functionality is optimal compared to the price. At Dimex, we are looking for long-term partners. It is easier to find and demand high quality when work is done over the long term. An example of this is the cooperation with YKK and 3M. However, in design, we are a slow fashion school. We believe that a garment can look good for more than one season. Certification requirements make product design more challenging. Companies want continuity in clothing. A good-looking garment strengthens their brand and new entrants need to be given the same coat as other employees. When boundaries are tighter and the cycle is longer, the importance of creativity and innovation is emphasized. The people in the sales team and the people in production/product design are the closest. It is important that the threshold for asking and sharing information is kept low. In the sales team, we often say, "I don't know, but I'll find out." We try to stick to this. Once the product is designed and in production, the same slow fashion continues in sales. You have to dare to propose a deal and introduce new products. However, we want to serve the customer in a way that we can be together in the long term, only promising things that we can commit to tomorrow and that we can definitely deliver on. We have received excellent customer service ratings, probably partly thanks to this tactic. We know that we still need to improve, and we need to learn from our mistakes. I have previously announced this: Keep a good pace, keep your energy up, keep the pace up, but stay off the edge! Tuire Krogerus Partner - Sales and Product Development Chairman of the Board tuire.krogerus@dimex.fi