CO|OP by NC&A

WELCOME to CO|OP by NC&A

The International Co-operative Alliance defines a cooperative – or a co-op – as “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.”

In other words, cooperatives are created by people who have a specific need and who are willing to work together to operate and organise a company that will meet that need.

It takes a village to create the perfect collaboration and in recent years, connection and collaboration have come to define the optimal way brands do business. From corporates consulting with their artistic counterparts to mashups of fashion and function, new networks of creativity and commerce are being built locally and abroad.

However, sometimes even the best collaboration ideas die in execution – and through our work in the field, we have figured out why and subsequently, how to prevent any failures to launch.

Presenting a straight-shooting guide to doing collaboration

With a strong focus on brands, agencies, innovators and influencers pioneering these spaces; at NC&A we assist businesses to navigate the new landscape of collaboration. Employing the knowledge of project management best practice, we advise exactly where it would be most apt and effective to apply collaboration in your business.

THE FUTURE OF COLLABORATION

According to new research by Global trend forecasters, to thrive in an ever-competitive environment, brands should look to invest in three key areas over the next five years,

Exclusive collaborations with Relevant Partners,
Secret Exclusive Brand Experiences and,
Personalised Online Experiences

From initial concept and strategy, to interpersonal relationships, to managing ambassadors and influencers, we have hands-on experience and the knowledge of makes or breaks great collaborations – with solid tools and support you can use immediately and insights to prepare you for the future.

Whether you’re an agency owner, marketing/brand manager or a creative collective – we’ve got the tools for you.

The Trickle Theories
Beilings Flow Chart
Nystrom’s Theoretcial Framework
Trend Cartograms
The acronym S.T.E.E.P. namely Sociological, Technological, Environmental, Economical & Political etc.

PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING

For Overall project Curation or Management we offer the support and guidance into the Collaboration landscape. Through this we are able to find an new and exciting entry to market or fresh positioning and project outcomes.

WORKSHOPS & TRAINING

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, duo justo soleat dolorem ex, ut quis disputationi est, possim integre ex ius. Mel no elit tlo imperdiet an. Qui id hinc viderer, nihil petentium.

PACKAGED TREND & INSIGHTS

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, duo justo soleat dolorem ex, ut quis disputationi est, possim integre ex ius. Mel no elit tlo imperdiet an. Qui id hinc viderer, nihil petentium.

RELATED PRODUCTS

THE TAILORED TREND REPORT

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, duo justo soleat dolorem ex, ut quis disputationi est, possim integre ex ius. Mel no elit tlo imperdiet an. Qui id hinc viderer, nihil petentium eum ad.

THE PLAYBOOK

FULLY INTEGRATED STRATEGY

THE TREND FUNNEL WORKSHOP

HARD-WORKING WORKSHOPS EXPERTLY CURATED FOR YOUR BUSINESS.

Our workshops are directed by Nicola Cooper, renowned Keynote Speaker, a GETC (General Educational Training Certified) facilitator in outcomes-based Education and seasoned Lecturer for the University of Johannesburg and LISOF Fashion Design School and Retail Educational Institute.

CLIENTS & COLLABORATORS

I have had the pleasure and honour of working with Nicola for over 8 years. You never come away from a call or meeting with Nicola not feeling wowed by her breadth and depth of knowledge. Her forthright style and ability to hone into the important angle of the topic quickly but with supporting (and widely sourced) research never cease to amaze me. She is always ahead of the curve. Once you accept you are out of touch and Nicola is entirely in touch with tomorrow’s consumer today, you can relax, stop worrying about your age and just learn. You can be confident that Nicola will guide you and offer you enough insight for you to feel more secure in your strategy and in her ability to make all her knowledge and research relevant to your brand or company. Or, more importantly, where you are missing the mark, she does not try to make your strategy fit, she really empowers you to re-strategise to where consumer trends are taking us, so that you build a strategy better devised to succeed. I’d hate to face the future as a brand or business without access to Nicola’s thinking.
LEON BUHR - HEAD: MARKETING, INNOVATION & GROWTH at EQUATOR ACCESSORIES & THE BELT FACTORY
Nicola not only has vast knowledge in the field of trends analysis, having lectured trends at UNISA, The University of Johannesburg and LISOF but is able to use proven methodology to analyse and predict a trend trajectory. But while her strengths lie in the academic field, she matches that knowledge with grassroots connections with the influencers and drivers of pop culture in South Africa. The importance of using trends as business strategy – the Flux Trends mantra – is only now being recognised as a crucial business tool. Nicola’s passion for trends, as well as her passion for knowledge transferral, will add an important layer to building a more credible and competitive industry for South Africa.
DION CHANG - FOUNDER - FLUX TRENDS
Nicola Cooper & Associates have a fresh, local point of view that inspires necessary discussion and conversation around remaining relevant to your customer. All expectations exceeded!
LIZ NAUDE - SMIT - CREATIVE, CUSTOMER INSIGHT AND TREND MANAGER - PEPKOR
Nicola Cooper, Senior Trend Analyst (based in South Africa) has been on Trendwatching.com’s radar since our first South African visit in 2012. From the following year, Nicola became one of our selected local expert Trend Analysts and preferred supplier for South African clients, due to her strong academic foundation and an unparalleled knowledge of Fashion, Lifestyle, Youth and Pop cultural trends in Africa. Nicola’s cutting edge trend talks, impeccable research methods, and an instinctual knack for the field continue to set professionals like herself away from the pack.
LOLA PEDRO- AFRICAN REGIONAL DIRECTOR TRENDWATCHING.COM
Nicola has been instrumental in forcing changes across the South Africa fashion landscape through her projects, consultations and endorsements that advocate for a decolonial and Afrocentric aesthetic and praxis.
DR. ERICA DE GREEF -CO-DIRECTOR AT THE AFRICAN FASHION RESEARCH INSTITUTE