Ipswich, UK-based licensed apparel producer and retailer Star Editions has been introduced to the Next third-party marketplace by digital direct-to-garment technology provider Kornit.

Offering a wide range of clothing, footwear, and home products, Next is one of the largest UK-based retailers, with 500 stores in the country and 200 additional stores globally.

Star Editions produces items featuring branded pop culture figures such as Doctor Who, Peppa Pig and Wallace and Grommit and first installed a production system from Kornit in 2020, with growth necessitating investment in an additional system in 2022.

In addition to leveraging Kornit’s capabilities for fast, push-button fulfilment without graphic or colour limitations, Star Editions has adopted KornitX workflow solutions for the efficient onboarding of new web design and sales channels, and the seamless, transparent routing of orders for rapid production and delivery.

KornitX integrates with the company’s online store for a scalable, efficient customer experience enabling rapid on-demand customisations from a growing image library.

By aligning supply with demand and eliminating the risks and waste associated with forecast-based overproduction, Star Editions is growing, with an on-demand fulfilment model that enables localised, “made in the UK” production that gives consumers what they want quickly and digitized operations enabling visibility and accountability throughout.

“Having a digital supply chain means we can customise and personalise the pieces people want, down to the single unit, and deliver it quickly and profitably every time,” said Will Marston, Star Editions CEO. “We’re continuously expanding our portfolio of licensed properties, which now include more than 50 million ready-to-print images we own, and this month brings Peter Rabbit into our collection. Incidentally, this just happens to be the year of the rabbit, and with the way innovators like Kornit and Next are helping us spring forward and get ahead of the market for fun and creative apparel, we think that’s entirely fitting.”

“Star Editions offers a perfect demonstration of how Kornit is moving beyond mere production to create digital supply chains, link consumers and designers to the producers best equipped to fulfil their demand with precision, and usher in a new model that empowers retailers to adapt and grow while eliminating time, waste and risk,” added Phil Oakley, Kornit sales director.

www.kornit.com

www.stareditions.com