Nice Things

Collections to convey the soul with joy and optimism while having a nice day

Sunday 10 June 2012, by Carmen Fernandez, Elisabeth, Marina Ariza, martacomgx

35 inspired

A. How did you find this company? What are the main facts about its activities?

Nice Things is a clothing brand that makes clothes for 0 year old girls to 90 year old women, and is a part of the Spanish company Intermalla S.L. created by Paloma Santaolalla and Miquel Lanna who opened the first nice shop in 1995 in Barcelona. From then, they have extended their shops in France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom and Greece. Their mission is to make clothing and complements with soul, with which women feel that every day is unique and special. The designs of the clothes have a personal style and are feminine, original and comfortable. Besides, the collections transmit optimism and happiness throughout the colors and prints of the clothes. They show with their designs that clothes are not simply garments, they transmit that clothing is a way to make girls and women feel comfortable. Nice Things’ team wants to share their point of view about fashion with their customers and as customers we were very positively inspired by this company. For this reason, they motivate their clients to participate as models in their catalogues, showing to the people that their clothes are wearable by real and authentic women.

B. What are the Ethical challenges this company is addressing?

As we can see, Nice Things has been involved in many ethical and social problems of nowadays and has increased the responsibility of the company to a higher extent. Not only do they exert effort on those projects, but also on daily and normal aspects of social behaviors such as transmitting a positive attitude towards life. It seems to be not only about clothes, it is about an attitude. Through the main activities and projects that Nice Things conducts, several ethical challenges have aroused our interest. The company tries to make children understand that they are able to live with such a problem like a severe illness, giving them reasons to believe and go ahead. What they want to transmit to those children is that they are not a “strange character” among all children. From the parents’ perspective, Nice Things makes an effort to convey joy to the parents when they realize their children are ill but not different. Parents should learn how to treat them in front of other children and the whole society. Another challenge Nice Things has is to help directly these children not only by means of money, but also physically and emotionally. It could be that a child may have a lot of monetary resources and a high quality of life but on the other hand he might have a lack of human support and no experiences with others.

C. What makes this company really inspiring to you and why would you trust it?

Nice Things tries to involve the human being in all their projects and beliefs. This fact has been for us one of the most important which makes us believe this firm behaves ethically. Why do we trust them? Which message is Nice Things transmitting to everybody? It is not all about money since it is not the only way to help children who suffer from a disease. The company transmits the message that people can get together and can share their own experiences and personal situations to show everybody that we can look beyond simple facts or a medical diagnosis. In that sense, the attitude we adopt to face a severe illness is even more important than some other things. It is by transmitting a positive attitude and with a willingness to help children that the firm can make people believe and hope for the best. Hence, once they believe things become possible and children that suffer from cancer can live like other children it makes it easier to do so and overcome difficult situations. Besides, the company is actively involved in all types of positive events that can bring joy to individuals and families. They have a contagious positive attitude towards life.

D.What are the possible challenges facing the company in the future and how do you think this company may improve?

A possible challenge might be that Nice Things wants to be considered as a real ethical company in the future, showing that they really believe on the projects they are doing and not merely worrying about investing a certain amount of money on the project itself and involving the whole production process into eco-friendly initiatives.
Also, the retail sector is a really competitive one and since their prices are high, people might continue purchasing cheaper products from other shops. Thus, it is important to highlight and inform about all the social and humanitarian initiatives behind the brand name to compete in another level than most common clothing brands. As for the competition with other ethical shops, Nice Things will need to promote its products to a higher extent and adapt its price-quality relationship to its customer’s expectations since they might also compare with other ethical shops.
On the other hand, one of the challenges of the company is to diffuse the right message to a broad extent and inform even more about the events they organize because the brand name is not as well-known as it could be, actually most of their customers are not aware of their social projects. Since they have shops in many countries but their actions are mainly done in Spain and Nepal, clients from other countries will not agree to contribute with them if they are not encouraging projects there as well. The company may find new opportunities to improve by expanding their message and their activities in more locations to reach more people that will be interested in their activities.

Bibliography

Official website, www.nicethings.es
Nice Things Blog, http://blog.nicethings.es
Wedreambusiness, www.wedreambusiness.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2dnsueVw0Y

Start a new discussion

5 Discussions / 6 Messages

  • Nice Things 13 June 2012 at 16:29 , by marta

    I personally believe in the challenging business strategy that this company is carrying out. They have been able to grow an incredible innovative idea and their contagious positive attitude towards life is crucial for their success. However, I think that they should inform more their customers about their ethical and humanitarian initiatives because I have bought several clothes from them and I didn’t know about their projects. Also I think that would be interesting to let their customers be even more involved in the creation of their clothes, for instance, co-creation would be a possible alternative that they should consider as a future challenge, and probably would help them to attract more customers who seek more personalized clothes.

    • Nice Things 17 June 2012 at 21:07 , by Marina Ariza

      I do agree with you Marta. I’ve also bought few pieces of clothes from Nice Things and I didn’t know that they were carrying out all these projects neither they were as involved with the society as they really are. By means of this project I’ve discovered the real feelings of this company and I got very impressed positively.

  • Random comments of an inspiring company... 13 June 2012 at 17:07 , by Anna Remacha

    I was surprised when I heard about this company. I remember thinking something like "ethical business and clothing industry don’t seem to go together", but after learning more about this company I changed my mind.

    There are some ideas that seemed extraordinary to me. I loved the idea of creating clothes for such an extensive segment. Even if certain ages seem completely different, they were able to put them all together under the same philosophy of "clothing and complements with soul". Moreover, both as a potential customer and as a woman, I love that they ask non-professional people to show their products. All the companies pay models to show their designs, but the authenticity of the product cannot be felt in the same way. Any of us can wear it, so any of us can be a model for Nice Things.

    This company and its initiative might not be perfect. We can find aspects that could be improved, but that is exatly what inspires me the most. They do business with a "human touch" that has disappeared in oder industries. They try to do better every year and I feel they are succeeding in it.

    It really is inspiring.

  • Nice Things 27 February 2013 at 20:02 , by ElenaRamos

    Once I have read about Nice Things, I can say that I have learned something new. I don’t know that this company tries to help to those children who suffer serious illness and their parents as well. I read that they want to transmit to children that they are normal and they can enjoy as the other children who don’t have any illness like those, and giving them reasons to believe and go ahead.
    Also, Nice Things strategy help parents to face the bad situation and transmit them a positive attitude towards life.

    On one hand, I had listen about Nice Things try to share a lot of things with their customers or involve in all their projects, like motivate them to participate as models, for example, or make them feel comfortable but with good and happy clothes.
    I think Nice Things clothes are always so much spring-like, with a lot of colors, flowers, texture and so on, and this could be a way to show us that enjoy our lives.

    On the other hand, actually there is a problem with price. Nice things isn’t a cheap brand, and I think if they want to help people or they want to transmit them something, they shouldn’t have high price, because with that they give a different image, not the image of a company who carry about this problem.

    Finally, Nice Things have to change their strategy, since almost of people are not aware about things that they do, not only people from others country who don’t know much about brand, but people from Spain that suppose they have to know.

  • Nice Things 28 February 2013 at 22:15 , by Raquel SF

    Nice things inspire me because I identify with a firm I had a many things of it. I think is a different company in comparison of the others who are thinking only to earn money.
    A one part of models are authentic women, real women with their clothes. Not only the models can be models

    The company has been involved in many ethical and social problems. Helps children who have a severe illness giving them reasons to believe and go ahead.
    The firm give messages of hope and is beautiful how a company doesn’t seem a company (the idea to maximize benefits and earn more year by year).
    From this point of view I thing on an NGO before a firm. It’s not all about money because is not the only way to help a children. It’s by transmitting this attitude to people who can meet together and share their experiences about that like a therapy group to overcome difficult situations.

    Good job, is very inspirit and beautiful. Go on and I hope you to achieve your goals.

  • Nice Things 6 March 2013 at 21:28 , by Laia FG

    I am very impressed with the strategy that performs Nice Thing, because I’m a consumer of the brand and had no idea of his involvement in childhood cancer. Nice Things it’s a brand with personality, as it uses many prints, bright colors and is known for being very comfortable. I think that should promote more proactive against cancer, as it is an expensive brand so it has lots of competition. But if consumers knew the possible involvement of Nice Things to cancer, the consumer no longer percibe the price as high as knowing that some of that money goes to a good cause. So besides thus attract new customers, can support more fighting this disease.

    The most important question is that Nice Things not only financially supports children and their families, also make activities for them, and so get happier family.

    Finally, added that more companies like Nice Things (less known by the public) should initiate social campaigns.

    Beautiful clothes for beautiful causes.

Location: Barcelona (Spain)

Sector: Wholesale and retail trade

Official website: http://www.nicethings.es

Nbr. visits: 657

Nbr. inspires: 35