Orotoro, Spanish for 'gold bull', is the latest brand to enter the organic promotional clothing market, with Orotoro organic: a select range of carefully designed, retail inspired garments in a wide and varied colour range. The Hastings-based company was set up a year and a half ago by business partners Tom Watson, Lawrence Bull, and Howard Kearley, who were inspired to launch into the promotional market following the success of their original business manufacturing for top end retailers.

"Orotoro was formed with the aim of bringing some of that retail quality into the promotional market," says Watson, who believes that it is this experience, along with the large colour range, that sets the company apart from other organic brands. "At Orotoro our dedicated team has been producing garments for high street brands for over two decades, so we understand the commitment and attention to detail that is needed to succeed in this competitive market," he says.

Colour choice

The current styles, which are sold direct to trade customers only, are: a Men's Classic Tee; Men's Cover Stitch Hood; Girls Fitted Tee; and Girls Raw Edge Hood, all made from 100% organic combed cotton and held in high stock levels. One of the range's biggest selling points is its colour choice, as Watson explains:

"In our men's T-shirt no one else offers as diverse a range of colours in an organic style," he says. "We have 18 colours in the men's and 12 in the women's - all from stock. That's why we've had such a good response. People want an organic product but until now they have been limited on colour."

He adds: "We will hopefully win business thorough the diversity and availability of the product. Our diverse colour range, the retail feel, and style details like the double lined hood, bar tucks and thick drawcord are also major selling points." The range is also very competitive on price, claims Watson.

In terms of environmental and ethical credentials, Orotoro's are impressive: all the garments are azo-free, reactive dyed and Soil Association certified 100% organic. They are also certified by the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard, Class 1, which ensures they are free from any harmful or toxic substances.

Added to that, all are made with Indian cotton that is fully traceable back to source, in one factory that is certified as Fairtrade by the FLO (Fairtrade Licensing Organisation) and which uses renewable energy from wind and solar power. There are also water and salt recycling plants, which recover 92% of the salt and 95% of the water; not forgetting that all boxes and swing tags are made from recycled materials.

But the company is keen to stress that its ethical and green credentials aren't its only selling points. "We really just want to let the products speak for themselves," says Watson. "We want people to know that its organic but we don't want that to be the only selling point of the garments.We believe people will buy them anyway, almost regardless of the fact they are organic, simply because of the quality."

Initially the brand launched as a non-organic range as it was taking longer than expected for the team to source the right organic materials and the ethical factory it needed at the right price. Once it was satisfied all the components were in place it then needed to achieve accreditation. "When we did find those things we needed to apply for Soil Association accreditation, which is why we have only recently re-launched as Orotoro organic," explains Watson, who believes the Soil Association mark offers customers confidence and is one they are familiar with.

And, from the initial success following the relaunch at the Printwear & Promotion Exhibition, Watson believes they've got the formula right. "The stock has been in for a few weeks and it's selling really well.We've had a really good response from our marketing and the feedback from the show was brilliant," he says.

With time, the aim is to grow what Watson sees as Orotoro's main business arm - its bespoke offering, where it can really draw on its experience in the retail market. "The aim is for people to use our range to develop their bespoke ideas," he explains. "We can offer organic, Fairtrade bespoke garments with a quick turnaround as we keep a lot of fabric on the floor at our factory in India - this can shave weeks off the turnaround time."

Watson believes the bespoke side will grow as the brand does, adding that there are already plans to add new styles in the next few months. He is also confident that the organic/ethical market as a whole will continue to grow, and foresees a complete ‘ethical' shift from the whole industry. "I think in a few years time everyone will have to adhere to these sorts of ethical and environmental standards, due to increasing pressure from consumers, who are becoming more and more aware of the ethics behind their clothes," he predicts.

To help raise awareness of these ethical and environmental issues Orotoro is launching a secondary website, http://www.orotorolive.co.uk/, which will be a forum for debate as well as a ‘jargonbusting' area. Meanwhile, the company's main website, http://www.orotoro.co.uk/, will offer a stock viewing service so customers can see immediately what's available. This is aimed at counteracting what Watson sees as one of the biggest potential problems within the industry, as he explains: "Not knowing what stock a company is holding can waste so much of customers' time," he says.

The overall mission of the brand is simple, concludes Watson: to play a part in the eco revolution by producing organic, ethically made garments through sustainable sources. And who can argue with that?

Web: http://www.orotoro.co.uk/

Tel: 0845 310 3662

Email: sales@orotoro.co.uk

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